I hated the way my spine arched at his touch and the way my lips parted. I hated the way my stomach quivered and my mouth went dry. I hated the way my chest squeezed and my heart begged my brain to justify him leaving me.
“I love you, Krissy,” he whispered into the shell of my ear. His slid his arm around my waist and pulled me against his body. His scent invaded me in the most bittersweet way. I tried my hardest to commit every masculine note of him to memory.
Soon, I wouldn’t have him anymore.
I prayed he didn’t feel the tears leaking from my eyes and dropping onto his hand.
**
The next morning, Matt tried his best to wake me and tell me goodbye but I refused to open my eyes. I think he knew I was bullshitting but he let it go and went to work.
The moment he was gone, I called Riri and had her come get me. I loved my best friend. She didn’t ask questions whenever I put out an SOS, she just showed up. That’s why she was my sister and would always be.
“Now, what the fuck is going on?” Riri sighed once we got back to her house. I fell backward on her bed and stared at the ceiling wondering where to start.
“I told my parents about me and Matt. Actually, he told them and I sat there beside him. It was a huge messy blow-up and my father forbade me to see Matt. Who does that? I thought that shit only happened on sitcoms,” I frowned.
“Nope. Happens all the time in real life,” Riri assured me while sitting on the bed.
“Since he told me I couldn’t see Matt as long as I was under his roof, I told him I was leaving.”
“Holy shit, Krissy. You walked out of your parents’ house?” Her eyes grew wide.
“Yes,” I nodded. “I went back to Matt’s and I thought we’d work this all out the best we could. We fucked. We went to sleep. It was perfect until I woke up to his brother being there. I overheard their conversation, Riri. Liam told Matt that he needed to give me an explanation as to why I wouldn’t see him anymore. That it was time for them both to grow up.”
“Wait, what the fuck? Are you serious? What did Matt say about that shit? I hope he clarified,” Riri folded her arms across her chest and looked at me like she was ready to cut Matt.
“I didn’t say anything to him. I pretended to be asleep when he came back to bed,” I told her.
“Krissy…no. Tell me you didn’t jump to a huge conclusion like that without talking to him first.” She rubbed her forehead and pushed out a long exasperated breath.
“What was there to talk about? How else do you clarify that I won’t be seeing him anymore, Zuri?”
“I don’t know but that’s why you should have asked him what the fuck he meant by that,” she frowned.
“I can’t handle that conversation. I don’t want to hear him tell me he needs to move on for whatever reason. I love him too much to let go,” I said, more tears spilled out of my eyes and into the hollows of my ears.
“So you plan to completely ghost him? If you can’t live without him how do you think he feels about you? You can’t completely withdraw because you’re scared of something you overheard, Krissy. You know I’m always on your side but this time you’re overreacting and you’re going to fuck up something beautiful.
He’s the love of your life. I’ve never seen you so comfortable and happy. You and Matt go together. He calms down your fire and you fuel him.
Look, you can stay here for however long but I’m telling you right now at the end of the week if you don’t talk to Matt, I’m going to talk to him for you. I refuse to watch you mope. Also, I don’t want Mrs. Lucas on my ass. That woman scares me.”
I let out an involuntary laugh and laid my head in Riri’s lap. She was right. I was terrified over something I’d overheard. What if I was right though?
**
MATTHEW
Something was wrong. Krissy was ignoring the fuck out of me and she left my house without a word. To say I was confused and pissed would be the understatement of the year. I wanted to rip my goddamn hair out.
I’d been without her for days and she wouldn’t speak to me in class or afterward. I was tired of playing fucking games. I had some things to handle when classes let out but I still set Krissy up to get detention after school.
I knew she kept her phone on and in her desk during class so I sent her a text from another phone. I watched her and when she got the message she glared at the phone, making me break into a grin.
Me: You shouldn’t check your phone in class. It’s against the rules.
Krissy: Fuck off, Matt.
