Chapter 16
Chapter
Sixteen
F ranklin
Junicia and I had been going strong for a little over a month, and I was ready to make her my girl.
I knew she was over her ex, at least it seemed as though she was.
She got rid of anything of his that was left over at her house, and she hadn’t said anything about him since we found out about his sentencing.
I wasn’t sure if she was ready, but I wanted to make my intentions known.
If she wasn’t ready, I would be fine with that.
I hadn’t thought about dating anyone else, and I didn’t want her to deal with anyone else either.
Ol’ girl from the doctor’s office reached out again, but I told her I was good, then blocked and deleted her phone number.
I had forgotten about her until she texted me to see what was going on with me.
I thought she would have moved on, but I guess not.
Oh well. At least I kept it real with her.
Junicia mentioned going to her cousin’s house for game night.
I wanted to tell her no, but if we were going to be in each other’s lives, we needed to meet each other’s people.
I wasn’t concerned with her officially meeting my parents since I barely fooled with them, but I did want her to meet Quan since he was the only person I talked to outside of her.
It took a few weeks to plan a night that would work for everyone’s schedule, and even though I didn’t like going to many places, I looked forward to seeing Junie with her people.
I knew I was a different person sometimes with Quan, and I wondered if Junicia was the same way.
People acted funny sometimes when they were around certain people, and I hoped Junicia wasn’t like that.
I told her I would drive, so we were on our way to her cousin’s, and the question I’d been wanting to ask her sat on the tip of my tongue.
She was too into the music and singing her heart out to notice I was nervous.
Junicia’s head whipped over to me when I turned the radio down. “Did you not like my singing?” She smirked.
“Love it,” I teased. She and I both knew she couldn’t sing. “I wanted to discuss something with you.”
She turned in her seat to face me. I glanced at her, then back at the road. I was glad we were in the car because I was too nervous to look into her eyes. They did something to me every time I did.
“I’m listening.”
I cleared my throat to give myself a second to think over my words.
“We’ve been dealing with each other for about a month now, and I’m really feeling you. It may be too soon for you, and that’s okay, but I was wondering if you wanted to take things to the next level.” I glanced over at her, but she had her eyes on the road.
Her silence made me even more nervous. I had already prepared myself for her to say no, but I waited patiently for her answer.
“I’m not going to lie; it is kind of soon. But I really like you. I’m ready to take it to the next level.”
“Are you sure?” I looked over at her because I needed to look her in the eyes when she responded.
She grabbed my hand and held it. “Yes, Franklin. This past month has shown me a lot about you. It also has shown me that I deserve to be treated with care, and that’s what you do.
When I’m around you, I feel comfortable enough to let my guard down.
I know that you won’t let anything happen to me, and you won’t do anything to hurt me.
So, if you want me to be your girlfriend, then the answer is yes.
” She looked at me with such a big smile covering her face, and my heart melted.
I wasn’t ready to tell her I loved her, but I knew in my heart that was what I felt. The time for that would probably come sooner than I expected, but I wouldn’t fight it when it did. Initially, I didn’t want a relationship, and I didn’t think we would be in one so soon, but it felt right.
Junicia liked me for me, and she didn’t put pressure on me to be anything other than Franklin. She even started drinking tea with me, but I couldn’t get her to sit outside in the cold. Maybe she would when the weather was warmer. I wanted her to see how peaceful it was.
We came up to a red light, so I leaned over the console and kissed her. “Thank you,” I said against her lips. She smiled at me as her eyes sparkled.
“Thank you. Just promise me you’ll protect my heart as well as my body.”
“I’m going to protect your pretty ass from head to toe.”
When the light turned, I pulled off and turned the radio back up. Junicia sang as we held hands the rest of the way to her cousin’s house.
Once we arrived, I got out and opened the door for Junicia. I grabbed her hand as we walked up the short walkway to the front door.
I stood to the side as Junicia rang the doorbell. A few seconds later, a woman who resembled Junicia opened the door.
Her face lit up when she saw us. “Hey, cousin. Y’all come in.” She stepped back so we could enter the house.
I helped Junicia take her coat off before taking mine off and handing them to her cousin. After she put them on the coat rack, she turned back toward us. We followed her into the living room. Nobody was there, so I guessed her dude hadn’t arrived yet.
The house was warm and cozy. It smelled like vanilla and whatever she cooked.
“Cousin, this is Franklin, my boyfriend. Franklin, this is my favorite cousin, Lauren.”
The smile on both of their faces made me smile too. I puffed my chest out a little when she called me her boyfriend.
“Hi, Franklin. I didn’t know you got upgraded to boyfriend.” She smirked.
I stretched my hand out to shake hers. “I did on the way here.”
“Well, y’all both look happy, and as long as she’s happy, I’m good.”
Junicia squeezed my arm. “I am happy.”
I smiled down at her and kissed her cheek.
“Aww. Y’all want something to drink? My friend should be here soon, so we’ll eat when he gets here.”
“We’re good for now,” Junicia told her.
“Okay,” Lauren said and went to sit down, but before she did, the doorbell rang. “I’ll be right back.”
I hoped her dude wouldn’t be on no bullshit, but as long as he didn’t say anything out of the way to Junie, we were good.
“What did you say your cousin’s name was?” I heard a familiar voice ask as Lauren and the dude walked to the living room.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I heard him say when his eyes landed on me.
We both laughed as I stood.
Lauren and Junie looked at us like we were crazy.
“Wait, you two know each other?” Lauren asked as she pointed between Quan and me.
Quan and I laughed again.
I turned toward Junie. “This is my best friend Quan I told you about.”
