Jora
It was a bright and sunny Monday afternoon when a soft pounding knocked on our door. I had just gotten back from a gurgling hot pilates class with Sade but mustered up the strength and energy to run downstairs to answer it.
Every Monday for the past three weeks, there has been a gift.
Week one, flowers and my favorite candy.
Week two, he sent me a stack of fashion books. He had to do some heavy research on these books, I remembered seeing a few that he brought in a few Vogue best of lists.
Week three, he had my favorite pastries from Porto's delivered, and three gold bracelets from Bulgari that would be replacing my everyday stack. I was a bracelet girl, he knew that.
It was week four and when I opened the door, I squealed at the sight of two bouquets of flowers. They were a beautiful mix of soft oranges, pinks, and purples. I took the bouquets with a wide smile on my face and barely registered the other box that was being placed into my hand.
I giddily skipped into the kitchen and placed the box onto the counter before running to find two vases. I filled them up with water and replaced the old flowers that sat in the middle of our dining room table with the new flowers.
Opening the other box, I shook my head as I pulled out two jerseys from this year's season with his number on it. Just as I was about to throw the box into the recycling bin, an envelope fell out.
How could I forget!
With each week came a new handwritten card with the cheesiest sayings that only Kyler could come up with written on them.
𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭
—𝐊𝐲
Inside of the envelope was a necklace with a pendant on— the number 1. His jersey number.
Carefully taking the necklace in my hands, I clasped it around my neck and adjusted the number in the center of my chest. Picking up my phone, I took a quick selfie of me smiling and showing off the necklace and sent it to him.
" More flowers!" Sade gasped. " Kyler is putting in overtime with the groveling. You don't even know the names of half of the flowers he's sending you."
I shrug. " I'm learning. Pretty soon I will be a certified flower connoisseur all thanks to him," my head cocks to the side as I tweak with the flowers in the vase.
" I don't know how you do it," Sade hands me a protein shake from the fridge. " If Derrick was sending me gifts and flowers every week, I would be dropping my panties and riding him until I can't anymore the moment I see."
I nearly choke on my shake from laughing. Wiping the corners of my mouth, I nodded and turned around. "Trust me, it's hard but gifts aren't the only action that needs to take place before he gets a taste of all of this," I motioned to my sweaty body.
" Which reminds me," I grabbed the jerseys off of the counter along with the reminder of my protein shake. " I have to go take a shower and wash off the blood, sweat, and tears that I endured during that torture class that you enjoy so much."
" Beauty is pain!" She yells as I make my escape to my bedroom. " You'll be thanking me when those abs start to come in."
Sade and Ayanna had killer abs— lucky bitches.
By the time I finished having a nice and relaxing bath filled to the brim with epsom salt to soothe the muscles that would for sure be giving me hell tomorrow, I took a shower because let's be honest here, what was sitting in a tub of your own dirt cleaning? Not a damn thing.
After showering and washing my hair, I didn't have the energy to change into my clothes so I laid out on my bed naked. A few minutes into my nice and relaxing quiet time, my phone began to make that irritating buzzing noise from off of my bedside table.
My eyes snapped open as I reached for the device, annoyed until I saw the caller ID.
I quickly clicked accept as my back fell against the mattress, my arm covering my breast as his face pops on to my screen. Immediately the shitface started grinning.
" Are you nakey?"
" Hello to you too, Kyler," I rolled my eyes as his face came closer to the screen. " Why am I only getting eyeballs? Stop being a pervert."
" Is it me being a pervert?" His dimples become more prominent as the boyish grin sets deeper. " Or is it me admiring my beautiful girl, and just knowing her body well enough to know that that birthmark wouldn't be visible if she were wearing any clothing."
I puckered up my lips, twisting them to the side as my gaze dropped toward the odd birthmark on my boob. It is shaped like half a heart.
It would've really been ironic if it was shaped as a broken heart...
