15. Where There’s Trips.
15
Where There’s Trips...
Phoenix “Phee” Preston - October 3rd, 2025
“Okay, Phoenix. How about we give it a quick stretch?” My doctor, Maverick Reynolds, says as he removes the last bit of the cast.
I nod and flex my wrist gently. It hurt a bit, but he told me that that was normal. I couldn’t believe that after weeks of wearing a cast, I was finally free from that annoying ass plaster. I hated every second of it because I felt like it hindered me from doing certain things when it came to work. I’d missed out on so many calls because my uncle put me on desk duty until I healed.
“Alright, now let’s get one last X-ray and then we can formulate a PT plan for the next couple of weeks,” he says, and I follow him out of the room. “I still recommend you stay away from strenuous activities until after your next check-up, though.”
“So, I guess that means I can’t pick up my girlfriend like I want to yet?” I joke.
He chuckl es, shaking his head as we enter the room where the X-ray machine is. “Now, Phoenix, as a doctor, you know I can’t entertain you right now.”
“And as my friend?” I smirk.
Maverick and I have known each other since high school, and we’ve always been good friends. I used to have the fattest crush on his older sister and would sometimes go over to his house just to catch a glimpse of her. However, that crush fizzled out when she went off to college back when we were freshmen in high school. Maverick and I still stayed friends over the years, though, and we even worked out together from time to time.
“As your friend, I’ll say let her do all the work,” he chuckles. “I mean, I don’t know if she can pick your buff ass up, but I know there are plenty of things y’all can do that don’t involve you putting pressure on your wrist.”
“Oh, yes, definitely,” I say, but before I can say anything else, the X-ray tech person enters and quickly does the X-ray.
Once we make it back to the room, he shows me how well I've been healing, and we work together to formulate a plan for me to follow for the next few weeks. He tells me that it’s important that I don’t try to jump back into doing everything, and I assure him that Angel would not let me even if I tried.
My mind drifts over to her, and I smile to myself. She has been, well, an angel during my healing time. She insisted on staying with me to ensure I was well cared for, but I didn’t mind. I loved having her in my space, and I loved getting to fall asleep in her arms every night. I mea n, as much as I wanted to be the big spoon, she told me that until I was healed, she would do the holding.
Did I mind? Not one bit, because I was slowly starting to fall in love with her caring for and pampering me. She was so gentle and attentive, and it was the type of softness that I’d never experienced before. I was addicted to the kind of affection she showed me, and every day, I wanted nothing more than to get down on one knee and make her mine forever.
But there was always that little voice in my head that told me it was too early for that. I knew she was into me as much as I was into her, but I didn’t want to move too fast and scare her off. Even if she told me that she loved me first, I can’t lie and say that I hadn’t thought about saying it before she did. My feelings for her ran deep, and I would do anything to make sure that she always felt that love.
And it was going to start with me spoiling the fuck out of her this weekend.
After Maverick and I finished up, I thanked him and headed over to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription that had been filled while I was at my appointment. Once I had it, I headed to the waiting room, where my sister was busy typing away on her phone. She looked up when I approached and rose from her seat.
“How’d it go?” she asks as we approach the parking lot.
“It healed up nicely, but I still need to limit the pressure I put on it,” I inform her as we settle into the car. “Thank you for bringing me to my appointment, by the way. I promise this is the last time I will bother you. I should be good to drive by the time my next one comes around.”
“Oh, yo u know I don’t mind, big sis,” she chuckles. She glances at me quickly before turning back to the road. “So, what’s the plan for the weekend? And don’t say ‘nothing’ because Angel came in to get her hair braided yesterday and told me her birthday was tomorrow. Now I know you have something planned, so spill.”
“Well, if you must know…”
“Yes, yes, I must,” she cuts me off with a chuckle. I playfully roll my eyes, shaking my head in the process.
“Okay, nosey,” I laugh. “I’m taking her on a trip to Miami, and we’re gonna spend the weekend there. I have a few things planned, but I know she’ll be most excited about the hotel I booked and all its amenities. I think we’ll spend all day exploring the city on Saturday, but we’ll utilize all those amenities on Sunday. And of course, we’re gonna spend the rest of that night fucking-”
“Okay, no!” she screams, and I smirk. “I do NOT wanna hear all of that, Phee. How would you feel if I started talking about how bad I wanna swallow Senior’s dick right now?”
