Page 21 of Standing In The Sun
Maybe she liked the thrill of it, too-- the way her heart pounded when she slipped something into her bag-- the tiny rush of knowing she was getting away with it…or maybe she was just a mother doing what she had to do to take care of her son.
Whatever the reason, Ahvi felt she was good enough at it, to not get caughtagainbecause she’d been caught once before.
Kamari let out a whimper, his little hands balling into fists. She bounced him lightly, whispering a soft, “Shhh, Mari. I’m almost done.”
Dro was still missing in action, which meant begging him for help wasn’t an option , not that it ever really was. If he cared, she wouldn’t have to press him to help with their son. She knew Ish was rolling over in his grave, pointing that crooked finger at her and shaking his head.
Ahvi exhaled slowly, and adjusted the strap of the tote on her shoulder. Just a few more things, and she’d be out. No one would even know she’d been here.
The last few days at her mama’s was cool but life still had to go on and she still had a lot of shit to handle. Ahvi couldn’t sit around with her mama gossiping all day and looking after her bad ass siblings. She still needed to get a storage unit before the new owners put everything on the side of the road for nosey neighbors to pick through while passing judgement on her and her situation.
Ahvi slipped out of the store. Her heart was pounding, but her face was unreadable in hopes of not giving anyone a clue as to what she’d just done. She walked with purpose while balancing Kamari on her hip as she strolled past the clueless security guard. The tote bag dug into her shoulder, but she didn’t adjust it until she was halfway to her car. That was the rule-- don’t touch the bag until you’re in the clear.
Once she made it to the car, she pulled off, making a stop in another parking lot to make Kamari a bottle before he really cut up on her. She didn’t want to take the chance of doing it in the store’s parking lot in fear of being caught.
Ahvi handed Kamari his bottle then checked the time on her phone. She needed to get going so she could get the money and take the food home before the summer heat spoiled it. Her five finger discount trip would be fruitless if the food didn’t make it into the refrigerator soon.
Pulling off, it didn’t take Ahvi long before she was at the post office. She swallowed hard seeing Lunar kicked back on the hood of his Benz, making her little Nissan look worse than it was. She took a quick glance at her appearance in the rearview mirror trying not to be so obvious.
Lunar’s deep – dark skin glistened under the rays of the sun. He wasn’t decked out in diamonds this time but she could tell by his clothes that he probably shitted money. He looked taller in person too, with his jeans hanging slightly off his waist, and a plain white shirt hitting the top just right . His hair looked freshly moisturized and his waves were on swim.
Ahvi put her car in park, grabbing her phone before hopping out her car and walking around to get Kamari out the car too.
Lunar couldn’t tear his eyes away, following her every move. Leaning against his car with his arms crossed, he watched her like she was something to be studied. He flicked his tongue across his lips as his eyes took in every inch of her …slow and deliberate. Those black biker shorts clung to her like a second skin, hugging every curve so tight he could admire her shape from the front.
The oversized graphic tee draped over her hips just enough to hint at what was underneath, and those dainty little sandals on her feet were cute as hell. She had that effortless,I just threw this ontype of fine that made it hard to look away.
Her hair was slicked into a perfect top knot, with soft, swirly baby hairs framing her heart-shaped face. Lunar took his time drinking Ahvi in. From the way her lips pursed slightly in concentration to the subtle sway of her hips as her baby’s legs wrapped around them.
“Ahvi,” he said, straightening up. “You look even better in person.”
Ahvi rolled her eyes, snapping her thighs together self-consciously. Him saying her name was enough to make her fold.
But she didn’t have time for folding. The last time she let her guards down, she ended up a single mother stealing from the local store. “You got the money or what?”
Lunar walked over, resting his arms in front of him like he was all business and no bullshit. “You got the phone?” even that came out with sex dripping from every word.
She reached into her tote and pulled it out just enough for him to see before tucking it away again.
He whistled low, nodding. “Aight, aight...ten bands, just like I promised.” He pulled out a thick stack of cash out of his pocket and held it out to her.
She reached for it, but he yanked it back with a grin. “Damn, can I at least get my stepdaddy jokes off first?”
There was no reason for him to pretend he wasn’t physically attracted to her. Ahvi was the type of girl you just had to shoot your shot with, even if you could see the wall around her from a mile away.
Ahvi sighed. “Lunar?—”
“Nah, for real, picture this…son, go get my slippers.’” He looked at Kamari, who was blinking up at him from his mama’s hips like they were made just for him.
“Boy, shut up.” She snatched the money from his hand trying not to laugh, flipping through it quickly. She handed him the phone and charger, knowing he’d probably need that too.
Then, everything went to hell. Shit moved in slow motion like time slowed down so she could remember the day forever…remember where she fucked up at.
“You called the police?!” Ahvi’s round eyes bucked in disbelief that Lunar would call the police about a phone he didn’t even know about until she reached out.
Lunar shook his head. “Hell nah!”
Red and blue lights flooded the street. A police car cut in front of hers’, blocking her in, and another screeched to a stop beside where they were standing.
