" Should I go say something?"
" Sure. You can't beat yesterday's interaction with her. I'm sure that she was just having a bad day or something," Abel said to Xander as we watched him sweat bullets while watching Ivy from across the room.
" What if she shoots me down again?" Xander frowned.
Poor guy. Xander was a ladies man, but not the kind of ladies man that fucked anything that stepped in their line if vision. No, Xander was just a ginormous flirt. Sure his flirting skills sounded like they belonged on a middle school playground and not a bar or when you are trying to pursue an up and coming r&b star. However, he made it work... ninety percent of the time.
" Aaliyah says that if at first you don't succeed, dust yourself and try again," Marcus quotes.
Xander nods, a sudden confidence coming over him as he straightened his posture and dusted off his shoulder sleeves. " There you go," I patted his shoulder, hoping that our positive energy would rub off on him and clear his nerves. " You got this buddy. Remember, you are a smooth talker, so go over there and smooth talk your way into a date."
" And if she rejects you, then she's not for you," Carson added. " But she won't because who could reject that face."
" And let's not forget that you have one of the best personalities that I have ever encountered," Kyler added. " She'd be missing out on one of the kindest and most considerate guys that I know."
" And the funniest. You could get a date just from a joke alone, Xandy," Derrick chimed in.
Xander nodded. " You guys are right. I'm a fucking catch."
" Go get her Xandy with the cakes," Haze slapped his best friend's butt.
" Haze,we talked about this" Xnader rolled his eyes playfully and spoke in an annoyed tone, " Not in public."
I choked on a laugh as Haze nodded and checked himself. " You're right. I'm sorry," Haze nodded. " Won't happen again."
Abel and Carson leaned on each other as they had a laugh at Haze and Xander's dynamic. Carson nearly turned red and Abel was clutching his chest as if he was about to have a stroke from laughing so hard.
" Wish me luck fellas," Xander muttered as he mustered up the courage to approach Ivy. As Xander walked off, the De'luca brothers approached us.
" He's going for round two?" Alessandro raised his brows in surprise. " Usually guys don't have the guts to go for a second approach with Ivy after being shot down the first time."
" What can we say," Kyler crossed his arms and smiled smugly," we raised the young bull right."
" Oh," Khalid perked up." So you guys are responsible for the infamous double 007 dupe?"
" He didn't say all of that now," I scratched the back of my neck. My name was not about to be attached to Xander's favorite pick-up line. I wanted that line to be permanently removed from his vocabulary for the rest of eternity.
"That's all Xander," Marcus snorted. " You'd be surprised how many girls fall for it."
" Everyone hush," Haze whisper-shouted. " The sheep has approached the wolf."
Quickly, we all turned our attention to Xander as he approached Ivy who was by herself. She had just finished eating a slice of cake when Xander walked up to her table.
" A smile," Khalid said," we are off to a good start so far."
Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see the girls approach us. " What's going on?" Rhegan whispered, placing her body in front of mine to see what had our attention.
My arm hooked around her neck, resting loosely as her body relaxed into mine " Xander's going for round two," I said, intertwining my fingers with hers after she initiated our hand holding.
A shocked gasp came from Zara," he's got her to laugh."
" Look at her twirling her hair and shit," Khalid sat down on a stool and pulled Willow's body with him.
" Awww, look at him getting shy," Rhegan cooed, mindlessly swiped her thumb and back forth across my skin. I stopped looking at the two across the room and began to look at her. She was smiling from ear to ear. She was happy. She was in my arms. Where she always belonged.
Where she always would belong.
I smiled as I imagined a ring bigger than that giant ball of fire that lights up the sky. I imagined us in Ashanti and Alessandro's position a few years from now, happy and smiling at our own wedding. I imagined a lot for my future with Rhergan. And yeah, maybe I was jumping ahead of the gun because she was unpredictable, but that was what she was and I loved every spit of her.
I love the good.
I love the bad.
And I love the ugly. I just wish that she let me see that.
We all had our ugly moments in life. It's one of the things that makes us human, makes us vulnerable. Sometimes I think that Rhegan ran because she thought that if she allowed people who weren't the girls to see that, that they would be the first to leave. Throughout the course of my time with Rhegan, I'd only witnessed her cry a total of two times.
That day we walked in on her having a discussion about her mother with her father.
And the night that she ended our " fling". Of course she didn't let the tears flow in front of my face. She waited until she got in her ride to do that. However, the image of her hardly rubbing her tears away as she rolled the window up after I begged her to talk to me, to tell me why everything was going so south so fucking fast was buried in my brain.
A part of me carved those vulnerable moments with her. It felt like she was blocking a huge part of her life off from me and was giving me little chunks and pieces to keep me satisfied. I was fine with that. Although she had the tough girl act down, she was fragile and hadn't healed completely from the wounds that her mother had caused.
