𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐌'𝐒 𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑

JANUARY 31

January 31, 2024

"My life, my life, my life, my life in the sunshine," the beautiful girl sang along to Roy Ayers Ubiquity's Everyone Loves the Sunshine, while she cooked for the young man who would leave for his first route. She kept telling herself, two weeks isn't that bad and he'll be back home in no time.

But reality was setting in. And although it seemed small, it wasn't. To her, it was much bigger than her friend leaving for a little minute. They'd grown to be much more. She would long for his physical touch and the whispering of words of affirmation in her ears. They enjoyed each other's company. They loved each other.

Trin wasn't the type to be clingy or be all up in Ace's space, but now it was different. She wanted to do everything with him, or even just in the same room with him and breathe his air. He didn't mind at all. He invited her to spend time with him no matter what he was doing.

"Good morning, Pretty Girl," he greeted her. "Good morning," she said as he embraced her in a hug from her backside and kissed her neck. Her smile grew larger as rubbed her hips and pulled away. He always knew what to do. He never even had to speak to flatter her.

He backed up and leaned against the sink and examined the art that was her natural body. Everything was so in line and in order.

She took the breakfast sandwich from the pan and placed it on a plate. She felt his eyes wandering her body. She turned around and passed him the plate. "Thank you. Where's yours?" He asked, going to sit down on the other side of the counter. "I already ate," she said. "What you eat?" he asked. "An açaí bowl," she answered, washing the pan she used.

"You aight?" He asked, tearing into the sandwich. "Yup!" she said. "Come around here. Let me see you," he said. She paused what she was doing and walked over to the other side. He turned in the barstool and looked her into her eyes. She bit her top lip. "I'll eat yo lips off yo face," he said aggressively, making her laugh. He laughed and let her walk to the other side.

He'd broke the news to her that he would be gone for two weeks. She never really gave him a reaction. She finished washing the pan and got something to drink out of the fridge. He knew something was off with her.

"Time'll fly by, for real though," Ace broke the new silence that filled the atmosphere. "I know," she said. "I'm always available for FaceTime or something. My ears are still open to whatever you have to tell me..." he trailed off. "I love you, Ace," she cut him off. She walked from the other side of the counter and over to him.

She kissed his cheeks and then his lips. "I love you. That is all I have to say," she looked him in his eyes, leaving him stuck. "I'm gonna go make sure you have everything in your bag before I go to class," she said and walked away to his room.

He watched her walk away and licked his lips. Oh, how they've progressed.

___

Trin oiled her smooth, brown skin while sitting on the stool of her vanity. Her TV displayed the album cover of Maxwell's Fortunate. She took her time, making sure not to miss a single spot. When she was done, she changed into her favorite silk pajamas and fuzzy socks.

When she finished getting herself together, she grabbed her iPad and phone before walking out of the room. She went into the living room, sat on the couch and turned on the tv for some noise in the background while she sketched out some ideas on Procreate.

She then opened her phone and went to UberEats, as she didn't feel like cooking on this particular night. She hadn't even went into the kitchen since she'd left earlier that day. But before she got started, she went into the kitchen to get her ice water.

On the kitchen counter, she saw a bouquet of sunflowers lying there. And beside it, was a piece of paper where Ace had left a sweet note for her. "Your smile is brighter than the Sun. I love you, Pretty Mama."

She touched her chest in awe. Her smile widened as she thought of him. She wanted to call him, but she wasn't sure if he was driving or not and she didn't want to distract him, so she resorted to texting him, thanking him for his effort and love.

Hopefully the time would fly by like he said it would. He would get back on the exact day of Valentine's Day, and little did she know he had a little something planned for her. While he was gone, she would take the time for his gifts and stuff.

They always made little efforts to make each other smile. They were just trying to make this thing work. They had never done this before. They had never been in love before.

It was the little things that made them fall harder for each other everyday.

Trin got her vase from under the cabinet and started prepping her flowers. She would try her best to keep them alive, at least until he got back home. To show that she cared, even though he already knew how much she cherished the small things.

Growing up, at least after her mom's tragic passing, she didn't always feel loved and cared for. So when someone took time out of their day to do something special for her, she cherished that. It was important to her.

Value pertained to not only just money, but also the thought someone put into something, the way they took time to consider someone's feelings.

She remembered, There's more to life...

___