20. Fiya
Fiya
Three Weeks Later
I spent more time at Smoke’s house than I did my own. The girls teased me about that all the time, and so did Noel.
“Noel told me he’s thinking about moving Joya into the house with him,” Tamara stated.
She sat at the island, swinging her feet happily while I stacked the dishwasher.
“What?” I asked and spun around.
“Mm-hmm.” Christina was all too happy to chime in from her position beside Tamara.
“He hasn’t said anything to me about it,” I pointed out.
“Well, you haven’t been there in the last three weeks,” Tamara stated.
“Yes, I have. I’ve been there…” I cut myself off as I tried to recall the times I’d been there. “Four times.”
“And not once did you stay overnight,” Christina stated.
“How do you know?”
“Noel told us,” Tamara answered.
I sucked my teeth.
“Does he want me gone?”
“Well, you kinda are already. You’re here all the time,” Christina explained.
“Damn, I’d like to have some say so still.”
“Why?” I turned around upon hearing Smoke’s voice as he walked into the kitchen. I smiled as my baby opened the refrigerator and grabbed a single bottle of Minute Maid orange juice. He twisted the cap off and took a swig.
“Aye! Smoke, go put on a shirt, baby,” I stated and pointed at my friends. Their eyes were glued to his tattooed chest.
“Why?” he asked when he pulled the bottle from his lips and wiped them with the back of his hand.
“Smoke.” I placed my hands on my hips.
He laughed, walked closer to me, and pulled me into his arms. He wore nothing but a pair of basketball shorts and some slides.
When he kissed my neck and face, I couldn’t help but giggle like a kid. He showered me with so much affection and love all the time. It amazed me that I was scared to be in his presence not that long ago. Now, I never wanted to leave his side.
I woke up every morning happy to go into my shop but struggling to leave his side at the same time. I went to The Smoke Hour every day for lunch, and we ate together unless he had business. I had two part-time workers, so it made it easy for me to get away.
“Put your shirt on, baby. The girls are looking,” I whispered against his lips.
“Damn sure are,” Tamara called out from behind us.
Smoke laughed, smacked me on the ass, and then winked at my friends.
“Baby, I’m heading to the basement to watch boxing.”
“Okay, bae.”
I watched him until he disappeared. When I turned around again, I stared at my girls.
“What?” I demanded.
They both had their chins resting in their hands, staring dreamily after him.
“What?” I repeated.
“He’s so damn fine, girl,” Christina answered.
“Yeah. We told you about that dangerous, edgy dick. Shit has you doing all kinds of crazy shit,” Tamara stated.
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t be stalking my man,” I warned and pointed my finger at her.
“Shiiid. He got another brother?” Tamara asked.
“No. Jo-Jo’s the only one, and he’s married,” I answered.
“Mm. You sure?” Tamara challenged.
I rolled my eyes.
“Anyway, what have you two been up to?” I changed the subject.
“Same old, same old,” Christina responded.
We caught up on their lives since I hadn’t seen them in a while. Before they left, we made plans to have lunch together weekly and resume our Friday night girls’ nights at least once every other week. We also agreed that they could be nights in and didn’t always have to be at the club.
After they left, I took some pie and ice cream downstairs to Smoke, but I didn’t find him there. I headed back upstairs to the third level and found him in bed.
“You sleep, bae?”
He pulled the covers back and replied, “Nah. Just watching an MMA match. They gone?”
“Yeah. They left a few minutes ago.”
“Damn, I thought I wasn’t ever gonna get you to myself.”
“You do realize that you always have me. That’s why I had to make plans to have a weekly luncheon with them and every other week girls’ night out.”
“Shit. They’re gonna see you more than I do.”
“Boy, quit whining and eat this pie,” I stated, climbing on the bed with him.
“I got your boy,” he replied and grabbed his dick.
I loved the piercings in his dick. They brought me so much fun when we had sex and great challenges when I took him in my mouth.
“We’ll be fine. We spend a lot of time together. They did tell me Noel’s moving his girlfriend in, though.”
