Chapter 4
M ateo’s knee jumped as he twiddled his thumbs and looked around the room.
We’d been sitting for three hours waiting for Sonny to get home.
During that time, I fixed dinner out of what I could find in the kitchen—chicken and noodles since that was really all he had outside of frozen and packaged processed shit—and helped the kids clean up before we did their homework.
Now, Miley was watching some show on YouTube while Mateo anxiously waited for his father to arrive.
I believed he thought he was in trouble, though I’d already assured him that wasn’t the case.
I checked the time on my phone, and since it was nearing six-thirty, I decided to leave.
“Is your dad usually this late?” I asked, looking around the now clean living room area.
“Uh, yes, sir. Sometimes. He probably picked up a second shift.”
“When he does that, who takes care of y’all?”
Mateo chuckled as he stood and walked over to his Xbox. “I do. I make us a frozen meal and make sure she does her homework and takes a bath. By the time he gets home, she’s usually in bed, so I get to spend a little time with him by myself before I have to go too. But it don’t be a lot.”
The sadness in his tone couldn’t be ignored as he plopped down in the gaming chair. I wasn’t really comfortable leaving them here alone, but I’d promised Jayla that I’d come through, and I couldn’t spend my whole night waiting for Sonny.
“Okay, well, you have my number now, so call me if y’all need anything. I’ll try to call your dad and talk to him a little later.”
“Okay. Thanks again, Mr. Mathis.”
With a nod, I stood and headed to the front door.
At least they weren’t in a bad neighborhood, and I wasn’t too worried about anyone bothering them.
Plus, Sonny had cameras at the front and back door.
Miley also mentioned their older next door neighbor being her friend, so I assumed she kept an eye out for them too.
This shit was fucking with my mental in a way nothing had before.
I felt conflicted wanting to do more but also maintaining boundaries I usually never crossed with my students.
When I left their home, I noticed an older woman in a rocking chair on her porch.
She gave me an inquisitive smile and wave, prompting me to go over and speak.
Her name was Carla, and she confirmed that she kept an eye on the kids to make sure no one bothered them.
They also knew to go to her house if they had any emergencies, and she fed them over the weekend while Sonny was at work.
That allowed me to breathe a little easier as I left.
I stopped by Jayla’s favorite Italian restaurant to get the alfredo pasta and chicken cutlet that she loved, then made my way to her apartment.
She didn’t want to deal with the upkeep of a home, and I respected that.
I was the same way. I didn’t want a home until I was about to get married and start my family.
For now, I enjoyed my high rise apartment in the entertainment district area of Rose Valley Hills.
The rent was cheaper because there was constant noise because of live music and concerts almost every weekend, but because I loved music so much, that worked in my favor.
I would have paid double to be in the heart of the music, so getting a discount on my rent made the area a plus.
Excitement surged through me the moment I pulled into Jayla’s complex.
It was crazy how happy I was to be with my pooh.
I valued our alone time. Hell, I valued any time I could spend with her.
It felt crazy pining over a woman I’d never have, but I kept telling myself our friendship would have to be fulfilling enough.
Though we had keys to each other’s homes, I still knocked and waited for her to let me in.
“Hi!” she greeted, bouncing on her toes excitedly at the sight of me.
I hated she did that because it drew my attention to her perky C cups.
And yes, I knew they were C cups, because I knew all her sizes.
I bought her enough things over the years to know everything she liked and disliked.
I knew this woman just as well as I knew myself.
She was my other half, and I wasn’t quite sure I’d ever meet a woman who could take her place in my life romantically even though there was nothing between us.
“Hey, pooh,” I replied, licking my lips and forcing my eyes to lift from her hardening nipples. She was dressed in a loose fitting gown that was thin as hell and forcing me to use more discipline than usual.
“Ooh, is that my fav?”
“Of course,” I agreed, releasing my hold on the bag as she took it. I closed the door and locked it before following her into the kitchen. “Aye, I got some in there too. It ain’t all for you,” I teased, making her laugh.
“I guess I can share since you bought it. What’d you get anyway?”
“I got you the alfredo and chicken cutlet and me the chicken parm. There’s a duo Caesar salad in there for us to share.”
“And breadsticks?”
“And breadsticks.”
“Yum!”
We took turns washing our hands, and while she plated the food, I poured us a glass of wine.
As we ate, we talked about our days as usual.
She was so beautiful when she smiled, and Jayla did a lot of that tonight.
When I asked why, she expressed that she was happy Family Day was a success, though she was saddened by what happened with Miley.
“Even with that, you and Mateo came to the rescue,” she acknowledged before taking a sip of her wine. “How’d it go with Sonny?”
“He wasn’t there. I need to text him and tell him to call me ASAP.”
I pulled out my phone and texted him, Sonny, you need to call me ASAP. If I don’t hear from you by tomorrow morning, I will have to escalate the situation with Mateo, and I really don’t want to.
We talked for a while longer before I grabbed her small ladder and changed the lightbulb above her tub.
“Hey, you remember when you broke your arm and I had to help you shower when you first got home?” she asked, and though my back was turned to her, I could hear the smile in her voice.
“Hell yeah. I still can’t believe I broke my arm skating.”
“Oh my God that was hilarious. I was so scared you were really hurt and then you burst out laughing. I didn’t care about holding mine in after that.”
I chuckled as I climbed off the ladder. “Wasn’t no point in focusing on the pain at that point. Tripping over my own feet and onto my arm was funny as hell. I couldn’t deny that.”
She gave me that smile again as I closed the space between us.
“You were so shy you showered with your boxers on and made me get out when it was time for you to wash your?—”
My closeness silenced her, allowing me to clarify the situation. “It wasn’t shyness that had me covering myself, Jayla.”
“Then what was it?” she almost whispered, lips parting as she looked from my dick to my eyes.
“I didn’t want you to see it and crave something you couldn’t have.”
Licking her lips, Jayla looked at mine before swallowing hard and taking a step back.
“Kayne—” Her voice was so low and shaky it amused me. This exact reaction was why I’d done what I’d done back then.
“It’s getting late, so I’m gonna go.”
Her head nodded rapidly as she took another step back. “G-good night, pooh. And thanks for dinner and changing my light bulb.”
“Anytime.”
I kissed her forehead and nose, not missing the sharp inhale of breath she took.
With a smile, I left her apartment . . .
for some reason, feeling accomplished. Getting a physical reaction out of her hadn’t been my plan but thinking about her desiring me and being frustrated because of it would definitely give me a good night’s rest.