by Qiana London
“That’s what’s up. I’m about to be on my 007 shit.”
“Pump your brakes,playboy. We’re all about putting the aces in their places.”
“That’s cool as long as you ain’t on that mop-the-floorsshit.”
“I wouldn’t even play you like that.”
We laughed, walked through the door, and returned to the party.
“Aye, I gotta piss. I’ll be back,” I told Craig.
My brother joined the others and I turned around and headed back the way we came in search of the bathroom.
Dezzy quickly caught up to me. “Where are you going?”
“I’m trying to find the bathroom. I got distracted when we got here.”
“Keep going straight and turn right. There’s a bathroom on the right.”
“You wanna come too?” I gave her a knowing look.
“Boy,stop!” She giggled.“There is plenty of time for that in Vegas. I’ll be right here when you get back.”
I winked at her and made my way to the bathroom. Once I relieved myself, I washed my hands and returned to the hallway where Dezzy was waiting as promised. She extended her arms and wrapped them around my neck.
“You know you didn’t have to do this, but I appreciate it,” I said and kissed her.
“You’re welcome.”
“At least now I know why you were beingso secretive and distant in the car.”
“Did you have doubts?” She looked surprised and a little hurt.“KJ, I love your dirty drawers. I ain’t thinking about anybody else. My commitment to you is something you’ll never have to question.”
My eyes penetrated hers. I knew that she was telling the truth and I felt the same way.
“I’ve never had anyone do something so thoughtful for me. I can get used to this,you know.”
“Good,because this isn’t even my best work.”
“Well,in that case, I’m looking forward to seeing what you’re capable of.”
She looked up at me and smiled. A surge of emotion came over me, and I thought back to the day when I first saw her after I came back from the marines. I knew then that I wanted to be with her and I was willing to do whatever I needed to do to make that happen. Now that I had her, I had no intention of ever letting her go.
“What’s up? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“How am I looking at you?” I asked.
“I don’t know. It’s like you really seeme.”
“Because I do. I love you, Desrinique.”
Her eyes lit up. While I had said those words before, I could tell that they really resonated with her in this moment.
“I love you too.”
We brought our lips together and kissed slowly and softly. I pulled her closer to me and we deepened the kiss. As we shared our moment, Donte interrupted abruptly.
“Aye, quit with all of that mushy shit. We’ve got some folks in here that want to sing to you and give you a cake. Hurry up because I want some!”
We laughed as we pulled away from one another.
“You got me a cake too?” I asked enthusiastically.
“It’s not a party without cake.”
“If you didn’t have it before, you’ve definitely got my heart now. Come on. Let’s get back to this party. We don’t want to start a riot,” I joked, and took her hand into mine.
“No, we can’t have that. We’ve had enough excitement lately to last us for many years to come. I’m all in favor of keeping the peace.”
“Indeed. We’ll pick up where we left off later,” I replied and winked.
“That definitelysounds like a plan.”
As we walked back toward the party and rounded the corner, everyone was standing behind Snow, who held a cake. When they saw me, everybodybegan singing“For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow”.I was truly touched. As they sang, I reflected on recent years in my life and the decisions that I’d made. In that moment, I realized that all the blood, sweat, and tears had been worth it. I wouldn’t change a thing, and it was only the beginning.
THE END
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Originally from Oakland, CA, Qiana London began writing at the age of eleven. While in high school, she realized her flair for story-telling. What began as random thoughts on paper soon evolved from poetry into skits, short stories, stage plays, and later novels. London writes, what she considers to be, sophisticated urban literature. She prides herself on giving her characters professions and strong voices, and less of the stereotypical components that are often portrayed in urban literature. Her goal is to bring a more positive face to the genre.
She holds an Undergraduate degree in Theatre from the University of Southern California, and a Graduate degree in Business Administration from Keller Graduate School of Management. London is also a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.
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