Chapter 16
Jatavia
Dreu’s house really looked like something fresh out of MTV cribs.
I used most of the money he gave me to go crazy with decorations.
I had the front of his house beautifully decorated with red and green lights wrapped around his two-story home.
I had hired three men outside of Home Depot and paid them generously to put the lights up along with whatever else I couldn’t do on my own for the outside part.
By the time I stepped back onto his sidewalk, I placed my hands on my hips and finally saw his house the way someone else would. It took an entire day to get things perfect and now I was starting to second guess everything.
I might’ve gone a little overboard…
Will he even like all of this or would he feel like I over did it?
I shook off my negative thoughts and smiled a little.
I dressed Dreu’s house up with him in mind thinking of how he would decorate it.
It looked masculine with a big Christmas touch.
The men did great wrapping deep green and red lights along the roofline, tucked neatly under the eaves so they looked built into the house instead of slapped on.
I had them place lights along the stone columns near the entrance.
The longer I looked at it, the more elegant it appeared.
They added the faux snow along the hedges and grass.
Dreu’s pathway to his front door was lined with matte black lanterns filled with red lights instead of candles.
Then in the center of his yard, my favorite part was a huge, tall, full, and real Christmas tree.
I had the mall to thank for the inspiration for the trees I purchased.
The men anchored it right in the middle of Dreu’s lawn.
I bought oversized ornaments in green, matte gold, and red.
I didn’t add any ribbons or bows to the tree because I wanted the decorations to scream masculine.
The front of his house didn’t look cluttered with Christmas decorations like I thought it would when I watched the men work.
My phone chimed; I checked the text from Dreu that said he was an hour away. I was grateful and anxious for him to get here to see if he’d like all of what I did to get his mind off the sadness that I imagined him feeling.
Soon as I stepped inside his house, I still couldn’t get over how massive it was.
I carried the same energy on the inside of his home as well but only in the front room area.
Soon as me and the men arrived, I watched them closely.
Being that Dreu wasn’t here, I had two of them carry in another tall Christmas tree.
They placed it in the front family room right next to his floor to ceiling windows.
Just the open layout of this house was grand.
High ceilings, dark hardwood floors stretched through the main level.
The walls were neutral and meshed good with the decorations that I had inside.
While the men worked outside, I came inside and added pinecones, wooden ornaments, red and green ornaments to the tree.
I had holiday scented candles on his shelves. A simple wreath hung over the fireplace, accented with eucalyptus and gold bells that made it stand out. It looked festive but grown. His entire family room smelled good and it felt cozy in there.
Satisfied with my day and what all I accomplished, I headed upstairs.
I loved Dreu’s room the most. If this was my house, I would remain in the room all day.
His bathroom was a sanctuary all on its own.
I’d never seen stone floors in a bathroom and wondered if it was something Dreu thought of.
A massive garden tub set beneath a wide window that looked out toward the hills.
He had real plants tucked into each corner of his bathroom and it smelled like him in there.
Dreu’s conceited ass even had mirrors at every angle, marble countertops with a his and her sink that stretched far and wide. I turned the water to the garden tub on then poured in bath oil and bubble bath soap. I slipped out of my clothes, then placed them in the hamper.
Soon as I eased in the tub, I wished I poured me up a glass of wine and a blunt. I could see myself in this nice ass bathroom with my pinky poked out holding an expensive wine glass.
Just who the hell am I feeling like right now?
I giggled and smiled to myself. I had to admit, this shit felt good as hell.
I had no worries right now; I pushed back all the what ifs in my mind.
It wasn’t that I planned on depending on Dreu at all.
He just made me feel secure even without a title.
For years, I had been struggling and worrying about how much my bi-weekly checks were going to be.
If things didn’t work out between him and I, I still had enough time to get on my feet with another job.
My rent was paid up until the end of next year.
I no longer had a car note. My utility bills had credited money added to my accounts thanks to Dreu.
