Page 93 of When I Thug You Like That

And while three months fresh off a breakup may not have been the ideal timeframe to be sitting across from another person, thinking about possibilities, I was.

After paying the check and going back and forth about who would leave the tip, we finally made our way outside. He held his hand out before we could start walking, and this time, I didn’t look at it. I just put my hand in his. The realization hit me quick. I was in trouble. It felt like good trouble though. It was good trouble.

The kind of trouble that made a woman at peace with being by herself start to wonder what making room for somebody might look like.

“Did you have a good time?” he asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.

“I had a great time. I’m glad I came.”

“Me too.”

“You ready for your grade now?” I questioned once we were closer to the parking garage.

He stopped, pulling me off to the side. “Aight, come on wit’ it.”

I giggled. “Okay. You get a B-plus.”

“A B-plus? The hell?”

“What? That’s good.”

“Man, I look like a B-plus type nigga?”

I squinted, and he tickled me.

“Okay, okay,” I said through my laughter. ‘You got an A!”

He pulled me to him, bringing us so close together the tips of our noses touched.

“You know what I wanna do right now?” His eyes dropped to my mouth and my stomach with it.

I knew the answer. Still, I wanted to hear him say it.

“What’s that?”

“Kiss you.”

Something about him saying it instead of doing it made the moment even more intimate. Jay didn’t have a problem with leading. Quite frankly, his confidence made you want to go with the flow. Yet with this, he waited for my confirmation.

As I stared into his eyes, I didn’t see a parent. There was no school. No student. And I was Jai’ana, not Ms. Jai. That was enough for me.

I pressed my lips against his, kissing him twice, before he parted my lips with his tongue. We were in a full on make out session in the middle of Midtown Manhattan, and I wasn’t mad about it. After what felt like a full minute, he pulled away.

“Now, gimme my A-plus and stop playin’.”

He placed a single kiss on my forehead, grabbed my hand again, and began walking like he didn’t have my thong soaked.

Jamison Sullivan was exactly who he thought he was.

I turned the page on my book before settling deeper into my pillow. For the last fifteen minutes, I’d been reading aloud to Jay at his request, while he lay on the other side of the screen, likely halfway listening. Every few sentences, I’d glance over to make sure I had his attention, and he’d give me a thumbs up, signaling that I did.

By the time I finished the full chapter, my mouth was dry, and I was convinced that this man hadn’t retained a word.

“That was it?” he questioned.

“Yeah. I need some water.” Reaching over on my nightstand, I grabbed my Hydro Jug and took a few sips. “Were you actually listening while I was reading, or you just like to hear me talk?”

“That and over the last couple days, I’ve learned that you love reading. I was interested in hearing what had you so invested.”