My eyes went big. “Hell yeah I know who she is! But… damn, you’re young as hell yourself. How is that your little sister?!”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m twenty-seven years old, Edison. Aurielle is twenty-six. Neither of us is “young as hell”.”
“Lies you tell.”
“Oh whatever,” she laughed. “Anyway, yes, that’s my little sister, so… I’m going to show love. As big siblings do, obviously.”
I chuckled. “Right. Hey, tell her the album is hot shit. Better than that stuff she was doing before, the “bad girl” shit. This new vibe… it suits her.”
A big smile spread over Astrid’s face. “I will most definitely let her know. She’ll love that compliment.” Her shoulders perked up a little. “Actually, where in Cali are you going to be?”
“I’ll be in LA too.”
She frowned. “Uh… we aren’t on the same flight are we? At 6:15?”
“Hell no,” I laughed. “My flight is at nine. I don’t have the bandwidth to make it onto a flight at six-fucking-fifteen in the morning.”
Astrid laughed. “Trust me, I get it. But Superstar wants me there early, so… there you have it. But, what I was going to say was, if you’re interested, you could come to the show with me. I know Auri won’t mind me having a plus one. That is, if you don’t have anything planned already for Friday night.”
“Uhh… nah, I didn’t,” I told her. “But yeah, I’d be down.”
“Awesome! I think you’ll have a good time. And I promise not to keep you out too late, keep you from your family.”
I shook my head. “Shit, you’re about to make me change my mind. Please keep me from those people.”
She laughed. “I’m sure they aren’t that bad.”
“They aren’t,” I admitted. A second later, I thought about something, but was reluctant to mention it until I remembered the text my mother had sent me the day before.
“Nora’s son moved back from Miami! If your “friend” falls through, I have his number for you. She’s not sure, but we think he’s umm… a “receiver”. You’re the other type, right?”
I shuddered. My mother had never learned how to chill, and apparently never would.
“Hey,” I spoke up, following her into the bathroom. “I know you’re supposed to be kicking it with your sister, but… you think I could have a few hours of your time Saturday? If I don’t have somebody with me at this reception dinner, my mother is going to get really, really strange, and I’m trying to avoid that.”
Astrid’s eyebrows went way up. “You want me to be your date… at a wedding reception… where I’ll meet your whole family?”
I knew women, had dated women, who would have been thrilled, bouncing off the walls at the prospect of that. Astrid… sounded horrified.
“Yes, but not… like that. I promise. This isn’t complicating things, or trying to get closer, none of that. Just… a favor. And there will be plenty of food, plenty of liquor.”
Her shoulders sank in relief, and she smiled. “Oh, well you could’ve led with that. I’m pushing it if I ask if anything will be organic or vegan, aren’t I?”
I laughed. “Hell yes. Well… my mother is a farmer’s market shopper, so you might be covered on organic, but vegan… nah. Even the sweet potato pie might have a little bacon garnish on it.”
“Ewww,” she giggled. “Please tell me that’s an exaggeration.”
“Just barely.” I stepped behind her, meeting her eyes in the mirror as she wrestled her hair into some kind of bun on top of her head. “It’s cool if you say no though. No pressure. I love them, but they’re wild annoying. Seriously.”
She shook her head. “No, I’ll do it. Curiosity won’t let me miss a chance to meet the people who created you.”
“Aiight,” I told her, moving to turn her shower on. “I appreciate it, but… don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
six.
astrid.
Eddie was really… cool.
Like, I already knew that, because all it took was a simple glance to figure out, but no… seriously. I hadn’t really known what to expect with Eddie coming to Aurielle’s concert with me, but his high alcohol tolerance and easy acceptance of the greenery I passed his way were giving me something I didn’t know I needed.
And he grooved with the music. That sexy, uniquely Black male sway, or maybe even two-step, of a man who didn’t really dance, but was too cool to simply sit there and let the fun happen around him.
