Eriq“Very Single,” I whisper as I lean in a little closer. My eyes drift to her lips. Those lips I keep dreaming about and wanting to taste again. They are right there. All I have to do is just lean in a little more. Just a little more. I’ve wanted to kiss her all day. Every time she smiles, I wanted to pull her into my arms and kiss her senseless. But logic always stops me. She is pregnant with a boyfriend, someone she met after I ditched her. I have no right to want or expect more. I shouldn’t want anything, but one look at her makes me greedy because I want her, and from the way she’s looking at me, I’m thinking maybe I have a chance. Just one kiss. I inhale and lean closer, almost brushing her lips.‘Ding Dong’The doorbell rings.I jump back, startled by the sudden noise as Ami turns her head to the door.“I should get that.” She says. I want to tell her don’t go. I want to take her in my arms and kiss her, but the confidence I had moments ago was gone. Why would she want me? I a
I arrive at Vincent’s an hour and a half later. Violet is my cousin Vincent’s only child. She’s been attached to me since she was a baby and I absolutely adore her, so whenever I have any free time I spend the time with her having tea parties or dancing.“Zio.” I smile as a chubby cutie with brown hair and big brown eyes comes running toward me.“Zio, you’re okay,” she says as she latches on to my leg. She’s probably been waiting there all day since she saw the fire.“But I was worried. The fire was so big.” She says.“Of course I am. Your Zio is big and strong.” I say as I pick her up and kiss her on her cheek. She is so sweet.I hope when I have a daughter she is as sweet as this little cutie. I smile as an image of a little with green eyes and big brown blond curls pop into my head. A little girl who looks like Ami. I know I’m getting ahead of myself. Just because her brother is welcoming me to the family doesn’t mean Ami and I will end up together. Or have an adorable little girl
EriqI open my eyes slowly and glance at the unfamiliar industrial pipe above my bed. Where? I turn to my left and realize I’m in the bedroom in Ami’s apartment. It’s amazing how much has changed in one day. Yesterday began like any other day, and then I saw her again, moved in with her, cooked for her, and even kissed her. I smile as I remember our kiss last night, but my smile quickly falls when I remember her calling for the father of her child. She wants him, not me, and he’s probably better for her and her child than I will ever be. After all, I’m broke, homeless, living in her apartment with a crazy cousin who burned down his-—-Shit Flavio. That crazy asshole won’t stop until I join him. I can’t live here and put Ami and the baby at risk. I need to tell her and find somewhere else to stay, maybe with Glen or perhaps staying with my parents is best. Flavio is crazy, but he wouldn’t burn down my parent’s house. So I should just stay there until I figure something out, but first I
AmaijaI wait for the door to close and a few minutes to go by before I turn around to face Vector.“Before you say anything, I can explain.” He says as I glare at it.“Okay, explain to me why you can’t trust my choice. Explain why you think I’m a fool. Go ahead. Explain why you are telling someone I brought here to get out of my company!” I shout, seething with anger.“It’s our company. We’re partners, and of course, I don’t think you’re a fool. I don’t want you to get hurt again.”“I brought Eriq her as an employee, not a potential boyfriend you can grill and even if I was interested in him, it’s not of your business. Whether my heart breaks a million times, it’s none of your business.”“Don’t say that!” He yells. “Of course, it’s my business. I care about you.”I exhale sharply.“I know you think of me as a little sister.”“I don’t,”“What?”“I don’t think of you as my sister.” He says as he steps closer to me. I stare at him, stunned.“I have never thought of you as a little sister
Dad/ZayneI open my eyes slightly as light streams into the room. I look over at my wife and smile. I can’t believe after all these years, she still makes me feel like I’m on cloud nine whenever she’s near. I lean over to wake her up with a kiss and hopefully get some morning action.“Good morning my lo—”WHAMShe suddenly flies up, hitting me in the forehead. I grab my head and squint, but she’s looking straight ahead while panting.“My love?” She turns to me slowly.“Somebody’s pregnant,”“Huh?” I furrow my brows as I clutch my throbbing forehead. Pregnant? What is this crazy woman on?“Who’s pregnant and why did you suddenly jump up?”“I dreamt there was a fish was chasing me,” she says. A fish? My brain stops working for a second, trying to understand this dream of hers.“My love, a fish doesn’t have legs.” I chuckle at her silliness, but she isn’t amused and slaps my shoulder. ““Hey no hitting the husband,” I say as I grab her hand and kiss it. ““Who’s husband are you?” She gru