“Krissy Lucas, detention this afternoon for checking your phone during class,” I called out without lifting my eyes from the phone in my hand. I heard Krissy smack her full lips together and my dick ached to hear her make that mouth while she sucked me off. I shifted in my chair to adjust my cock and locked eyes with the woman I loved more than anything else in life.
She was pissed with me for some reason and I needed to know what happened so I could fix it. I wasn’t good at letting things go. Definitely nothing that belonged to me. Krissy was mine and she wasn’t walking away from me without a damn good explanation.
I didn’t play games. I didn’t get ghosted. I took what was mine and kept it. The fucking end.
“Are you serious, Mr. Wilmore?” She scoffed, tipping her head back. I missed grabbing hold of those French braids and fucking her. I missed the way she smiled and smelled. I missed her smart remarks and the way her eyes twinkled when I brought her food.
“Very.” I gritted out. I was miserable without her. I missed our house. I missed stealing away moments with her. We’d come too damn far to let go.
When the homeroom bell rang, I dismissed the other students but Krissy hung back. My heart skipped faster hoping she was coming to her senses. She approached my desk once the room was empty and narrowed her eyes at me.
“Why are you doing this?” She growled.
“Because I can. I’ll see you after school, Krissy.” She rolled her eyes and stormed out. She’d be back though. I didn’t give a fuck how I had to get her near me. I’d do it.
**
“I’m here, Mr. Wilmore. Happy? You used your authority to trap me in a room with you,” Krissy dropped her bag in front of her desk and I was face to face with her in a second.
“What the fuck is your problem, Kristabella?” I snapped harshly. She wasn’t expecting my voice to be so rough or my tone to be so angry. I didn’t appreciate anyone playing games with what was mine though. “Do you think it’s cool to leave my place without saying a word to me? You think it’s okay to block my number and sit feet away from me without looking at me or giving me one iota of an explanation?”
She was stunned silent.
To be honest, I didn’t even know I had that much anger and frustration to release. Being face to face with her made my blood lava-hot though.
“I’m giving you what you want, Matthew,” she said quietly. I blinked, confused as I tried to make her words make sense. They didn’t.
“What I want?” I scoffed out the words and plowed through my hair with my hand. I was at my wit’s end with this damn woman. She made no sense. “I want your crazy ass.”
Krissy’s full lips trembled and she shook her head, her braids swishing across her shoulders. Something in her eyes blared heartbreak and sadness. I hated it. I wanted to pluck it from her chest and smash it to bits.
“You don’t,” she sniffled. “I heard you talking to Liam, Matt. I know you have to find a way to let me down easily.” Krissy was moments away from unraveling. I let my eyes fall shut and I cursed under my breath. This wasn’t how things were supposed to happen.
“Come to the house in the Moreau Estates tonight, please,” I said, holding her hand.
“Matt, please don’t make me go through this shit. Not in our little house. I can’t…”
“Krissy, shut the fuck up and come to the house,” I grumbled. She blinked away shimmering tears then balled up her fist and slammed it into my c
hest.
“Don’t talk to me like that, Matt,” she grumbled.
“Well, stop being so goddamn crazy. Tell me you’ll come to the house so we can get past this shit.”
“Get…past it?” She asked like I was speaking a foreign language.
“Yes. Get past it,” I answered. “Promise me you’ll come,” I tugged on one of her braids and the familiar look of lust rippled over her beautiful features. My cock jolted at the sight of it.
I would give anything to be inside of her again. To feel her writing and moaning beneath me. Judging by the way her back arched, pushing her tits toward me, she felt the same way. I would take care of that later.
“Matt, I don’t know what’s going on but it’s ripping me apart to think that you…” I put my lips on hers and pulled away leaving her dazed.
“Come. To. The. House,” I left no further room for discussion. Krissy nodded, her lips still parted from our kiss. “You’re free to go. Detention is over, Krissy.” She grabbed her bag and slung it over her dainty shoulder before clearing her throat and walking out of the classroom.