Hell, I wasn't completely healed from the wounds that my own parents gave me. The only difference between us though was that if she asked, I would tell her everything about my life before adoption. I was an open book.
There were moments where she would get curious and ask me questions. Some of those times I think that she was just too afraid to pry any deeper in fear of bringing up bad memories for me.
" My guy!" Abel cheered, snapping me out of my deep train of thought to see Xander and Ivy exchange phones.
" That's our boy. I didn't have a doubt in my mind," Marcus grinned proudly.
" You liar," Rhegan called him out, laughing.
" I swear," Marcus's voice raised an octave. " Am I that sarcastic that you can't tell when I'm being genuine?"
Our group exchanged sideways glances.
" J-just a little bit," Elizabeth pinched her pointer and thumb finger together.
" But we love you and your sarcastic moments, Marky-Mark. Never change," I patted his back in assurance. His sarcasm is what kept us on our toes and we had more than a few laughs because of it.
" They're just jealous that they can't read people for filth through sarcasm baby," Skylar stood on her toes even though she was wearing heels and grabbed his cheeks, pulling his face towards hers and gave him a kiss. " They just aren't on the same level as us."
Marcus smiled and proceeded to kiss her again, " I love you, McKay."
" What's not to love?" Kyler snorted.
Skylar flicked her brother off mid-kiss with Marcus, " he was talking to me, you overgrown child."
" Not according to our messages," Kyler kept poking at her.
" Both of you behave," Marcus whispered. Yeah.. he kept those two on tight leash. Poor Marcus.
" He started it," Skylar mumbled, wrapping her arms around Marcus's waist and pressing her chin into the center of his chest.
Rhegan's body shook against mine as she laughed softly with the rest of our friend group. I cherished the sound and dropped my face into the crook of her neck, inhaling her scent as she kissed my hand. Her plump red lips were soft against my skin as she repeated her action of kissing my hand.
" Shh, he's coming. Act natural," Ayanna snapped.
It was hard to act natural when you had more than ten people watching him and Ivy from across the room. As soon as we heard the words act natural, we did the opposite.
" If this is y'all acting natural, you are failing horribly," Xander laughs.
Haze cleared his throat as he removed his hands from Audrey's face, " so... how did it go?"
Xander smiled, showing off his teeth and dimples as he held up his phone. " I've got a phone number and a date the next time she's in Los Angeles. I think that I made of pretty well this time."
Immediately, the girls in our arms were pushed to the side... gently of course.
We weren't a group of ruffin's who manhandled their woman....
Well, under certain circumstances...
" The rookies are all grown up," I cried as we circled Haze and Xander. They had both managed to get the girls of their dreams. Well, they both managed to get dates but nevertheless, they succeeded in their efforts... even if it was a tad bit painful watching them in the process.
I always had faith in them despite their... challenges.
" It was just yesterday when we were warning Haze not to eat that cheese curd off of the charcuterie board and stopping Xander from walking into a glass wall," Carson dried away non-existent tears.
" Motherfcuker said it seems like," Abel laughed. " That was yesterday."
Carson blinked, " oh shit, you right."
Okay, so maybe the rooks had a little bit more growing up to do.
" I'm always right," Abel cockily replied.
A warm feeling washed over me as I observed my friends. I loved them all so much, I would do anything for them. I would take a bullet for each and everyone of them if I had too. There wasn't a better group of guys out there for me. These guys were my brothers and I couldn't have asked for better people to form a better brotherhood with.
A wish of mine was to play with them all on a court together again... as a family, not just a team.
It wasn;t the same when I looked to my left and couldn't find Marcus or Abel to throw the ball too. It wasn't the same if I couldn't watch Rookie piss off veteran players every time he out ran them on the court. It wasn't the same if Xander wasn't there to perform an outrageous dunk. It wasn't the same if Derrick wasn't there to be one of the best defensive players on the court... next to me of course.
It felt like I was two-sevenths complete without them. There was a massive chunk missing in my pie and I wanted it back so badly. I craved playing with them again, and I missed them and the laughs that we shared.
I smiled and shook my head, which slowly started to fall as curly and Anthonie jr. approached the girls. " Well would you look at Disney and Nick jr." I jerked my chin to the girls as they all cooed over the two boys.
" They got the damn nerve," Derrick muttered, watching curly press his lips against Sade's knuckles. " She was just calling a pair of kids snot-nosed booger eating brats the other day," he said, astonished at the sight of Sade falling for Curly's unnatural charm for a kid who probably just discovered what boobs were last week.
" Elizabeth would make a good mother," Abel sighed, watching her interact with the same kids who were planning on making moves on our women not too long ago.
