| Friday Night ~ December 31st. . .
Riley laid in the opposite direction of her bed with her feet propped up against the black upholstered headboard and her phone hovered above her face as she mindlessly scrolled through Twitter. Her toes donning red nail polish tapped rhythmically to the beat of It's the Falling in Love flowing from her earbuds.
She hummed quietly in tune until suddenly her phone vibrated with a call and Michael's picture popped up on her screen. In the midst of her inner fangirling and excitedly trying to answer her phone, she lost her grip and let out a small yelp just as she quickly turned her head. The phone smacked her cheek.
"Dammit." She muttered before she sat up and rubbed the stinging flesh. She finally answered the FaceTime call after gathering herself.
"Hey, gorgeous." Michael smiled into the screen of his phone. She could hear commotion in the background but she didn't see anyone since he appeared to be in a study. Some of his curls were tied back into a low ponytail while the other half rested among his broad shoulders.
"Hi, Applehead." She cheerfully greeted and he chuckled. "What are you doing? Aren't you supposed to be with your family?"
Michael scoffed and rolled his eyes as he got comfortable on a pile of throw pillows on the couch. "I've been with them all week, I need a break."
Her soft laughter lasted for a second before slowly trailing off and feeling the sadness trickle in. "It must be nice, though."
She wished she could go back to the days where her family would actually celebrate the holidays and have a huge feast in the kitchen just for the four of them, or sometimes with Tia and her family. But ever since her brother's death, holiday celebrations instantly ceased to exist in their household. She would barely get any recognition on her birthday except for some of her other family that would call or text.
Wrinkles formed on Michael's forehead when he furrowed his eyebrows. "Have you been doing anything at all this winter break?"
Riley forced a small smile and shook her head. "Family-wise, no. Working and practicing, yes."
"You haven't done anything with your family? Not even a dinner or something?"
She shook her head again. "Nada. I've just been binge-watching Netflix and Hulu, and hanging around the house. I'm actually debating if I want to order pizza, but then I just realized... a lot of places are closed right now. Shit."
She sighed and pulled her legs into a crisscrossed position as she looked back at her phone. She noticed a smirk on his face and she raised one of her eyebrows. "What's on your mind, Mr. Mischievous?"
He grinned before biting down on his lip.
"You would do that when I'm not around you." She narrowed her eyes at him, causing him to chuckle.
"I was thinking..." He rubbed his chin as he sat up straighter, "we could spend some time together before New Year's. I'll make you a plate, come pick you up, and we can go do whatever. What do you say?"
It was Riley's turn to bite suggestively on her lip and tilt her phone at an angle to give a glimpse of her cleavage in her tank top. "I think you know my answer."
Michael smirked, then licked his lips with a nod. "So it's a yes."
"Mhm," She smiled before getting off the bed. "Is it just for the night or are we hanging out until tomorrow sometime?"
"If you want to stay the night, pack a bag. I don't mind." He shrugged and she responded with an excited grin.
"Finally, I can get out of this boring ass house!" She left the phone on the bed and immediately grabbed her blue duffel bag to pack some extra clothes, some accessories, and necessities.
"So, I'm going to go over to the kitchen, then I'll text you when I'm on the way, alright?" He laughed when she popped her head back into the camera. "You're really excited, huh?"
"Okay and yes." She giggled. "I'll see you later."
They exchanged goodbyes and ended the call. Riley continued packing as Mikaela Jackson's upbeat song resumed playing, then later double-checked to make sure she didn't leave anything she wanted or needed behind. Just as she changed into a cute yet cozy outfit and was slipping on her boots, her phone pinged.
Applehead ❤️😘
Down the street, baby.
11:27 PM
She bit the corner of her smiling lips before slipping her phone into her pocket and pulled the strap of her bag onto her shoulder. She turned off her lamp and TV, then left the room to find her father, James, lounging on the couch in the living room watching a show she was unfamiliar with. She couldn't recall when he ever arrived home tonight.
She stared at him for several seconds. It's been a long while before she ever saw any of her parents just relaxing for a change. But she knew it was only for a little while.
"Hey, Daddy?" She spoke and he looked up with a soft smile. "I'm going out to stay the night with Jay and Michelle. You don't mind, do you?"
He shook his head and answered, "Not at all. Have fun and be safe." His work cell suddenly rang and just as quickly, his attention was snatched away from his daughter and back into work mode.
