He stopped eating, swallowed hard and reached up to take it from me.
“My bad.” He put it in his pocket, and then went back to eating like it was nothing.
I just stood there not moving with my arms folded watching him eat.
He finally took a break from eating and looked up at me, “What’s up?”
“Baby.”
He sighed. “I only do it when I need to calm down. I didn’t plan on staying last night, and I knew if we broke up, I was gonna need it. I’ve never did it in your house and if you uncomfortable with the shit, I’ll never do it in front of you.”
He went back to eating. I stood there watching him. He put his plate on the table and put his head in his palms.
“Babe we just got right. Come on man. Get off my back, sit down and just chill with me.” He lifted his head and patted the empty space on the couch next to him.
I reluctantly sat down, but not directly next to him. I sat my phone on the table, and put my elbow on the couch, resting my head on my fist.
He sat back, putting his arm on the seat, looking over at me. “So I’mma bad person now, cause I smoke weed from time to time?”
I looked over at him not changing my sitting posture. I made sure I talked slowly, and methodologically. I didn’t want a fight. But I wanted him to see my point of view.
“Of course not. But I see everything from a legal perspective. I don’t want you to get caught with that stuff. They arrest you, then it’s on your record.”
“Baby, it’s not that serious.” He leaned over to the table and started eating fruit from his plate.
“It is. I see it every day. That’s how they get young black men. Messing up their records with petty shit like this. And they think, oh, it’s no big deal. Until you go to apply for a job, and the shits on there. And even if everything is perfect, your grades, your resume, everything. They see that arrest, it negates it all.”
“Amber don’t worry about me baby. That’s my responsibility.”
“I can’t, not worry about you August.”
“We not finna do this.” He said almost as a warning, eating a strawberry.
I scooted next to him and put my feet up on the couch. I ran the fingers on my right hand through his soft but messy hair, massaging his scalp.
I took in the smell of the coconut oil in his hair, and kissed his smooth bare back.
“I love you baby.”
“I love you too.” He took a sip of his grape juice.
“I just care about you that’s all.” I wrapped my arms around his waist.
“I know that. And I appreciate you for it.” He leaned over and intertwined his lips and tongue with mine.
We gave each other one last peck, and he picked up his book and sat back, putting his feet on my table. Now usually I don’t allow that, but I’ll let it slide for now.
I laid my head on his lap, looking up at the book.
I trailed my index finger along the title. “Are you serious baby?”
“What? I wanna be prepared?”
He was reading a book of French words and phrases.
“Listen to this.” He cleared his throat.
Chapter 24
Start from the beginning
