Chapter 19
Nineteen
BLEU
My week with Truly was almost over, I started to dread it coming to an end. Although there would be plenty more times to have her in my home, I didn’t want to see her leave. There was something about her that stuck to me, and it would still stick even when she wasn’t there.
It was in the way my house felt different now. Lighter. Like her energy had soaked into the walls and refused to leave. She made herbal teas to test out new combinations, the faint scent of it lingered for days. It was a scent that I welcomed since it calmed me.
I also liked how she made herself at home and was no longer shy or timid around me.
She walked around barefoot across my floors, hummed softly while cooking in the kitchen.
In a short time, I learned that Truly loved to sing her heart out in the shower.
She’d stay in for so long in the mornings and nights that I would join her just to be close and see her naked wet body.
I enjoyed listening to her brag and talk to her best friend and little sister.
Her laughter was infectious and so was her outgoing heartfelt personality.
Truly would pause everything when Princess called.
She’d stay on Facetime with her baby until she fell asleep.
The only part that I disliked was her having to step into my guest room to talk to Princess.
Which only told me that she’d come up with a lie to Aurby just to smooth things over.
I understood and didn’t bring it up to her because I already had a plan put in place for his bitch ass tonight.
Truly made my home feel alive and shared, I never been at my home in Breeze City for more than two nights every other month.
It’s like she made me see the beauty and comfort in it.
It was those small moments with her that began to feel like small promises and hints at a future where her presence was constant rather than her having to return home.
I wouldn’t rush anything with her, because I wanted whatever this was to just come natural and not just from my urgent need to have her the way that I wanted her.
Truly didn’t realize what she’d done to me in such a short time.
Less than a month since meeting her and I was already ready to start changing the world around her.
This entire week with her in my home, I bought her a house not too far from mine. It was tucked into a stretch of open land for her to add and do whatever her heart desired. Originally it was supposed to be my father’s second home since it had a warehouse right next to it.
A while back my father wanted to have fresh threads shipped directly from Spain and needed a storage space to place it so that employees didn’t try to steal the exclusive threads.
He claimed the house was too small although it was four bedrooms with floor-to-ceiling windows.
The kitchen was state-of-the art with a huge backyard big enough to have a pool and jacuzzi built.
The house would fit Truly and Princess well.
It was easy to have everything transferred into her name since it was one of the many pieces of property that my parents owned.
Right beside it was the big warehouse that was now empty.
The space inside of the warehouse had enough potential to become whatever she dreamed of.
Didn’t matter if it was hair, skincare, art, herbal blends…
Truly could do whatever she wanted in that space.
I already mapped it out in my head. A section for her teas and herbs, walls lined with glass jars, and hanging plants.
A salon area with wide mirrors and hot pink leather chairs.
Then a lofted office on the second floor where she could look down and see her empire growing.
It was enough room to even employ a dozen people if she wanted.
And if she didn’t employ, I would for her just to make sure she had the best team to assist her so she wouldn’t be overwhelmed with doing it all by herself.
I planned on putting a designer in place to make the warehouse nice before she saw it.
Truly’s birthday was the first of December.
We were now at the end of October. If things didn’t go good between us by December, I still planned on giving her the house and warehouse as a push to follow whatever dreams she had.
There was this small part of me that hesitated.
I didn’t want it to scare her that I was willing to go to major lengths to set her up good before we solidified what we were.
“Yo, you good?” Dreu’s voice broke through my thoughts.
I blinked hard, then dragged my eyes away from the road. Dreu tapped his fingers against the dashboard to the beat of the music.
“I’m good.” I muttered.
“Nigga no you not. You’ve been staring out the window scaring the hell out of me. Is you even focused on the damn road?” He frowned. “Nigga staring out the window like you heartbroken, when you just left her. She been-”
“What’s the most way-out thing you ever did for a woman?” I cut Dreu off.
