Chapter 5
Chapter
Five
Selah
Once again I was in this man’s space, submerged in his presence, feeling like I didn’t wanna move or leave. I liked his energy and the way he just existed. He wasn’t full of himself or self-centered. He was a normal human, easy to talk to even though he wasn’t much of a talker.
I pecked his lips again, then pulled back. “Food?”
He chuckled and reached into his pocket. Seconds later he had his phone out. He tapped around with his thumb for a few seconds before he had the phone to his ear.
“What do you wanna eat?” He looked at me for an answer while the phone rang in his ear.
“Pasta, something creamy or with some capers.”
“Yo,” somebody answered from the other line.
“Do me a favor and grab something to eat.”
“From where? You know you ain—”
“It ain’t for me, Bigs. It’s for Selah. Some pasta or something. Creamy or with capers.” He repeated my words as his grip on my ass tightened.
I heard Bigs’s laughter through the line before he assured Indiri he’d get it and grab him a salad on the side.
“’Preciate that even though I know them lips are loose as shit.”
“With good intentions. Gimme ’bout an hour.”
They hung up seconds later and Indiri dropped his phone between us onto his chest before those serious eyes found mine again.
Under his sight I felt like he saw everything, like just by looking at me he read me like a picture book. It was weird.
“Why do you have a tattoo right here?” I pointed to the side of his face. It was barely there, but visible up close.
“Because I was young, had just won my first fight, and dumb as fuck. Pops cursed my ass out over it too.” He laughed as if recalling a memory.
I shook my head. “It’s faded.”
“Yeah, he took me to get it lasered off. But after that second session, I had to train for a fight and never went back. I figured it would fully fade at some point.”
“Well, it did. Both times I’ve seen it I’ve been all up in your grill.”
He grinned.
“Have you always known you wanted to be a fighter?”
“This you getting back at me for not telling you I had siblings or something? Because you got questions for days, mama.”
“Maybe. Now answer the question.”
“Uh. Not always, but I used to like to go to the gym and had anger issues as a kid. Moms died early and Pops said I needed to focus my energy. At first it wasn’t serious, then it was.
I tried the college motion, but it wasn’t me.
I dropped out and found my way to the ring. I haven’t stopped fighting since.”
I nodded. I was about to ask another question, but he pushed his lips into mine. “No more questions, beautiful.”
Shit, fine with me.
I was one hundred percent down to have him between my legs tonight, but that didn’t happen. Instead, we talked more, ate, then I fell asleep in my clothes and his arms. It was like a peace had washed over me, one I had craved since the night I’d found out Nathanial wasn’t who I wanted him to be.
I was awakened the next morning by his voice. The sun had yet to fully rise, which cast its dim shadow through the window into the room. The first thing I was able to focus on was him, shirtless, with his phone to his ear, looking out into the early morning Chicago motion.
“Yeah man, we don’t leave until like five. We’ll be there. Don’t be on no bullshit either.” His back was to me. Laughter expelled from his being before he turned and looked at me.
I sat up fully, then reached for my phone on the nightstand next to me. It was four something in the morning, too damn early for anybody to be up. This had to be the hours of psychopaths.
I had two missed calls from my sister and three from Nathanial.
In the last few weeks I had gone all the way formal with this fool, no nicknames or pleasantries.
I wanted to be strong enough to overlook his betrayal, but I couldn’t so I was done.
He just didn’t know that, even though I had managed to get most of my things from his house and separate our lives.
A call here and there was all I warranted, his way of checking in, but my way of keeping him out of my space.
At some point I had to tell him we were over, but I had yet to do so.
I was an avoider when it came to big decisions, passive as fuck and avoiding blowups.
Telling Nathanial I was done wouldn’t go over well.
“Why are you up?” I asked when he finally stuffed his phone into his pocket.
“Had to get the workout in, beautiful. We’re having lunch with my people before we fly out.”
My eyes tried to jump from my skull at the same time too much saliva existed in my throat. “Um, what?”
“Food with my people before we leave. Don’t worry. Niggas know you just the homie.” He had a snide smirk on his face. Then he turned and left the room, going to the bathroom.
I mean what? Lunch with his family?
My attention went to my phone. It was vibrating, a call from none other than Nathanial.
