by J. Nichole
I nod my head then grab Chris’ hand, leading us out of the building. Chris releases my hand and throws his arm around my neck. “We have a couple of days before we leave.” He smiles licking his bottom lip. “What do you think we should do until then?”
I look up at him and smile sheepishly. “I can think of a few things we could do.” I wrap my arm around his waist. “Your place is closer than mine. We could go there.”
Chris' smile fades and he looks away from me. "Ugh. Let's go to your place." Typically I would pry for more details, but I don't care if we lay out in front of the library. I need to release this sexual tension that has built up over the past week.
Chris walks me to my car, peppering me with details of how he will devour my lady parts when we get to the apartment. Reaching for my keys,” I look down at my back tire. “What the hell?” I guide Chris’ gaze to my tire. “I have a flat.”
Chris’ eyes dance to the front of my car, and then to the back again. “You have two flats.” He kneels beside the tire. “I don’t think this is a coincidence.”
I circle the car and scream, “All four are flat.” I slap my trunk, “Fuck!”
Chris pulls out his phone and dials as I continue to yell out expletives. “Calm down, babe. I’ll call the tow company.”
Fire feels like it’s about to pour from my mouth. “This has to stop.” I look at Chris in his calmness. “What the fuck did you do to her?”
Pacing, he ignores my comment. I lean against the car as anger takes over my body. He hangs up the phone and stands in front of me. “They’re on the way.” He kisses my lips. “I’ve never seen you this angry. It’s sexy.” I roll my eyes and turn away from him.
“If she doesn’t stop this shit soon you’ll see me like this more often.” He runs his hand down my arms.
“Do you still have that cop’s number?”
I pull my phone out and dial his number. Thankful for storing it when he gave it to me. Surprisingly, he answers and I begin explaining who I am and then give him an update on the most recent incident. “Still nothing we can do? Par for the course?”
“I can come to your car and write another police report. I’ll request the security cameras that hopefully caught the person in the act.” I give him directions to my car and hang up.
Chris looks at me apologetically, and although I don’t completely blame him for this drama I am pissed at the thought of paying for four new tires. My stomach aches at the thought of mentioning it to my dad.
My phone dings and I crawl out from under my covers where I’d been hiding all morning.
Jason: Come out to the hill at 8 pm tonight.
My top lip curls up and I consider blowing Jason off, especially after his absence from our study sessions.
Laila: Alright.
I pull the covers back over my head and I allow myself to relax. After tomorrow I’ll be back home and can escape the nonsense. At least for a little while.
I convince the girls to come with me back on campus. We are all more relaxed than we were at the beginning of the week with our semester hinging on a few tests. Jennifer is throwing out different reasons for the invite to campus at this hour. “I hear there is a line coming out tonight.”
As soon as she mentions it, my strange interactions with Jason over the semester collectively make sense. I knew he wanted to be a Que. Hence, him being Chris' eyes and ears whenever he wasn't around, but it didn't dawn on me that he could be pledging.
“That makes sense. If so, Chris sure did keep that one from me.”
Nicole smacks her lips. "I hope Jason doesn't think being Greek will get him in the sheets with anyone. I'll have to remind him he is still lame."
We pile out of the car and make our way to the hill. Jennifer and Nicole lead the way and I slow my pace to be in step with Monica. Monica starts in on me when we are out of earshot of the girls. “Laila, this Courtney situation is starting to worry me.” She rubs her eyes. “Egging the door and slashing all of your tires is something totally different.”
"The cops are scouring the security cameras, and I hope they will catch her doing damage. At the least, I can take her to court to repay me for those tires." I pause then restate myself, "Well repay Chris for those tires."
Monica exhales. “Alright.” I wrap my arms around her shoulders and give them a tight squeeze. I’m grateful she cares enough to be concerned.
