Chapter 12
Chapter
Twelve
Indiri
Dinner with Selah’s family was straight and her grandmother was funny as hell.
She reminded me of my own big mama. They loved her deep as fuck and hated ol’ boy’s ass.
They’d tolerated him for her because they saw what she hadn’t.
I learned that much from Owen when we were in his office.
He didn’t come out and say it, but he talked around it, asking about my intentions with her and where I saw us going.
I kept it a buck with him, sure enough to tell him how we’d met and what I saw in her.
I didn’t bullshit anything, especially because this was new for me, but I knew for a fact nothing in me could hurt this woman.
I felt a way for her that would have my brothers clowning me this weekend.
When we left her peoples’ house, she had us get ice cream, then we went back to the house. While she retired to the bed, I found my way to the built-in theater in the basement. I needed a moment to hear myself think, or so I thought until Jordyn’s name was across the Caller ID.
“Are you sure she didn’t know?” Jordyn asked, bringing my mind back to the moment we were in.
“Yeah, I am. She didn’t. Selah doesn't pay any of this attention and she hates attention being on her.”
“Yeah, about that. Those people are online dragging her for filth, even though there is no proof of her and ol’ boy being together besides a now deleted post of him congratulating her for opening her second bakery. I hate that for her, especially because he sent them her way.”
I shook my head at the thought. “She’ll be good.”
“Maybe, but this is not the moment to be silent. Her story needs to be heard, especially since this fool is bad mouthing her to keep his own drama from finding its way back to the front page.”
“Selah ain’t like that. She doesn’t do social media.”
“Well she needs to before this gets out of hand and starts affecting her businesses. I’m not saying bare her soul, but figh—You know what? Let me talk to her. I’ll tell her.”
“She’s slee—”
“Whose sleep? Why are you down here?” Selah’s voice made me look up from my phone.
She was standing in the doorway in my T-shirt, which swallowed her frame, and a pair of pajama pants that damn sure weren’t hers.
She liked my shit. Then wrapped around her shoulder was a baby blue microfiber blanket.
“You’re asleep,” I repeated.
“No, I’m not. I’m standing right here.” She moved toward me and climbed into my lap, laying her head against my chest.
“Exactly. She isn’t sleeping. Can she hear me?”
“She hears you, but I’m telling you, she isn’t interested in any of that shit.”
“Let me speak to her, Indi. You shush.”
Selah laughed.
“Listen, Selah, I don’t mean to get in your business.
Shit, then again, yes I do. Considering I manage his business from time to time, I’m managing yours a little bit too.
With that being said, I’m not asking you to go on social media and bare your soul, because that’s none of their business.
What I’m asking you to do is control your own narrative.
This situation will get a lot worse and can affect your businesses negatively very fast. Don’t stay silent. ”
Selah was silent for a while before she nodded. “Okay, what should I say?”
“Um. If you’re okay with it, I’ll work on some things you could say. Something quick. Or you can write it and send it my way. I’ll look it over.”
“Okay, I’ll work on it. I’ll get your number from him,” Selah responded, shocking the shit out of me.
“Good. See, Indi. I told you she’d at least consider it.” Jordyn sounded pleased with herself. “Now I’ll let you two lovebirds enjoy your time. Remember, wheels up at eight. Enjoy yourselves and I won’t lie and say I won’t call. Don’t forget to text me, Selah.”
“I won’t.”
When I finally hung up, I sat back and closed my eyes. I wasn’t tired, but I was damn sure exhausted.
“Do you think I should?” she asked, voice barely above a whisper.
“Whatever you wanna do, I’ma stand beside it.”
She lifted her head. “Really?”
“Hell yeah, you messed around and got stuck with me, lil mama. If you say something or not neither you nor I are going anywhere.”
A big smile indented itself into her features. “But don’t we have a flight tomorrow?” She was trying to be funny.
“That’s what you're on?” Get yo’ real funny ass up off me then.” I moved like I was about to put her off me.
“Absolutely not. You know I’m just playing.” She leaned forward and tried to kiss me, but I turned my face.
She pouted. “Really, Indiri?”
I laughed. “Don’t be cracking jokes then getting sensitive on me, lil thug.”
She nodded. “I didn’t get sensitive. Now are you gonna kiss me or what?”
“I got more than that in store for you, baby girl. Come up outta these pants.” I tugged at the pajama pants under the cover she had draped over both of us.
