The Best Part of Me

by A'zayler

  Goody laughed a little, then a lot. He joined immediately. “Shut up.” She pushed his face, and he laughed again.

  Doing as she’d been told, Goody showered with just the bar of soap while he did the same with the shower gel he had in the corner. Once they were finally done, he grabbed his towel from the bar at the back of the shower and wrapped it around his body.

  “Let me cover my dick before this cold air hits it. It’s gon’ shrivel like hell then.” He laughed, and Goody squealed in joyful laughter right behind him.

  “Man, get me a towel and stop playing.”

  Jerrico was out of the shower and back within seconds. He wrapped her snuggly in a large, black towel and helped her out. Goody was so turned on by the amount of affection he gave. Together, they left the bathroom and returned to his room. Goody ran to hit the light switch while he stood in his mirror, brushing his hair.

  She looked around at all the nice decorations. When she’d seen everything, she walked into his closet and turned that light on too. He had clothes everywhere in every style. She could definitely appreciate that.

  “Here, put this on.” Jerrico stepped up behind her and handed her a white tank top. His hair was now covered with a black stocking cap. Goody was sure that was the secret weapon to the ocean of waves in his head.

  Goody released the towel and pulled the shirt over her head without an ounce of shame or thought.

  “You just don’t care, do you?”

  Goody looked over her shoulder while walking further into the closet. “About what?”

  “Me seeing you naked.”

  “Why should I? You either like it, or you don’t.”

  “Your confidence is sexy.”

  Goody picked up one of his New Era hats and put it on her head. She turned to face him and smiled. “So is yours.”

  Jerrico was leaning on the door frame in another pair of silk pants. Since his hands were in his pockets, the expensive fabric was strained by the rather large extremity he was privileged to carry. He looked so comfortable and sexy.

  “You should take that home with you. You look too sexy in it not to wear it more.”

  Goody blushed and walked to him. She didn’t stop until she was in front of him and kissing his lips. Due to the brim of the hat he’d just gifted her, the kiss was awkward until he took it off and tossed it on the floor of his closet. Face to face, with him only inches taller than her, Jerrico wrapped his arms around his waist and held her securely as they kissed. She pulled away first, pushing away from him.

  “I didn’t plan to spend the night.”

  Jerrico’s head dropped. “Aww, come on,” he whined playfully.

  Goody snickered. “You’re so stupid.”

  “You really trying to leave? It’s already morning for real. It’ll be light outside in a minute. You might as well sleep here. It’s too late for you to be out by yourself.”

  “Your mama really raised y’all right. Marcellus is always saying stuff like that.”

  Jerrico winked. “We’re the last of a dying breed. You better keep me before somebody else slides on you.”

  “As long as she can fight, then it’ll be fair.”

  “What?” he smirked.

  “Any hoe who thinks she’s about to take anything from me better know how to fight because I’m gon’ hit every trip, and I can fight too.”

  Jerrico stood there laughing at her, but she found absolutely nothing funny. She was for real.

  “Try me if you want to. I don’t understand shit, so don’t even waste time trying to explain nothing to me.” Goody maintained eye contact so that he’d know she wasn’t playing.

  His strong arm went around her shoulders, putting her in more of a choke hold than anything. “You wild.”

  “So.”

  “Just come out here and get in the bed, tough girl.”

  Goody walked out tucked beneath his arm. “I am tough.”

  “Believe me, I know.”

  Jerrico moved around her, turned the lights off, and then pulled the covers back. Goody stood there for a minute before finally sliding in and scooting over to leave him some room. Room that he obviously didn’t deem necessary being that he got in and scooted right up on her. Goody’s small body fit perfectly in his arms when he clasped them around her. With her butt positioned right in his lap, his breath on her neck, and his fingers interlocked with hers, they drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter Four

  What Do You Want From Me?

