Chapter 18
Alijah
“No. I understand. But if you could just—no, that won’t be necessary. I appreciate your time. Thank you. Please let me know if—” Deshona pulls the phone away from her ear and slams it down on the island.
When Deshona’s head drops into her hands, I stand up and make my way to her. I bend slightly and wrap her body into my arms before I place light kisses on her cheek, neck, and the back of her head.
“Having a bad day, mama?”
Deshona nods her head, and I tighten my grip when a light sniffle hits my ears.
“That’s the third person who’s snapped at me today. It must be shit on Deshona day or something. I still have two more hours before I can log off and forget about all of it until tomorrow.”
The wheels in my head turn as I think about ways to improve her evening. A smile upturns my lips when several things come to mind. Deshona gave me some direction on what her man can supply, and today is the perfect time to show, not tell.
“Finish your day. I got you after you’re done.” I kiss her head again, then return to my laptop and send an instant message to my boss.
A. Dawson: I need to log off early to handle something personal.
M. Kinley: No problem. Have a good evening.
A. Dawson: You do the same.
I close all my open programs and then shut down my laptop.
Once that’s done, I stand and stretch, then pick up my laptop before I leave the kitchen.
Thankfully, Deshona is back to work and oblivious to my moves.
When I reach my bedroom, which can possibly be transformed into a joint office since Deshona and I have been sleeping together, I partially close the door and do a quick search before I put the night's plans into place. After that, I leave the room, make a pit stop in Deshona’s room to grab some things, and then proceed to the bathroom.
More than anything, I appreciate time being on my side, so I return to the kitchen in no time to retrieve a flustered Deshona.
Her face is red, her eyes look sad, and her shoulders are uptight, which makes my plans for right now perfectly timed.
Wordlessly, I remove the laptop from her hand and place it on the island.
Then I take her by the hand before I lead her out of the kitchen and around the corner toward the bathroom.
“Aw. You did this for me.”
The bathroom is aglow with the candles I lit to set the mood.
“I want to relax you from your day. Later on, we’ll have our first official date at one of the restaurants I found for us to try.”
I wipe the lone tear that falls from her left eye and proceed to undress her. When she’s bare before me, I help her into the bubble bath I drew for her.
“I thought we already had our first date.” Deshona’s eyes are clouded as they twinkle in the glow from the candles strategically placed around the bathroom.
“That was your idea, and although I didn’t dispute it, you weren’t mine at the time, so it doesn’t count.”
The area around her eyes, which had been tight and strained a minute ago, eases as a bright, soul-stirring smile slides into place. Deshona’s smile is one of the things I enjoy basking in whenever she grants me the opportunity to see it.
“As amazing as this is, can you stay and keep me company?”
My lips twist and upturn as an easy smile forms before I sit next to the tub and cross my legs over my ankles.
“Today was bad, and I haven’t had one like this in a long time. Three of my clients have threatened to find another sales representative, and it’s not my fault. The manufacturer didn’t follow through with the products as they were supposed to. But it’s easy to blame and fault me, I guess. Ugh.”
Her smile disappears, and my chest tightens as I frown at seeing the displeasure that’s changed her countenance.
“How about we talk about something else. The workday is over, and the point of this moment is to shift you into something lighter and more peaceful.”
“You’re right. Okay. Let’s focus on us. When’s your birthday, and how important is it to you? My brother treats it as just another day. Are you like that, or do you have another opinion about your birthday?”
“Sounds like I need to memorize and put your birthday on my calendar. From your statements, I’m gonna assume that I need to make your day a national holiday.
To answer your questions, May 19th is my birthday, and I don’t need any fanfare.
Every day is a gift to me, so I don’t need anything special on that day. ”
“Oh, I’m very extra when it comes to my birthday.
I once broke up with a guy because he forgot and then bought me some dead store dandelions the next day.
I mean, what guy buys his woman dandelions?
Hell, if I wanted those, all I had to do was wait until Mom’s grass became overgrown and pluck my fill from her yard. ”
A low chuckle escapes my mouth when Deshona’s face contorts, and her nose twists like something foul is in the air.
“Duly noted. Let me grab my phone so I don’t make the same mistake.” I stand to my full height and leave the bathroom to retrieve my phone.
It takes me less than a minute to do so and return to my position as I open my calendar app.
“Alright. What day is my new favorite holiday, mama?”
“Ooh, I like the way you think. August 26th.”
I record the date, and my forehead wrinkles as realization slams into me.
“Wait. Your birthday is in two weeks. You set me up, woman.”