“Um, no. There are more people in this house than me and you. Let’s take it back to the room.” She nibbled at my lip after a quick sensual peck.
“It’s twelve in the morning. All their asses are asleep and you closed the door behind you, right?”
She looked at me for a minute before standing to do as I asked. Shit was sexy because she didn’t step off the couch to take the pants off. Instead, she stood in front of me, putting me face first with my best fucking friend.
I licked my lips at the sight. “Sit on my face.”
“What?”
“Sit right here first. Lemme taste you first.” I laid my head back.
She didn’t say anything else, but instead brought that pussy right to my lips. I couldn’t have a damn thing sweet, yet here I was about to indulge in the sweetest treat known to man. My Selah.
“It’s so beautiful here.” She stood in our room right in front of the balcony doors looking out at the water.
After several hours on a plane, my ass was tired. I could’ve laid down and went to sleep after Jade showed us to our room, but she said dinner would be ready soon. I could eat, because that plane food was ass, from the fake ass steamed broccoli and carrots to the fat-free fucking ranch.
“It’s alright." My focus was on that ass in those shorts she wore. Selah’s shape was the truth. She wore modest shorts, but that ass still seemed to poke. “My focus is elsewhere.”
“Like where?” She turned around, giving me a look at that beautiful ass face. Fuck, I was obsessed, and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it.
“You know where, but let’s get down here before my focus gets the best of me and we do not make it out of this room.”
She giggled. “This place is too pretty to be cooped up in this room. So, yes, let's go.”
The moment we made it downstairs, I was shooed onto the patio with my brothers while Jade kidnapped Selah.
I was expecting that, as the last few times I’d spoken to Jade she asked about Selah, damn near obsessing over the idea of me having someone.
Who was I kidding, it shocked me too, having somebody I felt like I knew through and through.
“What, you finally came out to kick it? I sure thought you were gonna hit us with some see y’all in the morning type action.”
I laughed. “I was close to it. Selah wasn’t having that though.”
Rennix and G locked eyes, both showcasing similar smirks.
“That’s you?” Rennix asked.
I threw my head back and screwed up my face. “Is Sunday after Saturday? Hell yeah that’s me.”
G laughed. “Good shit. Is that shit in the media true?”
I nodded. “Ol’ boy is a bitch and that’s on me.”
Reminisce walked up in a pair of blue and black swim trunks with a cigar hanging from his lips.
“You gonna beat his bitch ass, right?” Rennix asked, making me look in his direction.
I nodded. I didn’t even have to describe what I planned to do to him.
My actions would speak higher volumes than my words ever could.
I was gonna make them carry Knockout out of that ring.
No knockouts, I was giving him as many rounds as his body could take, and on my mama, he wouldn’t land shit.
This fight was different, unlike any fight I ever had since the eighth grade when a nigga came slick about my dead mother.
This fight was more than just a nigga coming for my belt.
I heard giggling from afar and looked in the direction of the house. My eyes immediately landed on Selah carrying a plate of something behind Karim who was also laughing.
“Damn, you got that shit bad.” Reminisce’s voice had me blinking and looking back at him. I had drifted so far in my mind that I didn’t realize Rennix and G had walked off.
I laughed him off. “It’s that obvious?”
“As fuck. Happens to the best of us though.”
I shook my head. “Not me. But from the moment I seen her crying in that fucking store, I knew I was fucked.”
He laughed even harder. “So, ol’ boy is really her ex?”
I nodded. “Yup. Bitch ass been spewing that shit in front of every camera pointed. Even had the media at her front door.”
“A fucking clown, but you already knew that and so did she. It’ll blow over.”
“Hopefully soon. I don’t like how the media is trying to play with her,” I voiced to him even though I’d played things cool for her and Jordyn. The screenshots Jordyn sent had me irritated for most of the flight but seeing her not carrying it was what calmed me.
“You can’t fight the whole world ’bout your girl, baby brother. At the end of the day, it’s a bunch of faceless accounts, miserable bitches, and beta niggas with all the shit to say. All you can do is train and knock the soul out of ol’ boy.”
I nodded because he was right. I had gone over it in my mind several times.
Reminisce and I talked for a while longer before joining everybody else on the patio to eat.
I used to avoid moments like this, family trips with significant others and shit, but now I was comfortable.
It fit, like it was always supposed to, even though I swore I hadn’t been looking for it.
I hadn’t been looking for her. Now I craved her presence.
I was only at my most comfortable when she was near and only here at this moment because she was here.