Once I was sure she was gone, I hurried to get to the plans I’d made. I glanced at my phone and saw Carmen Lucas had called me twice. I knitted my brows together and returned her calls.
“Matthew, I was calling to see if we’re still on for tonight,” she said. Damn, she sounded so much like Krissy it was startling.
“We are, Mrs. Lucas. I’m sorry. I had to deal with your daughter for a little while. She hasn’t been speaking to me,” I confessed.
“Is everything alright? Do you know where she’s been staying if she hasn’t been staying with you?” She asked, concern lacing her words.
“Yes, she’s been with Zuri. Everything will be fine, I think I need to iron some things out and explain everything to her better.”
“Matthew, I’m trusting you and I don’t know why. It’s probably those damn eyes. I see why Bella is so crazy over you,” she laughed and so did I.
“I’ll see you in a little while, Mrs. Lucas.” I ended the call and headed to the Moreau Estates.
The day after Krissy left my house and didn’t come back, I went to her mother. I had to talk to someone close to Krissy. I also had to fix things with her parents and I knew I should probably start with the level-headed one. That meant being brave and going to the Lucas house to talk to Krissy’s mother.
She, of course, looked at me like I had two heads when I showed up on her doorstep but she let me in when she saw I had flowers and a bottle of wine. I explained to her that I wasn’t out to hurt her daughter or play games with her. I told her that even though everything was ill-timed, I loved Krissy more than I’d ever loved anyone and I was willing to do whatever I had to in order to show and prove that.
After hours of conversation with Mrs. Lucas, she was convinced I was head over heels with Krissy. She still shook her head at our age difference but she would come around.
I had yet to speak to Mr. Lucas but that’s who I was itching to sit down with. It wasn’t my aim to make him like me but to understand that I wasn’t a sick pervert taking advantage of his daughter. Mrs. Lucas said she would make it happen.
So, I was racing to the Moreau Estates to sit down with my girl and her parents. Hopefully, I’d get there first and have a chance to talk to Mr. Lucas before Krissy got there. I didn’t know what the turn out would be but I had a good feeling.
**
“Joel said he’s on his way,” Mrs. Lucas told me, sitting at the island in the kitchen. I gave her a smile and slid a pan of meatballs in the oven. It was the only thing I knew how to cook really well all the time.
“Thank you for reaching out to him. Was he still pissed?” I quizzed.
“Eh, Joel is always kind of pissed but he’s nowhere near how he was the day you came over,” she answered, tipping the glass of white wine to her lips.
“Good. I’m shocked he wants to come talk at all.”
“Even though he’s grumpy most of the time, Joel is a sweetheart underneath it all.” Mrs. Lucas’ eyes looked far away for a moment. She cleared her throat and looked at me. “I can see it in your eyes that you’re a good boy, Matthew. Take care of her. Take care of each other. Nothing will work if things are one-sided. I know from experience. Trust me.” I felt like her words held more weight than she was willing to talk about but I took them to heart. She was right. Things couldn’t be one-sided.
Mr. Lucas rang the doorbell as my meatballs came out of the oven. I opened the door and greeted him with a firm handshake, never once letting my gaze drop from his. You had to look someone like him in the eye.
“I had no idea you lived in the Moreau Estates,” Mr. Lucas grunted as he walked in and looked around. “There’s not much here. You just move in?” He asked
“Yeah, something like that. I showed him to the den where there was nothing more than a simple couch and a couple of chairs. After being in their house, it did seem like mine was naked in comparison.
Once we were all seated, I cleared my throat and looked at Mr. Lucas. “Thank you for sitting down with me,” I said.
“To be perfectly honest, I miss my daughter. I haven’t seen her since that shit back at our house and I figured the way to see her is to see you. So…I’m here.” He folded his hands in his lap and sized me up. His hackles were still raised but I expected as much.
“Sir, I know you were pissed to find out about me and Krissy. I know this all looks bad and I know it’s even worse timing. It’s been my experience that nothing ever happens exactly when we want it to though.