The hill is packed with onlookers, mostly females. My watch says we have a few minutes until whatever is supposed to happen, happens. The sooner this happens, the sooner I’ll be back at the apartment, getting ready to leave. We’ll be leaving early in the morning to maximize my time in Fort Walton Beach before heading to Tennessee.
Nicole mumbles, “Hell yeah, the men have arrived.” Men begin infiltrating the crowd, men dressed in camouflage pants and gold boots. I scan the crowd in search for my favorite Que, but can’t quickly spot him.
The line starts marching in and I recognize Jason, although his face is covered, his height isn’t hard to miss. Much taller than the other guys, he capped off the end of the line.
As they start their chants the crowd begins to cheer. When the introductions begin, Nicole and Jennifer begin telling me whom Chris will need to bring to the apartment with him next semester.
I half-listen to introductions until I hear a familiar voice and an even more familiar city. “Fort Walton Beach…” I look up to see a smug look on Randy’s face.
My mouth drops and Monica nudges my arm. “Isn’t that…?”
I interrupt her and respond, “Yes, Tanya’s baby daddy.”
She shakes my arm and I look at her with her mouth agape. She points in the direction opposite of us. “No, isn’t that Courtney? With Chris.”
I follow her finger and see Courtney leaning into Chris and appearing to whisper in his ear. What the hell?
I push through the crowd standing in front of me. Monica stops me and says, “What are you about to do?”
“I’m going to go see what she’s saying.” I look at her with eyes daring her to stop me. I keep walking, but she tugs my arm harder.
"Laila, that's not a good idea." She reaches for my purse and pulls out my phone. "How about calling him?"
I look at her sideways. “But he’s standing right there.”
Monica nods her head. “And she’s crazy.”
I snatch my phone from Monica’s hand and tap Chris’ name. I watch as he looks at the screen, then scans the crowd. He looks back to Courtney and stuffs his phone back in his pocket. Courtney continues talking to him, and I look to Monica. “How about that?” I grab my purse back from her and leave her standing, shaking her head.
Chapter Seventeen
The house is decorated with white lights, and a green and red wreath with poinsettia flowers adorn the door. Before heading in, I turn off my phone and say a silent prayer. Get me through the holidays.
I find my mom in the kitchen, washing fruit. “Mom, I’m home!” She turns to me with her arms wide open. I allow her to wrap me up and hold me.
“Honey, what’s going on?” She pulls away and grabs my chin. “You didn’t cry the entire drive did you?”
I close my eyes, wishing I were able to hide my emotions better. “No, not the entire drive.”
“I’ll let you tell me what happened when you’re ready. Do you want some fruit?” Just like that, the conversation was over before it began, and although I didn’t want to talk about Chris, I wanted her to validate my reason for coming home without him.
“What reason could he have for talking to her? She is doing everything in her power to drive me insane.” My voice cracks but I continue, “He even paid to replace my tires. You’d think he shared my frustration.” I look around to make sure my dad isn’t nearby. “Even if she approached him he should have walked away. Entertaining her for even a minute is letting her win.”
My mom doesn’t react. She takes a seat at the table and I continue my justification. When I finish she says, “It
’s not about winning or losing. When you understand that, you’ll be in a much better place.” She rubs my hand. “I’m only concerned about your safety. Anyone who cares about you probably feels the same.”
I think about Monica and how she’s been the past few weeks. Then a tear falls as I realize I overreacted. “Go call him, honey. Hopefully he isn’t already on his way to Tennessee.”
Smiling, I run to find my phone, clicking Chris’ name. “Hello.”
“I was wondering how long it would take you to call.” Chris’ voice is mellow, calm, and I can’t tell if he is upset.
“My mom just confirmed that I was overreacting.” I take a deep breath before continuing. “Where are you?”
“Glad your mom is on my side. I’m on the beach. It has a way of calming me.”
The butterflies in my stomach rejoice. “Are there beaches in Tennessee?”
Chris laughs. “Yes, actually, but I don’t think they compare to the Florida beaches.” I hear the waves in the background and I can feel my body relax. “Join me?”