Deshona laughs hysterically, and the sound bounces around the room like a bass drum, and all I can do is join in.
My mind spins with ideas for making her birthday memorable.
Unexpected doesn’t mean I can’t do my big one.
I’m not only the new man in her life but also the man who needs to show this woman how special holidays are in my world.
“Oops, my bad. We’re new, so you don’t have to do anything this time around. But if we’re still together next year, I expect the red-carpet rollout.”
“Damn. You’re already giving my ass an expiration date. You’re cold-blooded.”
More giggles sound from Deshona as I shake my head while I shift ideas around in my head about how to flex my skills for her birthday. Deshona’s humor eases the tension in my shoulders that her bad day had caused.
“Any other dates I need to lock in of importance? I clearly need to get ahead of shit with you because you already have plans to dismiss my ass.”
“No. Other than my birthday, I’m pretty chill. You haven’t noticed that I like to chill with a movie, coloring book, or regular book?” Deshona’s smile is radiant, making the candles’ glow seem even brighter.
“If you’ve noticed, that’s my style too. Well, the movie and chill anyway. I don’t know about reading or coloring.”
“I’m gonna have you doing both, messing with me.”
I have a feeling you’re about to have me doing a lot of stuff I’m not used to doing. The problem is, I can’t even blame your good pussy for my willingness to do it either.
“We’ll see.” I dismiss it because it seems easier than facing the truth of her statement.
Hell, she already got me sitting on this floor talking while her delicious body is barely covered by bubbles. In the past, I would have run a bubble bath and chosen to fuck all her troubles away instead. But Deshona is different, and honestly, so am I.
“Okay. This did the trick. I think I’m ready to shower and get out of here now.”
I nod and stand to leave her to it, so I can move on to my next plan for operation unwind, which I put in motion once I logged off work. I lose track of time getting things set up until I hear a gasp from the threshold of the room.
“Damn. If this is what you do for a bad day, then I just might have to keep you around a little longer.”
“Try to get rid of me.”
I meet her at the door and pull her over to the bed before I remove the towel around her body and gently lay her down.
Like in the bathroom, candles provide light for the room as low music flows around the area.
I jump in and give Deshona a full-body massage that ends all communication between us.
At first, her light moans pierce the air, but the more my hands glide over her body, the less vocal she becomes.
The tightness in her shoulders eases, and within ten minutes of the massage, light snores fill the air.
I continue until every inch of Deshona’s body has been touched and caressed.
When I’m done, I move from the bed and cover her naked body with a blanket and leave the room with a hard dick.
But it’s the price I’ll gladly pay to ensure that Deshona wakes up feeling lighter than she did hours ago.
This is one of those times that I’m willing to take one for the team.
I gently close the door and proceed to return to the bathroom to clean and fully restore it to its previous state.
Deshona has two hours, and then I’ll wake her up so we can go have dinner.
“To new beginnings,” I say as I hold my glass in front of Deshona’s wine flute.
“Looking forward to it.” Deshona clicks her glass against mine as her eyes flash with stars.
Deshona woke up an hour after the massage, thanks to the grumbles in her stomach.
So, we got dressed and drove to Russell J’s Italian Bistro for our first official date night.
Deshona’s eyes are lighter, and the constant smile on her face lets me know that the bubble bath and massage worked wonders for her.
“Thank you, Alijah. You’ve not only changed my mood but also given me something positive to remember about this day.”
Damn, what was the last nigga doing because a hot bath, massage, or dinner is the least I should do as her man.
“My pleasure, mama. Do you know what you’re gonna eat?”
We’re at an Italian restaurant because I wanted to do something other than the usual steakhouse date. I’m a fan of steak, but I wanted a different experience than the usual date-night theme.
“Um. The stuffed ravioli sounds good, but so does the chicken tortellini. Oh, and the lasagna. But I could also go with the veal parmesan. I’m so torn.”
I laugh when Deshona’s head hangs as she lists the multiple dishes that have caught her attention from the menu.
“How about this? You order two, and I’ll order what you don’t.”
Deshona’s head shoots up, and her eyes widen as she stares at me like I just told her she won an expensive paid vacation.
“Really? You don’t have to do that. What were you thinking about getting?”
“It’s not a big deal. I can eat whatever. Order what you want and let me know which two to get. Then we can have a little buffet. Deal?”
Deshona’s lips upturn into a playful smile that calms and comforts me in a way no woman before her has been capable of doing.
I rest my back against the chair when Deshona nods.
I don’t care about sharing dishes with her if it means I can continue basking in her smile and the peaceful disposition she gives me.