" May I have this dance?" Anthonie jr. asked Ayanna.
" Sure," Ayanna laughed, amused at the kids' gall.
" Disney jr, did not just steal my woman," Carson stood, appalled.
" At least he ain't trying to steal mine," Carlos spoke, pulling Maya closer to him.
Oh, so he ain't new to this...
" How about you two," Curly asked Rhegan and Skylar. " Make me the happiest kid alive and dance with me?"
Rhegan pouted, pinching his cheeks. " Of course you can, buddy."
Yeah... let him know his place, Ice.
" I eat kids like you for lunch," Skylar said.
Curly smiled and inched closer to her." Sounds like my kind of woman," he purred and snatched her palm anyways, leading the two shocked women to the dance floor.
On their way by, the two brats had the nerve to wink and smile cockily as they walked past us.
" They're only ten, relax," Kyler said.
" You're only saying that because blondie actually likes girls his age, and instead of making moves on your woman, he's over there listing off the reasons as to why he has a crush on his best friend," Marcus points to Maverick as Jora, Sade, and Elizabeth as they smile and nod while watching Maverick explain why Violeta's favorite color of the week was yellow.
" It changes every week," the little kid sighs dreamily.
" You are just so adorable," Jora taps his nose.
" Want to hear about her stuffed animals collection?" His face lit up.
" Of course we do."
When I turned my head, I saw Curly's hand slipping a bit to the curve of Rhegan's ass.
" Hey! Hey! Keep them hands on the upper back, Cartoon Network," I said loudly.
" I got my eyes on you."
These kids were driving my blood pressure sky fucking high.
It was our last day together before he had to go back to San Francisco. The girls and I would be staying an extra day before heading home.
" I hate saying goodbye," I sighed, clinging onto him as we laid in bed.
Dominic kisses my forehead, " I know. I hate it too," he whispered as his hands ran up and down my arm. " But I'll be home for my birthday which is coming up fast. We won't be apart for long."
Dominic's birthday was coming up fast and I was nowhere near where I wanted to be when it came to his birthday party.
Of course I was invited by his teammates, old and new. I made sure to send out rsvps to make sure that they would have room in their hectic schedules to attend. Aside from that, it was open to some of his college friends as well.
It seemed like time was going by fast and soon, everything would be catching up to me.
Ayanna's birthday was also coming up fast. Carson, the girls, and I had been trying to come up with plans for her birthday as well. Carson didn't have to do much for the actual party but keep her distracted all day while we got everything together, he still gave input here and there.
September and October would drain me.
I just had to be prepared for every possible thing that was thrown my way.
Dominic's phone rang, interrupting my train of thought and the relaxing tingle that traveled down my arms as he reached for his phone. His irritated sigh caught my attention as he sat up. " What is it?" I asked.
" My manager," he placed his phone on do not disturb, "He's been trying to get me to do this thing to up my image but I'm not feeling it."
I sat up, lifting my brows. " What does he want?"
" Nothing because I'm not doing it," he deadpanned.
By the assertiveness in his tone, I decided to leave it alone. His mind was already made up and I knew when to pick and choose my battles.
" I'm hungry. Are you hungry?" I decided to change the subject to something much more important.
Dominic nodded. " Starving."
I piped up, poking his chest as I smiled. " Good. Let's go on a date. Me, you, a nice candlelight dinner.
By now Dominic's irritated expression was replaced with his full lips curling up into a smile as his hand fell to my thighs. " Go get ready. I'll make reservations," he squeezed my thigh.
" Don't have to tell me twice," I leaned down and kissed his lips. His hand clutched the back of my neck as he deepened the kiss, swiftly sliding his tongue into my mouth.
I giggled and pulled away, " you can't have dessert before dinner," I teased, knowing where that kiss would end if I let it continue. Before he could pull me back into his grasp, I jumped off the bed and scurried into the bathroom to get ready. His deep, smooth chuckle followed me all the way to the bathroom and ceased when I closed the door.
This weekend was the most fun that I had in a while. Having everyone together, drinking, making stronger bonds, spending time with Dominic. I was having a blast.... maybe too much of a blast because I woke up with another hangover this morning and had to down a bottle of liquid IV.
It was currently almost six in the evening and Dominic and I were just getting ready to finally leave the hotel. The two of us had been attached at the hip all morning. He was being a champ when it came to making sure that I was hydrated and not barfing my guys up.
I decided to take a bath before getting into the tub. While relaxing in the sid's of my bubble bath, Listened to music and looked at last night's photos. There were so many that I loved but the big group photos that we took with the wedding party was my favorite. While scrolling, I found one of Dominic and I that I absolutely adored.