“The least I can do since our last trip to the beach was cut short.”
I freshen up and update my mom before driving to the beach. When I find Chris, he is sitting on the pier, gazing out into the ocean. Before approaching, I admire his body. The wind pulls his shirt taut and each of his muscles is rightfully displayed. A kid runs behind me and Chris turns at the sound. We make eye contact and neither of us moves. A smile spreads across his face and he begins to walk towards me and I close the gap by running towards him.
Before any words are exchanged, he covers my mouth in a deep kiss, sucking on my lip before whispering, "You overreacted." He pulls away, looking into my eyes. "But why did you run away? I didn't have the chance to explain what happened."
Looking out into the ocean, I remain silent. Chris grabs my hand and pulls me to a table. He straddles the bench and sits me between his legs. “I have to protect you from Courtney at any cost. She’s my past and I don’t want her to ruin our future.” A tear rolls down my cheek and he brushes it away with the pad of his thumb. “She approached me and tried to express her feelings for me. She even told me she forgave me for getting her sent back to Tennessee.” My skin crawls as Chris continues to tell me about Courtney’s confessions to him. “When you called, I didn’t want to set her off. I was hoping she would divulge what she’s been doing to you. When I asked her about your apartment and your tires she didn’t admit anything but the smirk on her face didn’t convince me otherwise.”
“I just thought, after everything she’s done, and your feelings towards her, you wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of even having a minute of your time.” I feel the anger boiling and my voice is unsteady. “I don’t want to give her actions any merit. Ignoring her seems the better option in our situation.”
Chris kisses my forehead. “Listen, there isn’t anything she can say to persuade me to go back to Crazyville.” He wraps his arms around me and says, “Now, last time we were here I think you had a few ideas in mind.”
I lean forward, grabbing the nape of his neck and kiss all my worries away. I hear kids laughing and I break away from him. “The things I want to do to you would rob those kids of their innocence.”
Chris grins. “And you say I’m the responsible one.”
Chris nudges me awake and I struggle to open my eyes. I need shades to block my eyes from the light illuminating his house. The mini mansion in front of me has more lights than our entire block at home.
I turn to Chris as I blink my eyes open. He shakes his head. “It’s my mom’s favorite time of year. She goes all out.”
The doors open, and Chris’ mom is standing there with a wide grin on her face. I can hear Christmas music spilling from the house. Chris’ mom embraces me and says, “Welcome to our home. Come on in.” She looks at her son, and he hugs her, lifting her off her feet. She slaps his arm and says, “Hey baby, I’m glad you’re home.”
Chris takes our bags and disappears into a room. His mother takes my hand and guides me through the house, showing me each room and filling me in on the plans for the duration of our trip. We’ll only be at his house for a couple of days before we head to the cabin to go skiing.
Our tour ends in the kitchen where the smells of cake, and herbs, are mixed throughout the air. I look around at the expansive kitchen and I don’t see a pan, cutting board, or a dusting of flour anywhere. “Finished cooking already?”
His mother smiles. “Yes, I wrapped up a couple of hours ago. I wanted everything to be ready when the two of you arrived.” She glances at her watch. “My other sons should be here soon.”
Chris appears in the kitchen and leans against the counter. “Ma, where’s dad?”
“He should be home soon. He had to wrap up the year-end financials.” She looks at him knowingly and says, “You know if you would have come home after graduation he wouldn’t have to work as hard.”
Chris rolls his eyes. “I know. And I’m sure I’ll hear all about it.” The thought of Chris not being on campus pains me. I avoid eye contact with Chris as he tells his mom he’ll be home in a few months.
We sit for dinner, joined by Chris’ father, his brothers’ and their girlfriends. His father discusses the business in great detail, and I lose interest. Chris grabs my thigh under the table and I can only think about his lips all over my body.
