8. Services No Longer Required #2
“I never had to do this whole first date shit. Usually, I call, they come. My Pops died when I was a lil’ nigga, so I never got that whole run down on what to do and what not to do.
I actually…” He paused and laughed. “I went to talk to Kilo’s best friend Drew.
He’s the only person I know that’s married…
Hell he’s the only person I know in a real relationship.
He told me to get you flowers. I didn’t call ahead, and them muhfuckas didn’t have one single rose in the whole store,” he scoffed.
“Well, you got lucky. I prefer tulips,” I said with a smile. I had never been a rose girl.
“You do?” he asked, looking at me in disbelief. “Okay, good. Then he told me to compliment you and keep the cussing to a minimum, but when I saw you… a nigga really froze. Embarrassing as fuck.”
“I’m used to the cussing.” I smiled and shook my head, looking off. “And the compliment worked, it felt good to know I had you speechless.”
“Chill out.” He chuckled, starting up his truck so we could head out. “Ain’t nobody said all that.”
“Yeah,” I teased. “Because you couldn’t say anything.” I went in for the kill, making a face like a dying fish to mock how he stood there looking at me in my living room.
“Man, fuck you, Peep,” he said with a laugh. I was just happy that he was back to his usual cocky self because if we were both nervous, this would have been a disaster.
“What you tryna listen to?” he asked.
“Oh, I get to pick this time?” Usually, he had me in there trying to tune out his old school hip-hop.
“I told you that a nigga was trying to be chivalrous, but if you want me to put on some Blueprint, I can.”
“Can we listen to the new Ava Melody album?” I asked.
“I guess,” he said with a fake sneer while mumbling to himself.
“Got me in here listening to this soft ass shit.” I rolled my eyes back, almost melting when he shot me a playful smile.
He hit a button and turned on a song from her latest album, Songbird.
I swayed to the music as we rode in silence for a bit, then he spoke again.
“Destiny! Girl, what the fuck?! You talk about my music when you got this freak shit in your playlist?”
“What?” I whined. I was so busy listening to the melody that I hadn’t absorbed any of the words.
“Yeah. She’s on here singing about how she wants to tie her nigga up and ride the dick til he can’t take it… This what you on?” His eyes held an accusatory stare as my face heated up.
“N-No! I haven’t heard this one before. I just heard the album was good! It’s not that bad.” By that point, I was actively listening to the lyrics, and that only made me redder.
Wait… she wants him to put his tongue WHERE?
Yeah, she was nasty. The worst part was that I couldn’t admit to anything, or he would turn the rap back on.
I stayed quiet and swayed as she crooned about all the nasty things she wanted to do with her secret lover.
She was just in the middle of a very descriptive verse about being bent over a balcony while someone else watched them when we pulled up to Mya’s, an upscale restaurant downtown with a waiting list longer than the church’s fraudulent expense report.
As soon as he put his truck in park, I hopped out, hoping it would relieve my embarrassment… and maybe some of the throbbing between my legs. He chuckled and met me on my side while I looked at the ground to avoid his eyes.
“Peep?”
“Yes, Brickly?”
“Can I…” His voice trailed off cautiously.” Can I kiss you right now?”
“What? Why would you do that?”
“Because I haven’t been able to think of anything other than kissing you for real since I left your apartment last night.
I heard the most awkward part of the date is anticipating the kiss at the end, so why don’t we get it out the way now?
” At that moment, I understood how he had every woman in the city throwing their panties at him…
The nigga was smooth, even through his alleged nerves.
I narrowed my eyes at him and took a step back.
“Who said I was letting you kiss me at the end of this date?” I put my hand on my hip.
“So, you telling me no?” he asked, backing me into the car so I had nowhere to run.
“I-I…”
His hand gently grabbed the side of my neck, and he used his thumb to trace my jawline. I didn’t answer, so he asked again.
“Can I kiss you, Destiny?” This time I nodded and his lips met mine in a slow, tender kiss with just the slightest amount of tongue.
It felt like it went on forever, but was over too soon as I found myself instantly missing the feel of his lips on mine and his hand on my waist. I bit my bottom lip as he smirked and stepped back.
“I feel better, don’t you?” He asked, pressing his forehead into mine.
Much,” I lied. I knew I would spend the rest of my night thinking about his lips.