Riley forced back her frown and quietly exhaled as she walked out into the cold after grabbing her house key. She wasn't lying when she said she could basically get away with anything. If Tristan were here, she would've been bombarded with questions and he would've poked every hole he could into whatever story she fabricated on the spot. He knew his little sister like the back of his hand, which meant trying to sneak out to see Michael would've been an ultimate fail.
Her mind eventually wandered away from her family and onto Michael when his car slowly pulled up in front of the driveway. She walked over to him just as he got out the car and they embraced, both basking in each other's aromatic scent and warmth against the cold air.
As Riley slowly pulled back, she suddenly let out a small squeal of excitement. "Aww, you're wearing your glasses!" She cupped his face in her gloved hands and he blushed profusely as he rolled his eyes with a bashful smile.
"It's not that serious, girl. It's just a pair of eyeglasses." He chuckled and she sucked her teeth at him.
"And? It makes you look so sexy and sophisticated at the same time. How come you weren't wearing them earlier?"
He shrugged his shoulders in a shy manner and nervously licked his lips. "I don't know, I told you I'm not really fond of these things."
Riley slightly narrowed her eyes and tilted her head as she studied him. She truly didn't understand why he deemed himself so unattractive. "I don't know why, you look really good in them."
"Thanks." Michael said softly after releasing a small, shy chuckle. "But it's complicated. I wouldn't be wearing them now if I could see, otherwise we might end up in a ditch somewhere."
"Don't beat yourself up, you look fine with them." She reassured with a soft smile. She pulled him down into a kiss before he could speak back and he quickly responded to her loving lips before slowly pulling away. "I missed you, by the way"
Those simple words made him grin as he said, "I missed you, too." His hands brushed over the leather fabric of her gloves and he took one hand to lead her over to the passenger side to open the door for her. He put her bag in the trunk before eventually getting back in the car.
"So what did your family say when you left?" She asked as he began driving to their destination. "I know they couldn't have been happy."
Michael sighed before chuckling to himself. "My mother wasn't exactly thrilled, but she accepted my excuse. Jermaine and the others... geez, they're so nosy. He was like, 'You're going to meet up with that cute Riley girl, huh?' "
Riley's eyes bucked before she started laughing. "Did he say that in front of everyone?"
Michael shook his head. "Nah, just me and my other brother you've met. I told him to mind his business, then I left."
Riley laid her head against the headrest and turned to face him, watching the light of the lampposts they passed illuminate his handsome face when he wasn't blanketed in shadows. She reached over and rubbed his cheek with the back of her index finger. "That was an obvious giveaway."
He shrugged and took her hand, bringing it to his lips. "I can't hide anything from Jermaine. He's like the nosiest one out of everyone."
"I see that." She giggled as she enjoyed his soft lips against her hand. "Remember that night at the football game when you introduced us?"
"I remember that very clearly." He rolled his eyes at the memory of Jermaine opening his big mouth and subtly hinting at what went down in the shower.
She stared ahead as the car traveled the well-lit roads underneath the dark sky that was sparsely specked with several stars before turning her attention back to Michael. "You know, Michelle and Jay said some crazy things that night."
"Yeah? Like what?" He asked, still holding her hand to his lips as he drove.
Riley felt embarrassed even bringing this up and it showed through her awkward explanation. "They said something like Jermaine was hinting at you... I don't know.... doing or saying something pertaining to me when he said you admire me in more ways than one."
A sheepish grin surfaced across his face as his cheeks became flushed. He suddenly laughed, shaking his head. "Oh, man."
"Crazy, right?" She giggled while fiddling with the zipper of her jacket with her free hand. "But I mean, they said you also had the 'shut the eff up' look on your face, too. So, it might be true... is it?"
He briefly met her curious eyes before pulling off the road and onto a dirt path. The rest of the drive was silent except for the tires rolling over dirty snow and crushing a few twigs beneath its weight until he parked in an area of frozen grass where the small hill overlooked a nearby park where people were gathered below.
It was a secret spot he found years before.
He pulled her hand away from his mouth and simply just held it before finally removing her glove and caressing the surface of her skin before he turned toward her.
"...maybe."
She raised an eyebrow. "Maybe?"
He shrugged and averted his gaze to the bustling park. "I... I don't want you to think I'm some weirdo or whatever. I didn't plan to wake up one morning and just get off on the thought of you."