I had no idea Krissy would end up playing such a major part in my life. Now that she’s planted herself firmly in my world though…I’m not letting her go. I’ve never done anything to hurt her. I’ve never forced her to do anything. I need you to know that.”
My eyes locked on to his and I watched his nostrils flare. Things were quiet for a long while. I could feel him warring with the thoughts in his head.
“Matthew, I know I can’t control my daughter. I know in a little while she’ll leave my house and go out into the world and once she’s there, I can’t force her to listen to me. Hell, I can’t force her now.
I don’t expect you to understand this but…watching your kid grow up is tough. Especially when it’s your only fucking kid. It’s hard letting go. It’s hard watching her make decisions and behave like a young woman.” Mr. Lucas paused and rested his chin on his fist.
I don’t have anything against you other than the fact that my daughter is in love with you. I can see that from a mile away. I can’t say that you don’t have a job. I can’t say you’re messing with her head. I can’t say any of the things I want to say because I know they’re not true.
I just don’t want to let go of my little girl.” His words were so raw that I couldn’t do anything but sit there and nod my head. He was being completely transparent when he could have held on to the grudge and never said a word to me.
“I shouldn’t have said you were a sick pervert, Matt. That was fucked up and I was lashing out. I’ve had time to settle down now and realize that I’d rather have Krissy in my life and watch her be happy than to watch her be happy from the sidelines.” He stood to shake my hand and I let a smile wash over my face as I shook his.
“Wow…I don’t even know what to say,” Mrs. Lucas chuckled. “I was sure I was going to have to have the cops on standby because I just knew you were going to come in here guns blazing.”
“Wait, and you were just going to let him come into my house and kill me?” I laughed.
“It would have been entertaining,” she shrugged. I shook my head at her and how much she was like her daughter.
“Matt, you and Krissy aren’t intimate at school are you? I mean you’ve already crossed the line being her teacher and all. I know there are some circumstances surrounding your situation considering Zuri’s situation but school is school and she’s there to learn.”
“Yes, she is. I agree,” I no
dded. “No, we aren’t intimate in school.” I felt like divulging to Krissy’s dad that I fucked his daughter all over my room and against the lockers in the hallway wasn’t appropriate so I kept my mouth shut.
“I’m not encouraging this relationship but I know I can’t stop it either,” Mr. Lucas said. “I shook your hand so that means I’m trusting you to an extent. Don’t make me regret this decision more than I do already,” he groaned.
“I’m going to try my best,” I nodded earnestly. Like I said, I never started out with the intention of getting Krissy’s parents to love me but I wanted them to see what we had was real and lasting.
It was stiff and awkward but I served the Lucas’ wine while I assured them that I had every plan to let Krissy be her own person and get her education. I let them know I wasn’t trying to sweep her away and keep her from living. Just the opposite. I wanted her to experience everything…I just wanted to watch her experience it. I wanted to hold her hand and kiss her lips while she did it. I wanted to be her refuge when things became too much.
I would never stop Krissy from experiencing life. I only wanted to experience it with her.
My phone chimed with a text from Krissy while her parents watched TV in the living room. I smiled when she told me she’d be at the house in ten minutes. I let her parents know she was on the way and I set out plates for dinner.
“Oh, Matthew, honey if you need the number of our personal chef, let me know because you can’t serve my baby meatballs with no sides,” Mrs. Lucas frowned.
“Look, it’s what I know how to make,” I laughed. Mr. Lucas made an off-color joke about meatballs and I laughed at it as I heard the keys in the lock. My eyes searched for her to walk into the dining room.
“Matthew Wilmore,” her voice reached me first. I wasn’t hiding the fact that her parents were there. Their cars were in the driveway.
“What’s up, Krissy?” I smiled when I finally saw her. Even in jeans and a t-shirt, she made me forget my thoughts.
“Mija…” Mr. Lucas stood and I could feel the tension between them as they stood staring at each other.
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