“Shit, I don’t know man…” His words trailed off but I could feel his eyes glued to the side of my face.
He probably was looking at me with concern because that’s what I felt for myself at the moment.
“Aye man?” Dreu nudged my arm hard. “You good?” His voice dropped low and so did my gut.
What the fuck really wrong with me, when it comes to Truly?
I asked myself. I’ve paid mortgages, rent, bills and even gifted a few cars.
I’ve given women job opportunities in the fashion world that had set them up for life and felt nothing afterwards.
I didn’t even want them to praise me for it.
I had so much money that none of it put a real dent in my pockets or accounts.
With Truly, something moved me. It moved me to be spaced out thinking of all the new possibilities that she would bring into my world. I craved, adored her and she took up most of my thinking space when we were apart.
“Answer the question for me, bro.” I swallowed down roughly.
“Man, you really trippin’ like a mutha fucka…alright let me think…”
Dreu let out a slow breath, glancing over at me with a hint of a smirk.
“You really wanna know?” He paused dramatically.
I nodded my head, looked over at him as I pulled up to a red light.
“It was this chick named Jatavia. She was thick as fuck, chocolate and average looking as hell man. One of them natural chicks that never rocked weaves or makeup. Her hair was kinky as hell; she even had acne all on her forehead and cheeks.” He paused, ran his hand over his face then sighed.
“To other men, she probably wasn’t hitting on shit. You know niggas go after looks and how the body shaped. Jatavia ass was as flat as a pancake; she had big ass titties that made up for what she was missing in the ass.” He chuckled.
The light turned green, before I pulled off, I turned and looked at my brother. He gazed out of the window like he was picturing Jatavia’s face. She had to be something special. His usual spunk had dimmed.
“How’d you meet her?” I asked now interested in knowing more.
“I met her over in the projects where my homie Bud lives. Over on the Westside of L.A. When I was leaving Bud’s house I saw her at a bus stop.
I don’t know what made me pull over and offer that woman a ride home.
Her aura made me get at her. Long story short, I got her number.
We would talk on the phone all damn day and night man.
I didn’t even hit right away but when I did…
I swear her pussy intensified things.” He chuckled.
“Then she moved after her brother got robbed and killed over there.” He said sadly.
“And yo rich, young dumb ass over in the projects begging to get robbed and shot up too! Why the fuck you even over there driving around in an expensive ass car?” I shook my head.
Dreu was wild as hell, and it made me worry for him in ways that he didn’t understand. I’d lose my mind if something ever happened to him because of his na?ve and careless ways.
“Niggas love me over there, on the real.” He waved me off.
“They don’t love you; they see your ass as an easy lick.” I corrected him.
“Anyways man,” he waved me off.
“She moved to Vegas, so I start driving six hours to spend time with her. I once drove in the middle of the night just to surprise her on her birthday. Didn’t even tell her I was coming.
I just showed up with a cake and a bottle of champagne.
” He chuckled softly, the memory lighting his eyes for a second.
“I did whatever it took to make Jatavia smile. She would always say nobody ever did anything nice for her. She told me how special and beautiful I made her feel all the time. She trusted me, talked life into me. I gave her a ring.”
“A ring?! You wanted to marry this woman?” I asked in pure shock right now.
“Yeap, I wanted to lock her down all the way. Everything just felt right between us.” He sniffled the words out.
I damn near hit a car trying to look over at him to see if he was actually crying. My grip tightened on the wheel and a part of me wondered why Dreu didn’t open up to me about Jatavia.
“Jatavia was different, man,” he continued, a faint smile lingering. “She really made me feel like I was somebody worth loving. I mean, I know I’m not shit but I do mean well.” He sniffled again then chuckled dryly.
“No matter what was going on, she always found a way to lift me up. She never judged me, never made me feel small for the mistakes I made. She was thoughtful, kind, and always had my back.” He paused again.
I could hear the hurt and regret all in his voice.