Eriq“If you don’t get up here, I’m going to start without you,” I call down to Ami as I stand at the top of the staircase. It’s been a little over a week since I’ve been here after she asked me to stay here with her and so far she has kept her promise and has gotten two bodyguards who follow us when we leave the house. But, I’m still not sure staying here is the right choice. I could never forgive myself if my presence here put her and the baby in danger, but when she asked me to stay, I could not say no. I don’t know if it was because I didn’t want to leave or it is because of the way she looked at me that day. It gave me a little hope that she might want us to be more than what we now are, which is boss and employee.The work is easier than I thought it would be. I mostly cook, set appointments, and help her answer emails. I work about four a day, and the rest I spend painting.Whenever Ami isn’t working, we spend the time playing video games or watching movies, and it usually ends
I stand frozen for a second, still shocked as she kisses me, but the warm sensation breaks the spell. I pull her close to me and deepen the kiss, tasting her sweet lips. When I break off the kiss, she's panting heavily and staring deeply into my eyes. "Ah," she says as she touches her stomach."Ami? Are you okay? Is it the baby? " I ask, immediately panicking. "I can take you to the hospital," I say as I scoop her up in my arms."Hold on, I'll take you.""Eriq, I'm fine," she says as she grabs my hand."Huh?""I'm fine. I think the baby just moved for the first time," she says excitedly as she rubs her belly again."Really?" I grin widely."Yeah, either that or it was butterflies."She says as she smiles and looks at me.Butterflies? The mention of the word gives me butterflies. Does that mean I gave her butterflies? Or it could be the baby, which is pretty cool. Either way, it's pretty cool, but I'm hoping it was butterflies for my own selfish reasons."Butterflies?" I ask as I inch
AmaijaI lie on the bed waiting for the doctor with mom sitting by my side holding my hand. I’m excited she gets to hear the baby’s heartbeat today, but my mind can’t seem to focus on this moment. Instead, it keeps replaying Eriq’s kisses. My lips tingle and a bubbly feeling fill my stomach like before. The same feeling he called butterflies. I smile. I haven’t heard that term since high school, then again I haven’t felt like this since back then. The nerves, the uncertainty of his feelings, and the excitement I get whenever I see him. He makes me feel like a high school girl with her first crush.“Why are you smiling like that?” Mom asks, pulling me from my thoughts.“Like what?” I ask.“Like you have a crush on an attractive, chiseled-jaw brunette.” I smile as Eriq’s face pops into my head.“There goes that smile again. You like him.” Mom says, grinning.Of course, I like him, but I don’t want to announce it to anyone. This is all new and I don’t know where it’s going. Whether it’s
EriqI can’t keep myself from smiling as I peel the potatoes. Her mother likes me. I have one ally in my goal to win over Ami.“Mom!” Jaden runs into the kitchen, snatches the potato peeler from me, and glares at me.What’s wrong with him? He’s acting like the first time I met him. “Mom, why didn’t you tell me you need help? Why did you ask him?”He says, his eyes still shooting daggers at me.“I didn’t ask him. He offered to help. You can help if you want to, but he’s already doing the potatoes. Why don’t you make the dough for the fried dumplings?”“Okay, mom.” He throws the peeler down, walks over to her, and kisses her cheeks.I shake my head, confused, before resuming what I was doing. We all work together in mostly silence for a while.“Are you two done?” Mrs.Klein asks after a while.“Almost,” I say as I look down at the potatoes and see only three left. “Do you want anything else done?”“I’m almost done, mom. You can have me do it instead.” Jaden comes running towards us, his h
Eriq I glance back at Ami, and sure enough, she looks worried. Our eyes meet, and I smile to reassure her before her mother pulls me away. Judging by her mother’s attitude toward me, I don’t think it will be as bad as she does, but I know she is worried for my sake. Which means I have some place in her heart even if she doesn’t love me yet. It gives me hope that maybe someday soon, I can tell her I love her. I have been holding back for the last few weeks and feel I’m suffocating without saying those three words. “I bet he’s Asian.” someone says as we draw closer to the family room. “No, this one is white,” Jaden says. “White, that’s new. How old is he?” “I don’t know,” Jaden says. “I bet two hundred and fifty thou he’s twenty-four.” “I’ll take that action,” “No, you’ve already met him. So both you and Zara are excluded.” I chuckle, amused by their banter. They remind me of my family. I guess all families are the same no matter how much money you have. “So 250, who’s in…” “Ah
AmiI pull my pants on, then my shirt, and grab my shoes. We’re getting ready to leave for Jamaica soon. I frown. Two weeks with my , overbearing family is not my idea of a good time. Especially since I’m still a little miffed, that Mom felt the need to blackmail me into going. She can be so annoying, but I can’t be too upset since Eriq is right. The entire family changed their schedules so that I could go. I mean, even if is overbearing, it is sweet.I feel the corner of my belly stretching, pulling me from my thoughts. I smile as I reach down and touch my stomach. Every time I feel them move, it makes me so happy. Our baby.“Daddy and I can’t wait to meet you.” I sigh, my heart feeling troubled as I remember I haven’t told Eriq it’s his baby. I was going to tell him, but his father for sick, and then mom changed the date of the trip, so it didn’t feel like the right time. I can’t drop this news on him and two weeks with my family at the same time. I’ll just wait until we get back fr
