MATTEO'S RETURN - [ 05 ] NEW SEASON
TOSHA
"Where are you? I don't see you, girl. Are you running on black people's time?" Niecy asked through the phone. I could hear a faint chuckle come from someone else on her end of the line.
I rolled my eyes at her comment. "I'm here. You said you are by Hale Williams Hall, right?" I asked.
Niecy had asked me to bring her binder from home as someone from a previous class shared that her professor was giving a random pop quiz and she wanted to study in between classes. Since I'd been home and my classes started after hers, when she called to ask if I could take pictures of her binder to send over to her, I simply offered to bring it on my way to campus.
The bus ride over to campus was spent with me going back and forth through text with Matteo. It felt a bit strange to be in communication with him again but at the same time, he felt so much like home. I was excited on this new journey we were taking with one another. I didn't believe the conversation that we had that night would've gone the way it did. I was completely shocked to hear of the revelation of Ada being Jasmine's sister. I'd been so shocked with the news that I hadn't told Niecy yet and wasn't sure how to break the news down to her.
I didn't want to randomly dump this information on her, especially since I hadn't informed Niecy on many things that had transpired between Matteo and I. I didn't want any third parties constantly involved in our relationship from now on. Be that as it may, it would be comforting to have someone close to me that could sympathize with me and understand the predicament at hand. I was mentally debating on if I would bring this dilemma up to her today.
"I see you!" She bellowed into the phone. "I'm sitting on one of the benches. I'm waving my hands in the air like a mad woman."
I searched the campus courtyard for her amongst the other moving bodies that were in my midst. Finally, I was able to spot Niecy and her uncontrolled arm. She waved over to me with a smile so big, her braces were on full display.
I chuckled into the phone as I saw her. "Okay, I see you now." I told her, ending the call and continuing my strides in her direction.
As I approached closer, I could see that she was sitting across from someone whom I hadn't met before.
She was a gorgeous darker toned girl with shoulder length locs. Her skin glowed softly under the bright sun and seemed to radiate into the light. She was texting on her phone as Niecy continued to sway her arms back and forth like a traffic controller.
"You are a sister for life, I promise!" Niecy said once I reached the bench table where they sat. "I can't fail anymore of his quizzes. He likes to add random written response questions on there. It's as if he's purposely making it hard for us."
I handed her the binder from my side bag and the girl raised her head from her phone.
"Hey," She waved at me.
"Oh, let me introduce you two!" Niecy spoke. "Tosha, this is Lola. Lola, this is Tosha, my roommate and bestie that I've been telling you about!" She exclaimed.
"Nice to meet you," I said, taking a seat next to Niecy after she took her binder and laid it flat on the table.
"Likewise," Lola paused for a moment as she scanned my face and then something seemed to click in her mind. "Wait, you said your name is Tosha?"
"Yeah, not my full name but that's usually what people call me." I told her truthfully.
"This is your Tosha friend?" She questioned Niecy and squinted at me for a second. "I don't mean to sound intrusive but I think I've heard about you before..." She paused and Niecy looked up at her immediately.
"Heard what, girl? You talkin' too slow for me. What have you heard about Tosha?" Niecy replied.
"You're dating Four, right? The football player from the Wittstock family?" Lola questioned.
"Oh, there's word around campus that they're dating?" Niecy pondered.
Lola nodded. "Yeah, I am a part of a hot takes reporting group. It's something that I do on the side for journalism. We get a lot of stories through our Instagram or blog for the university about anything that is of value or substance. Most of the stories are about athletes, from girls trying to start drama or gain a little fifteen minutes of fame, but your name has popped up a few times." She told us. Lola grabbed her phone again as she received another text.
Niecy leaned over a bit across the table. "That phone of yours has been getting a lot of play ever since we left the lecture hall, Lo. What's tea?"
Lola playfully rolled her eyes. "It's nothing, just my friend."
Niecy pursed her lips. "Hmm mhm, and what does this friend look like?"
"Forget about him. Let me show her the most recent dm we received from our Instagram page." Lola turned her phone over to allow me to see her screen and Niecy's nosy eyes joined. "I don't know you well, but I know Niecy and she's been nothing but the best to me. I pushed my group not to post anything about teammates and their personal relationships because it will tarnish the brand we're trying to create but this page is doing their own thing, aka, the work of the enemy."
As I stared into the dm, someone had sent a screenshot of text messages between two people. One of the text messages wrote:
Anon: Have you heard what's been going around campus?
The next message after that wrote:
Heard about what?
