Chapter 20 #2
“You’re welcome, sweetheart.”
“Oh my God. You have to drive us to the field. This car is so awesome. Way to go, Mr. Nickels,” Erica croons.
“Only the best for my one and only baby.”
“Can I take it for a spin?”
“Of course,” Dad says as he hands me the key.
I hug him again. He gives me a big squeeze and kisses the top of my head. Releasing him, I then bounce happily in place.
“I love you guys,” I say to my parents.
“We love you too. Drive safely,” Mom says.
“I will,” I call over my shoulder as I rush to the driver’s side of my new car.
The chrome Mercedes screams fast and elegant. I couldn’t have asked for a nicer car. When I get behind the wheel, I sigh.
“Wait until Bent sees this. I think it’s nicer than his car,” Erica snickers.
“Let’s see what he thinks,” I say as my father takes the bow off and I start the car.
The engine comes to life and we both squeal. This is the best Christmas ever. I pull off feeling like somehow I just became a real adult.
Bentley
We’re in the middle of the game when a sleek, new-looking Mercedes pulls up to the field. When Erica pops out of the passenger side, I’m curious. However, when my girl hops out of the driver’s side, I can’t help but smile.
Zah looks good coming out of it. Her hair is in a ponytail and she has on a pair of jeans and one of my sweatshirts I shrunk in the wash. If you ask me, Zah is the reason it shrank. She had her eye on it and had worn it around my room a few times before it happened to become half its size.
“Is that Zah and Erica?” Gilbert Manning asks.
I look to him and frown. He’s nearly drooling over himself. He’s always had a thing for Zahirah.
I know that from high school. What he needs to remember is that she’s off-limits, even more so now. Zah is mine.
To prove my point, I jog over and tug Zah into me for a passionate kiss. I devour her for everyone to see. A few whistles and cheering go up.
“I missed you too,” she breathes when I break the kiss.
“You have no idea. Is this yours?”
“Yup, Daddy just gave it to me for Christmas.”
“This is sick. How do you like the drive?”
“It’s amazing. Drives like a dream. I can’t wait to get it back on campus.”
I lean into her ear and whisper. “We’ll have to christen it later.”
When I pull away, she’s looking up at me with lust in her eyes as she bites down on her lower lip. I almost forget about the game I’m supposed to be playing and toss her over my shoulder so we can get out of here.
“You guys are together?” Gilbert asks from behind me.
I wrap my arm around Zah’s waist and turn to face him. His eyes are wide, and he looks white as a sheet. Needless to say, he now knows he never has a chance with my girl.
“I thought I told you they were together,” Baker says.
“I think I would have remembered that,” Gilbert grumbles.
“Hey, I haven’t seen you in how long, and that’s all you have to say to me? I thought we were friends,” Zah says to Gilbert as she tilts her head to the side.
“Oh, sorry. I guess I’m a little taken aback,” Gilbert says then clears his throat. “You look good, Zah. It’s good to see you. New car?”
“Yeah, my dad just gave it to me. How have you been? How’s school and everything?”
“School is great. I’m about to graduate and start an internship with my uncle. I am going to take over and run the place, but it’s protocol for me to intern and shadow him first,” he rambles and begins to blush.
“I thought you wanted to start your own thing, move out to Silicon Valley and all that,” I say as I furrow my brows.
Before we left for college, that had been his plan. I don’t know if he’s trying to show off for Zah or something else. The Manning family business is well known around here.
It’s not like any of us can or have missed that Gilbert and his family are old money. The only reason he ended up in high school with us is because he was kicked out of more than one prep school. Our school was the next step down.
“I did, but some personal things got in the way, and I’ll have to go to work for my family for now. When I take over, I can branch out then, I guess. I mean, if I do well,” he says.
He shrugs then continues as he looks at Zah. “I mean, I’ll be close to home, and I’ll have stability. That’s what really matters, right?”
“What matters is doing what’s best for you. What makes you happy,” Zah says as she looks up at me, totally oblivious to the fact that Gilbert is trying to throw shade and impress her all at once.
I palm her ass and dip my head to take her lips. She’s all that matters to me. We’re happy together.
“Are we going to finish this game or what?” Baker barks out.
“Yeah, hold on,” I say before kissing Zah one more time.
“It was good to see you, Zah. I hope we get to hang a bit before the vacation is over,” Gilbert says.
“Or maybe some other time since you’ll be home when I come to visit.”
“Yeah, sure.”
I grit my teeth and hold in all the things I want to say. Knowing whenever she comes back home, he’s going to try to hang out with her doesn’t sit well with me.
Gilbert is in our friend group, but we do bump heads from time to time. I know the real him. He’s not the guy he tries to pretend to be in public.
He’s certainly never been the guy for Zah and never will be. As she cheers my name as I run back onto the field, I push it all aside. I have no reason to be jealous.
Zahirah and I are built to last. She’s mine and I am hers. Nothing can tear us apart.