Chapter 6 #2
“’Cause you got your ass up and left.” He stepped between my legs and kissed me, then moved to the coffee pot. The way his body was cut had my mouth salivating at the sight. Reminisce was a vibe and he knew it. Something about that broody existence had my body on fire.
“Oh, he sounds mean. Go handle that. Call me later. Love you.”
“Love you too. Tell my nephew I’ll come get him soon.”
We hung up seconds later and all my attention focused on him. “How did me getting up mess up your sleep?”
“One minute I felt your big ass head on my chest and the next it was gone. I was comfortable.” He grabbed the creamer from the refrigerator.
I smiled, watching him pour his creamer into the cup first then the scalding hot coffee. He didn’t bother stirring it but instead took it to his lips to sip. “Don’t make me feel like you really like me like that now, because I promise you, I’m nutty, baby.”
He chuckled, then moved to the side of me. “Don’t I know? But I meant everything I said, Rim.”
“Why were you nervous yesterday after you left my house?”
“Real niggas don’t get nervous, we get anxious. I told you yesterday, I wasn’t nervous either.”
“Then what were you?”
“Reminding myself that I couldn’t fuck this up.” He set the blue coffee cup down next to my leg.
“Why did you have to remind yourself though?”
“Because I’m not used to this, not used to giving a fuck about anything but my siblings, not even myself. Then your stubborn ass popped up, talking about yeen want a relationship. Straight up bullshit.”
I laughed, because I remembered telling him that. “Maybe you’re right, we never say what we want when we really want it. Shit, we expect you to read our minds and make decisions for us.”
“We who, Karim?”
“Women.”
He shook his head. “Well, this is what I want, I’m sure this what you want, and I’m running with it until you tell me otherwise.”
“Okay.”
“That’s it. That’s all you gotta sa—” he started, but a knock at the door interrupted his statement. “Are you expecting somebody?”
“Yes, I ordered breakfast.” I hopped off the counter and moved to get the food from the door. Once I had it from the driver and locked the door, I returned to the kitchen. I placed the bags on the island and moved to the sink to wash my hands.
“How did you know I didn’t have breakfast already planned out?”
“The migraine you were fighting last night. I didn’t wanna wake you. But if you did, you know I eat a lot; so a second breakfast won’t hurt anything.”
He chuckled. “Nah, we’ll fuck around and do lunch then. I mean that is if yeen ’boutta rush out on me for whatever reason.”
“Now who said I was about to do that? You got me for the weekend. I mean… unless you hav—”
He was in my space before I could finish the sentence. “The whole weekend could be fun as long as you know we’re having dinner with my siblings Sunday.” He picked me up and put my body on the island then stepped between my legs and took it upon himself to empty the food bags.
“Um.”
“No um. You want me to read your mind, right? In the event it’s too much to read, I’m speaking for you.”
I giggled. “Nigga, that’s not how this works.”
He laughed. “What all did you order?” Those massive hands eased up my thighs.
“Everything. I realized in the middle of ordering that I didn’t know what you or Romance ate. I guess I know the complicated things, but not the simple things like what you do or don’t eat. As a matter of fact, I don’t even know what you’re allergic to, if anything.”
Laughter bubbled from his gut. “I’m a real nigga, so I ain’t allergic to shit.
I don’t really fuck with chicken like that and Ro eats whatever.
I thought she was impartial to hot food, but the way she was fucking up those hot wings last night?
What about you, baby? Do I need to be leery of anything I feed you when we’re together? ”
“Um no, not that I know of.”
“Bet.”
We were well into breakfast when Romance came running into the kitchen asking her father what was for breakfast. It was funny how she checked his ass without even trying.
It was like she asked questions just to sass him.
I found them so cute. For a minute I stood in the doorway, watching him get her set up at the coffee table in front of the TV.
It was cute that they had their own routine.
He had seemingly settled into fatherhood in a way that only a nigga who was meant to be a father could.
There was this genuine love that flowed from him to her.
When I reentered Reminisce’s bedroom, I gathered all my things to take a shower then lay out across the bed to check my messages.
I had a few from my mother, Kay, and of course one from Aroyal asking where the hell I was.
I just knew Aroyal was cursing my ass out for being out of touch.
Kay would tell him I was cool, and if there was an emergency, he knew to call me.
He was just tripping because I was out of touch and he didn’t know where I was.
“Are you cooking for us tonight?” Reminisce asked, alerting me to him entering the room. I glanced over and he was standing in the doorway, those piercing eyes staring a hole through me. Then he pushed off the wall, moving toward me.
“Um. That depends. What do you want to eat?”
“Shit, I don’t know, surprise me.” He pulled my body down to the edge of the bed, leaning between my legs.
“Me surprising you is feeding you some of what’s between my legs and getting baby girl a burger. Don’t tell me that.”
He chortled, face hovering over mine. “Even though I could go for that, where the fuck does the shit you be saying come from? You’re a straight nut.”
“No nuttier than you.”
“Nah, baby you got me beat.” He spoke against my lips before his hand eased under his shirt I was wearing. Everywhere he touched lit a fire, sending my thoughts into the abyss.
“Mhmm. Sure.”
“You know I got about thirty minutes until she’s finished eating. We could get shit crac—”
“Nope. If anything gets cracking in here, don’t have any expectations for me to leave this apartment.”
He grinned, hand moving from my breast back down into my shorts. “You su—”
“Daddy, your phone ringing.” Romance interrupted his moment, making me yelp in laughter at the expression on his face.
He snatched his hand back, giving me a death stare. “Aight. Hand it to Rim and go finish your food. We’re going to the store in a little while.” He was moving toward the bathroom in seconds. I heard his steps even though my eyes were on Romance.
“Okay.” She handed me the phone, then pranced back into the front room.
I glanced down at his phone seeing that the person calling was Jade. “It’s your sister.”
“Answer it.”
My eyes ballooned, because why in the hell would I do that? Jade and I were good friends, but I had also told her nothing would ever come of her brother and me. Now here I was, laid up in his bed, in his shirt with my hair all over my head.
“Answer the phone, Rim. She ain’t gonna stop calling till it’s answered. You know your fucking friend and she already knows you’re here.”
“And how does she know that, Reminisce?”
“Yo, lil best friend in there can’t hold water in a fucking desert.” He stepped his shirtless ass in the doorway. “Now answer the phone for your girl and make sure she ain’t in labor before you join me in this shower.” He disappeared from my sight and I glared down at his phone.
As soon as I answered, Jade’s smile beamed through the damn screen. “Well, well, well… If it isn’t Ms. It’s Nothing. Looks like very much something to me.”
I laughed, sitting up. “How are you?”
“Well. I was calling to check in on them, but I guess I don’t have to. You have them.” The smile on her face had yet to move. “You eat better than me, so I don’t have to worry about the dino nuggets bullshit he’s been feeding her.” That last statement was when her expression changed slightly.
I laughed.
“As well, I assume I’ll be seeing you at dinner Sunday, right?”
“Jade.”
“Fine, fine, fine. Your cousin and I will be out there, so I assumed. Anyway, call me later off your phone. I might need a favor.”
I nodded. We hung up a few seconds later, my mind kind of reeling off her calling Oden my cousin.
It was nothing against him, or his brothers, but it took some getting used to.
Not only that, but I wanted to know them.
While Aroyal was indifferent and already knew Kinga, I wanted to know them.
I wanted to know my family, because truth of the matter, I didn’t have much.
“Damn, Rim, what’s taking you so long?” Reminisce’s voice interrupted my thoughts.
“I’m coming. Stop rushing me,” I snapped.
“From where? Tacoma? Bring your ass.”