The next message was as followed:
Anon: Four's got a new "girlfriend". And she looks plus sized! WTF
The next person's text message wrote:
I heard about that! but you know how he is, it won't last more than a few weeks before he's back to begging for my attention.
The next reply was underneath:
Anon: Yeah, not his type at all! Her name is Tosha. He downgraded from you 100%
The last message was sent with laughing emojis.
Ikr, it's whatever. He'll be back, they always come back.
"Girl, who in the hell is that? Let me see the name at the top," Niecy said, scrolling to zoom into the name listed in the message. "Ada? Do we know an Ada?"
Lola looked in between us. "I...I think that's one of the dancers or cheerleaders. I'm not sure, but I definitely have heard her name before. She's been rumored to have slept with a few teammates but everything is on the hush hush. This is why I don't post about athletes' personal relationships because it's too messy and God doesn't like all the gossiping man does."
"T, you know her? I'm so confused because this is all new information to me. And you're not plus sized, your body is southern fed, grown and petite." Niecy was skeptical of the text messages.
Despite my efforts to not bring this forth towards her just yet, Lola's disclosure of this new found information was beginning to change my stance.
I scratched my right eyebrow. "Yeah, I know of her. And I guess, I have a few things to share with you about this situation." I truthfully spoke.
"And do!" Niecy spoke, now completely disengaged with her studying and focused primarily on my current situation. "And you, why in the world didn't you tell me they were talking about Tosha before? Isn't this what God calls his chosen children to do? Speak truths amongst the people or something like that." She directed her attention now to Lola.
Lola appeared taken aback and held a hand to her heart. "Don't shoot me and my angels. After hearing you talk about her, I'm just now putting two and two together, especially because other dm's we've received said something about her being a darker skinned girl with curly natural hair. You know what, this is none of my business. I'm sorry, Tosha, I don't want you to think I'm starting drama or putting you into anything but if I was dating and someone had information about my man, I would want to know." Lola apologized and began to get up from the bench but her phone rang.
The caller ID name flashed as Tremaine. Niecy and I's eyes caught the name simultaneously. However, Lola snatched the phone up with ease.
"Hold on! Girl! I know I didn't see the name I thought I saw!" Niecy spoke without hesitation.
"Wait. Tremaine? Is that Matteo's friend, Trey?" I questioned as well.
Things were making sense of how she's heard of my name, despite us having never met. Matteo and Trey were well known around campus and although I brushed any whispers or questioning looks off my back, I've received a lot more recently since Matteo and I had begun speaking again.
"Ohhh, this girl said, 'Matteo', that's how you know it's real." Niecy emphasized, smacking her lips together.
Lola and Niecy began giggling and I couldn't help but join in. Niecy was such a fool.
"Uh, uh, don't try to giggle your way out of this now. You are still on the hot table with Trey calling your phone!" Niecy quickly concealed her laughter to get back to business.
Lola rolled her eyes and sucked her teeth. "He's just a friend. I'll talk to you later, Niecy. I have to make it to my next class and you have some studying to do, right?" She came around and gave my arm a gentle squeeze. "It was nice meeting you. Again, I don't mean to bombard or intrude but if you need any information pertaining to Four, I'm usually in the Media Broadcasting room. Although all of the information we receive shouldn't be shared or released to the public before approval, I will gladly bend the rules. A friend of Niecy's is a friend of mine. I'll see you y'all later!" Lola made her departure swiftly and answered her ringing phone once she was out of ear shot range.
Niecy turned her head to me. "Look, I've known Lola for a while now and I can accurately say that she never does anything malicious or evil. The Trey thing I definitely gotta question her about but carries herself as a woman of God so there's definitely truth to what she showed us. Who the hell is Ada, T?"
I rubbed my temple and sighed. "How long do you have until your class for the quiz?"
Niecy checked her phone. "A little under an hour."
"Alright. So much has been happening with my dad, Matteo, school, I haven't been able to accurately fill you in." I told her. "But I'll try to keep it short and tell you all you need to know."
Niecy listened intently and for the remainder of the time we sat with one another at that bench, I shared with her about my dad's health, the revelation of Ada's identity and relation to Jasmine as well as her past with Matteo. Niecy's reaction was just as taken aback as me and couldn't believe her ears.
I highly doubt she would be able to focus on her quiz now as her mind was disrupted by the new found information I'd sprung upon her.
*****
Matteo's brown eyes shimmered in the night once I opened the front door of my apartment for him. He stood straight with our Chinese takeout in a huge bag in his arms. His lips turned up into a smile and he attempted to step to me and plant a kiss on my lips, however, I dodged it and reached for the takeout.
