Tinder, Love and Care

20. Wants and Likes

EDITED

I patted my scalp with irritation for the umpteenth time.

It was definitely time for these braids to come out, but for the life of me I didn't want to. I barely had the will to go to classes every day.

So, I took a shot in the dark that someone else would do it and posted a somewhat joking plea to my close friends on Instagram.

I'd all but forgotten about the mostly serious post when my phone rang.

"Hey, Ice Man." I greeted, midway through my favorite romantic comedy, Brown Sugar.

"Hey, Flower Girl." I rolled my eyes but found myself smiling at the feeling of domesticity that was just so easy to slip into with him. "I called to see if you still needed help with your braids."

Immediately, I paused my movie and set the tub of ice cream down on my bedside table.

"Justice, you better not be playing with me right now." His dark chuckle sang into the phone, somehow flowing out of it to caress my skin.

"I'm not playing, Lil' Cin. You wanna come by tonight?"

"Yeah, that's fine." I spoke, hoping nonchalance had shown through instead of the almost giddy excitement I was feeling in my chest.

"Bring a bag. I'll be there in 10."

We said our goodbyes, and I sat with a silly smile on my face before his words fully registered. A bag...he wanted me to pack a bag. Holy shit, he wanted me to pack a bag!

I rushed out of bed, nerves be damned, and threw together pajamas and clothes for tomorrow in a flurry of movements. My mind was practically mush with the possibilities of spending the night with Justice that I didn't even notice Olivia and Chris snuggled together on the couch.

"Where you going with a ho bag?" My friend's voice called as my fingers grazed the front door.

It served its purpose, and I was stopped in my tracks before slowly turning around.

"This bag? This isn't a ho bag." I laughed, moving the bag behind my back.

"Mhmm, and my last name isn't Watts. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Olivia smirked at me before turning back to the movie.

"Alright, Mom." I rolled my eyes while I turned to make my exit.

"What's a ho bag?" I heard Chris ask as I pulled the door shut behind me.

🦋

The ride to Justice's apartment was nothing short of normal, except for the relentless butterflies raging wildly in my stomach. By the time we pulled into his parking lot they had creeped their way up into my heart, beating so wildly I could hear it.

I watched how his back rippled as he walked, keys carelessly going in circles in one hand and my bag in the other. I enjoyed the way he had a slight step to the way he walked, highlighting the effortless surety and confidence in his gait.

My breath finally hitched when the key entered the lock, and finally, I was let inside of the space that was so utterly Justice that I almost caved at the force of it.

Most times I'd been here, it was brief, and I never got a chance to fully take it all in.

It was somewhat typical for a guy, but there was a splash of more. Quite literally since Justice had painted splashes and drips of black paint against the painfully white walls. Along them were albums from the various hiphop greats that surrounded his TV.