“Come join me.” Indiri’s voice made me jump.
When I looked up again, he wasn’t just shirtless, but bottomless, in storm gray boxer briefs.
“Indiri.”
“What, man? Are you coming or what?” he asked as he went deeper into the washroom.
I was on my feet quickly, knowing damn well he didn’t have to ask. The shirt that belonged to him was over my head in seconds as I peeled my underwear down to take him up on his invite.
The moment I entered the washroom, I saw him.
I guess I’d taken too long. He was now standing under the showerhead.
He’d left the door open just so I could see what I was walking into and lord was I excited.
I hadn’t had sex since the night at the hotel and it was completely cliché to say he was the best I’d ever had.
He thought I had only been with Nathanial, so I didn’t know shit.
He was always selfish and very quick, while that night at the hotel Indiri had taken his time and my body remembered that.
I stepped into the shower, about to move around him, but he turned and pulled me into him. I was hemmed up in the corner of the shower in seconds, his hand right below my chin, tilting my face up so he could kiss me. Then I was in his arms, legs wrapped around his body.
“Stop acting like you don’t feel this shit, Selah.”
An involuntary shiver traveled through my body the moment I felt his dick at my opening. Then he advanced, thrusting into me.
“Sh…itt.” I closed my eyes tightly, tightening around him. Indiri was fucking blessed.
He rocked into me over and over, trapping my body between him and the wall. Bolts of lightning overtook my body as I held onto him for dear fucking life.
How could I not feel this shit?
“Indiri,” I groaned, every syllable sounding like a musical note in this shower as they rolled off my tongue.
“Let that shit rock, mama.” He lowered his head, mashing his lips against mine. How the fuck were we supposed to be homies when he fucked me like this? When he inflamed my body like this?
“Um, weren't you supposed to be home this morning? Why are you just now walking through the door? It’s eight in the evening. And whose black on black did you climb out of? I know it’s not dickhead’s because he’s flashy and that right there screamed quiet money,” Siyah asked right after she opened my door for me to enter my loft.
“Do you have a tracking device planted in my ass or something? How did you know I was home? Or on my way? Why are you here?” I dropped my bags by the couch and turned to face her. Siyah lived on the other side of the damn city, so the fact that she was here had me alarmed.
“No, I have your location and you have mine as well as granny’s and Mama’s. Normal shit, hoe. Now answer my questions. I asked first.”
I laughed, not even knowing where to start because I realized my sister didn’t know anything about Indiri. I wasn’t keeping secrets, I just hadn’t spilled and she had no reason to ask.
“What the hell are you laughing at? You better start talking or I’m gonna think somebody drugged you.”
I laughed even harder, which had her changing her stance. Her hands went from in her pockets to across her chest. Yep, she was in big sis mode and I was about to get a lecture or the stare. The stare definitely ensued.
I threw my hands up in surrender. “Okay, so I may not have told you about what happened the night I found out about everything Nathanial was doing behind my back.”
“Everything like what?” She was thoroughly confused.
“I slept with someone that night and it was good, like really good.
Now I had no intentions of seeing this man again.
Then I was in the middle of the grocery store crying, maybe a week later, and he walked up on me.
That night we had dinner and we talked. He's really easy to talk to. Like really. He listens to me and he is ver—”
“Selah, get to the story.”
I’d definitely digressed from the sequence of events she was looking for.
“Okay, fine. That night we didn’t sleep together.
He dropped me off at my car and we exchanged numbers.
The next few weeks I got kind of busy working on the wedding I’ve been stressing over.
Remember that?” I held my hand out to make sure she was still following. I was horrible at telling stories.
“Selah, if you don’t get to tonight’s events.” She pointed to the floor like she was talking about it instead of the moment.
“Come to find out the woman who booked me for her brother’s wedding—"
“Was his fiancé and he was getting married? Niggas ain’t shit,” she interrupted, ready to blow a gasket.
“No, bitch, let me finish the story.”
She laughed and nodded. “Go ahead and make it snappy.”
“She was his sister and it was their brother getting married. I only found this out when Jade, his sister, decided to introduce me to most of the guests, including him. Then he and I ended up spending the night together and spending most of today with his siblings.” I ran down the rest of my day, and by the time I was done, she had a big, dumbass smile on her face.