  It was mid-afternoon, and Forever hadn’t gotten out of bed all day. She’d noticed that sleeping late had become a welcomed pattern since being back in Georgia. In California, it was rare that she ever got the opportunity to do that, so moving out of Goody’s bed before noon never even crossed her mind. Whether she was asleep, or just lying there, she didn’t move.

  With her eyes still closed, Forever stretched her long limbs before relaxing against the pillows and exhaling. It should have been a sin for a bed to feel that good.

  “You need to get your lazy behind up.” Goody’s voice finally dragged her eyes open.

  Forever scanned the room for her and found her seated in the fluffy pink chair in the corner of her room. She had her legs balled up to her chest with a pen in her hand and a notebook resting on the top of her knees. The yellow-rimmed glasses on her face sat on the bridge of her nose while her natural hair sat wildly around her head.

  “You must have just washed your hair.”

  “Nope. I washed it last night and blow dried it this morning. Had you not been snoring so loud, you probably would have heard me.”

  Forever sat up some, resting her elbow on the bed and her head in the palm of her hand. “Leave me alone, I do not snore.”

  “Somebody lied to you.”

  “Whatever. Had you not had your behind out flouncing around with that man last night, it wouldn’t need to be done, now would it?”

  “Flouncing around? Girl, hush your old ass up. I wasn’t flouncing nowhere. We chilled at his house. My hair has been needed to be washed, though.”

  “Does chill mean sex or watching TV?”

  A guilty smile crept across Goody’s face, but she hurried to suppress it. Even rubbing her hand over the bottom of her face in an attempt to wipe the smirk away. Forever, being her usual attentive self, caught all of that and wasn’t about to let it slide.

  “You had sex with that boy, Paradise?”

  Goody looked at her with a half frown/half smirk. “Nah, I just rubbed my body on his a little bit.”

  Forever screamed and threw her pillow at Goody. “Rubbed your body on his? That’s what it’s called these days?”

  “I’m for real. That’s all I did—well, all he did. I didn’t have any parts of that. He rubbed me on him then made me take a shower with him. We went to sleep after that.”

  Why everything Goody said sounded like a lie, Forever didn’t know, but she knew it had to be more to it than what she was saying. And Forever wasn’t letting up until she got all the details.

  “Where did all of this rubbing occur?”

  Goody held her book to her chest and laid her head back with a large smile on her face. “On the couch. He was kissing my feet and all. Rabbit, Jerrico is really something serious. Way more to him than I’d thought.” Her head came up so that they were making eye contact again. “I actually enjoyed myself.”

  Forever basked in her sister’s happiness. Even if it was temporary, she wanted it for her. Goody had been through so much in such a short period of time that it still amazed Forever that she hadn’t folded yet. Her life had erupted all at once, literally. It was like wave after wave, something else went wrong in Goody’s life. By the time she finally pulled her head above water, Forever was exhausted for her. Which was one of the main reasons she’d been trying to push Jerrico on her sister so hard.

  Forever’s smile was probably bigger than Goody’s. “You plan to see him again?”

  “I don’t know. I’m trying to figure that out now.
He’s so sweet, Rabbit. I really enjoyed him and could even see him as my boyfriend or whatever if it led to that, but you know I’m not really into that right now.”

  “Nobody said you had to run and jump into a relationship with him just because y’all hang out occasionally. Just be his friend. Let him make you smile for a little while.” Forever paused when Goody covered her face bashfully. “Maybe even let him rub your body on his some more.”

  Goody screamed playfully while slapping her forehead with the notebook she’d been writing in. “Rabittttttt!”

  “What, fasty?”

  “I’m not fast, he is! It was all him.” Her head dropped. “He’s so sweet, and he’s got some good game. He even caught me slipping a couple of times. You know I’m a mack, so I don’t get finessed easily, but he wasn’t letting up on my ass last night.”

  “What all did he do?” Forever leaned to the bottom of the bed, so she was closer to her sister. “Give me details.”

  “It wasn’t anything for real, but he cooked for me, fed it to me, then gave me a foot massage. We talked, took pictures, and—”

  “Took pictures? Let me see.”

