4. Got You In Heat #3
The heat from my body was now radiating between us and from how his eyes shifted, I knew he felt it too.
To not make our interaction awkward, I played it cool.
“I appreciate that, Vayce. I mean you ain’t too bad in black yourself,” I yelled over the music, thumbing the bills nervously from his gaze.
He gave me a smile. I was enjoying his company, but the elephant I created wouldn’t allow me to fully be in the moment, so I spoke up.
“Look, I promise I did not try to send you that picture. I was moving too fast when I was swiping and I believe it selected it. That is not who I am. I apologize.”
His hand went across the stripper’s ass ahead of him twice before giving me his eyes. “I’ve already accepted your apology, so we don’t have to keep having these same conversations. We good. I believe you.”
I sighed, studying his body language. He was moving like nothing happened at all before I said anything. All my overthinking seemed to be for nothing. Vayce didn’t give a fuck, so I was trying to let it go.
The night continued with ease. The DJ seemed to turn the music up, so it became hard for us to connect.
Here and there we would talk shit, but it didn’t go further than that.
I don’t know how much we went through exactly, but we threw half the stacks Vayce had lined up on the table.
About an hour in, it was clear that we both got bored.
As I was yawning and opening the rideshare app, Vayce closed his tab.
“Whenever you’re ready to go, I’ll walk you out.”
“I’m ready now. Let me tell my cousin bye.”
He nodded as I stood. It didn’t take long to locate Harmoni.
She was in a different section full of men now.
She’d changed into her performance outfit and from the redness in her eyes, she was in a different world.
I didn’t press her on the shit she was into, but she knew I didn’t fuck with her doing drugs outside of weed.
She was suppressing her pain. It didn’t make it right, but I wasn’t going to judge her either.
When she was ready to be set free, she would fight for it.
For now, I would continue to love her right where she was at.
“I told you that you were leaving with some fine shit tonight,” she licked her tongue out looking over my shoulder.
I laughed. “Girl, he is only walking me out.”
“Mhm. Whatever! I saw y’all over there and shit,” she wiggled her fingers. “Text me when you get home.”
“Honey, they're ready for us!” One of the dancers called.
“Aight. I’m coming,” she blinked slowly.
I fluffed her hair over her shoulders and wiped the lip gloss from her cheeks. “Please be careful, Harmoni. I love you.”
She hooked her index finger in her right jaw. In the back of her gums was a blade. She flexed her cheek once and blood spilled in her mouth as she removed her finger.
“Always,” she winked then gave me a quick hug. “I will see you tomorrow and I will be alone.”
Harmoni didn’t give me time to respond before she was walking toward the back hand in hand with another dancer I hadn’t seen. I turned to leave and Vayce grabbed mine, leading me down the stairs.
“You valeted?”
“I didn’t drive. I’m calling a rid?—”
“Cancel it,” was all he said as he led me through the parking lot.
“What?” I looked upside his head. “Then how I’ma get home?”
“I’m taking you,” he responded as if stating the obvious.
“You don’t even know wh?—”
“Jersei, that stubborn shit ain’t gone work tonight.
I could give a fuck if it was five in the afternoon, you not getting in no car with a stranger when I’m able to drive you, so you have two options.
Either you get in the truck or I’ma put you in the truck.
Either way, you got five seconds to sit your ass in this seat so we can get home. ”
He popped the locks to the big black truck and opened the passenger side door.
We exchanged daring looks to see who was moving first. I didn’t know much about him, but I was quickly learning how poised and direct he was.
His left brow raised as he extended his hand toward me.
Huffing, I sat my purse on the seat and without asking, Vayce lifted my body in the truck in one motion.
“You comfortable?”
“I guess,” I faked annoyance. The truth was I was turned on.
Solomon had never lifted me like that and this nigga did it with ease.
He chuckled before closing the door. The inside of his truck was damn near spotless and smelled of his cologne with a new car scent.
Vayce climbed in and enabled a cooling feature that melted my ass right into the seat.
“You straight?”
“I’m good.”
He handed over his phone as he pulled off. “Put your address in and put on some music. Not any of that shit we just heard in the club.”
I clicked his music app already knowing what playlist I was selecting. “You trust me with your phone? What if I wanted to Apple Pay myself some money or something.”