“How you feel about that?” he asked after he chewed some of his pie and ice cream.
“I don’t know. I mean, he didn’t check with me, but I get it that I’m hardly ever there.”
“I’ve been thinking for a couple of weeks now, and I think I’ve got the remedy for that.”
“What’s that?”
“You should move in with me.”
“Won’t you get tired of me being in your space?”
He leaned closer and kissed me with his cool lips.
“Never, girl.” Smoke’s eyes were heavy with desire.
“I don’t know.”
“You might as well. Your little ass lives here all the time anyway. Makes it easier to be together, and we don’t have to worry about shit. You’ve got an entire closet to yourself already, the keys and code to my house, and you drive my whips whenever you want. What’s the problem again?”
“You don’t think it’s too fast? You think people will say that?”
“What I tell you about time? Don’t nobody put restrictions and expectations on us but us. Stop worrying about what the fuck people think. Fuck ’em.”
An unexpected river of happiness flowed through me, and a smile spread across my lips.
“Are you sure?”
“Hell yeah. I’ve been wanting to ask you, but I didn’t want to run you away because you thought I was moving too fast. This works out perfectly.”
“I’m glad, because I’ve been feeling the same way. Baby, I never want to leave you when I go home, and I barely want to leave to go to work. I was too scared to say something.”
“Why?” Smoke asked.
“Didn’t want to push into your space.”
“You’re all in my space, and I ain’t tryna let you out of it.”
I laughed and replied, “Okay, well, let me talk to Noel first.”
“Don’t seem like he felt the same, but yeah. I got you, baby.”
Smoke set his plate aside.
“Damn, boy. You demolished that pie.” I giggled.
“That’s ’cause your ass can throw down.”
“I did that, didn’t I?”
“Mm-hmm,” he muttered and rolled me onto my back. We wrestled for several long seconds before he tickled me and then kissed me all over my face and neck. Smoke pulled me into his arms, and we spent several minutes doing nothing but kissing, moaning, and groping.
“I love you, Kaifiya Michelle Simmons.”
My heart bloomed with love and hope. “I love you, too, Colton Joash Socco.”
He stared into my eyes, and the expression in his was serious and deep.
“What?”
Smoke rolled off me, and he tucked his hands under the pillow. I climbed on top of him and rested my hands on his chest.
“Smoke, I love you so much. I’m glad that my insanity drove me to your club to show out that night. I can’t imagine my life without you in it now,” I stated.
“I’m glad you feel that way, baby. My dick and me feel the same.”
“You’re so fucking nasty,” I replied and slapped him on the chest.
“On the real, I’m serious. This dick belongs to you for life, and so does my heart. We ain’t tryna go nowhere if you tryna have us forever, baby.”
“I’ve got a few forevers for you, Smoke.”
“Then move your ass in then, ma.”
“I’m leaning heavily in that direction. I just want to give Noel a heads up and make sure he’s good financially.”
He wrapped one arm around my waist, flipped me onto my back, and straddled me.
“I want to build an empire with you. I don’t want to do this shit alone anymore, Fiya. I was thinking about a few forevers and an eternity with you by my side. Would you marry me?” Smoke pulled the ring box from underneath the pillow and opened it for me.
My heart almost exploded in my chest. I couldn’t believe that he had proposed to me. Although I had just been worrying about people saying we were moving too fast, this all felt right to me when I stopped worrying about other people and tapped into my feelings alone.
“Smoke!”
“Yeah, baby?”
“Smoke!”
“Yes, baby?”
“Do you see that shit? That’s an engagement ring!”
“I know that, baby. Do you accept it?” he asked, looking at me with uncertainty.
It was a platinum ring that had sapphire and round diamonds alternating with X’s in a cross-stitch pattern.
“Yes, I accept it. I accept you. It’s so beautiful, Smoke.”
He slowly placed the ring on my finger.
“Thank you for making me a happy man. You’re the fire in my heart, beautiful.”
I leaned forward, kissed him, and slowly slipped his hardening dick inside my shorts.
This was my baby, and I loved him.