" And if I am nakey?" I teased him, raising my camera a little higher, watching his eyes nearly bulge out of his socket as he gets a view of my arms covering my chest protectively.
" Joraaaa," his voice comes out pained as I bring the camera back towards my face.
" That's all you get, big boy," my teeth dig into my bottom lip to hide my smile as he leans back, covering his eyes with a groan. " Do you like the necklace on me?"
Kyler opens his eyes and lifts his head up, licking his lips. " I do. Maybe I like it even more knowing that it's the only thing you are wearing right now," he says, shifting in his seat.
Mustering up my remaining energy, I forced myself out of bed and walked towards my closest, holding my towel tightly against my chest. " Sade forced me to go to Pilates with her today. Those classes should be illegal," I began to ramble as I shifted through the casual section of my closet. " In fact, that's probably why she's so unhinged."
Kyler snorts. " You are all unhinged in my book," he mutters.
" What?" My gaze sharpens on his box as I didn't miss a beat. " What about me is unhinged? I'm the only normal one in the friend group."
Kyler's eyebrows lifted knowing that I didn't even believe the words that just came out of my mouth. " You suggested putting Nair shampoo in your new neighbors welcome basket because she was staring at you too long."
Kissing my teeth, I pulled out a basic black fitted long sleeve and hooked it on my forefinger. " It wasn't that she was staring, it was the way she was staring," I defended myself. " Any normal girl would do it."
" Uh huh," he sounded unconvinced and unfazed at the same time. Which makes sense because of who his twin was. " Where are you going, gorgeous?"
Gorgeous...
The brownie points just kept tallying up in his favor as of late. At times, I did question how long I would last when we were finally together again in person. We hadn't seen each other in almost a month, the longest we'd gone so far with our new arrangement. Our schedules just didn't align together yet.
But I did have a surprise for him soon.
" I see that smile," he calls me out as I try stepping out of the screen, trying to show that I wasn't letting his smooth talking affect me. I still had to humble him, keep him on his toes during this new stage in our relationship.
He couldn't get too comfortable— not just yet.
" What smile?" I played dumb, failing to subdue the insistent tug on the corner of my lips. " But to answer your question, I have some errands to run and dinner with my family later. That should be fun."
Considering the last family dinner ended with me telling my brother's to fuck off and stop snitching to my father about my relationship problems. It was bad enough that my father already was on the fence about Kyler, rightfully so, but now I was sure that he hated him.
And all because my brother's were such disappointments, that the only thing they could use against me were my failed relationships.
How pathetic.
How was my father going to accept my relationship if every little hiccup was reported back to him? My father's approval was important to me as he was the number one man in my life for years, but now there was Kyler and if the two of them didn't get along, I don't know what I would do.
Making it all the more crucial that my relationship with Kyler gets on the right path, sooner rather than later.
" What was that face?" Why the fuck was he so attentive. Any girl would love that their boyfriend was attentive, not in my case. Kyler was too attentive that there was no hiding anything from him... or lying to him for that matter.
" Umm," my fingers drifted across the fabric of a demi skirt that I bought a while ago and had never seen the light of day. " My brothers kind of... spilled the beans on your um indiscretions at dinner last week. Papi isn't really team Kyler right now."
I focused on the skirt instead of Kyler's face of disappointment. " That man hates me, doesn't he?"
Pulling the hanger off of the rack, I shook my head as I sat the two pieces on top of my counter and began to search for accessories. " I wouldn't say hate," I tried soothing his worries. " He just is a little... on the fence. And it be like, this is all your fault or anything, but can you blame him?"
Kyler chewed his bottom lip and looked away, but I could still sense a hint of shame as he scrunched his nose up and faced the camera again. " No. I can't."
Sensing that this was already affecting him negatively and the fear of having to deal with an angry Gabriel Sanchez festering in his mind, I thought quickly. " But that doesn't matter," I reassured him with a positive smile on my face."You know why?"
