And God sure enough showed the hell out today.
Arielle Nichols.
I snorted as I navigated my truck down the highway along the coast. I loved my hometown and couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. I actually tried moving to California for a few months but brought my ass right back here. My mind wandered to Arielle. I wondered if she grew up here too. The world was already small as shit that she lived here now. If she really grewup here, too, and we hadn’t crossed paths until we were out of the country, then that was wild.
Shorty hadn’t texted me at all since we last saw each other earlier, even though I texted her to check in. I chuckled at that thought as I switched lanes. It was all good. Her little ass didn’t know I had no issues popping up. I knew she had a long day moving, which was why I had picked up food and some wine. Her long day wasn’t about to stop me from popping up on her. Now that I knew where she was, I wasn’t about to let up. Fuck that.
I pulled into the apartment complex building and parked in one of the leasing office spots. Pride hit me as I got out of the car. It always hit me when I pulled up to one of my properties, but this one especially. This wasn’t the first property I owned, but it was the first building. Before buying this one, I had owned several homes that I renovated and then either sold or rented out, but this building right here? This was my first big step into real estate and setting myself up financially in a legitimate way. I was beyond proud of my decisions, and the fact that Arielle now lived here felt like a good omen.
I grabbed our food and made my way into the building. When I stepped onto the elevator, my mind wandered to Arielle and if her people were still with her. I wondered if she was finished moving all her things. I figured as much since the U-Haul from earlier was no longer here.
My next thought was if I should use the master key in my pocket to walk into her house without knocking. It was what I wanted to do. In my mind, she was mine, so what the fuck did I have to knock for? I had never felt this way about a woman, so why wouldn’t I help myself to unlimited access to her? But the more rational part of my mind, the super tiny part of my mind that sounded just like my damn mama, told me not to do that shit. I knew better than to disrespect people’s privacy like that,especially since I could get sued for just walking into one of my tenants’ homes. I had a feeling Arielle wouldn’t do that. I also had a feeling that her feelings for me matched how I felt about her, no matter how her little ass tried to hide it.
When I made it to her door, I lifted my first and knocked. I waited patiently, though I really wanted to walk up in that mothafucka and wrap her legs around my neck.
Finally, the door flung open, and she stood before me in a new outfit and smelling like roses and the color pink. Don’t ask what pink smelled like either. Fuck if I knew. All I knew was that was exactly what Arielle smelled like as she stood in front of me with her curly hair thrown on the top of her head in a messy bun.
“You’re here.” She stated the obvious, and I chuckled.
“I’m here and with food.” I held the bag up and looked at her expectantly.
Her brows rose in surprise, and she finally slid to the side so I could enter. As expected, the place looked like a disaster with boxes all over. I moved toward the island in the kitchen and placed the bag down before I pulled out the to-go boxes and asked, “How did the move go? I see ya ass ain’t text me back.”
With a frown, she grabbed her phone from where it charged on the counter. She groaned as she tapped on her phone. “I’m sorry. I didn’t even see your text. It’s been a long day. My parents texted and called too.” She mumbled the last part. I eyed her as she tapped some more on her phone and then sighed before she put it down again.
“I’ll let it pass, mama, but you gotta make sure you respond or answer when I hit you up.”
Her brows pulled in as she cocked her head to the side. “And why is that?”
“Because I’ll spazz out about you, so if I don’t have access to you or know what you’re doing or where you’re at, I’ma thinksomething’s wrong, and then I’m tearing the city up behind you. Feel me?”
“I . . . uh . . .” I watched as she struggled to find her words before she ultimately closed her mouth. She stared at me for a couple of seconds before she finally asked, “Why? We just met.”
I took a step toward her. “Because you found me, and I ain’t ’bout to fumble that.”
“Oh.” She swallowed, and I grinned. I had her flustered, and I kind of liked that.
I took a step back toward the food and handed her a box. “Steak tacos. I figured I could actually get you some Mexican food this time since last time we skipped the meal.”
I just knew her pretty ass had a deep blush under all that pretty melanin skin.
She grabbed the container from me. “Thank you. Do you want anything to drink? I have soda and water. I need to go grocery shopping at some point this weekend.”
She turned around and busied herself with opening the refrigerator.
“I’ll take a soda, mama.”
She grabbed two out and handed me a can before she gestured toward the barstools next to me at the center island.
“I have a dining room table and chairs coming in a few days, so we’ll have to sit here.”
We sat down and dug into our food. I knew this should feel awkward or a bit tense from me bullying my way in here, but it didn’t. I felt right at home, and not because of this apartment building. My heart recognized that it was because ofher.
“I still can’t believe you’re here,” she muttered after finishing off her first taco.
“Real shit, me neither, but I’m glad I am. You happy I’m here, Mermaid?”
She nodded shyly. “I think so. Just shocked.”