“Raven, I swear to god, I will jump out of this fucking car if you don’t shut the hell up,” I say, covering my ears, trying to cleanse my brain from that visual. “Just nasty…”
“Now you see how I feel,” she laughs like it’s the funniest thing in the world. “Also, don’t act like Angel’s fake innocent ass don’t be going down on you. She probably be having you excited to drop them drawls.”
“You know what, let’s change the subject,” I quickly say. “Please.”
I glance at her, and she has a smug look on her face. She’s so fucking annoying. This is why I couldn’t joke with her about stuff like that; she knew I would rather rip off my ears than hear her talk about anything she does with Senior. I guess that’s what I get for talking about Angel with her.
Our conversation drifts over to other topics as we cruise back to our small town. When she finally pulled up in front of my house, I thanked her, and she told me to take lots of pictures and text her before I left. I assure her I will and make my way up the driveway to the front door. Before I can get my keys out, the door swings open, and I’m greeted by Angel looking as beautiful as ever.
Her round glasses sat atop her round cheeks as she smiled at me. I took the time to admire the way her skirt fit her and showed off her thick thighs. She was also rocking one of her colorful cardigans over a graphic tee that fit snugly against her ample breasts. My mouth watered as she pulled me in and shut the door behind me. She locked it and then turned back to lightly grab my arm. She gently massaged my wrist where the cast had been, not even thirty minutes ago.
“How are you feeling?” she asks softly. “Does it hurt?”
“No, I feel fine,” I assure her. She nods before bringing my wrist to her lips to kiss it. She lets me pull her into my chest, and I can feel both of us melt into the embrace. “How was your day?”
“It was fine, but it’s better now,” she says, looking up at me with a smile. “I closed the bakery early today so I could be here when you returned. Nori was waiting with me, but she fell asleep not long before you came.”
“Speaki ng of Nori, we have to drop her off at Raven’s house before we leave tonight,” I say. I take her hand and lead her into the living room. My eyes travel to the coffee table, where there is a glass of wine and a plate of sandwich meat and cheese slices. I chuckle. “There you go eating like a child again.”
“Hey, don’t talk about my poor lady char-coochie board,” she replies before sitting on the sofa. I settled beside her and lifted her legs onto my lap. “I’ve been having weird cravings lately, and today all I’ve wanted was meat and dairy.”
“Are you pregnant?” I joke. She hits me lightly, and I chuckle.
“If I am, it’s all those damn baby dolls you stay trying to impregnate me with,” she retorts. “To say you aren’t the biggest fan of the strap, you’re always working it like you grew it.”
“Mmm, what can I say?” I shrug, turning to face her. “I love making you feel good and if it helps, imma work that shit to the best of my ability. You should know by now that I never half do any damn thing.”
“Yeah, I’m well aware,” she giggles. “Now, will you tell me where we’re going tonight and why you made me pack a swimsuit?”
“We’re going to spend the weekend in a luxury resort down in Miami. I splurged and got us a really nice room with a private balcony and 24/7 access to the spa. You know I had to do it big for your birthday,” I brag. “You only turn twenty-nine once, you know.”
“You only turn every age once,” she laughs. “I’m excited, though. I’ve never stayed at a luxury resort before.”
“Well, Sweets, there’s a first for everything,” I tell her. “I wanted this weekend to be special, and I planned a few things so that it would be. I’m very excited for you to experience it all.”
“Now I’m excited!” she squeals before standing suddenly. I look up at her, eyebrows furrowed. “When do we leave?”
“Uh, well, our flight isn’t for about another four hours,” I inform her. She pouts playfully, but I stand up and pull her into my arms. “We can leave early if you want, baby. We might as well if we wanna beat the evening traffic going to New Orleans.”
Her face lights up again, and all I can do is laugh. She really was spoiled as hell, even if she didn’t want to admit it. I would move the world just so she could always smile, and she had plenty of others in her life who felt the same. The only difference between me and them was that she was the love of my life, and at the end of the day, I was the one she was coming home to. It made me feel so good.
Over the next hour, we finished getting our things together and then packed her car. She refused to let me drive, even after I complained about how small her car was. No, it’s not that small, but I was tired of being escorted around and wanted to be the one to escort her. I couldn’t wait to be fully healed and drive my truck again. She was never gonna sit behind the wheel again if we were going somewhere together. Driving her around is my job.
