My Riverboat Queen

Chapter 5

🎶 Long as you're holding me down, down, down
I'm gon' keep lovin' you down, down, down 🎶
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It was about 10am when brown eyes groggily opened. In the distance, Normani heard the faint sound of music coming from somewhere. She slowly looked around as she tried to remember where she was. Oh yeah, this is Dj's apartment. A smirk graced her features, and her nose wrinkled as she contemplated what went through her mind. Hmm, I wonder if she'd let me call her Dj. I definitely like the sound of it. When she threw the blanket off, and saw her nakedness, she was somewhat surprised she slept that way in a stranger's bed. Not dwelling on it too much though, she searched through her suitcase for a long T-shirt and panties.

Dinah was busy in the kitchen making omelets and hash browns. With a spatula in one hand and a mug of coffee in the other, she was swaying her hips as Carbon Leaf played in the background. After taking a quick sip of her coffee, she slid the last omelet onto the plate, and then checked on the potatoes. From the corner of her eye, she glimpsed a beautiful short brunette with disheveled hair sporting a huge grin. She turned and winked at the young woman before dishing the spuds onto their plates. "Good morning. Are you finding my little dance here humorous?"

"Maybe," Normani sarcastically commented. She climbed onto one of the stools at the counter, and watched the tall beauty set the plate of food in front of her.

"There's coffee and I've got orange juice. Do you want both or just one?"

"I'll start with coffee. Thank you." Normani answered.

Dinah set down a fresh mug and the cream in front of her. "The sugar is right there," she said as she pointed to the small Tupperware container. "I hope you like omelets. It has mushrooms, tomatoes, and Swiss cheese."

"It sounds fabulous, thank you." Normani waited for her new friend to take another swig of coffee before she proceeded with a sarcastic comment that she had been toying with. "Wow, you made me breakfast and I haven't even slept with you yet."

Hazel eyes widened and Dinah started to choke on the last of the hot liquid. Quickly covering her mouth so as to not spray coffee everywhere, she regained control of her swallowing.

Normani humorously asked, "Are you okay?" When she received the nod from across the counter, she decided to start eating. She looked around the cozy place, and noticed how much light came into the place from the floor to ceiling windows. Brown eyes took note of the rumpled blanket and pillow on the couch. "Did you sleep out here?"

Dinah nodded with an, "Mmm hmm," as she chomped around a mouthful of food.

"But why? You have a huge queen size bed in there. You didn't have to stay out here."

"I wanted to be polite and respectful. Plus, we didn't have time to discuss sleeping arrangements because....well I believe you were already snoozing when you started undressing." Dinah answered.

"I guess you're right. Sorry for having been so rude with falling asleep like that."

"Hey it's okay. So did you sleep well?"

"Yes, I slept wonderfully," Normani answered. "Oh, I just remembered, may I use your phone?"

"Sure." Dinah handed her the cordless from off the fridge. While the young woman made the call, the tall hostess poured each of them another cup of coffee, and also brought out the orange juice.

After a few statements, Normani clicked the receiver off, ending the call. A huge evil grin grew across her face.

A black eyebrow rose up Dinah's forehead, wondering what that was all about. "You seem happy...in a devilish sort of way."

The young woman giggled as she answered. "I called the Bed and Breakfast to inform them I have already left, and if they would kindly mail the receipt to the address I provided. The receptionist was happy to oblige. There is no way I am going to pay for Arin the ass to be there for the weekend. It's bad enough that I paid for one night when I wasn't even there."

"Maybe you can get him to pay you back."

"That'll never happen." Normani sighed. "I don't know why I stayed friends with him. He's changed so much, ever since he started hanging out with new friends. And in my opinion these so called 'friends' are nothing but thugs. It's a shame, cause he used to be such a nice guy."

"So you're going to stay with me for the weekend," Dinah stated with a hint of sarcasm. "You just automatically assume I'm going to take you in, huh?"

Brown eyes grew wide. "Oh my, I'm not assuming I'd stay here...I mean I'm not going to take advantage of you like that." She picked up the phone again, and asked, "Do you have a phone book? I will call another place and reserve..."

Before she could finish her sentence, a slender finger was placed over her lips. "Hey," Dinah softly started, "you can stay here. I was just playing, okay? I would very much like for you to stay here, if you don't mind."

Hazel and brown eyes connected with one another...lost inside glassy pools that reached into their souls. Without being fully aware of it, their bodies began to move closer to each other, almost as if magnets were pulling them together. Lips gracefully found their counterparts, and tongues ignited into passionate flames. Deep down in the recesses of Normani's mind, she couldn't help but believe that there was so much more to this tall and intriguing woman than what was seen on the surface. She felt a longing...a deep seated innate desire to get to know more of her newfound friend.

The sudden ringing of the telephone broke them apart from the enjoyable kiss.

"Hello," Dinah aggravatingly stated into the receiver.

Normani took the opportunity to drink a glass of orange juice, and stack the dirty dishes into the dishwasher. By the time she was finished wiping off the counters and stovetop, Dinah was done with the call. She saw the tall woman run long fingers through shoulder length blonde tresses, and let out a sigh. "Is everything alright?" Normani gently inquired.

Hazel brown eyes faced her, and said, "Yeah, things are okay. That was just my ex. It's nothing but drama with her."

Normani was a little surprised with this new knowledge, even though she knew she shouldn't be surprised at all. "Are the two of you on good terms?"

"Yeah, we somehow managed to stay friends after the break up. Sometimes I wonder why though, cause she's such a pain in my ass."

"I know what you mean. Arin is a royal pain in mine." Curiosity getting the better of her, Normani decided to pose a few more questions. "How long ago did the two of you part?"

"It's been two years now." Dinah softly folded her arms across her chest, and sported a little smirk on her lips. As a black eyebrow slowly made its way up, she wondered what other questions the short woman was going to ask.

"I hope you don't think I'm prying," Normani commented. She sat back onto the stool and continued sipping her juice.

"Not at all. You can ask me whatever you'd like." Dinah grabbed her glass from off the counter and took a swig.

"Why did the two of you part ways?"

"Basically due to a difference of opinion. She wanted codependency, and I wanted us to be interdependent." Dinah downed the remaining contents of the glass before she continued. "Why did you and Arin separate?"

"Each of us wanted different things out of life. I want to better myself, get a degree, travel, and experience so much in life. He wanted me to cook, clean, and take care of his needs while he went out drinking with his buddies. He just didn't stimulate me...mentally and physically." Normani began to finger the top rim of her glass as she got lost in some of her thoughts.

Dinah briefly looked at the time. She wanted them to continue their conversation, but she also wanted to show Normani around. Contemplating for a moment, she figured they could do both while they were out and about. "We should get dressed and get going. I have to be at work at 5pm, and I did say I would take you sightseeing today."

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