Her eyes glistened in the light as she examined her new timepiece.
“Nothing really. But if I’m rocking an AP, I’ll be damned if my woman is rocking a Marshalls watch. If my necklace set me back a good fifty, then I’m not letting my woman walk out of the house with one that didn’t even cost her fifty dollars. I match energies, Ever. There’s no I in team and neither is there a big me, little you. My woman and anyone around me will always be a direct reflection of who I am as a man. If I can’t make sure they’re straight, then I’m not to be trusted.”
“Your woman,” she emphasized.
“You thought I was sliding in you raw and leaving my imprint for fun?”
“About that,” she started with a smile.
“Like I was saying, my woman…” I pointed in her direction with a finger. “Is a direct reflection of me. Now, do you like the watch, woman?”
“I love the watch, Luca.”
“But what?”
“I fell into my last relationship. I don’t want to fall into another the same way. I want to make things official. I want to be courted and asked to be your girlfriend. I don’t want to just fall into a routine and we call it a relationship.” She spoke her truth, and I was happy that she had.
“Good, because that’s not what I planned to do, either. I’m claiming you because I know you’re mine, not because I’m trying to rob you of those feelings or desires. We won’t fall into aroutine and just call it a relationship. I have every intention of making it very fucking obvious when we’re official.”
“Thanks.”
“But I’m telling you now that we’re exclusive,” I followed up with. There was nothing to be mistaken about that.
“I can get with exclusive. I don’t want anyone being able to say they know how good you feel inside of them from this moment on, but me,” she admitted. “My heart wouldn’t be able to take it if they did.”
She picked her glass up and sipped from it. I placed a lid on the boiling potatoes and made my way over to her. I stood in front of her and removed the watch from her hand. She placed her wineglass on the counter and handed me her left arm. I clasped the diamond-encrusted piece around her tiny wrist, satisfied to know that it fit perfectly. I’d predicted, but wasn’t sure if my guess was accurate. Seeing her smile and hold her wrist in the air to get a better look was enough to swell my heart and curve the corners of my mouth.
“Mine either,” I finally responded. “Tell me, what else does your heart desire? From me. From a relationship in general. What are your hard boundaries?”
“Hard boundaries?”
“Yes. Hard boundaries. The things that you will not accept or don’t prefer. The things that you noticed you hate from prior situations. Shit like that.”
“My hard boundaries are simple. Unless I’m married, I’m not living with my man. I’m still wondering if I want to even after. I know it’s not traditional but the thought of living with a man again brings me anxiety. Like, right now at Lyric’s, I can let my hair down and be who I really am. When living with a man, I feel like I’m always on pins and needles, trying to be the whatever person he’s made it up in his head that I am. It’s usually animage of perfection that is exhausting trying to keep up with. I feel like the work is never ending, especially having two children.
“On top of being their mom, I have to be the cleaner, the cook, the laundry lady, the homeschooler when they’re not at school, the doctor, the negotiator, and so much more. I’d rather not do all of that while trying to be the perfect partner when I would rather just relax. I won’t feel like cooking every day. I won’t feel like cleaning the dishes every day. I won’t feel like clearing the laundry room every week or folding the clothes I wash. Some days I’ll be lazy and some days I’ll be fine. When I’m alone, I don’t feel guilty about that.”
“You shouldn’t. You’re not a robot, Ever.”
“Well, have you met men? Tell that to them.”
“Anyone who expects that much out of you is a coward. Because if you’re doing all of that, what the fuck are they doing?”
“Paying all the bills,” she revealed. “Which is my next hard boundary. I refuse to let a man pay all of my bills because then I feel indebted to them and that is what doesn’t allow me to rest… at all. I always feel like I should be doing something to show my appreciation. Cleaning the kitchen, mopping the floors, dusting the ceiling fans… anything but sitting on my ass. For the first time, I can sit on my ass if that’s what I want to do. I don’t want that to stop.”
“Hmmm,” I responded with a nod, deciding against commenting on the damage her pussy ass nigga had done.
“No matter what it is, I want to keep a job. I never want to be jobless. Having a job actually gives me the small break I need from my children on a daily basis. I’d much rather it be my own business that claims my time instead of someone’s clock, but that will come in due time. I have to stay employed. I can never and won’t ever depend on a man for everything anymore. He cannot be the sole breadwinner in the house.”
“Anything else?”
“My man must worship the ground I walk on. He must give me the same love that I give him. When I’m in love, I’m limitless. I’ll always go above and beyond. I want that reciprocated.”
“Understandable.”
“Last, there must not be an intentional or obvious difference made between the children I have with them and the ones I already have. I will leave in an instant. My children’s father has never been involved in their lives, although he’s always been around. I don’t want that for them. I want a man to be everything they’ve been missing, to show them what a daughter and father relationship truly consists of. They must be treated like they came from his nut sack.”
“Is that something you can handle?”