“Oh wow. What a small world.”
“Indeed it is,” Quan said, shaking Junicia’s hand.
“Whew.” Lauren pretended to wipe the sweat off her brow. “At least we don’t have to worry about you two not getting along.” The four of us laughed.
Quan told me he had plans, but he would try to make it.
I would have never guessed we would end up at the same place, dating cousins at that.
He knew Junicia’s name, so maybe he never put two and two together, or Lauren never mentioned Junie’s name.
It didn’t matter though. I was just happy I didn’t have to mingle with a dude I didn’t know.
“Since we’re all here, we can sit down and eat, then play some games,” Lauren said before leading us into her kitchen.
We all sat at the island in the middle of the kitchen. Lauren made beef and chicken tacos. We also had street corn and margaritas.
After we finished eating, the four of us navigated back to the living room to play games.
We laughed, drank, and played games for a few hours until I got a call from my mom. I hadn’t talked to her in a minute, and it was later than her normal time to call so I answered.
“Franklin. I need you to get to the house immediately.”
She hung up before I could ask her what was going on, and it sent me into a panic. My parents may not have been my favorite people, but I loved them and didn’t want anything to happen to them.
“Everything okay?” Junicia asked as I stared at the phone.
I looked up, and all three of them were staring at me with concern in their eyes, especially Quan because he knew who it was without me saying anything. Only three people called me, and two of them were in the room with me.
“My mom just called and said I need to get to the house, but she didn’t say why.”
“Let’s go then,” Junicia said first.
“No. You don’t have to go. Stay here with them and finish enjoying yourself.”
She rubbed her hand over my knee and looked me in my eyes.
“We are together now, and no matter how your mom acted toward me, I want to be there for you. I’m going with you, and you can’t stop me. As a matter of fact, I’m driving.”
There was no way I could tell her no, definitely after she put her foot down. If I wasn’t concerned, I would have told her how her pushing everything to the side for me made my dick hard, but I needed to put on a move on it to see what happened with my parents.
I stood, then helped her up. “Okay.” I walked over to Quan and dapped him up. “I’ll let you know what’s going on.”
Quan and my parents didn’t have the best relationship, but since he was my best friend, he was concerned as well.
“Heard you.”
Lauren got up to get our coats, then walked us to the front door. After quick goodbyes, we walked outside to my car. I opened the driver side door for Junicia, then closed it when she got in.
Once we both were strapped in, she pulled away from Lauren’s house.
I entered the directions into the GPS because I was too deep in my thoughts to give her step-by-step directions.
Junicia grabbed my hand as the other gripped the wheel. “Everything is going to be okay.”
I squeezed her hand and looked out the window.
Lauren’s house wasn’t too far from my parents, so it seemed like we had gotten there in no time.
Junicia and I quickly got out of the car and walked up the steps to the front door.
Using my key, I entered the house with Junicia behind me. My heart thumped in my chest because I thought something was wrong but got pissed when I heard laughing.
“Franklin, I’m so glad you could make it,” my mother said as she walked toward me with a smile on her face. Her smile quickly dropped when she noticed Junicia. “What is she doing here?” she spat.
I felt Junicia’s body tense beside me.
“She’s here because she’s my girlfriend, and I thought something was wrong.”
“Girlfriend? Please. Your girlfriend is here already.”
It was then I realized who sat on the couch looking like she belonged. My ex, Aliana, sat with her back straight and a smirk on her face.
“You can go, sweetheart.” My mother dismissed Junicia like she was a peasant.
I was too stunned to say anything. Junicia sucked her teeth and let go of my hand. I tried to grab her so she wouldn’t leave, but my mom stopped me.
“Honey, let her go. She’s not good enough for you anyway.”
Junicia turned back around. “I won’t say what I want to say to you because I respect your son, but you don’t know anything about me.”
My mother scoffed. “I don’t have to know anything about you to know you are not my son’s type.”
I still hadn’t said anything because I truly didn’t know what to say. Junicia looked at me with disappointment in her eyes before she turned to leave.
“Why would you say something like that?” I asked my mother as soon as I heard the front door close.
“Because you belong with Aliana.”
Aliana was still in the same spot, smiling at me like she had a chance of getting back with me. There was no chance in hell, even if Junicia wasn’t around.
“I can’t believe you would do something like this.” I turned to see if Junicia was still outside. I figured she was since we rode in my car.
“Don’t chase after her, dear. Your future is right here.”
I ignored her and went to open the door. My heart sank to my feet when I spotted Junicia getting into a car. She gave me the car keys when we arrived, so she couldn’t take my car.
I wanted to chase after the car but knew it wasn’t the best idea. My phone rang before I got to my car.
“Everything good?” Quan asked when I answered.
“Hell no. My mom was on some bullshit, and Junicia left in a rideshare. At least I think that’s what it was.”
“That’s why I called. What happened?”
I told him the bullshit my mom pulled, and Aliana went along with it. I had nothing to say to either of them. I wasn’t sure if my dad knew about any of it because he wasn’t there, but if he did know, I wouldn’t talk to his ass either.
“Yo, ya mom’s wrong as hell for that. What are you going to do?”
I entered my car just as my mom opened her front door. She called my name, but I ignored her.
“I’m going to get my girl back,” I told Quan as I pulled out of the driveway.
I understood why Junie left the way she did.
My mother was beyond rude, and I knew Junicia wasn’t trying to be in another drama-filled relationship.
What she didn’t know was that I didn’t care who didn’t like it; she was my girl, and I wasn’t letting her go without a fight.
It was a small misunderstanding, but I was confident we would get through it.
At least, that’s what I told myself as I drove home.