  Goody grabbed her phone from the dresser and tapped the screen a few times before tossing the phone onto the bed next to where Forever was lying. As soon as she looked at the pictures, her heart sank. They were so cute. Jerrico was, anyway. From the angle of the picture, she couldn’t see anything other than her foot and Jerrico holding it up near his mouth.

  The sexy dark skin he wore so tastily was bare from his waist up and served as a breathtaking background for the bright colored polish on Goody’s foot. His large hands held her foot tenderly, making the muscles in his arms flex.

  Rabbit covered her face and screamed.

  “I see why you keep smiling, chile.” Forever shook her head and looked at the picture again. “I’d still be over there getting my toes sucked.”

  “Shut up, bitch. That man did not suck my toes. See how rumors get started? I said he kissed them.”

  Even Goody’s laughter gave way to her internal happiness. Forever loved it to death.

  “Scroll over and look at the next picture. You’re about to die.”

  Forever went over and had to turn the phone in another angle to make it make sense. As soon as she realized what it was, her eyes bucked, and she dropped the phone like it was on fire.

  “Paradise! Was that the man’s penis?”

  “His dick? Yes, sis, it was. You see how he had me all up on it.”

  Of course, Forever had to grab the phone again. Even with him covered by black pants, she wouldn’t have missed the bulge in that man’s pants if her eyes were closed. It was huge, and Goody’s little behind was right on top of it.

  “He pulled me on him like that and took the picture.” Goody went back to her notebook, still smiling. “Told you it was him, not me. Then he had the nerve to send the picture to his phone after he took it.”

  “He’s probably going back to look at it.”

  Goody nodded. “Definitely is. He texted it back to me this morning, talking about I need to bring that back over there. His li’l homie misses me.”

  The girls screamed in unison before Forever handed Goody her phone back. The smile on her sister’s face was straight from God himself. It was beautiful. So beautiful that it almost made Forever tell on herself, but she didn’t. It wasn’t her moment or her time, so she let it pass. Right then it was Goody’s moment, so there was no point in telling her anything that would detour her thinking.

  “So, that’s why you up so early? You over there inspired.”

  Goody finally looked up from her notebook. “That’s not it, even as good as it is. I write every morning when I wake up.”

  “You must dream about rapping?”

  Forever couldn’t understand how Goody did it. Music was cool, but she wouldn’t miss any sleep for it, which was probably why Goody was the rapper, and she wasn’t. Different strokes for different folks.

  “It’s not lyrics, I’m journaling. Just my thoughts, prayers, dreams, and stuff. Whatever is on my mind when I wake up in the morning, I write it down to clear my head before I pray and start my day.”

  “You pray?”

  Goody shot her a bird. “Don’t do me, hoe. Yes, I pray.”

  Forever snickered. “I’m just saying. You’re always so mean, I didn’t know.”

  “I’m not mean.”

  “Lies.” Forever sat up on the bed with her back to the headboard. “You’re literally one of the meanest people I know. And it’s crazy because you used to be the sweetest.”

  “Niggas will do that to you.”

  “Even ones like Jerrico? From what you just said, he may be different.”

  Goody’s smile faded as she dismissively waved her hand. “They all start off good. They don’t start messing up until you start loving and trusting them. That’s why I ain’t gon’ do it. I don’t care how fine or how much fun Jerrico is.”

  Forever was quiet for a minute, just looking at her sister. She wanted to correct her, but she didn’t. Kayson had done such a horrible job on her. It was hard to believe she was the same person who used to believe in happily ever after. It was such a misfortune for one person to ruin another. Paradise had been one of the best wives Forever had ever seen. She literally lived and breathed for Kayson, only for him to mistreat her in the end.

  As a single woman with not an ounce of serious interest in men at the moment, Forever could understand why her sister felt and acted the way that she did. Though, she’d never tell her that, she definitely couldn’t blame her for it. It had been an extremely long, hard process for Paradise to find herself again after the divorce, and her newfound attitude was sure to be a defense mechanism. She didn’t voice it, but she didn’t have to. Forever knew.