" Why?"
" Because I am papi's only girl," I rumbled through my undergarment drawer and pulled out a mix-match set. "I'm his little girl, his pride and joy. That man, no matter how big and bad he tries to seem or portray himself, he's wrapped around my finger. And as his little girl, he wouldn't want to hurt me."
" Which means, that if I like you," the elastic of my thong snaps against my hip bone.
" Then he will like me," a chuckle leaves Kyler's lip.
" Precisely," I nodded triumphantly. " He will have no choice."
While I ran around my closet getting ready for my day, Kyler told me about his day. " The guys and I might go out and explore San Francisco later. We haven't gotten the proper chance to check out our new home..."
I cringed at the word home. His home was here.
With us.
With me.
" ...playing video games, at work, or boarding the team plane for another game," I zoned back into the conversation, shaking my head at the silly thoughts of mine.
It wasn't like he was in San Francisco living his best life and partying it up. He was there for work, to live his dream. Still, that didn't make it suck any less.
" This city is so cramped though, it's making me claustrophobic," he frowned as he stood up and began walking. It made sense why he would feel that way. He spent his summers on a farm when he wasn't in basketball camp.
Going from all that land and open space to house on hills that were practically built on top of each other was a change.
" It'll grow on you," I huffed, nearly falling back as I struggled to get my foot in my cowboy boots. Maybe I should have broken them in first. " You've only been there for a few months. I'm sure you thought that L.A was loud and busy when you first moved here."
" That's true." He was a country boy at heart, no matter how the city changed him, open space would always be a must for him. " Are you okay over there?" His voice was filled with concern as I let out another squeak.
" Mhmm," I threw a thumbs up. " Nearly broke my neck getting into these damn boots but I'm fine."
" Be careful, JoJo," he says softly.
" I am," I assured him, stepping back into the frame as I buckled my belt. " How do I look?"
Kyler's gaze, soft yet so fiery, nearly stripped me naked through the screen. It amazes me how a simple glance, a subtle twitch of his upper lip, flick of his tongue— anything that he did, it got me hot. Now that I was the subject of his gaze and his undivided attention, my skin was burning.
And it wasn't because I was wearing a long sleeve.
It was because the sun was shining down on him, making his skin glow, his eyes look golden, and the tattoos stand out against his skin. And if I was seeing correctly— which I was because my eye doctor upped my prescription for being as blind as a bat, I could see clearer than has three weeks ago, but the point was— he buffed up.
His arms looked delicious.
So yes, I was burning up with a 105 degree fever.
" Perfect," he smiles, brushing his hand over his chin. "You always look perfect."
Ding. Ding.
That's the sound of two extra brownie points being earned. If he kept it up, maybe I would be riding him until I couldn't anymore.
____________________
I sat in my car for thirty minutes before walking up to the cobblestone driveway of my family home.
Mentally preparing myself to sweet talk my father into accepting Kyler when the time came, took longer than I expected. I had all day to think of what I was going to say.
I thought about when I was at the nail salon, and I even made up fake scenarios in my mind while my hair was getting blown out. While I was getting waxed, I couldn't even fathom the pain that I was going through down there because I was worried about this fucking dinner.
It didn't help that Ed, Edd, and Eddy liked to make my life hell simply because they were imbeciles that didn't have their priorities set like I did.
" Let's get this over with," I muttered to myself. At least mom would be here to back me up.
" I'm home!" I yelled, pocketing my keys into my purse before I followed the scent of spices and home cooked meals to the kitchen.
" Great!" My mother yelled over her shoulder as I entered the kitchen. She turned around and dusted her hands in her dirty and abused apron, smiling from ear to ear. " I made your favorite."
" We had one of her favorites last week," Emiliano's scratchy whine had me cringing as I closed my left earlobe.
" Maybe it's because I'm the favorite," I stick my tongue out as he flips me off, leaving his finger in the air as he sits at the island.
