by nikki blaire
Tremaine followed the direction of Davin’s glance. Two women stood in the corner, dancing, and completely unassuming to the fact that Davin was plotting on them.
“I’m goin’ over there.” He stood up from the bar. “And if you play your cards right, Tremaine. I just might let you have one.” He motioned for Tremaine to follow, but meeting women had not been in Tremaine’s plans for the night.
I have a woman.
He thought, but then quickly had to correct himself. There was a woman who he was interested in, but Ayda Forde was most definitely not his woman. He looked down at his phone to check and see if she had responded, but found nothing. He wanted to text her again, but he held off to avoid seeming over zealous.
“Ay, bruh.” Davin’s voice carried over the music. Tremaine looked up to see him standing between the two women and nodding for him to join. He nodded back then downed the rest of his drink before walking over. As he got closer, he couldn’t help but compare both women to Ayda. Neither was even close to her level of sophistication and natural beauty. He had only seen her in professional clothes, but assumed that her casual look was still just as refined.
“This is my frat brother, Tremaine. Tremaine, this is Karen.” Davin motioned between him and a tall, slender woman, while he cozied up next to whoever was standing with him.
He knows I like thick women.
He grumbled in annoyance, but this was obviously “the friend” who needed entertaining, so Tremaine decided to do his frat brother this favor.
“Hi.” She held out her hand for him to shake with the unmistakable gleam of attraction shining in her eyes. He took it gently then quickly let go. He would help Davin out, but he did not want whatever this woman’s name was to think too much into his kindness.
Am I trippin, or were her hands rough as hell compared to Ayda’s?
Was his next thought. That was it. He knew he was losing his mind.
“How about y’all go over to there and get to know each other, while we get to know each other.” Davin’s eyes were glued to his prospect, unaffected by Tremaine’s slight scowl.
He glanced back at the woman next to him then motioned for her to lead the way. He would just have to grin and bear it until Davin was done. Once they were seated, Tremaine motioned to the bartender. He had not planned to have that much alcohol tonight, but this new curveball called for another drink. He was generally polite and Karen was relatively attractive, but his mind was on the woman who seemed to be ignoring his text messages. He glanced down at his phone again, but was disappointed that he still had no reply.
“Expecting an important call?” The woman asked after noticing him checking his phone again.
“Oh naw.” He finally sat it aside, feeling like he had been caught red handed. “My daughter is at home, so it’s just a habit. My bad.” He chose to lie because he was sure that telling the truth would not go over well.
“Daughter?” Her hesitation mixed with displeasure at saying the word.
“Yea. She’s four.”
“That’s nice.” She flashed a fake smile, which made him chuckle. The look of disapproval on her face let him know that she probably had “no kids” at the top of her laundry list of qualities that she wanted in a man. He took a deep swallow from his glass then tossed caution aside by texting Ayda again, but still got no response. All he had was a message from Julissa saying that he could stay out as long as he wanted because Sasha was asleep and she would be soon too.
That settles it. I’m going over there.
He was too old to play the waiting game. He wanted to see Ayda tonight, even if it was just to apologize for not communicating with her.
****
Loud knocking sounded on Ayda’s front door. The repeated thuds pulled her out of her wine-induced nap. Her stomach grumbled then flipped, which reminded her that “Aunt Flo” was planning a visit for any day now.
“Just in time to be inconvenient, per usual.” She groaned then lazily she reached over to the nightstand for her phone to check the time. It was almost midnight and she had several missed calls from Michael.
“Oh, shit.” She groaned, as she registered that it was him knocking on her door. She had invited him over after too many glasses of wine and too much thinking about Tremaine. After wowing her on their date, he went silent, even though he had promised to call. Her pride kept her from reaching out to him. It would have seemed clingy, and she refused to be that girl this early. So, she opted for Michael instead. Besides, she had to have some fun before her period came to cock block.
“I can’t believe I fell asleep.” She got up to answer the door. “Shows how excited I was.”
Michael thudded on the door again. She checked the peephole then pulled it open to find him leaning in the doorway.
“My bad, Michael.” She rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
“It’s okay.” He moved into the apartment. “I figured you fell asleep.” He smiled, but it didn’t make Ayda’s heart flutter like Tremaine’s smile.
“You’ve been MIA, Ayda. What’s the deal? I thought you had moved on.”
She wanted to tell him that he was exactly right. She had grown bored with him and had never really been interested in him. He had just served the purpose of passing time, but this was not the time to start being honest.
“Work’s been busy.” She forced a grin.
“No problem. I understand. The firm’s been on my ass too. So, I’m glad you invited me over, so we could unwind together.”
That’s right. He’s an attorney, or a consultant, or an accountant, or something.
Her mind started to drift to anything other than this particular moment. Then, she started to wish Michael could transform into Tremaine, which annoyed her. They were barely even seeing each other, but Tremaine was already cornering her affections.
“That’s exactly what I was thinking.” She let herself fall into Michael’s arms. Her plan was to kiss him and end her mind’s endless analyzing, but everything that Michael was not suddenly became apparent once she moved closer. Suddenly, his 5’10 height was not good enough. He was too thin, he didn’t have a goatee, and his hair was not tapered as neatly as Tremaine’s. A fresh wave of frustration swelled in the pit of her stomach. This tryst with Michael would not even come close to satisfying her.