I sat in his lap smiling at the camera. Dominic was smiling but his eyes were solely on me. His arm was protectively wrapped around my waist, keeping me pressed against his body. I assumed that I was either already drunk or half- way there because my cheeks were flushed, my skin had a slight sheen to it, and my eyes were nearly squinting shut from how wide my smile was.
Nevertheless, I loved how Dominic was looking at me like I was the only person in the room. We both looked so happy. I posted a few photos and videos from last night on my story but decided to keep that one to myself.
I made it my lock and home screen.
Smiling, I got out of the tub and headed to the shower to make sure that I was really clean. My hair smelled like smoke from the bonfire that was held in the backyard of the wedding for the kids to s'mores... and I wasn't a kid but I loved chocolate so I had a few. The smell of the wood burning got stuck in my hair and had been driving me crazy all morning.
When I got out of the shower, I immediately cleansed my face of any leftover makeup that I missed last night and went straight into skincare. I skipped makeup and primping my hair to perfection and went natural. My waves flowed down my naked back and my skin was glowing due to the serums and moisturizers that I drenched it in.
As I exited the bathroom, Dominic entered it.
While he started up his shower, I went into the closet and picked out an outfit. I went for comfort, yet stylish and pulled out a long black spaghetti strapped skims dress and pulled out black cropped sweater to go on top. While Dominic showered and got dressed, I waited for him in the room.
And by waiting, I watched him walk back and forth in all of his naked glory while he got dressed. He was a masterpiece. Every inch of him was perfect, inside and out. I smiled to myself, thinking that I was the luckiest girl in the world to have a man like him. He was all man, nothing boyish about him.
I walked up next to him as he picked up a gold chain. My fingers swept across the other two that he brought on the trip, a silver chain, and an iced out chain. I ran my fingers over the silver one, admiring the cold feel on the tip of my fingers. Dominic's hands came into my line of view as he picked up the chain and held it against my neck. " Lift up your hair."
I smiled and shook my head. " I was just admiring them."
Dominic lowered his mouth to my ears. " I want you to wear it. Now lift up your hair, Ice."
Chills scattered down my spine, my nerves started going haywire at the feel of his cool breath tickling the insides of my ear. Slowly, I gathered my hair and watched through the mirror as he wrapped the chain around my neck and clasped it. Although it felt slightly heavy on my neck, it felt right.
" Don't ever take this off," he wraps his arms around my waist tightly. " No matter what happens, I want you to always have it."
I turned around and reached for his face. His eyes watched me as my fingers drifted over his beard, his cheeks, his nose, and his lips. My fingers touched every inch of his face and he let me, his lashes fluttered shit as if this was the most relaxing feeling to him.
I love you.
The words were on the top of my tongue but I couldn't say it. The moment didn't feel right. It didn't feel like it was time to say those three words that would cement our relationship.
So I kissed him instead, "คุณหมายถึงโลกทั้งใบสำหรับฉัน."
— you mean the world to me.
Dominic furrowed his brows in surprise, his lips curling up softly and his eyes twinkling with curiosity. " What did you say?"
I smiled and grabbed his hands. " You look super sexy right now."
It wasn't a lie. He looked extra fuckable in a white tee shirt, a black and yellow fuzzy cardigan, and light washed jeans with a pair of dunks.
But I was hungry.
" Sure," he said, like he didn't believe me.
When we got outside, the cat that Dominic called was waiting for us. The driver opened the door and Dominic let me in first, his hand held my back for support as I lifted myself into the car and slid into my seat. Dominic shut the door behind him and pulled me into his side. His warm and musky scent wrapped around me as I laid my head on his shoulder.
I watched him scroll through his phone, answering important text and emails with one hand while he held my hand with the other. The car ride was filled with minimal talk and comfortable silence. He had to be at the hotel by ten so that he and the guys could make their eleven o'clock flight back to San Francisco on time.
The restaurant was a quick fifteen minute ride from our hotel. Dominic and I walked in hand and hand as the hostess led us towards our table. I would be lying if I said that I didn't enjoy the multiple heads that turned and the stares that we got as we walked throughout the restaurant.
Like, I know, we are a hot as shit couple.
When we sat down, Dominic immediately collected my palms in his and began talking about the most random topics. He asked me about my first pet, my favorite childhood t.v show. I asked him about his favorite memory while playing basketball. I asked him what he would change about his life if he could change anything.
We just talked.
I was having a fun time laughing and eating until I couldn't anymore... and then I wasn't.
My entire mood shifted when I saw her across the room.
" Are you fucking kidding me?" Low and behold, Laila fucking cunt dracula Clarke in the fucking flesh.
I needed to get out of here before I went to jail for aggravated assualt...
OH SHIT!!!
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!!!
I love you, alexis
Rhegan's fit