7. Leilani
The one-week mark of Banks and me “dating” had come, so I picked one of the pictures we’d taken together at his last game and posted it on FameVsYou.
While the blogs had been posting us, neither of us had said anything ourselves.
I hadn’t gone live all week to avoid the questions, but I figured there was no better time than the present to do so.
“Best week of my life.” I read the caption as I typed it out with blue heart emojis.
I studied the picture of us and smiled. From the outside looking in, we truly appeared like a happy couple.
The picture was beautiful. It was one Paisley snuck and took of us on the field before his game.
The sun was brightly shining behind us, illuminating us and the field.
Banks gently held my chin, smiling down at me as my arms were wrapped around his waist, returning the smile.
Crazy thing was the last week with him had been nothing short of amazing.
Banks showed he was very attentive and intentional.
He was the first person I talked to in the morning and the last person at night.
Whenever I mentioned something I liked or wanted in the moment, I would have it, whether we were together or not.
I assured him he didn’t need to get me anything, and he was quick to let me know he did so because he wanted to.
I posted the picture and locked my phone before going to check on my dinner.
Before I could make it to the kitchen, my doorbell rang.
Confused as to who would be visiting me unannounced, I went to the front and retrieved my gun from its hiding spot before looking through the peephole.
My heart melted upon seeing Banks standing there with a bag and bouquet of sunflowers.
I put my gun back in its rightful place and opened the door.
“Well, isn’t this a nice surprise.” I gushed, pressing my lips together, trying not to blush. It was inevitable, especially when Banks puckered his lips up for a kiss. Happily, I stood on my tiptoes and pecked them before accepting the sunflowers. “I can’t believe you remembered.”
“I’m a listener if you haven’t noticed. I’m about to be gone for a few days, so I wanted to come kick it with you for a while.”
“Come on in.” I stepped aside to allow him access into my home.
I’d seen Banks dressed up and down, and seeing him dressed down was definitely my favorite.
He made anything look good. The yellow T-shirt complemented his melanin perfectly.
It fit his frame to a tee, showing off every vein and muscle he possessed.
I yearned to be wrapped in those strong arms, so I tapped him on the shoulder with my arms out.
Eagerly, he accepted my embrace. I’d quickly learned physical touch was his love language.
Even though we’d mostly seen one another at games and in the vehicle, Banks made it a point to touch me, and I loved it.
I held onto him, resting my head on his chest. We hadn’t seen one another in two days, and I had to admit that I missed him. Would I say it out loud? No, but I hoped my actions silently told him what my words were too afraid to.
“What you got in here that smells good?” Banks questioned, squeezing me then letting me go.
“I’m cooking dinner. Baked chicken, diced sweet potatoes, and asparagus.”
“You got enough for me?”
I nodded. “Of course. Do you want some wine?”
“Sure.”
Our fingers laced together as I led him to my kitchen, giving him a short tour of my three-bedroom, two-bathroom home.
It was nothing compared to where he lived, but it was mine, and I was proud of it.
My parents helped me with half the down payment and closing costs.
My house wasn’t too far away from there, more in the suburban area of Camden Cove.
The one thing I loved about my neighborhood the most was that none of the houses were too close together, and everyone respected each other’s space and privacy.
But oh, what I would do to be ducked off outside of the city like Banks.
With a quick sniff, I put my sunflowers in a vase with water before grabbing two wine glasses.
Banks set the bag on the counter. I didn’t pay it any mind, but the logo on it looked familiar. I had to do a doubletake, almost spilling the wine. My gaze went from Banks to the bag and back to Banks. My eyes burned, so I set the glass down and fanned them.
“Banks.”
“Leilani.”
I blew through the circle my lips formed. “That’s a Brush to Canvas bag.”
“I know.” He chuckled. “Do you need me to pour the wine while you look inside?”
Eagerly, I bobbed my head and slid the bag over to me. The contents inside made the tears I’d been trying to keep at bay cascade down my cheeks like a flowing river. When I say that man listened, he did.
Through tears and sniffles, I asked, “How did you know I wanted these when I didn’t even tell you?”