“Michael, I can’t.” She stepped out of his grasp. “I, uh, it’s not a good time. I don’t know what I was thinking, but you should go.”
Confusion flashed in Michael’s eyes, but was instantly replaced with a look of amusement.
“Ayda, if it’s that time of the month, we can just,”
“Nope.” She stopped him. “I’d rather not. But I’ll call you.” She pressed him towards the door.
“You sure? I came all the way over here. That drive back to Virginia is going to be a long one.” He took another once over of Ayda before walking out.
She took a deep breath to gain control of her tongue. She wanted to say that his long ride home was not her concern. He was not even her concern, and although she was fully aware of the nature of their relationship, his have sex at all costs attitude blew out the last little flame she had for him. There was more to her than that and suddenly, tonight, she would rather be alone than around someone who did not realize that.
It was not his fault though, so instead of snapping back, she gave him a wry smile then closed the door in his face. Once the door closed, heaviness hit the pit of her stomach before moving lower.
“All that damn wine.” She rushed to the bathroom and almost screamed when she saw the steady stream of red in the toilet.
“This is what you get for lying. God don’t like ugly, so he made it true.” She laughed sarcastically at the irony. Tonight was shaping up to be one of the worst that she’d had in awhile.
Since Tremaine wouldn’t give me any.
She laughed to herself then cleaned up before changing clothes. After she finished, Ayda climbed into bed. Her eyes had just started to close when more
knocking rapped on her door.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me.” She growled through clenched teeth. She checked her phone to see if Michael had called, ignoring the recent text messages from Tremaine. She had noticed a few from him earlier as well, but she was not responding tonight. She would get to them tomorrow after her annoyance with him subsided.
She thought about not answering the door, but the knocking grew louder and she knew her neighbors would call security, or even worse, the police. So, she lifted herself out of bed then stalked to the front door.
“Michael, I said I wasn’t,” She swung the door open, but stopped mid-sentence once she found Tremaine standing there.
“Michael?” The grin on his face turned to a straight line. “So, you’ve either forgotten my name in a week or you’ve replaced me. Either way, that’s cold, Ayda.”
She didn’t even bother to respond and moved to close the door in his face, but he quickly threw himself in the doorway to stop her.
“Sasha was sick. I’m sorry. I had to take care of her, and,”
“Do not use your daughter as an excuse, Tremaine.”
“I’m not. I wouldn’t do that and I’m being honest. I should’ve called, which is my bad. But c’mon, Ayda, who just shows up at someone’s door unless they really want to apologize?”
She stood in the doorway just glaring at him with her arms folded across her chest. She had already dealt with one foolish Black man tonight. Dealing with another was not on her to do list for the evening. But, Tremaine was standing there with the most sincere expression and refused to look away from her.
“Just let me come in, please. I even brought you something.” He pulled a bag from behind his back. “A peace offering.” He passed her the plastic bag and the smell of cheesy macaroni goodness hit her nose. “The late night soul food spot was still open and you said you like macaroni and cheese, so…”
Ayda’s eyes darted between Tremaine and the bag. Her favorite comfort food was calling to her and her heart smiled at his sweet gesture. She reached out and snatched the bag from him.
“Temporary peace offering.” She corrected him then moved out of the doorway to let him by.
****
Once Ayda’s back was turned, Tremaine pumped his fist in the air. He was victorious, for now.
“You smell like whiskey. You must’ve been out, but the hoes weren’t biting, so you came here, right?”
“Wrong. I was with my homeboy, but he got boo’d up, so I came to see my boo,” He wobbled a little as he stepped into the apartment. The drinks had certainly settled into his system. He took a seat at the counter while Ayda stood, dumping the macaroni and cheese into a bowl.
“I am not your damn boo.” She rolled her eyes then shoveled a forkful of macaroni and cheese into her mouth. Her sarcastic mumbling melted into a satisfied moan and Tremaine’s eyebrows rose in interest. He wanted to hear that sound again, but the next time, he wanted to be the reason for it.
“Thank you. This was right on time.” She grabbed the bowl and then walked by him to the front door.
“Are you kicking me out?” Alarm filled him while he watched her reach for the knob. He had thought that he was home free.
“No.” She chuckled. “Even though I should.” She ate another spoonful. “But since you brought me this, I’m gonna let you stay for just a little while.” She locked the front door then made her way to her bedroom. “No funny business though. This is not an invitation to do a damn thing.”
“Oh yea. Understood. I wasn’t expecting anything anyways. Cool.” The liquor was making him chatty. Ayda flashed him a faint smile then walked in the direction of her bedroom.
“You coming?” She called over her shoulder. Tremaine stood up at her command then quickly followed. His heart started to thud harder as he moved closer to her bedroom door. This was most definitely a fantasy come true whether they did anything or not. She pushed the door open, revealing a large master suite that was just as tastefully decorated as her living room. His eyes immediately went to the queen size bed, as Ayda sat her bowl on the side table then climbed into it.
