A Necessary Struggle: Fall Semester

Part 22

"Stop that shit," Trevor ordered. "Just stop it. You're not waiting for the right time...that's bullshit."

This time, Lela was the one to take a step back turning her back to him. She pulled a deep breath into her lungs, smelling the ragweed in the air even though it wasn't spring. "He knows me too well." She murmured to herself.

"I do." Trevor invaded her space. His hand snaked its way up her back and around her neck. "Because I love you."

Lela pulled away from him turning back around. She drowned in the adoration that swam in his eyes. "It's only been three months." It being September and them first hooking up in July, she was roughly right. "How do you know...so fast?"

"Fast." A slight smile etched across his face. "You think I fell in love with you three months ago. Try freshman year. You're the reason I broke up with Lyssa and that art class we took together." He huffed a breath of relief. "Torture. I had never spent so much time with you and then you partnered with me. Shit! You just don't know."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"You had a boyfriend at Morehouse." The annoyance of that time still laced his voice.

Lela nodded, she did have a boyfriend at Morehouse and he cheated on her with a Spelman girl, "Then why didn't you say anything after we broke up?"

"I didn't want to be a rebound. I let Daniel Sasaki do that." It was a risky move but Trevor knew Daniel didn't have sticking power. He did have a mini heart attack when Daniel started clearing his contact list of all his stand-by girls. But when he lent Daniel his laptop to fill out the Study Abroad application his hopes were restored.

"So, you loved me since freshman year." Lela lightly laughed. "That sounds like something a girl would say."

"No." He grabbed the loose fabric of her dress around her waist and pulled her into him. "It's something a man would say."

"A man?" Lela smirked.

"Yes. A man." Trevor twirled one of her braids around his finger still smelling the apricot oil she laced them in that morning. "See you've been too busy dating boys... that don't know what they want or want to screw everything with a vagina." He wrapped his arms around her waist and she gripped his shoulders. 

"But I've passed that phase in my life. I passed it at eighteen. I've been to every country in the world and had a hookup or two with the local girl. And I've learned it's not about how many people you have sex with but who you make love too." His lips lingered in the crook of Lela's neck tasting her vanilla and honey body wash. "Who you plan to grow old with, plan a life with, journey through this mortal paradox called life." His luscious lips traveled down to her collarbone. "And I pick you. Anytime. Every time. All the time."

"You can't say shit like that." Lela pushed away from him.

Trevor frowned. "Why not?" He reached for her but she backed up. "It's true!"

"Because you'll find out who I really am and you'll leave me." Lela's eyes hovered up from the grass to him.

Trevor's mouth curved up, "What? Are you a vampire?" He laughed and she folded her arms with a scowl. "You're stubborn. I already covered that. You're a homebody with a quick temper and independent to a fault with trust issues. Does that sum you up quite well?"

"No. You left out Mischievous." She tucked her fingers around the waistband of his trunks and began to pull them down.

Trevor steadied her hand as the elastic band began to stretch around his hips. "None of that." He pulled her hands off his trunks. "Not until you tell Alyssa, that is."

Lela pulled her hands away from him. "Are you serious?"

"What's that word?" He tilted his head up to the star-scattered sky. "The one you won't be saying in my bedroom for a while." He snapped his fingers lowering his gaze to her; catching the eye roll she threw his way. "Yes."

Lela wrapped her arms around Trevor's neck. "Don't..." She kissed the chlorine-drenched skin of his chest. "Make threats..." She rose to her tiptoes placed her lips to his mouth letting the heat of his breath blaze through her body. "You can't fulfill."

Trevor tightened his hold around her waist bringing her closer to his body, so close they looked like one being. "I fulfill every task that comes my way." He kissed her once more resting his hand on the small of her back. "Now, what are you going to do about your phone?"

Lela glanced over at the phone floating in the pool, "I guess I am quick-tempered."

"Yep." He uttered before lowering his mouth to hers once more.

Who will outlast who? Lela or Trevor