That didn’t help at all. We walked into the gorgeous restaurant, and I was immediately dazzled by the decor.
I had never been anywhere quite so fancy.
He gave our names to the hostess, and we were quickly whisked away and led to a private room.
“This is weird,” he said once we were comfortably seated, and the waitress left us to look over the menu.
“What?” I asked, looking around.
“The fact that you’re way the fuck over there.”
“You don’t… This is how people sit at dinner tables. So we can see each other, I guess.” I shrugged.
“Shit feels like a business meeting. I don’t like it.” Before I could get another word in, he was loudly scooting the chair over until he was beside me.
“Hey,” he said with a smile after successfully transferring his entire place setting to its new home.
“Hey,” I said back. “Better?”
He eyed me carefully before planting another sweet kiss to my lips.
“Much better… Perfect actually. Now what? We just get to kiss until the food comes?”
“No!” I laughed as I pushed him back by his chest. “We talk and get to know each other.”
“But we already know each other.” I laughed at how genuinely confused he was. “I know your favorite shows, about your family and upbringing. I know you be listening to that freaky ass music when you’re alone… What else is there?”
“Ask me literally anything,” I said.
“Okay…” He paused apprehensively until I gave him a reassuring nod. “That day you and your sister had that fight, I heard her say, ‘Don’t let them do this to you again.’ What did she mean by that?” My face fell because I didn’t know he heard that. He instantly noticed the shift in my mood.
“I’m sorry,” he spat out. “I’ll shut the fuck up and mind my business.”
“No, it’s okay,” I said softly, clearing my throat before continuing.
“So, back in high school, I worked a lot. If I wasn’t at church, I was at work.
I wanted to go to college, but because of how heavy my parents had me in the church, there wasn’t much room for extracurriculars.
My grades were decent, but I didn’t have many scholarship opportunities.
I knew I wanted to go to college out of state, maybe New Dawn University, so I saved.
I babysat, did every odd job you could think of, worked and saved my entire high school career to make sure I had what I needed to cover at least the first year.
When I graduated, I had exactly nineteen thousand two hundred and twenty-two dollars in my account.
” I paused as the waitress brought our drinks—sweet tea for me and something dark brown for him.
“So, what happened?” he asked as he leaned in and swept a sweet kiss over my cheek, encouraging me to go on.
“Well, the summer after senior year, we were in a smaller church building, and the AC unit went out right in the middle of July…”
“And let me guess,” he continued for me. “They needed exactly nineteen thousand two hundred and twenty-two dollars to fix that shit?”
“He let me keep two hundred and twenty-one.” I shrugged. “I was sad about it, but I got over it. I was able to help the church, and I stayed home.”
“Peep, everything you tell me about that nigga makes me wanna shoot his old bitch ass.”
“Well, if you do that, then you don’t get to marry me, remember?” I said with a coy smile.
“Damn. You would leave me at the altar for something as small as shooting your pops? Petty as hell.” I laughed, and he pulled me in for a kiss. “Have you ever thought about going back to school?” he asked.
“Yes, I always wanted to get a degree in something in the tech field but I know how expensive it is. And I’m too old to be starting over now.
I was good with numbers, so my dad put me in charge of the books at the church.
” I frowned, imagining how screwed up the numbers were since my sudden departure.
“You’re not too old to do shit, Peep. Plenty of people start over way later than this… You gonna go back to the church?” I blinked, trying to focus on his question as his lips brushed across my cheek.
“Not in that capacity. Of course I want to go back to services. It’s been my church home my whole life.
I just can’t see myself working there anymore after knowing what I know.
I guess I should start looking for another job after we get done with this wedding stuff,” I said, already thinking of where I could put in applications.
“Another job? For what?” He looked offended. I couldn’t help but smile and rub my fingers over his face, immediately releasing some of the tension he held.
“Because I have to work,” I answered like it was obvious.
“Says who? Peep, I’m paying you. You don’t need the money… Or is what we agreed upon not enough?”
“No, it’s good!” I said quickly before he started trying to renegotiate the terms. “I just… have to. It’s what I’m supposed to be doing.” I really didn’t have an answer other than that.
“Your moms don’t work,” he reasoned with me.
“I don’t want to be like her,” I replied quickly.