And… I don’t know if it was the greenery or the Hennessy or the combination, but he danced with me. He didn’t offer, or ask, he just pulled me close as Aurielle performed a track with a sexy, bass heavy beat that lent itself to low lights and dark corners and aroused bodies pressed close. Like he knew I wouldn’t mind, like he knew I would enjoy it.
He was right.
I enjoyed every single second of being wrapped up in his arms, with his mouth on my neck and his hardness pressed into my back, and when he turned me around and kissed me like we were alone, I enjoyed every second of that too.
But I was no fool.
Which is why I wasn’t bothered in the least when I saw him flirting with the fine ass drummer from the live band traveling this half of the states with Aurielle. I wasn’t the least bit confused about where things stood with me and him. All the close hugs and dick deliveries in the world wouldn’t change the fact that Eddie was a single man, and would do as he pleased until he decided not to be, and spoke the words that would make it so.
And hell… if he spoke those words to me, he’d be in for a rude awakening, because fuck that. I was just along for the ride.
“Okay.” I flinched at the sound of Aurielle’s voice behind me, pulling me away from my thoughts. “So I’ve been too busy all day to ask, but who is that fine ass organic chocolate bar you brought with you, and how long have you been breaking pieces off of that?”
I laughed. “Organic chocolate bar, Auri? Seriously?”
“Just roll with it,” she giggled, pushing a few strands of her chic new chin-length bob away from her face. “Is that who’s had you all glowy and smiley for the last few weeks?”
“Fantastic sex will do that to you – obviously.” I waved a hand in front of her, indicating the fact that despite the very early-pregnancy sickness she’d started experiencing just yesterday, she looked amazing. I looked past her to grin at Kevin, who’d remained a few steps back to give us privacy. “The bodyguard still guarding that body?”
Auri blushed, shaking her head as she peeked over her shoulder at him, and he grinned back, not knowing what we were saying about him. “We talked last night, about getting me new security. Not that he doesn’t want to do it anymore, but he’s been so ultra-protective now that… you know,” she said, subtly gesturing to her belly. “He’s worried that he’s too distracted to work like he needs to.”
“That’s such a Kevin thing to be worried about. It’s adorable.”
“Isn’t it?” she smiled, then pushed out a contented sigh. “I…” she took a second, like she was trying to find the words. “I feel really, really… safe, you know? And not just physically, because he’s my bodyguard, but like… safe. It’s crazy to me to that I ever felt like anybody else was it for me, because Kevin… I don’t even know how to explain it.”
My lips parted to utter the words “I understand”, but I really didn’t. I mean… somehow, I did get what she was saying, kind of like saying you loved sushi, but you’ve only ever had the prepackaged kind from the grocery store. When you eat from a real sushi chef, you realize you didn’t really love sushi until you tasted that. And it ruins you for the grocery store kind.
I got that part.
I’d just never felt it with… a person.
“That’s beautiful, Auri.” That, I could say without reservation. “I’m so happy for you. For both of you. Kev is a good look for you. A really, really good look.”
She smiled. “And tall, dark, and tatted is a good look for you.”
I scoffed. “Oh please, you don’t see him over there flirting with Campbell?”
“And?” Auri frowned. “Campbell ain’t better than my damn sister. You want me to fire him?”
I laughed, and she did too. “No, I do not. It’s not like that anyway.”
“Ugh.” Aurielle rolled her eyes. “You’re just about the only woman on the planet that I actually believe such a thing from.”
Our conversation was cut short by Brit approaching, business as usual, to tell Auri it was time to go. Now, even more than before, it was imperative that she got her rest, before her show the next day in San Diego. We exchanged goodbyes, since I wouldn’t be with her as planned for that one. I was doing the graduation and reception tomorrow with Eddie, and I’d join Auri for her San Francisco show.
It was going to be a long, busy few days for me, but I wasn’t complaining.
I hesitated a few moments after she left, making myself busy on my phone. I was trying to wait for Eddie to finish talking, but finally I said “screw it” in my head, and approached him and his new friend.
“Eddie, can I have a second?” I interjected, shooting Campbell an apologetic smile that was met with rolled eyes. Eddie looked between us, picking up the obvious tension coming from Campbell.