" Be a gentleman and stop flicking your sister off," my mother scolded him.
" I wasn't flicking her off."
" Debes pensar que soy un descerebrado," my mother yelled after him. " I know you, Emiliano. I carried you for nine months..."
— You just think I am brainless
Emiliano silently mocked my mother, vicki g his head from side to side as he raised a hand in the air, shutting and opening it as I forced my chuckle down. My mother whipped her head around and fixated her gaze into Emiliano, who was so busy mocking her with his eyes closed, that he failed to realize she stopped talking until she pulled out the attached faucet sprayer from the nozzle and turned it onto him, spraying him right in the face.
"¡mami! ¡Qué carajo!" He screeches as I nearly pass out for holding my laughter in too long.
— Mami! What the fuck?
" Don't curse at me."
" This is why your favorites never get made." My giggle slips out as Emiliano jumps away from the table, dripping everywhere like a wet dog. " Go get changed and while you're at it, find your brothers and tell them to go set the table."
And hopefully he'd find his manners too.
" Hello mami," I wrapped my arms around her slender torso in greeting, my nose falls into the crook of her neck as she pulls of her dishwashing gloves and throws them into the sink. " You look pretty today."
My mother scoffs, whacking me playfully, "Do I not look pretty everyday?"
I rolled my eyes, inhaling her sweet scent and feeling a rush of nostalgia wash over me as I sniff her coconut scented hair, smell her signature perfume on her clothes that faintly mask the scent of the cigarette she's had before cooking.
" Of course you do," I kissed her cheek before stealing a chopped up price of carrot out of the salad bowl.
" Stop it," she hisses, smacking my hand as I pop the carrot in my mouth anyways. " You'll spoil your dinner."
" It's one carrot," I tell her as she observes me, placing her hands on my hips, raking her gaze over my attire. " Is that my belt?" Her eyes pin mine in my place.
" No." I answered too quickly.
" It is... circa 1992," she states matter of factly. " Boy was I hot back then."
" Back then she says," my father walks into the room, not sparing any shame as he smacks my mothers butt. " You still are hot stuff."
Oh lord, I was going to gag.
My mother giggles like a teenage girl, scolding him as she pushes his hands off of her body. " Your daughter is present."
My father grabs a hold of my head, mushing my hair as he presses a kiss to the side of my head. " She's an adult, she knows how she got here."
" Gabriel!" My mother pointed a stern finger toward my grinning father. " Behave," she lifted a brow, a smile still managing to appear on her ageless face.
I looked the most like my mother, I got my eyes from her.... and obviously her beauty. She was a stunner, tall, maintained physique because like Sade, she loved attending those classes with the death reformers. Her skin glowed at all hours of the day because she was a beauty freak and needed to ensure that her skin would be anti-wrinkle for as long as she could keep it.
My love of fashion came from her. Why else would I steal her belt? It was cute... and vintage. Every girl needed to own at least one vintage staple in their closet through their lifetime.
" That's a nice necklace, sweetheart," my father says. " Is it new?" Great. Here goes nothing.
" Yeah," I flattened down my hair as I leaned against the kitchen counter. " It was a gift," I told him, twisting the chain around my finger as I felt a flush come on.
" A gift," he mimics, lingering on the necklace a little longer. " You've been getting a lot of gifts lately."
" Gabriel," my mother says his name sharply.
" Leave her alone."
" What? She has been getting a lot of gifts," he raises his hands defensively. " Expensive gifts. You know, the kind that I used to buy you when I was in the dog house."
" Which is exactly why you should butt out of our daughter's business," she backs me up. " She's an adult, remember."
I smile appreciatively at her. " Thank you, mami. I actually wanted to talk to you about something," I crossed my legs and gripped the kitchen sink. " About um, the gift giver in particular," I swallowed.
Why was I nervous?
Because he was important to me... and I loved him deeply.