He blessed me majorly and didn’t even mention it again for cool points.
His actions fueled mine. It made me want to make him feel good just to show my appreciation that what he did for me didn’t go unnoticed.
When you went hard for somebody you liked or even loved.
Feeling appreciated made you feel good. So many people navigated through life acting like they were entitled to certain things loved ones provided.
I learned that love without appreciation is just survival dressed up as commitment.
For a long time, I thought love was enough.
That loyalty, history, and endurance counted more than being thanked or held with intention.
I overlooked a lot with Devin. I overlooked him hardly ever thanking me and him just acting like the shit that I would do for him was because I had to or was supposed to.
Love said a person cared but appreciation said that they mattered.
It was natural for a person to want to feel valued.
It never felt good when it was a one-sided thing.
My main goal for tonight was for Dreu to get here, feel valued and to understand that I appreciated him with everything inside of me.
Besides my parents and Tammy, I felt it throughout my entire body and soul that he appreciated and valued me.
Once I finished soaking, I got out of the tub and scrubbed my body down in the shower. When I got out, my skin felt soft, and I was super relaxed. I walked into Dreu’s bedroom and opened one of the shopping bags that I tucked away earlier.
I laid out a yellow bra and pantie lace set along with a silk yellow night gown that stopped midthigh with a short split on the side.
I used some mango body butter to grease myself down.
Then slipped the set on. After I adjusted the straps and sprayed myself down with a little body mist, I eyed myself in Dreu’s bedroom floor to ceiling mirror and smiled.
My hair was in a high messy bun, my brown skin glowed and looked smooth.
For a change when I eyed the small acne scars on my face, I didn’t feel self-conscious.
I felt sexy as hell and confident in knowing that Dreu loved how I looked with or without makeup.
He had that affect to make me feel sexy even if I was looking my absolute worst.
Shit just hit different when you knew a man really fucked with you on all levels. Soon as I opened his room door, I heard his voice. I paused at the top step as my fingers curled around the railing. My heart skipped a couple of beats as I listened to Dreu’s deep ass voice.
“Atmosphere’s By Tavia did all of this. From my front yard to my family room, she hooked a nigga all the way up!
She knew that I wouldn’t want no blinking lights, kiddie ass decorations or a bunch of glitter all over my house.
She did a consultation with me first, real fucking professional! ” He boasted.
I bit into my bottom lip and giggled because he was really laying it on thick as hell. I never did any consultation with him, but it gave me a bright ass idea to do that with future clients once I had them. Without going down the steps yet, I knew that Dreu was making an Instagram reel.
“She hooked this shit up accordingly! She my girl too, so make sure you follow her and support my baby business. I’m tagging her business account and that shit gone be linked in my bio. If any of you thirsty ass niggas try to flirt with her, it’s gone be a major problem.” He continued.
I giggled lowly because Dreu was crazy as hell, but I knew just how serious he was at the same time.
Slowly, I started down the steps. The Christmas lights from outside spilled through the tall windows.
It cast soft red and green shadows across the neutral walls as I descended.
When I hit the bottom step, Dreu stood in the open space near the living room with his phone propped up on the fireplace that I had decorated nicely.
“Damn, I thought I put this bitch on a timer.” He mumbled underneath his breath.
I stood still taking him in. Dreu looked good as hell. Tonight, his locs were pulled on top of his head revealing more of his handsome facial features. It always looked like Dreu had a fresh ass line up every day. He loved to brag about how he could line his own hair line and beard to perfection.
His intoxicating scent overpowered the smell of the pinecones and candles I had burning. He was dressed simple in black, fitted jeans and a white tee that stretched across his chest and arms. His tattoos, and moisturized smooth skin had heat rushing to my face and down to my sex.
The moment his eyes landed on me, he smiled appreciatively.
“Damn, Pancakes,” he licked his lips and took steps in my direction.
I blushed hard and diverted my eyes to the left suddenly feeling nervous.