"Laila, whatever happened to that chick who was harassing you at graduation?" His brother looks at me, and then to his girlfriend, to catch her up on the story.
Before I can respond, Chris says, “She’s back at L.U.” Chris’ mom looks at him with her eyes wide open.
“You must have that serious…” Chris’ brother begins but his mom cuts him a look and he shuts his mouth.
"Chris, why didn't you tell me she was back?" His mom takes a sip of her wine. "I hear she is from Tennessee. I should locate her family, and see what they think about this situation."
I look from Chris to his mother and shake my head. “You don’t have to do that, Mrs. Clark.”
Chris ignores my comment and says, "Anything you can do would be helpful Ma."
Unlike my parents, Chris’ parents didn’t forbid us from staying in the same room. It was awkward, but I didn’t argue.
Chris’ room doesn’t look like it is stuck in the past. Instead, it looks refreshed, as if it had been re-decorated since he’s been away at school. The dark wood of the bed, nightstands, and dresser contrast well with the warm walls and beige comforter.
Lying across the bed, I look around the room for any sign of his younger years. “Looks like your mom packed up your childhood.” Even the picture on the nightstand is recent.
“I requested she pack all my humiliating pictures and keepsakes away for the weekend.” He laughs. “You may not want anything to do with me after seeing pictures from my awkward years.”
I smile, remembering my ugly duckling period. “Popped collars and too much bling in your high school years?”
He shakes his head with tight lips.
“Overweight with glasses?” I arch an eyebrow as I try to imagine him out of shape. The thought is hard to fathom.
“I may have had one too many Snickers back then.” We both laugh. “The reason why I stay in the gym now. I know how this body is capable of betraying me.” He lies across the bed, eyeing me cautiously. “I know some chocolate that won’t add any pounds.”
I gawk at him then shame him for being mannish. “Your parents are in the house.”
He looks over at the door. “That’s why I locked the door.”
I close my eyes and pull the covers over my head. Chris joins me and escapes between my legs. I grab a pillow just in case I need to contain my moans.
Chris kisses up and down my thighs, causing me to pant in anticipation. The thrill of being in his parent’s house heightens my senses. When he reaches between my thighs I almost fall apart at the touch. My hips grind against his hand, and he comes up for a kiss. I reach for his ma
nhood and he releases a slow moan.
He disappears back under the covers and mimics our kissing between my legs with each fold getting attention and care. My hands fumble around, trying to touch him, but he is out of reach. His tongue pushes deeper and I pull the pillow over my face as I moan while my body releases.
Chris rolls on his condom and hovers over me, commanding my attention with his gaze. “I love watching you unravel.” He thrusts forward and I dig my nails into his back, wrapping my legs around his waist, trying to pull him deeper inside of me.
With each hand planted beside my head, he strokes while he sucks on my neck and chest. Reaching down he tugs on my nipple and I unravel once again. Looking up at him, a small smile spreads across his face before he moans and his body quivers.
I lie across his chest as he pulls me close and I close my eyes.
A few taps on the door wake me up, and I'm alone in the bed. I pull the covers up past my neck before responding, "Come in."
Chris’ mom peeks through the door and says, “Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes, and then we are off to the cabin. Chris told me you might still be asleep.”
Knowing I fell asleep without any clothes on I don’t move until she closes the door. I curse under my breath for not being up and ready to roll.
Outside of the house, I gaze back while everyone tries to decide whom they are riding with. Chris nudges me and we walk to his car. "The drive up to the cabin is incredible. I think it will be better if we experience it alone in my car." I look to his family, as I don't want to be the odd one out, but agree that the idea of looking out over the mountains will be romantic.
The caravan begins and we trail behind the pack of three cars. Chris explains the dynamics of the families who will be joining us, and I admire his neighborhood. The houses are uniquely amazing. Most are mini mansions, but some look reasonable in comparison. Chris has been discreet about his family’s business, and never flaunts the fact that he comes from money.