  “You see why I’m single?”

  Goody’s head shook with a smirk covering her face. “Nah, Rabbit, you’re single for your own reasons. You’ve never been heartbroken, nor have you ever allowed a man close enough for you to experience anything that’ll make you want to stay single forever. You’re just gay.”

  “What? I am not!”

  “You’re something.”

  “I’m busy, focused, mature, and anything else that helps me get my paper. That’s what I am. Definitely not gay.” Forever gave Goody a displeased look. “I can’t believe you said that.”

  Goody laughed and resumed her writing. “I’m just playing with you. I know you’re not gay.”

  “Good.” Forever nodded her head once.

  “Your standards are just extremely high. You might never ever find a man with the stuff you’re requiring.”

  Forever’s mind drifted to him. She smiled but wiped it away before Goody could see it.

  “So be it.” Forever got out of bed and went into the bathroom to brush her teeth.

  After brushing her teeth and washing her face, she flipped the shower on so she could prepare for the day. They hadn’t made any plans. They never really did, but they always ended up in the streets doing something. Forever didn’t complain about it, though, because her life was void of even the simple things back in California. All she did was work.

  With her pink scarf secured around her head, Forever stripped down and got into the shower. The warm water melted everything in her as she shrank to the floor and lay back, allowing the water to cascade over her long, slender frame. She remained in the same spot for another thirty minutes before emerging and wrapping herself in the fluffy yellow towel she’d been using.

  Since the loud sounds of TLC’s “Red Light Special” was blasting through Goody’s apartment, Forever assumed she’d completed her morning ritual and was probably making breakfast. The steam from the bathroom poured into Goody’s room as soon as Forever opened the door.

  With her clothes already out, she dropped the towel and proceeded to rub lotion on her body. Singing and moisturizing her body, Forever totally missed the door to Goody’s room opening. Her back was to i
t, and she was busy pulling the small t-shirt over her head when she spun and got the shock of her life. As soon as her head popped through the top of the shirt, her eyes landed on Marcellus.

  “Oh my god!” She grabbed her chest and sighed. “You scared the hell out of me. What are you doing just standing there like that?”

  Marcellus didn’t say much at first. He just cleared his throat and rubbed his chin a couple of times.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He stood tall and unmoving.

  “Again, I’m going to ask, why are you just standing there?”

  “You caught me off guard.” His hand dropped from his face. “I didn’t expect to see you like that.” He nodded toward the clothing that was barely covering her body.

  Forever squinted. “She didn’t tell you I was in here?”

  Marcellus shook his head and moved toward the desk in the corner of Goody’s room. He retrieved Goody’s laptop, all the while, observing Forever’s body. Not once had he torn his eyes away or at least presented any type of decency. He’d stared shamelessly, and his presence made her feel a certain type of way. It was tranquil and arousing at the same time.

  “You look very nice,” he told her before exiting.

  Forever looked down at the striped panties and cream-colored crop top. Absolutely nothing about her looked nice, but maybe he saw different, being that she was barely dressed. Forever walked to the mirror to check her face, only to realize that she was still wearing her headscarf.

  “Goodness.” She shook her head and snatched it off.

  Her long hair fell down immediately. She combed it neatly then made her way into Goody’s living room. Well, after she’d stuck her head out of the door to make sure there was no one else there. Since she was still in her panties, the last thing she needed to do was walk into a living room filled with men.

  Marcellus had been enough. Her stomach had been in knots since she laid eyes on him. He was so quiet and observant. He made her feel a shaky every time he was around, and she couldn’t get a hold of herself for nothing.

  Like Forever had assumed, Goody had been cooking. Food covered the countertop of her small kitchen. Forever’s nose turned up at the smell of pork. Goody loved bacon to death, so she was more than certain that was the aroma making her nauseous.