Page 13 of Her Only Choyce

As soon as Choyce entered his aunt’s home, the smell of chocolate surrounded him.

“Mm,” he moaned, rubbing his stomach. He hadn’t been hungry, but his sweet tooth had his stomach growling. “It smells good as hell in here, Auntie.”

“That’s just the cake. Dinner won’t be ready for another hour or so. Gotta let the greens simmer a little while longer.”

Nodding, Choyce followed his aunt into the kitchen. His eyes settled on the double-layer chocolate cake in the center of the light oak, round table. A soft smile lifted the corners of his mouth. Eating chocolate cake was something that reminded him of Lavender, too. No matter how many he tried, he hadn’t found anyone who could bake a cake as good as her. He couldn’t imagine how good at it she was now. With time came experience… for all things… and there were a few he wished he could do with her now.

“I’ma just have a piece of this now.”

Rema chuckled, grabbing her burgundy dish towel and wiping her hands. “I wouldn’t expect anything less. Can I at least put a candle in it and sing happy birthday?”

His head shook as he grabbed a knife and sat down. “Nah. I don’t need all that.”

His aunt sighed, but she didn’t insist.

After cutting a large chunk of the cake, Choyce stood and poured himself a glass of milk. He wanted ice cream but that would have kept him from eating as much when dinner was ready. Rubbing his hands together, he grinned as he sat back down. Rema leaned against the counter by the stove and watched him with a smile.

The moment he placed a piece of the cake into his mouth, Choyce dropped his fork. No amount of time would cause him to forget that taste or the way the gesture made him feel.

“She’s here.” He stood, heading out of the kitchen. “Where’s my girl?”

Rema laughed but didn’t answer him, forcing Choyce to find Lavender on his own. His first stop was the guest room she occupied ten years ago. As excited as he was to see her, Choyce hesitated when his hand covered the doorknob. It didn’t matter how long he’d hoped for this moment, knowing Lavender was on the other side of the door still had him nervous. Anxious. Excited. Unprepared.

Choyce opened the door and at the sight of Lavender, his heart skipped a beat. A slow smile spread as his stomach fluttered. Breathlessly, Choyce willed himself not to drop to his knees. She was seated on the edge of the bed, smiling softly as she looked up at him. Standing, Lavender pulled her hands behind her back. For a moment, Choyce was frozen in place—taking every inch of her in.

She was more beautiful than ever. Same height, but her body was stacked. Gone was the slim, undeveloped teenager that he rescued many, many nights ago. Her walnut brown skin was covered in a brown dress that was just a shade darker than her.

“Happy birthday, baby.”

His eyes fluttered at the sound of her soft, sensual voice. Choyce was convinced he’d never smile from hearing those words again, but today was a day he was glad to be wrong. Slowly, he made his way over to her. A part of him was sure he was dreaming. That he’d somehow fallen asleep in his car at the cemetery and would soon wake up.

“Lav,” he murmured, voice thick and low with emotion. Choyce’s hands had a mind of their own—taking her by the waist and pulling her close. He inhaled her floral, citrusy scent. “Damn you look good.”

Lavender’s smile widened as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Choyce Jerome.”

“It’s McEntire,” he corrected. “But I wouldn’t expect you to know that since it’s been ten fucking years.”

As much as he didn’t want to, Choyce released her. Being so close, touching her frame, smelling her scent… those things were liable to make the pain her disappearing act caused disappear. But Choyce was owed answers, and he wouldn’t feel comfortable around her until he received them.

“I deserve that.”

“What the fuck happened to you?” he asked, sitting on the edge of the bed. “You went ghost and didn’t think a nigga deserved an explanation?”

“Choyce,” she called, making her way next to him. Her hand covered his, and as much as Choyce wanted to remove it, he didn’t. “I want to tell you what happened, but I didn’t come here to rehash the past.”

“Then why did you come?”

Choyce looked into her slanted, almond-shaped eyes and his anger intensified. For a while, he didn’t think he’d ever look into those beautiful eyes again. Lavender had always had the most distinct facial features. From her strong jaw and high cheekbones to her thick eyebrows and pouty brown and pink lips. Her long, wavy hair flowed down past her armpits, and all he could envision was fucking her and giving her his grown man dick.

Giving her his virginity was the most pleasurable experience he’d ever had. The moment he entered her, Choyce fell in love. Or maybe he already was, and that act tied them together even more. They promised to keep in touch and build on the connection they’d established when Lavender returned to Memphis, but Choyce wasn’t expecting that return to be ten fucking years later.

“To celebrate your life.” Sucking his teeth, Choyce pulled his hand from under hers. “It’s been ten years. I couldn’t let the anniversary of you saving mine pass without coming to celebrate yours.”

“I need to know why you left me.”

Because the truth of the matter was, getting Lavender back was the only thing motivating Choyce. He’d lost so much and had nothing to live for—except her.

“If I tell you, can we agree to only talk about this once, here, and not discuss it again? I came here to enjoy a little time with you, Choyce. Granted you were single and able to of course.”

“I can agree to that.”

They turned slightly to face each other. It seemed fitting that they were having this conversation here. And whether she believed it or not, Choyce didn’t plan to bring it up again once he knew the truth. He wouldn’t deny feeling some type of way about her abandoning him, but Choyce knew it had to be for a good reason. If he’d learned anything from what happened with his mother, it was to say what he meant and to end all conversations in love and peace.

“After you came and gave me the news, something broke inside of me.”

She looked away, and Choyce’s mind went back to that moment. He hated going to South Carolina to tell her that Armani had sold her sister and murdered her parents. He’d assured her they were okay, and the moment that changed, Choyce knew that news was going to destroy her. Back then, Choyce thought they would heal together, but that hadn’t been the case.

Lavender continued with, “I was able to hold it together while you were there, but as soon as you left, I lost my mind.” She smiled, and though he heard the sadness in her tone, there was still peace in her eyes when she turned back to face him. “Literally lost touch with reality. I remember waking up the next morning and… just feeling the weight of their deaths and the uncertainty of not knowing where my sister was. I kept telling myself these different scenarios and before I knew it, reality and my imagination combined. I didn’t know what was real and what was fake, so I left Grace. No one was safe around me at that point.”

“Where did you go?”

“I checked myself into a mental hospital, but I didn’t give them my real name. My second day there, I went through a purging process so I could feel everything before I started to heal, which ended up with me trying to take my life.” Choyce took her hand into his. “I was on suicide watch and held for three weeks. When I was released, I went back to the hotel to get my things and I just… left.” Lavender released a soft laugh as he lifted her hand to his lips to kiss. “I took a bus to this small island town in Florida, worked for a restaurant that I eventually bought from the owner, and never looked back since. Because I wasn’t sure if your family would be looking for me, I ended up getting a fake I.D. and stopped using my real name, which is why it was impossible for you to find me.”

“Why didn’t you want me to?”

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