"This looks like a lot of food. You know it's only you and I, right?" I questioned him, taking the bag and making my way back into the apartment.
I didn't miss the look of confusion on Matteo's expression from me dodging his affection. Despite that, I continued on making my way to the kitchen. I sat the bag of takeout on the kitchen counter and grabbed us plates from the cabinet to eat on.
After my conversation with Niecy, she informed me that we should definitely get into contact with Jasmine to see how we missed such an essential piece of this puzzle about Ada. Niecy wanted to know if Jasmine knew about what her sister was saying about me to people around campus and if she was in on it.
I highly doubted that Jasmine knew of anything however, there was definitely a lot of suspicions in my mind as of late.
Niecy also informed me that although my relationship with my dad was on the rocks, the guilt of something happening to him and me not being present or at his side for assistance would be worse than anything he previously ever said to me. I took that into consideration and had hoped that during the Thanksgiving break, I'd stop by the hospital to check on him or give him a call. I wasn't too sure about that situation yet.
Besides that, I'd convinced Matteo to eat in instead of going to a restaurant before our studying. If people were sending Lola messages about our union, I definitely didn't want anymore inquiring eyes or envious glares from anyone while he and I were out trying to enjoy ourselves.
All things considered, for the growth of my relationship with Matteo, I had to put Ada behind us. My only concern now was if people were talking about me to Matteo. Was he aware that students around campus were sending things to the university blog or creating gossip social media accounts to talk about us?
"Baby, this no sex thing includes no kissing, as well? This is not the contract I signed up for in the beginning." I heard Matteo say as I stuck my hand into the bag and begun pulling out the boxes of food.
Laughter escaped my lips and I could feel his presence close by. Strong hands gripped my waist with firmness. My hair had been pulled into a messy bun, which allowed him total access to my neck. Wet lips pressed gently against my skin and our bodies seemed to mesh into one.
I groaned out my words. "We're working on being friends and getting to know one another outside of sex, remember?" I forced out, naturally tilting my neck to the side to allow his kisses to travel further.
Even as I spoke one tune, he seemed to always make my body speak another.
"Yeah, that sounds good but we need to be the type of friends that kiss each other. Sloppy and wet kisses, for that matter." He whispered in my ear.
I couldn't help but chuckle and turned to him, resting my hands onto his chest. I stared up into his eyes and it felt as if time had ended at this very moment. His warm brown eyes were welcoming, awake and full of so much tenderness. The beard that he'd allow to grow in complimented his face positively. His eyebrows relaxed as he realized I was taking in his features, enjoying what I saw.
My hands reached up and held his jaw, subtly rubbing his beard. "Do you give your other friends sloppy and wet kisses, as well?" I questioned to bother him.
Matteo smirked, knowing I was simply teasing. He planted a sweet kiss on my forehead. "Just the really good looking ones that enjoying cooking and reading books on their spare time." He placed another kiss down upon my nose.
Before he could make it to my mouth, I halted him with a slight tap to the chest.
He sucked his teeth audibly. "You're killing me here, Tosh. I'm not trying to go all the way, but you're beginning to make me believe that you don't really want me, baby."
I sighed, knowing that if I didn't get what I needed to off of my chest, I would be walking around on eggshells with him for longer than I wanted.
"I want to talk, really quickly."
His brows knitted together. "What happened now? I haven't done anything, I promise you. The last serious conversation we had on your patio opened my eyes and I meant what I said. I only want you." He was speaking faster than I'd ever heard him speak. His nervousness was beginning to make me nervous as well.
"Calm down. Nothing has 'happened' per se. It's just...Are you aware about students talking about us around campus? Ya know, us being together. Anything on social media? University blog pages?" I inquired.
Matteo paused for a brief moment and gathered that from the look I was giving him, I seriously wanted to know. "Look. I'm always in the light, Tosh. Whether that is from football, women, or from the exposure of my family name around town. Where is this coming from?"
I huffed. "People have been staring at me differently for quite some time now. I brush it off as much as I can muster, however, it has been brought to my attention that girls are now sending things to gossip social media accounts of the university for exposure, or to poke fun at me. I'm not completely sure, but one of those girls is your favorite number one fan, it seems."
He took in what I'd spoken and kept his eyes fixed on me. "Please don't tell me you're talking about who I think you are."
"I wish I wasn't. I'm not this girl, Matteo. I'm not the girl who's hyper focused on gossip or my own insecurities with my size because of what others are saying. I've never had this problem before in my past."
