8. Oaklyn Bridges
OAKLYN brIDGES
Shifting slightly to turn on my side, I snuggled deeper into the bed, loving the way the comforter buried me in a cocoon of heat.
I nearly drifted back to sleep until my mind began to recreate scenes from last night as content for my dreams. I began to feel sensations in my body in tandem with what I was seeing acted out in my mind.
From my tingling lips to the chills that ran down my spine and waves of heat racing over the surface of my skin, I remembered it all.
Suddenly, I sprang up, realizing I wasn’t dreaming.
I was reliving memories I wouldn’t soon forget, no matter how intoxicated I was.
I buried my face in my hands, thinking about the way Jasoni kissed all over my body, weakening my resolve to resist him after he’d had his way with me.
I couldn’t lie though; he had done his big one on my pussy.
My thighs pressed together as I thought about it because he was so delicate with my intimate places I’d creamed all over his beard and he .
. . he smiled. I released a shaky breath, daring myself to look beside me, only to find the bed empty.
Leaning back against the headboard, I allowed myself to fully recall the night.
Being around Jasoni yesterday was a breath of fresh air.
I didn’t have to be Oaklyn, the actress, but instead, the girl from that small town in South Carolina who had big dreams. To know Jasoni followed along with my career, even though we were no longer friends, satisfied me in a way I wasn’t expecting before coming to this cabin.
I wiggled my toes before pulling my knees to my chest. How could I face him after knowing he was face-to-face with my pussy last night?
Was he regretting his decision, and that was why I woke up alone in bed?
My chin fell to the top of my knees as I continued to overthink everything that happened.
I wasn’t sure if I regretted it yet or not, but one thing was for certain .
. . There was no way I could see Jasoni as just a friend anymore, even though there was no more strife between us.
The soft sound of singing zapped me into the room and out of the deep crevices of my mind.
Curious about what I was hearing, I tossed my legs off the side of the bed.
I searched for my slippers before finding them abandoned by the door.
Walking out of the room, I rushed to the bathroom to relieve my bladder and brush my teeth.
While I was in there, I even sprayed some rose water on my face to freshen it up and removed the crust from my eyes.
I refused to be caught slipping when I saw Jasoni.
Once I was satisfied with my reflection in the mirror, I headed toward the singing voice until I ended up in the kitchen.
Jasoni stood at the stove, frying bacon with ease.
He had an air of contentment surrounding him as he sang Rome’s “I Belong to You.” I paused in the entryway, allowing the lyrics to wash over me.
Tears came to my eyes, along with memories of us belting this song to each other as children who had no true understanding of the lyrics.
We decided it was our favorite song because our parents wouldn’t allow us to sing it without getting popped in the mouth.
There were many times we would share a pair of headphones and listen to it on our way to school.
“But he don’t love you, baby, baby, like I do. Only wanna be with you,” he sang so eloquently that all I could do was smile, despite the sadness creeping into the moment. “I belong to you. I give all my love to you.”
Jasoni noticed me watching him when he turned to grab the bowl he was using to drain the grease from the bacon.
His first reaction was to smile, but it only lasted for a second.
Probably because he noticed the tears spilling from my eyes.
He removed the frying pan from the hot eye before rushing over to me.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” he asked, bending down to look me in the eyes.
I tucked my lips, trying to hold it together, but when he gently brushed my hair from my face then palmed my cheeks, I began to cry harder.
I didn’t know if it was his gentle touch, his natural scent, or the fact he was in here singing our favorite song, but I completely lost it.
Every emotion I was holding in over the last three days erupted out of me like a volcanic explosion.
Jasoni wordlessly pulled me into his chest, and I wrapped my arms around his waist. I didn’t care that I was getting tears and snot all over him, and neither did he, because he held me tighter, nearly to the point of cutting off my circulation, but I didn’t mind. I needed this right now.
“Talk to me, Oatmeal,” he whispered with a heavy voice, almost like he knew why I was crying even though I hadn’t uttered a word.
I couldn’t be surprised though, because that was how we were.
He was my other half and understood me in a way that we didn’t need to speak about because he always knew what to say and do.
When I finally calmed down, I pulled back to look up into his worried eyes. “It’s been ten fucking years, Jasoni! How could you cut me off like I never fucking mattered to you for that long?”
He sighed, and I felt the weight of his breath pressing down on my heart.
I needed to get this all off my chest if I was going to be able to breathe around him or even consider pursuing the meaning behind my racing heart when I looked into his low eyes.
When another minute passed of him not responding, I started to get angry.
“How could you? How could you?” I questioned repeatedly while beating on his chest. He stood there like a brick wall, taking every hit like he deserved it—like he was okay with letting me beat on him until I was exhausted if it led to forgiveness and reconciliation.
Finally, he reached his breaking point and grabbed my hands.
With a quick jerk, I went crashing into his chest. “It’s not that you didn’t matter, Oaklyn.
You mattered too fucking much, and that’s why I had to do it.
That’s why I had to walk away.” I frowned, trying to understand his words, but I fell short.
Luckily for me, he seemed to pick up on my confusion and began to explain.
“I wanted to give Claudette peace of mind, and that was the only way.”
I shook my head, not falling for it. “That’s bullshit, Jasoni. We were fucking friends. You could’ve implemented boundaries, and I would’ve respected them because it would be better than not having you in my life at all.”
He tightened his grip on my hands and shook his head.
“You still don’t understand . . .” He sighed, palmed my face, and bore a hole into my soul that shattered my ability to do anything but be.
“Boundaries have never existed when it comes to you, Oaklyn. Claudette could see it, and I knew it, so I did what was best at the time. She thought I was in love with you. Cutting you off was the only way to prove I wasn’t, but even that wasn’t enough, because I am still deeply in love with you, Oaklyn.
I never should’ve cut you off.” His voice cracked, and those black tendrils of regret returned.
I finally stopped struggling against him as his words slammed into me like a Mack truck. “Wh-what?” I stuttered.
“Do you understand now? After the relationship ended, I was too ashamed to reach out to you, and Journi let it be known that you wanted nothing to do with me, so I took it on the chin.”
My throat, lips, and eyes were all dry the deeper his words sank into my psyche. Jasoni was in love with me? I couldn’t fathom the idea considering he’d never indicated there was anything more between us than friendship. “Why now? Why tell me all of this now?”
He gripped my chin, and I melted into his touch against my will. “Because eleven years without you would’ve sent me to an early grave, when I know I’m supposed to be spending a lifetime with you.”
I buried my face in his chest, too afraid to look at him for a second longer. The last thing I expected was this confession, but I could feel the sincerity of his every word. I squeezed him tighter with a pout. “So, what now?” I asked after a few minutes of him holding me in a way that sedated me.
“Now? You’re going to let me eat your pussy until you feel better.”
I pushed him in the chest with a frown. “Jasoni, I’m being serious right now.”
He pinned me in place with a smirk. Suddenly, I felt like his prey and got the feeling he was seconds away from devouring me.
“I am too. Let me put a smile on your face then feed you. That’s all I’m asking for right now.
” He stepped closer, removing the distance between us for a second time. “What do you say?”
“I say hurry up and get to eating, nigga, because I’m hungry too.”
The smile on his face forced a shaky breath from me.
The weight of his words was still pressing on me, but maybe his tongue could give me some relief.
I allowed him to lift me up and set me on the barstool in the kitchen.
All thoughts fled from my mind with the first suck of his warm mouth on my clit.