“What’s up?” he asked, stepping to the side with me. “Something happen between you and old boy?” He cut his eyes to where Campbell was – where I could feel him glaring a hole into the side of my head.
“Uh, yeah, I’m taking your attention. But just for a second. I know we rode together, and I’m getting ready to crash, so I wanted to give you a heads up that I was leaving.”
“What, without me?” he asked, eyebrows raised.
I shrugged. “Well, the after party is still popping, and you seemed to be enjoying your conversation. I thought maybe you were staying.”
“For what?” He leaned into me, dropping his head to speak into my ear. “Asteroid, I’ve been ready to get you back to the hotel since the show was over. If you’re leaving, so am I.”
“Oh.” My eyebrows went up before I pulled back to meet his eyes. “Well… I guess we’re leaving.”
“I guess so.”
We both grabbed overfilled drinks on the way out, laughing and joking as we drank them in the back of the car Aurielle had provided to get us back to the hotel. Eddie had met me there, and we rode to the venue together, and with this last drink, I was sure he had no plans of driving back home.
He confirmed that when, as soon as we were inside the door, he pressed me against the wall, slid my panties aside, and took me right there. And then again in the shower. And again after the shower, which led to another shower where I had to laughingly tell him to leave me alone, because I couldn’t possibly take any more.
He passed out in a dead, drunk sleep after that, with his arm hooked around my waist. I watched him until I fell asleep too, wondering how often he did this – great sex and good company – before he inevitably slipped away.
Just like me.
I guess I had an advantage though… at least I knew what to expect.
&
“Astrid, Mama. Mama, Astrid.”
That was the simple, completely unembellished way Eddie chose to introduce me to his mother, and we both shot him a scowl about it. From the moment we’d started up the driveway to the beautiful two-story craftsman he told me had been home since he was a child, his mood had been very… nervous.
If such a thing even existed for Eddie.
He’d warned me, again, that his family was a “lot”, specifically his mother. He’d cautioned against getting sucked into a conversation with her, but he didn’t seem to realize that I was really good at talking to people.
I would be fine.
I was prepared.
“Astrid,” she said in the nicest voice, taking me by the hand. “Sweetheart, I want to start by welcoming you into my home today. You’re a lovely young woman, and I do hope that-”
“Ma, why are you talking like that?” I glanced at Eddie, who was frowning in confusion, then back to his mother, whose mouth was gaped open.
After a moment though, she propped a hand on her hip. “Well, the last time you brought somebody home you said we was acting too country lil boy, so which is it going to be?”
“Just be normal.”
“Well, normal is country baby. Just cause the army brought your father out here to the west coast don’t change the fact that we’re from Mississippi.”
“Then be country mama,” he laughed, shaking his head. “I don’t know why you’re putting on a front, knowing Aunt Rita or Glenora or somebody is gonna have you cursing before they start calling out these names.”
She sucked her teeth. “Well, I’m “putting on” cause you came in here with this lil young thing that looks like she got some good childbearing years left on her. She slender, but look at those hips! Those are baby hips, and I know what “friend” means, talking about this girl is your “friend”. I’m not too old to know your little slang.”
My eyes got big at the same time Eddie’s did. “You may not be too old, but you are definitely too lit,” he said, hooking an arm through hers. “Come here, let me talk to you for a second.”
I watched, amused, as he led her off to the side for a quick conversation that was very animated on her part, and very exasperated on his. Behind her, he shook his head as they came back, mouthing “I told you so” to me.
Thing was, I liked his mother, a lot. I’d always been attracted to bold personalities – Eddie included. Actually, I liked his whole family. I couldn’t articulate what I was expecting, but it definitely hadn’t been them.
At the graduation, they yelled “amen” and “tell the truth” and “that’s the word” at the commencement speaker, who was not a pastor. They cheered and applauded too loud and too long when Eddie’s sister, Erika, crossed the stage, and almost got put out for the disruption. Back at the house, spades, dominoes, and red solo cups came out, and Earth, Wind, and Fire blasted through the backyard.
