26. Somee #2
I frowned and he brought me closer. “If your chest is hollow, you’re not breathing. If I have your heart, you have mine. Call it an even trade because we’re in this shit, baby. There’s no other way. It’s forever you for me.”
“And me for you,” I confirmed.
His mouth met mine for a kiss. “Now let’s go be social. The longer we stay here, the more I’m tempted to let them talk shit when we come up missing for a few hours but I know you don’t want that.”
I rolled my eyes. “Absolutely not.”
“But they already know we’re fucking. You know that, right?”
“Please don’t make me think about that or I will not be able to look our parents in the eye.”
He laughed. “I suggest you stay up here then because they definitely know I’m knocking these walls down on the regular.”
After one last kiss, I changed into my swimsuit, grateful that Ryland at least thought about the fact that our parents were here.
The bikini barely covered anything, but he also packed cover ups, shorts, and sundresses.
He had everything I needed to survive the next two days, but more than anything, the most important part of my birthday weekend was spending it with him.
“Y’all cute or whatever,” Marlee signed, then pointed to the beach before she reached over and tugged at the drawstring of the sheer, orange, linen coverup I wore.
Underneath, I had a striped orange, brown, and cream bikini that matched Ryland’s swim trunks and Rylee’s one piece suit.
I found it amusing how almost everything he’d packed for me matched the colors of what he packed for himself and his sister.
“That’s all him,” I signed.
“Trust, I know. You haven’t posted a damn thing but that man got a whole carousel of you and Rylee on his page already. He made it social media official. It’s viral and so is the video of Rylee reminding these H-O-E-S to keep their distance.”
“What video?”
“Her and Ryland at some pizza place. You haven’t seen it?”
“No.”
She lifted her phone and tapped the screen before handing it to me.
I noticed she was on Baller Alert’s page, where a video was posted of Rylee and Ryland.
They were seated at a booth with pizza on the table and a woman standing near the end.
Rylee climbed out of the booth across from her brother, shoved her way between them, then pushed the woman back and sat next to Ryland.
Rylee signed, “I don’t like her, tell her to leave. This is our dinner and she’s not invited”, which was interpreted by someone and captioned, “Little Sis said not too much on her brother. Find something safe to do.”
I was amused because Rylee was not playing but I hated that her privacy was being invaded.
They couldn’t even have the privilege of sharing a pizza without the risk of someone recording them.
The worst part of our language was that no conversation was ever private.
If someone could interpret our hand gestures, every word was accessible to anyone who did not respect boundaries.
I never cared much in the past because my life was simple.
There wasn’t a focus on me, but being with Ryland put Rylee and me on a world stage.
I was still getting used to the invasion of privacy, if that were even possible.
As much as villas that walked out onto white sand beaches was my life, so was having simple things like family dinners exposed to the world without permission. They were a package deal.
I sighed in annoyance then glanced at the notification that popped up and smirked as I read the preview.
TavMacs: So you’re this close and not gonna let me see you?
I handed the phone back to Marlee.
“Check your messages.”
She glanced at her phone, tapped the screen, then smiled. After typing out a message, she locked the device and dropped it next to herself.
“You could have invited him?” I turned my head against the back of the lounge chair and grinned at Marlee. She and I had been chilling next to the infinity pool at the back of the house after Rylee put me down for Ryland because I refused to let her bury me in the sand.
“I didn’t even tell him I was coming. That man has been stalking my page. I tagged my location.”
“Did you tell him to come?”
“Nope,” she signed, then added, “Today and tomorrow are all about you, friend.”
I placed a hand on my chest and dramatically batted my eyelashes before signing, “You love me.”
“Yes, H-O-E, I do. I’m passing up dick to spend your birthday with you.”
“You should have invited him. I’m surprised you got this close and didn’t set up a dick appointment.”
“Unlike you, I’m a good friend. You’re my priority for the next two days. My gift to you is all of me.” She blew me a kiss.
“Look at G-A-W-D. The world must be coming to an end if I surpass dick in your life.”
“That sounds very S-L-U-T shame I-S-H and we don’t do that.” She playfully rolled her eyes. “But I’ve really been thinking about moving.”
“For him?”
“Girl, no. That man is not trying to be committed to anyone. At least not with anything beyond slinging dick. I don’t have time for fighting over a man who is not mine, but we could kick it on the low, though.
Plus, if I move, I’ll have to be focused on building my business.
I’ve been scoping out a few things and I plan on talking to your man to see if he’ll hook me up with some of his people. ”
I was giddy as hell. I missed my girl. I rocked with Makari.
Shiya and Zina were cool too, and I was becoming close with Toya, but no one could compare to my day one.
Marlee knew me better than anyone. There was never a time where I had to question or second guess when it came to her, but it wasn’t fair of me to put that weight on her shoulders, which was why I’d never pushed the idea of her moving here. If it was her idea though…
“I’m sure he would, but what about the business you built at home? Are you really comfortable leaving it in someone else’s hands.”