“I have a secret to tell you.”
“And what is that?”
“I go back and watch your lives when I miss them. You’ve mentioned this brand more than once in your lives, so I thought I’d get them for you. Since I’ll be gone for a few days, you can test them out and let me know how you like them when I get back.”
I swear, this man was full of surprises.
His words made my heart gallop like a stallion in a race.
My feet dragged across my floor as I made my way over to hug and kiss him.
What I intended to be a sweet peck turned into me desiring to suck his lips off his face.
Banks was a skilled kisser. Kissing was sensual, but there was something about the way Banks did it that almost made me believe he truly cared for me.
It almost made me believe that what we were doing wasn’t for play, but I had to tell myself not to overthink it.
“I appreciate you, Banks. Thank you.”
He hunched his shoulders. “No biggie. How’s your day been?”
“It’s been good, quiet for the most part. I know that’s about to change since I posted us.”
His brows sunk. “You did?”
I nodded and went to check the chicken. “Go look. I tagged you in it too.”
While Banks scrolled on his phone, I got the chicken out and started plating our food.
I always cooked in small portions since it was only me, so I made a mental note to go out and get something else to cook for tomorrow.
What I made would’ve easily lasted me two or three days, but with Banks, I put extra on his plate.
“You got almost ten thousand likes on this picture. I like it. Send it to me.”
“Te-ten thousand? That’s crazy. The most I’ve ever gotten was like five on the painting you bought for Paisley.”
Banks waved his finger at me as we sat at the table with our plates and wine. “Speaking of that painting, what were you feeling when you painted it?”
I cleared my throat before taking a nice gulp of my wine. For some reason, I was nervous to tell Banks about Brandon. He was my past, so I didn’t see the need in bringing him up, but I also felt Banks had the right to know.
“My ex. He made his presence known on that particular live and changed my entire mood for what I was creating. I switched to what I was feeling and created one of the best pieces I have in all my career.”
Slowly, Banks nodded his head. “How long were y’all together?”
“Two years.”
“Why did y’all end things?”
“Life. We outgrew one another and started down separate paths. Us ending things was a mutual agreement, but it doesn’t take away how badly it hurt me.”
“It still hurts you, doesn’t it?”
Forcefully, my fork pierced a sweet potato as I pondered on his question. “Not as badly as it did, but at times, I wonder.”
“What if?” he asked, and I nodded. He ate a few forkfuls of asparagus before continuing. “If the opportunity presented itself, would you get back with him?”
“No. We’ve moved on, and I don’t believe in going backwards in life. He’s my past. That’s where he needs to stay.”
“I hear you.”
“What about you, Banks?”
“What about me?”
“Have you ever been in a serious relationship?”
Banks chuckled. “Never. Not even in high school like most people. I was too focused on baseball to ever take anyone serious.”
“So, you’ve never been in love?”
“I haven’t, but I want to. Growing up in a household filled with love, watching how my father and mother are together, it’s always been something I’ve wanted but was never mature enough to have.
Being in the industry and getting there at such a young age didn’t help me make the best decisions as you can see.
I’ve been caught up in more than a handful of situations, so I’m trying to better myself. ”
“Can I be honest?”
“Of course.”
“From the way you’ve treated me this past week, it feels like you’ve loved someone before. You know what to say and do. Whoever the woman is you end up deciding to take seriously, she’ll be blessed to have you.”
I meant every word. Banks was doing things in a week it took Brandon months to do. It was obvious he was all in for our arrangement, which made me feel much better about the decision to go through with it.
Banks smiled and admitted, “You make this shit easy for me, and I’m simply trying to uphold my part of the contract. Like I told you before, we gotta do things as if we’re in a real relationship. I didn’t come to you about this to half step, Leilani.”
“And I appreciate that. I was skeptical at first, but you continue to ease my mind, so thank you.”
“I got you.”
And I believed it.
And that scared me.
Was it possible to fall for someone in a week? Or was I not used to the type of treatment he was giving me?
Whatever it was, it was already scaring the hell out of me, but I wouldn’t give in to it. Banks was giving it his all, and I promised to do the same. We were in it together.