I smirked. “I’m a Houstonian now, shorty.”
She hooded her eyes. “Hmm. I don’t know if I believe you. We both know how youloveNew York.”
“Right. And its always gonna be a flight away.”
She lifted her chin apprehensively. “So, you’re enrolling in school out here?”
“Monday morning. Maybe we’ll have homeroom together.” I winked.
“Oh, wow.” She exhaled while running her fingers through her hair. “So, you finally did it, huh? I honestly thought that you was just talking.”
I tilted my head, while gazing at her. “So, I guess you was wrong. You should feel crazy, yo. Been doing all this tripping. Talking about you can’t do the long-distance thing—”
“I meant that, and it was nothing crazy about it, Sin. I’ve literally witnessed my brother and sister try it. It doesn’t work. And before I set myself up for failure, I’ll just let it go.” She shrugged. “I’m a realist.”
“A realist?” I snarled. “Nah, shorty, you pussy. Straight up.”
“Pussy?” She arched a brow.
“Yea. That’s what we call a scary mufucka. You scared of ya own feelings. So, you run.”
She sucked her teeth. “Run? Nigga, please—”
“You fucked somebody else?” I skipped right to the important shit. Fuck that.
Her lashes fluttered. “Huh?”
“Yo, you heard me.”
Exhaling, she rubbed the back of her neck. “No. I haven’t fucked anybody. Except you. Period.”
No lie, my heart skipped a beat. “True story?”
She gazed into my eyes, while lightly giggling. “True story.”
I silently nodded.
“So.” She tucked her lips into her mouth, causing those dimples to sink into her cheeks. “What made you decide to move here now, of all times?”
I gave her the side eye. “Look, stop trying to play me, yo. You know exactly what it is.”
“No, I actually don’t. So, tell me.” She insisted, wearing a serious expression.
“A’ight.” I nodded, while our eyes locked. “You was buggin. Not takin my calls. Acting like you aint mine. Swearing that I wasn’t gonna be in you again…So, I moved here for you, shorty. So we can stop all this playing.”
“Aww,” she cooed, as she leaned in with her arms wide open.
I smiled as she wrapped her arms around me. “Well, I guess that you aint a tack-head no more.”
“Right.” I chuckled while squeezing her back. “And I guess you aint lil’ ugly no more.”
Giggling, she buried her face in the crook of my neck. Hugging her tightly, I allowed the moment to settle in. After months of tension between us.
Since the beginning of coming to Houston to visit my pops, I’d been around Jahreiah. Then by the time we were thirteen, it was obvious that we had a thing for each other. So, we started texting on the low.
By the time we were fourteen…we flat out thought that we were in love. We was wildin. We were just doing shit, before fucking around and losing our virginity to each other. But no lie…we didn’t know what the fuck we were doing.
However, that all changed when we were around sixteen. By then, we thought we knew everything, and sex had become something different. It got better. On both ends. And then I started thinking about all the space and time she has when I’m back in New York. And vice versa on her end.