"Baby, baby." Matteo pulled our bodies closer. "Your size is perfect. Your body is perfect. I love every inch of you." He reassured me. "I should have warned you about the gossip pages around campus and been a bit more proactive in transitioning our relationship to a public status to make sure you were comfortable. We're working on building trust with one another and I need you to trust me, especially when it comes down to the university social media blog or gossip accounts. I'm a star athlete and with that title comes recognition, and lots of women. But, I'm secure here, with you. I want to be with you, regardless of what you may hear or see around campus."
Again, I let out another huff and dropped my hands from his jaw. I rested them on his chest. "I know, this is all new to me and I've felt a bit anxious walking around campus lately with all the stares. With this and my dad's health, I've just felt an extreme amount of discomfort, ya know?"
He leaned down and planted another kiss on my forehead. "I know and I don't want you to feel anxious. We're from different worlds, but that doesn't take away from us being together. How about this? This Friday there's going to be a Halloween party. Everyone around campus will be attending. We could get matching costumes and walk in together."
I giggled a bit. "I've never been allowed to celebrate Halloween." I told him truthfully. "But, matching costumes, really?"
"What? You think it's corny?" Matteo questioned.
"Very." I said without hesitation.
He chortled but shrugged. "Then that's good for us. We'll be a corny couple, at the party. What do you say? I don't want anyone getting the idea that they have the upper hand on you."
I nodded and this time when he leaned down for a kiss, I welcomed him. His lips pressed into mine and I indulged in his sweetness, taking in all parts of him as our bodies meshed together. I pushed myself on my tip toes and ran my fingers into his curls as he held me tightly.
His groans were voracious while my moans were soft between us. I sucked on his tongue gently and welcomed his wandering large hands as they danced further down past my waist to the soft roundness of my butt. With one hand, he pushed the takeout bag to clear space on the counter and lifted my petite frame onto it.
"Whoa, babe," I moaned out through a hushed whisper, steadying myself by gripping his shoulders.
"God, I've missed you." Matteo breathed out, adding a trail of kisses along my neck. "Niecy isn't here, right?"
"No, she's out with friends." I held onto his muscular shoulders, wanting to further our affections for one another but wanted to stand firm in what I'd spoken to him on the patio. No sex, no matter how much we both desired it. "Okay, okay, let's stop now before we go too far. We still have a lot of studying to do, remember?"
I could hear the defeat in his voice. "How can you even think of studying right now?"
I couldn't hold back my giggle. "Because, that is what we're supposed to be doing, Matteo." I told him truthfully, pushing at his chest a bit to get his weight off of me.
He grabbed my hands, bringing them together and giving each a kiss. "Fine, I see you're serious about this no sex thing."
"I sure am," I reassured.
"Hey, aside from that, I wanted to ask you about your plans for Thanksgiving break after Homecoming. What do you think you're going to do for that time?"
I jumped off of the counter and went back to attempting to separate the Chinese takeout for us to eat. I could still feel Matteo's burning eyes on my frame, however, I ignored his stares. If I entertained anything right now, he's have me back on this countertop with ease.
"I was thinking about visiting my Aunt Shereé, but I also want a change of scenery. Something a bit out of my comfort zone. What about you?" I asked him.
"Trey wants me to visit his mom but Nana told us that she wants to do something with the family at her ranch."
"Your grandma has a ranch?" I questioned.
"Yeah, she bought land on the west side of town. She has a farm over there, large garden full of herbs and food. As well as animals she tends too." He paused as I opened boxes of our takeout from the bag. "Would you want to join me and meet her?"
I almost dropped one of the boxes of honey sesame chicken. "What?"
His eyes held so much nervousness but he pushed through regardless of my reaction to the question. "I want you to come with me, for thanksgiving break if we decided to spend it with Nana. I can show you another part of my childhood, where I grew up for half of my life and you could meet Nana. I have a feeling that she'd really like you. And she loves to cook. I don't want to pressure you if you have plans with your aunt, that's fine but I want to bring it up as a suggestion."
"I...uh...I don't know yet."
"That's cool. Like I said, no pressure, just a suggestion, alright?"
"Alright," I nodded and he leaned down and gave me one last kiss.
"Now, let's eat so we can get this boring studying session over."
There was definitely a shift between us and although I feared taking these next steps with Matteo, in my heart, his intentions felt pure and genuine. Despite my apprehension, I knew that many changes were coming forth in this new season and I didn't want to hinder myself by stepping back into the past or allowing my fears to control me.
This new season called for something greater.
Something deep within me that I knew I'd have to dig up if I wanted to flourish in this relationship with him and make it work. And truly, I would make this work.
****
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