When the shared laughter died down, a brief silence ensued. “Will you be coming back to the city tomorrow?”
“You asking questions you already know the answers to, Jade.”
“Do I?”
“You do.” The way he spoke had me hot and freaking bothered like a teenager with her first crush.
“Okay then, better question. What are you feeding me when you make it back to the city?”
“Whatever you want, Jade.” He licked those full lips and I almost came right there.
“You gotta stop telling me stuff like that, Oden. I’ma get too used to it.” I closed my eyes tightly and fell back flat against the bed. With the phone on my chest, I had to regulate myself.
“Why not get too used to it? I told you I liked you, Jade, and I meant just that. I’m a grown ass man, Jade, and very intentional about my interests.”
“Interests… plural or singular?”
“Singular. My interest in you and only you, Jade.”
“Okay. Good to know.” I was trying to keep a straight face in this dark ass room, but I was grinning from ear to ear.
“Ask me what you wanna ask me.” His demand had my eyes popping open.Lord oh lord why did I have to be so damn animated for no damn reason.
“I like you as well. I guess I don’t want to assume I’m the only person you’re dealing with when we’ve never etched anything in stone. It’s early, bu—” I started to babble, but he cut it right there.
“You are the only person I’m fucking on and with. Remember what I told you that first night?”
I tilted my head to the side as if he could see me. “No, what did you say?”
“I said you felt like home and I meant that. I ain’t the nigga out here creating and feeling homes everywhere. And nah, it ain’t too soon for nothing.”
“So, me telling my brothers I’m seeing you isn’t a problem?”
“I’d hope yeen tryna hide me from your blood, love. And nah, you ain’t seeing me, you’re dating me, Jade. We’re way past that young shit.”
I couldn’t hold back my laughter. “No, I’m not trying to hide you from my family. I’m just not in a rush to have my brothers all in my business.”
“Yeah aight. You heard me, love.”
“Loud and clear.”
A weekand a half later
My eyes glossed the almost finished product of my store. Of course it wasn’t fully finished yet, but I was working toward it. My mind needed this to be done so it would be one less thing stressing me out. One less thing on my never ending to do list. The fact that it was never ending was nobody’s fault but mine. Not only could I never sit still, but lately I’d been kind of slacking. The slacking came from the new man in my life and him unapologetically telling me to sit my ass down sometimes. I found that hilarious given the fact that he too was a busybody. When he wasn’t in the city, he was at his actual home. He’d go from chopping wood to picking tomatoes. I knew this because Iwas nearly always on the phone with him while he was jumping around like a human pinball.
“I like this happy you. You don’t walk, you glide and you’re giving yourself a break from time to time.” Ava walked up behind me.
I glanced to the left at my dog. Of course, Chauncy was asleep in his damn bed. Anybody could have run up on me and he’d be totally unaware.
“Nah, sis, he isn’t protection. He’s just cute.” She laughed.
I shook my head. “I see.”
“I haven’t spoken to the building yet as it seems like ol’ dude in charge of investigating what happened is giving me the runaround. Rest assured I will get to the bottom of this, even if I have to get the police involved.”
I nodded. Ava had taken the lead in the fire garbage can situation while I kind of backed up into a hole, mentally avoiding it. The fact that I had been staying in Oden’s condo made it easy for me to do that, but I was out of clothes and desperately needed to go home. I missed the place that belonged to me. Of course, when I told him that this morning, he didn’t like it at all but understood. The man had literally told me to keep my eyes peeled over five times when I told him. It also didn’t help that I’d be alone, because I refused to bother my brothers and tonight was the night he went back to the countryside. I woke up to a taser on the nightstand since I absolutely refused to carry a damn gun. Not only that but both Rennix and G had requested I come stay with them while this was sorted out, but I declined. They had their own lives and I didn’t want to impose.
“Am I taking Chauncy tonight? Or?—”