My father freezes. " Kyler," he says with a hint of... disdain.
" Yes," I answered. " I know that you have this misconception of him based off of recent... tabloids... and I know that it looks bad but, I love him and he's important to me. And I am important to you and with that, Inwouod just like you to keep an open mind."
" An open mind," my father repeats slowly.
" Yes." I nodded my head. " A very open mind."
My father studies me a little bit and I shift under his intimidating gaze. He was in deep thought when he shouldn't be. The immediate answer should have been, yes, Jora, I will keep an open mind.
" Fine," he sighs. " It'll be hard to keep an own kind when he keeps breaking my one and only daughters heart bu-"
" Gabriel! She is in love! Leave her alone," my mother hits his chest. " Where would she be if I didn't give you another chance?"
My father wasn't exactly a saint either, but he wasn't disloyal. He was stupid like all men are but he wasn't that stupid. He just focused on his career more than my mother and that almost cost him. He wasn't new to groveling.
" Okay! Okay!" My father gives in. " I'll give him a chance but this is it. No more heartbreaks."
I clapped my hands excitedly. " No more heartbreaks!" I repeated.
_______________________
Dinner with my family was great.
I went home with a full stomach and left overs for the girls. They would be gone by tomorrow morning, especially dessert.
" Hey friends!" I yelled as I kicked out of my cowboy boots, kicking them to the side as I sighed in relief. " I come baring food."
Feet came stampeding towards me, one second the bag was in my hand, the second it was empty and my friends were off to the kitchen throwing their thank you's over their shoulders.
" So how was dinner?" Ayanna asked as she and the girls divided up the contents of my mother's cooking.
" It was surprisingly good," I rummaged through the drive to find my ice cream. " I managed to get my father to keep an open mind when it came to Kyler, so tonight was a win."
" I see there are two new flower bouquets," Elizabeth squeaked, tilting her grand towards the dining room table that barely got any use. " He really knows his flowers."
" He should," Skylar says, shoving her rice into her mouth like it is going to fly off of the plate. " Our mother prides herself on winning the neighborhood garden of the year. She's been the winner six years in a row."
" Why go through all of that trouble of taming a garden?" Audrey asked out of pure curiosity.
" Because the winner gets a spread in Southern Living Magazine," she explained. " And plus, it's Savannah Georgia, that's self explanatory enough."
I feel like just saying it's the south was self explanatory.
" So," Elizabeth comes up to my side as the girls try to pull up images of Renee's prize winning gardens worthy of a magazine spread. " How is everything going between you and Ky-whore."
I cough, my ice cream giving me a brain freeze at the same time. " Ky-whore," my hand comes down on my chest, patting it rapidly while she rubs my back. " That's a new one."
" Sorry," she apologizes softly.
I smiled, lulling my head against her shoulder. " Don't. The name is quite fitting," I laugh once my brain freeze dies down. " But it's going ... great so far. He's really trying and I know that you are probably thinking how when all he does is send gifts, but, they're all thoughtful and followed up by a cheesy, yet cute handwritten note."
" I wasn't thinking that," Elizabeth pressed her head on top of mine. She was the last person to judge me, I mean, she's seen all of me.
Well... technically the bottom half of me.
But still. Elizabeth was the last person to judge me
She was just so damn sweet and the friend that everyone needed. She was thoughtful, kind, and went out of her way to make everyone happy. Abel was lucky to have her and he treated her well, they even have a dog.
He brought her King Charles spaniel... but she didn't know it yet. I helped him pick it out the other day.
" I was thinking that it was good to see you happy again," she squeezes my shoulders softly. " And I know that we all give him shit, but we do believe in him."
" I know," I sighed.
Deep down, I knew that we would overcome everything.
HEYYYYY!!!
I'm going to try to double update this book today. If it's not out tonight it'll be out tomorrow.
Thoughts on this chapterrrrr!!!
I love you guyssss
xoxo, alexis
Jora's fit