They were… perfect.
They were the black family experience we’d had with our father, before he died and Aurielle and I ended up with his sister, our Aunt Sandra. Not that the environment she’d brought us into was any “less black”, it was just different. More of a country club, Jack and Jill type of environment that we really didn’t fit into either.
Our first years, ten for me, nine for Auri, were filled with this.
I’d missed this.
“What are you smiling so much for?” Eddie asked, as he helped me position a tablecloth. It was almost time for the reception to start, and the whole family – a mess of uncles and aunts and different degrees of cousins – was charged with helping out. “Your ass has been grinning all afternoon.”
I raised my hands. “I don’t know, I’m just… having a good time. That’s it.”
“Well, stop it,” he teased, but… I detected a little note of seriousness too. “My mother is already naming our grandbabies, despite my insistence that the shit isn’t happening.”
“You let that sweet woman dream,” I teased back, then looked around. All six of the round tables we’d put out had cloths on now, so we could join the others in bringing out the chairs.
I followed Eddie to the storage shed around the side of the oversized back yard, where we came upon his father and if I remembered correctly from the blur of introductions, two other men who were uncles. One of the uncles whistled as I walked past, and I responded with a polite smile, even though… eww.
“Eddie, this sure is a pretty young thang you brought out here today.”
“Sure is,” the other uncle chimed. “Surprised us all. Ain’t that right Frank?”
Frank was Eddie’s father. I peeked over my shoulder as I waited for Eddie to hand me a few of the folding chairs.
He shook his head, then took a drag from the beer in his hand. “I’m just glad he ain’t bring another rusty ass nigga in here to sit u
p at the table with him this time.”
My eyes went straight to Eddie, who seemed unmoved by his father’s comment as he handed me another one of the lightweight chairs. So I swallowed my annoyance too. But then, one of the uncles kept talking.
“Boy, I can’t believe your daddy didn’t beat that nonsense outta you. Running around here embarrassing the family with your experimenting, had these lil limp-wristed men fighting women over you.” The uncle shook his head after he’d finished slurring those words, and I had to bite my lip to keep from speaking.
“Embarrassing the family? Lenny, didn’t your old lady kick your ass in the middle of Roscoe’s two nights ago cause you were spending up your paycheck with the pros in the alley down there? Now that’s embarrassing,” Frank said, then raised his beer to his lips again. The other uncle laughed at that, and after a moment, Frank did too, and then Lenny joined in. To my surprise, Eddie had tucked an armful of chairs to his side and was heading back to the reception area, as if he were oblivious to what we’d just witnessed.
I snatched up my two chairs and followed.
“Eddie!” I hissed, rounding in front of him before we got to where the rest of the family was setting up. “I know you heard that.”
He shrugged, then moved past me, heading to the table that was furthest from everyone else. “Yeah… and?”
“And?” I frowned, unfolding my chairs with more force than was needed before I put them down. “I’ve seen you verbally eviscerate people for much less than that complete bullshit they were spouting right in front of you!”
“Pops handled it.”
I sucked my teeth. “Where? When? How? Because shaming your uncle for paying sex workers is just more small-mindedness, and has nothing to do with the implication that you should have your sexuality beat out of you for daring to step outside of their narrow view of being a “man”.”
“So what the fuck did you want me to do, Astrid? Punch my uncle in the face an hour before my sister’s reception, putting all the attention on me on what’s supposed to be her day? This shit is important to her, important to my mother, and Lenny is a fucking drunk that I don’t give a fuck about anyway. I could have reminded him that his daughter is pregnant with her sixth child by a sixth man. That he has to borrow money, outside of his welfare checks, just to go gamble and drink away. I could tell him that the miserable existence he’s living now, where he only gets to be around the family when there’s a function, is the best his trash ass life is going to get. That he is the embarrassment. But it ain’t the time or the place right now, and I recognize that.”
Something Like Love (Serendipitous Love Book 6) Page 10