His face began to feel hot from the blood rushing to his cheeks. He was embarrassed and maybe even ashamed to confess. "I had a dream of us getting undressed and I was touching all over your body, then I just woke up with this boner that wouldn't go away unless I did something about it. Jermaine walked in on me taking a shower as I was... you know. He heard me say your name."
He finally looked at her and saw that she was holding back a laugh with puffed cheeks. He rolled his eyes again and looked away as she finally released her soft laughter.
"Don't be embarrassed, Michael. I'm sure you're not the only one who does that." She assured, leaning over to kiss his cheek. He turned his head just in time to feel her lips on his briefly before she pulled away. "Watching you act all flustered is the funniest thing. But honestly, that doesn't bother me and I still like you, sooo..."
He bowed his head and nervously smiled. "And if you didn't like me?"
"You don't ever have to worry about that." She said, raising his head with her fingers underneath his chin. "Don't worry about it. I came to have fun and spend time with you, and that hasn't changed."
That made him feel a little better, but he still apologized for possibly bringing the vibe down. "I'm sorry."
"Now you're sounding like me." She giggled and he laughed along with her. The smell of food wafting throughout the car had been teasing her the whole ride and her stomach loudly interrupted the moment.
"I almost forgot." He said as he unbuckled his seat belt and reached into the backseat to grab a plastic bag. He untied it and handed her a plate covered in aluminum foil along with plastic utensils. "Try the candy yams first and tell me what you think."
She uncovered the plate and did as he said, savoring the orange food substance and cinnamon spice as she chewed. "This is really good. Did you make these?"
He blushed for the umpteenth time tonight and nodded. "Yeah."
"You should've just brought me a whole bowl of candy yams and I would've been straight the whole night." She said, making him chuckle. "Mmm."
The simple sound of her soft moan sent a chill over his body and he felt a twitch in his pants. He shifted in his seat as she continued to eat, occasionally glancing over her. He admired her straightened hair slicked back into a bun that showcased her striking features and the way a lone lamppost illuminated her skin perfectly.
His eyes swept over her attire and he bit his lip softly. "You have on too many clothes." He mumbled loud enough for her to hear, and she gave him a subtle smirk.
"Oh, yeah?" She said after she swallowed some green beans. "Are you going to do something about that?"
This time, he smirked. "Is the food willing to wait?"
"I can always eat later." She put the fork down and covered her food again before placing it on the floor mat. She glanced up just as he began moving to the back of his car. She unbuckled her seat belt and followed suit, finding herself straddling him.
He wasted no time unzipping her thick jacket and pushing it off before pulling off her sweater next, leaving her in a thin tank top. Because he still had the car running, she didn't have to worry about freezing her ass off.
She leaned in and sweetly kissed his lips, letting the kiss slowly evolve into a passionate one. She shuddered from his touches as his hands roamed her just below her breasts, his fingers even gliding up beneath her top to feel the elastic band of her sports bra.
Her fingers found the zipper to his jacket and took it off him within seconds. Their tongues brushed together and intertwined to their own slow rhythms before she pulled away with a soft lip smack and trailed her lips to his collar bone briefly. One of her hands felt over his smooth chest through his partially unbuttoned shirt before her fingers brushed over his belly button. He stifled a moan and felt his pants grow tighter as a delightful shiver traveled down his spine from her soft kisses on his neck. The tip of her tongue then glided along his bottom lip before she bit down softly, then sucked it into her mouth.
He moaned from her warm mouth that lingered of delicious food overtaking him as his hands rested beneath her ass. He occasionally gave a squeeze, enjoying her breathy moans that brushed against his skin.
From the heat of their own bodies and the car, a light sheen of sweat began to form on their exposed skin as they continued loving each other's mouths.
A sudden noise that sounded like a loud sharp whistle broke them apart and they looked outside the window as colorful fireworks exploded across the night sky. Several more followed before Michael glanced down at his watch to see that it was now midnight.
He smiled, then turned Riley's gaze from outside back to him. The crackling fireworks flashed a variety of colors across their faces. He leaned forward and pecked her lips. "Happy New Year's, Bambi."
She giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Happy New Year's, Applehead."
He placed his hand on the back of her neck and pulled her into another mesmerizing, spine-tingling kiss.