“Sit.” She motioned for him to make a move because he was still hovering in her doorway.
“Yea, sure.” He moved towards the cushioned seat under her bay window. It seemed like a better option than her bed if he was really going to be hands off. He knew that would be nearly impossible if he laid next to her. She was wearing a pair of cotton shorts, a crop top, and her curls were pulled into a messy bun on the top of her head. Casual was sexy to him, not to mention, her stomach and thighs were clearly on display and he could see the tiny belly ring hanging from her navel. He licked his lips while he thought of biting her exposed skin. So, if he wanted to continue to be a gentleman then he would need to stay away from the bed.
“Where are you going?” She asked, eyeing him as he walked by.
“To sit,” He pointed to the window.
“C’mon, Tremaine. Don’t choose now as the time to act like a stranger. You should’ve done that before you showed up here in the middle of the night.” She laughed and then patted a spot on her bed. “Besides, you owe me a good cuddle. I don’t usually do that, but I deserve it tonight.”
“Cuddle? I thought you said nothing was happening?” He still had not moved to the bed.
“Cuddling is nothing. Now, c’mon.” She reached out to him. The sight of her outstretched arms, beckoning to him, played on his already existing desire to be near her. So, he complied, coming closer.
“Thank you.” She grinned, as he lowered himself onto the bed. “I really just need a good cuddle.”
There was tiredness in her voice that seemed to go deeper than just exhaustion from a long day.
“Happy to help, but uh...Michael aint cuddle with you?” He wanted to take the words back as soon as they flew out of his mouth. She had just allowed herself to be vulnerable with him, and here he was throwing it back in her face.
“You’re real hung up on that for someone who didn't even try to call me.” She let out a short dry laugh.
“I explained that though.” He knew that he should stop while he was ahead, but an unexpected image of this Michael guy sitting exactly where he was now crossed his mind.
“I wish I would’ve known that was all it took for you to round up another nigga.” A feeling of possessiveness cast over him.
“Round up. Really?” She sighed. Tremaine could tell his word choice had struck a nerve, but it had not intended to fight with Ayda tonight. He just wanted to lie down with her and hold her closely.
“My bad, Ayda. I apologize, really. I just got a little upset about…” He let his sentence trail off to avoid acknowledging the possibility of another man competing for Ayda’s attention. Her dating was not a revelation, but this new reaction of his certainly was.
“I was out of line.” He was saying it to her and to himself.
“Damn right you were. And, I don't even know why I'm telling you this, but if you must know, nothing happened. I actually ended that whole situation tonight. So, you can chill the hell out.” She rolled her eyes then took another large bite of her food.
“Oh, I’m chillin.” He grinned, while he eased himself closer to her. “He couldn’t compare to the kid, huh?”
Ayda returned his cheesy smile with an annoyed groan before smacking her teeth, but Tremaine did not need a response. This other guy had not compared to him, and even further, he did not matter because Tremaine was the one here with her now. They settled in next to each other, but his button up suddenly felt constricting. Tremaine peeled the shirt off, folded it, then laid it on the floor next to the bed before stretching out his limbs to relax beside her. His body sunk into the soft mattress laden with sheets, pillows, and a soft down comforter. He sighed, never wanting to go back to his own bed.
“Sorry that your night didn’t pan out. He didn’t have to leave you hanging like that.” Ayda had finished her food and was now snuggling under the covers.
; “It’s cool. And my night panned out. I’m here with you. She had a friend, but I wasn’t interested.”
“Oh, now the truth comes out. I’m sure she was just fine.”
“Yea, but I’m done settling for just fine. I want the total package.” He turned on his side to face her. “Smart, beautiful, sexy, sophisticated, funny, driven,”
“And fierce.” Ayda added with a snap of her fingers that made them both laugh.
“Yea, and fierce.” His words fell away and their laughing subsided. Their eyes fell onto each other again, which made both their heartbeats pick up. He could hear the slight thump of Ayda’s, so he was sure that she could hear his.
“You probably want to go home and get back to your daughter. You can relieve the babysitter.” Ayda’s mouth was moving, but Tremaine barely registered the words coming out of it. Being so close to her had dulled all of his other senses.
“She’s with my sister for the night.” He was finally able to tear his gaze away from her at the realization that his daughter was at home. His mind began to tally up all of the reasons why he should get up from this bed and leave. But, his interest in Ayda anchored him. He wanted to be here with her, instead of going home, which was a difficult conclusion to come to.
“Good. That means you can stay for a little while.” She grinned at him then settled into watching television, as if this were their regular routine.
“I can stay for a while? That’s an appreciated change from being kicked out. I like this Ayda.”
Tremaine feigned nonchalance, but internally, he was obsessing over every detail. He wasn’t quite sure where to put his hands and wondered if he was lying too close. He made sure not to crowd her, but he also just could not keep away. Without warning, she adjusted herself, brushing a thigh against his awkwardly placed arm. The slight caress broke the ice and the two eventually nestled into a contented embrace with his arm around her shoulders and her head laying on his chest. Reality, and every problem that came along with it, was successfully wiped away.