10. Piper #2
“There’s not much to tell. I’m an only child, but I have four cousins who all live back home.
We don’t talk much, though, because my mom and aunt don’t get along, which got them involved, so they don’t fuck with us.
” I shrugged. “My mom is my best friend, so if she don’t like somebody, neither do I, and vice versa.
I can tell her anything, and she’d give me the best advice. ”
“You tell her about me?” he asked with a smirk on his thick lips.
“No,” I lied and blushed lightly.
“I don’t believe you.”
I rolled my eyes. “Anyway. She was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer last year. To say I was scared out of my mind was an understatement. I almost didn’t come back to True because of it. But she’s in remission and encouraged me to finish out my last year.”
“Damn. I’m glad she’s better, and I’m glad you decided to come back.”
“Why? It ain’t like you were checking for me or anything,” I joshed.
“I may not have been checking for you, but I saw you around a lot. You were a loner and never fucked with nobody. This is the first time I’ve seen you hanging with anybody. Your roommate must be special to get you to hang out with her.”
“Please. That chick forced me to be her friend.” We both laughed.
“Either way, it’s good to see it.”
“So you used to see me around a lot?”
He nodded. “All the time. I wasn’t about to talk to your mean ass, though. Besides, I had a lot going on back then juggling different females. Then Nia got pregnant, and my life changed. I didn’t want to mess around with different chicks, knowing I had a baby on the way. So I tried with Nia.
“That only lasted a few months because she became highly insecure. I tried to blame it on the pregnancy, but the truth is, Nia has mental health issues that prevented me from claiming her fully.”
“You haven’t been with her since Kiy was born?”
He shook his head. “Nope, not relationship-wise. We both agreed to end things and just co-parent, but you see how that shit is. I love her because she was my best friend before anything, and she gave me the greatest gift of my life. But I could never be with her like that ever again.”
“But you still have sex with her,” I stated, trying to get validation that he was really into me.
“Not anymore—not since I tasted you,” he said, looking me dead in the eyes.
We held each other’s stare until he pushed one of my loose curls out of my face.
“You’re pretty as fuck, Piper. I’m not just saying it to get in your panties either.
I can tell you’re guarded. I don’t know who hurt you, but I want to beat they asses for you. ”
“My dad . . . He’s the one that hurt me.”
Khalil’s brows furrowed. “How?”
“He left my mom as soon as I turned eighteen. He was an okay dad for the most part. He was there and helped take care of me, but he was always gone a lot. He’d miss important events and moments that should have been a priority.
In those moments, I felt as if he’d abandoned me.
Every time he’d tell me he’d be somewhere, he never followed up and left me feeling alone.
It felt like my mom was raising me on her own, but we all lived in the same house.
“I got the answers to the questions I asked all the time when, after my eighteenth birthday, he moved to Atlanta and never looked back. Almost four years later, I finally understood why there was a disconnect.”
“What was his reason?”
“He liked men.”
“Damn.”
“Yeah. He was married to a woman but desired men. I never knew that until I saw my mother crying and telling my grandmother about it over the phone one day. He said he only stayed because of me. He actually desired a boy. Go figure,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“But anyway, it’s why I have trust issues.
The man who helped create me didn’t want anything to do with me for real.
Learning that fact left me with an insecurity I never knew I had until recently.
It’s why I can’t tell if you genuinely like me or just want to fuck and abandon me. ”
I could see his face grow stoic before his eyes came to me.
“First, I’ma fuck ya pops up for putting that insecurity on you. I could never imagine doing that to Kiyanne. I’d do anything for that little girl, whether I was gay or bisexual. Second, I have no desire to hurt you, Pipe. Yes, I want to fuck you, but I also want to see where this can go with us.
“I like you . . . a lot, and I didn’t like seeing you with that bum-ass nigga Jaylin. Something inside of me wanted so bad to knock that nigga out for being in your face, especially when his ho ass got a whole girlfriend.”
I shook my head and ran my palms down my face. My mind was swirling with whys, whens, and hows so much that I felt like I was dreaming. The most popular guy in school was acting jealous over me. How? When? I did nothing special but give him my ass to kiss. Literally.
Just nine days ago, I wanted to kick him in the balls. Seven days ago, his face was between my legs, sucking up everything my body produced, and today, I was back in his home, back in his bed, not knowing what tonight would bring.
“This is so crazy to me.”
“What’s crazy?”
“This. It’s hard for me to believe that you’d want someone like me when there are plenty of Sabrina Murphys you could choose from.”
“That’s the problem. There are plenty of Sabrina Murphys I could choose from, but there’s only one you.
I know you have trust issues, and I get it, baby.
That’s why I’m going to prove to you that my decision to choose ain’t just based off looks and popularity.
I’ve had the Sabrinas of True State, and as I grew older, I realized that type of woman ain’t doing it for me.
“Hand to God, I don’t know what it is about you, but you got my full attention.
I want to know what makes you happy, what makes you sad, what makes you frustrated or angry.
I want to know your favorite TV shows and snacks.
I want to get to know you and for you to know everything about me.
You don’t have to try to figure it out. Just let whatever happens between us happen. Cool?”
I stared at him for a long moment before I released an audible breath and nodded.
“Cool. I just want to hold you tonight while you tell me your favorite color and why you fart in your sleep.”
A deep laugh bellowed from my being as I covered my mouth. “I do not fart in my sleep!”
He laughed, turned off the lamp, and pulled me close. We cuddled up, listening to music as I proceeded to tell him more about myself as he did the same. Before I knew it, my eyes grew heavy, and I fell asleep in his arms.