After dropping Nori off at my sister’s house, we set out on the hour-long drive to New Orleans. On the way there, she asked me more about what I had planned for the weekend, and because I loved how excited she was, I told her the full itinerary instead of keeping it a secret. She couldn’t stop smiling and thanked me the entire time we waited for our flight and while we were in the air.
It only took a little over two hours to reach our destination, and soon we touched down in Miami. It wasn’t a place I frequented often, but she admitted that a few of the cruises she used to work on left out of Miami, so she’d been there plenty of times. I think I’ve only been about twice in my life, and that was for work conferences.
“Whoa, this is beautiful,” she says once we finally reach our room after hours of travel. I nod and take in the space we will call home for the next few days.
I’d booked a suite for us, so the bedroom was separate from the living room and kitchen. Everything was so modern and decorated beautifully. I watched as Angel twirled around the living room and hummed some songs. I crossed my arms and watched as she took in all the features. She gasped when she got to the balcony and motioned for me to come over.
“Look at this view, Phee,” she squeals as I walk up behind her. I rest my hands on her waist and pull her back into my arms. She relaxed against me as we stared into the distance, watching the sun set over the ocean. “Isn’t it so beautiful?”
“It is, but not as beautiful as you are, Sweets,” I whisper. She turns around to face me and uses her pointer finger to push her glasses up. “God, stop looking at me like that, Sweets. You know I’m always weak for you.
“Thank you, Phoenix,” she whispers, burying her face in my chest. I rub her back with my hand. “Thank you for bringing me here. I know we haven’t done anything yet, but you don’t understand h ow much I appreciate you. Just being in this hotel is enough for me.”
“Sweets, look at me, mamas,” I say, and she does. My hands cup her cheeks, and I kiss her softly. “You’ve been so damn amazing to me these last few months and the least I can do is spoil you for your birthday. I love taking care of you, and that you take care of me, too. You really mean the world to me, Angel.”
“And you mean the world to me, too, Phee,” she smiles.
“Now,” I say, leading her back into the suite. I close and lock the balcony door before turning back towards her. “How about we order some dinner and spend the rest of the night watching one of those shows you’ve been trying to convince me to give a try?”
“Oooh, Once Upon a Time ?” she asks excitedly.
“Yeah, sure,” I chuckle.
She thanks me a million times as she pulls me down to smother my face in kisses. I just laugh and accept her love because why wouldn’t I? When she finally calms down, she puts on the show as I busy myself ordering us something to be delivered. I knew Angel would want Korean or soul food (they were favorites), but I asked anyway.
Ultimately, we settled on some bulgogi fried rice and japchae with a side of kimchi and an order of kalbi – in other words, what Angel always got at our favorite Korean spot in Tucker. I got her favorite flavor of Boba, but I opted for a beer instead. Believe it or not, I wasn’t the biggest fan of sweet drinks. There was just something about the artificial taste that always made my stomach hurt.
Once the food arrived, we settled onto some cushions on the floor and had a small picnic in the living room. Angel was really into the show and, not gonna lie, it was pretty interesting once I finally realized that the show jumped from the past to the present. I mean, it was confusing as shit, but Angel was damn near an expert, admitting that she’d seen the show all the way through at least twenty times before. When I asked her why she rewatched it so much, she told me it was her comfort show.
“Respect,” I nod before returning to the show.
We watched through the first five episodes of season one before Angel began to doze off. We’d moved to the couch halfway through the fourth episode, and she was lying across the couch with her head on my lap. When I looked down at her, she snored lightly as a few braids fell over her face.
I spent a good ten minutes taking in her features as peace settled around me. She was so beautiful as she slept, and I didn’t want to wake her, but I knew sleeping here would be uncomfortable for her. So, I carefully helped her to the room where she let me undress her down to her panties. I slid on one of her nightgowns and pulled up her hair into her favorite pink satin bonnet before helping her into bed. She stirred a bit, but she was back to sleep in a matter of minutes.
I headed back out to clean up our mess and then returned to the room to change into a pair of pajama pants and a tank. I climbed into bed and pulled her into my arms. She snuggled up beside me, and I gently stroked her back as I felt my eyelids growing heavy as well. It was well aft er two in the morning, and I knew that I needed to go to sleep to be well-rested for tomorrow.
It was gonna be a great day.