5. Malik #2
“He know s what’s up. He made you fine for a damn reason.”
“Malik.”
“My bad.” I grinned. “Don’t switch the subject on me. Let me take you out this weekend.”
“Did you hear what I said, Malik? I got a lot going on. I don’t have any business dating let alone dating you.”
“I heard you, and I can handle almost all of it. We’re all complicated, and life can shift and change at any minute. You ain’t really saying anything.”
“I’m afraid to do this with you. Isn’t it a conflict of interest? And just because you fixed my neck with your perfect hands and kissed me like you missed me...I care more about Samaj getting his life back than getting my heart broken by you.”
“How you gonna put that on me? You kissed me, MiMi. Like you’ve been starving for it, now you wanna act like it didn’t happen? Nah, we’re way past that.”
“No, we aren’t past it. That wasn’t supposed to happen. It shouldn’t have happened.”
“Here we go. I told you I was gonna chill, but now I can’t let you walk out that door without giving me a chance to prove I’m the man for you.”
“I need to go get the car,” she said suddenly, stepping around me toward the door. “My daddy let me borrow his car. See another thing I need to worry about.”
“Sametra, wait?—”
“I’ll meet you and Samaj at the front entrance in ten minutes.”
And just like that, she was gone, leaving me standing in the chapel wondering what the hell just happened. If that’s how she wanted to play it, then that’s how we’d play it. She was about to find out that I went by actions, not words.
I found her leaning against a pillar near the entrance, staring out at the rain. I walked up behind her, close enough that she could feel my presence.
“MiMi,” I said quietly, my mouth next to her ear. “You fucked up back there kissing me like that.” She turned around, those pretty eyes wide. “I already can’t get you off my mind as is, and you think I’m giving up after a kiss like that. Think again.”
“Malik.”
“Here’s what’s gonna happen. I’m gonna call you every night. I’m gonna make sure you’re good, make sure Samaj is good. And this weekend, I’m gonna take you out and show you exactly why ‘Yes, I’ll be your woman is the only answer.’”
Her lips parted like she wanted to say something, but no words came out.
“If you got a problem with that you better speak up now. Change your number. Move. I don’t know, nor do I care. You showed your hand, baby, you don’t get to run now.”
She just stared at me, and I could see the wheels turning in her head.
“I’ll go get our son,” I said, stepping back with a smile and a wink. “Don’t go anywhere.”
I walked away, feeling her eyes on me the whole time. When I glanced back, she was still standing there, touching her lips like she could still feel that kiss.
Yeah, she was mine now fuck what she was talking about.
Ten minutes later, I was wheeling Samaj toward the front doors of the hospital.
She was exactly where I’d left her, standing by the pillar looking out the window.
Her arms were folded, and she was bouncing from one leg to the other.
The rain was coming down hard now, turning the parking lot into sheets of water.
“Damn, it’s really coming down out there,” Samaj said, looking out at the storm through the glass doors.
I watched Sametra for another moment. Something was off. She was staring out at the parking lot like she was trying to work up the nerve to run out there.
“You ready, Ma?” Samaj called out to her.
She turned around, and I could see the tension written all over her face. “Yeah, I just...maybe we should wait for the rain to let up a little.”
But her hands were fidgeting, and her breathing looked shallow. This wasn’t just about getting wet. My baby had PTSD.
“MiMi, I’m driving y’all home.”
“What?” she questioned looking at me.
I moved her away from Samaj, because little did she know, he worried about her a lot. He wasn’t some ungrateful kid, he was just a growing boy with emotions and wild hairs popping up, telling him to rebel.
“You heard me. I’m taking y’all home.” My tone was gentle but firm. “You ain’t ready to drive in the rain. I don’t have any more appointments.”
“Malik, you don’t have to…”
“I want to. And you need me to do that for you, and you won’t admit it. I’ll make sure y’all get home safely and that’s it.”
She looked at me for a long moment, then finally nodded. I turned to Samaj, who was watching us intently.
“I got y’all. That cool?”
“Yeah, we appreciate you.”
Sometimes a young man just needed another man to show him respect, and Samaj was owed that, as her son.
Whether he’d been told or not he was the man of the house.
She handed me the keys and told me what to look for I took off for outside.
After getting her father’s SUV, I came back and helped her in, and then I helped get Samaj situated in the back seat.
“You don’t even know where we live,” she said quietly as I adjusted the mirrors.
“So, tell me.”
As I pulled out of the parking lot, carefully navigating the flooded areas, I glanced over at her. “You don’t have to worry about anything when you’re with me, Sametra. Not the rain, not driving, nothing. You hear me?”
She nodded, some of the tension finally leaving her shoulders as she leaned back in the seat.
“I hear you.”
She was still being hypervigilant, and I respected that, but soon she’d do more than just hear me. She’d feel me. She’d believe me.
The ride to her house was pretty quiet besides the gospel playing on the radio.
Every so often, I would look over at her and see her gripping the door handle, bracing herself every time we hit standing water or when another car got too close.
The fact that she was traumatized pissed me off more than I wanted to admit.
This beautiful, strong woman who ran into burning buildings for a living was scared to drive in the rain because some careless motherfucker couldn’t put his phone down.
She didn’t deserve this. Didn’t deserve to have her sense of safety stripped away like that.
It made me want to find that driver and remind him what his actions had cost those around him.
“Thank you, Dr. Holloway, for getting us home. You solid,” Samaj said, giving me dap as I parked in their driveway.
When we pulled up to the house, she hopped out and headed to open the garage door.
I couldn’t read her right now, but I wasn’t trying to.
I’d done what I said I would and probably bossed her around enough for one day.
I helped Samaj get out and into the house, making sure he was settled before my Uber arrived.
Right on time, I saw the headlights pulling up to the curb.
“Malik.”
I turned around to see Sametra standing in the doorway, looking like she wanted to say something but wasn’t sure how or what.
“I don’t need it, you good.”
“No, thank you. For today. For driving us. For...” she trailed off, then seemed to find her courage. “I like Thai food.”
A slow smile spread across my face. “Thai food, huh?”
“Yeah. The spicier the better.”
“Good to know.” I started walking backward toward my ride, not wanting to take my eyes off her. “Be ready at 5 on Saturday.”
“Goodnight, Malik.”
“Goodnight, beautiful. Sweet dreams.”
I got in the Uber, still grinning, already planning where I was gonna take her. I knew it would be the turning point for us. Shit was lining up and I knew it was nothing but God shining down on me. I heard him loud and clear.