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He narrowed his eyes then raked a hand down his face. “That nigga was my blood, Cali. On some real shit, one of the only people I trusted without question. I knew he had me and I had him. Losing my cousin was hard especially when I feel responsible.”
“Responsible how?” Cali tensed and his eyes met hers.
“I was the one who called him that night. I was the one who asked him to go. You’re carrying shit because you didn’t stop him, I’m carrying an equal amount of guilt because I’m the reason he was there in the first place.”
“But it’s not on either of us though, is it?”
No.
He knew the answer but knowing didn’t change how he felt.
“It’s not but I still feel that shit. It was a few weeks before my birthday, which was one of our things. We would do big shit for mine and his. Blowing money, fucking the club up, getting so fucking high we couldn’t remember a damn thing the next day. I was the thinker, he was the one who acted on impulse. But for our birthdays, I would just follow his lead.” He smiled so brightly it made Cali smile. “It wasn’t just my day. It was his too. I didn’t want to think about it.”
“But I made you.”
“Nah, this is cool.” He reached for her hand, lifted her wrist to his mouth, and delivered a kiss. “You made today a priority and about me which I appreciate. You’re also redefining what today means, what it looks like. I fuck with that too. I can’t ask you not to live in the past if I’m stuck there.”
Cali smiled and nodded, leaning toward War who accepted the invitation into her space. He kissed her lips and smiled against them. “This is perfect. You are perfect.” His eyes traveled over her body and Cali felt the blaze from his approval.
“I think that sentiment is inspired by this dress.”
War chuckled. “It damn sure isn’t hurting the vibe.”
The meal was brought out not too long after, delivered course by course by Chef Day as promised. Cali and War enjoyed the evening and War couldn’t help but take note of how this year contrasted so much from the year prior. The thought remained in the recesses of his mind. The darkness he fell into during his birthday last year and the light he was experiencing this year were connected to the one person he missed so bad it hurt most days.
After dessert was brought in, dark chocolate mousse cake, Cali lifted a spoonful to her lips while War spoke quietly to the server by the door. He handed over cash before returning to his seat and Cali glared at him.
“I paid for dinner.”
“They told me.”
“Then why did you give him cash?”
“It was a tip.”
“Oh.” She delivered another spoonful of cake to her mouth and War felt his dick thickening in his pants. The black jeans had been uncomfortable most of the evening because of the way the thin silk material hung loosely over Cali’s beautiful body. Her nipples had been a tease, hard and on display for most of the night, which was why he chose to hand over an additional tip to ensure privacy for the last hour of their evening.
“Isn’t that supposed to be for me?” His eyes lowered to the chocolate cake and a smile blossomed on Cali’s face as she sensually removed the spoon from between her lips.
“You don’t like sweets.”
His gaze burned with lust. “I might enjoy it if it’s delivered from your tongue to mine.”
Her smile blossomed. “That sounds like a set up.”
“It is.” War gripped Cali’s chin, bringing her face close before his tongue was exploring. He swiped and claimed, causing his dick to expand more.
“Well, what’s the verdict?” Cali asked in a breathy tone after they separated.
“It’s all in the delivery method. This works. I might be a fan of sweets now.”
She grinned and rolled her eyes.
“I hope you enjoyed tonight.”
“I did.” His expression shifted and she felt anxious all of a sudden.
“What’s wrong?”