Vayce reached for it. “That’s fine. Let me just unlock my card first.”
The seriousness in his tone made my mouth drop. I moved the phone out of his reach. “I don’t need anything. I was joking.”
He looked over at me then back to the road. One hand was on the wheel, and the other was tugging at his beard. It was simple, but so damn sexy.
“If that changes, let me know.”
I wasn’t sure if he was talking to hear himself talk or if he was a man that meant what he said, so I ignored him and swiped through the app. The old school playlist filled the slight silence between us until I got bored with it.
“Are you from Harvest Hills?”
His left brow raised when he looked over at me. “Fuck no. Do I strike you as a corn picking, hillbilly ass nigga?”
“Hmm,” I pinched my index and thumb together. “A lil’ bit. You look like your grandma taught you how to pick collard greens.”
He smiled, running his tongue across his top lip. That shit made my stomach quiver. Yes, he was fine, but the way my senses were heightened felt deeper than I could understand and right now, I didn’t want to.
“I do actually while you talking shit. Turnips too.” he chuckled, making me laugh as well. “I moved here when I was eighteen. Got a full ride to HHU, so I've been here for eighteen years.”
“So, you’re thirty-six.”
Vayce took a heavy sip of his water and side-eyed me. “You can count, I see.”
“Nigga!” I playfully mushed his broad shoulder. “Where are you originally from?”
“Blaize Valley, Indigo Falls.”
“Ohhh. That’s how you know Honey.”
“Yeah. The Falls big, but small at the same time,” he merged on the interstate. Although he had a rapport with my son, he was still a stranger, so I was watching his every move and making sure his ass was following the GPS. “Since we playing twenty-one questions, you from here?”
“Born and raised. Green picking and all. This is my home. Y’all city people don’t appreciate shit.”
“What is there to appreciate?” Vayce looked over at me. “Yall got one of everything. One market. One mall. Three restaurants. Everybody know everybody. Shit is a culture shock.”
I hollered. “We do not have three restaurants, it’s almost ten. Don’t do that!” I laughed. “I know it was an adjustment for you coming from there to here.”
“It was and I hated it at first. After college, I was like I gotta get the fuck on but going back home ain’t always the best option.
Harvest Hills has taught me how to steward my peace.
Once you get a taste of a bit of freedom in your mind after fighting demons for so long, you’ll do anything to maintain it.
I talk my shit but being here taught me how to be a man. ”
I watched him speak. I love to talk, but it was rare that I crossed paths with someone who made me want to listen and I was holding onto his every word as if they…or he would slip away.
“I love that. Being here for thirty-five years has definitely taught me to appreciate the simple things in life. You have to make the most with what you are given. The added things can make life beautiful but there’s beauty in the small things. I like to water that.”
“I fuck with it.” Vayce was quiet for a beat. “Thirty-five. A son. Stubborn as fuck. Beautiful as a mutha’fucka,” he stole a quick glance. “A country bumpkin. What I’m missing, Jersei? What you like to do?”
“First of all, I’an country nigga. Your accent is just as heavy as mine,” I chuckled.
“Hm. A lot. I’m into fermentation. I like making stuff from scratch and testing it out.
I’m not working a traditional nine to five right now, but I’m trying to see what that looks like for me.
I enjoy making wine, yeast, and studying the science of food. ”
“You make your own wine?”
“I do.”
“That’s dope. I’ma have to get a glass one day.”
“We can arrange that.” I smiled. “You said you like to steward your peace. What does that look like? You’re an introvert?”
He blinked then shrugged. “I guess you can say that. I used to like being out clubbing, social events, all that. Shit, I couldn’t wait until Friday to see what the move was.
That shit got old fast though ‘cause I started living earlier than I should’ve.
By the time I got to college, the streets were lame to me.
I was ready to settle down then. I told you the strip club is the kickoff of fucking off, but fucking off for me really means chilling.
The students say I’m in my Unc era. Lil’ mutha’fuckas,” he chuckled, merging lanes.
I smiled. “I rather spend the time I would in the streets doing something productive or finding new ways to make sure I’m good spiritually, mentally, and emotionally.
The best place for that to happen is in the comfort of my own home.
Humans come with too much baggage and my own is enough.
So yeah, I guess I am an introvert ‘cause I love being alone. Being disconnected with the real world keep me in one of my own.”