Eriq I inhale, trying to calm myself as I stare at the arrogant shit smirking at me. I want to punch in Flavio’s teeth for what he pulled today. However, they outnumber me and are probably all armed. I glance at the three men in the room, one by the door I recognize from the picture and two other men behind him. “Welcome to the family business.” “The family business is an auto shop, Flav. What the fuck was that today?” “This is the new family business. Your little friend will be untouched if you comply.” Anger burns through my body. I clench my jaw, trying to resist the urge to lunge at him. “I already told you I’m not interested in whatever bullshit you have going on. This is not the life I want to live.” “Are you living the life now? I see that pretty little thing you’re with. What will happen when she needs money to do her hair or her nails but her boyfriend is broke?” I chuckle at the thought of Ami needing money from me. “You won’t find it funny when she leaves you for ano
EriqMy heart almost stops. I immediately sprint out of the room, ignoring Glen’s calls as I head for the door. What if Flavio kidnaps her? I have never seen him harm someone, but he set my apartment on fire to get what he wanted. What else is he willing to do? I should have known better than bringing her here. I should have suspected he may have been watching Glen. I should have moved out to keep her safe, but I selfishly stayed because I wanted her. Now she’s in danger and all because I couldn’t stay away from her. I swear if he touches her; I grit my teeth as I run down the last flight of steps out of the building. I run to the car. She’s not there. I look around. She’s nowhere in sight. I grab my phone and dial his number. After a second ring, he picks up.“Where the fuck is she?”“So, she is important to you?”“I swear if you lay a finger on her, I’ll bury you six feet deep.” My voice trembles with anger and fear at the same time. “Finally. I like that. Who knew it would take a w
Amaija “She did what? How do you know it’s broken?” Eriq asks. “Well, I’m in the middle of something. I’ll let you know.” He removes the phone from his ears as his friend screams. “What’s wrong? Is it an emergency? We can cut our date short.” “It’s…” He pauses and presses the speaker. “Are you seriously going to leave me here?!” Glen shouts. “Yes, call your parents,” Eriq says. “I don’t want my parents to see me like this.” “Call the ambulance. I’m busy. I told you to stop picking up random women.” I furrow my brows. What does a random woman have to do with this? “She was really hot and you know that our health insurance is shit. I can’t afford the emergency room fee. Especially after getting robbed.” “A woman robbed him?” I ask, stunned. “Yes, and she also, according to him, broke his Ummm…” He trails off. “Broke what?” “His—his—uh, the thing you painted today.” The thing I painted. I furrow my brows, confused. I painted his thing; I blush, recalling the picture. It makes
EriqFinally, we’re going on a date. It’s a bit late considering all the things we have done, but it’s better late than never. I just hope she likes it. She is used to the best of the best and I’m sure this won’t compare to some dates she has been on, but I hope it’s good enough because she deserves nothing but the best. My smart, loving, tough cookie with a heart of gold. My little weirdo. The memory of her crawling in my room on all fours makes me chuckle. I couldn’t believe she was the one nabbing my shirts, but knowing my smell makes her feel better is the best feeling in the world because it means she’s attached to me. And maybe this thing we’re doing will be more than a fling. Well, it already is more than that for me, but I can’t read her. I know she likes me, but I don’t know how much. I want to ask, but I’m afraid of the answer. I shake my head, Stop thinking of the future and just live in the present. Let’s just focus on tonight. I take one last look, grab my watch, and put
Amaija “Ami, I’m going to take a shower!” Eriq says.“Okay!!” I shout from the couch, pretending I’m reading as I watch him disappear. After five minutes pass, I drop my iPad and sneak up the stairs to his room. I tiptoe to his door and press my ears against it, listening to see if he’s still in the room. Hearing nothing, I slowly open the door and hurry across the room to his closet. I’ve been sneaking in to steal his shirts for the last couple of days. Okay, it may sound weird, but I promise it’s not what it seems. His smell makes me feel better. No, not in a weird way. I had no morning sickness at the beginning of my pregnancy and thought I would make it to the end without ever getting sick. But two weeks it arrived with vengeance. I’ve been suffering from morning sickness the last two weeks, more like all-day sickness since it doesn’t just happen in the morning. It does stop when I’m sleeping, but otherwise, I’m by the toilet.Before the shirts, I tried everything. Mom even r
EriqAfter checking a couple of Ami’s emails, I head downstairs to find them when I hear them talking.“Come on, tell me. You were having sex with that guy, your new assistant, right?” I guess they are having girl talk. Should I go in? No, it will probably be awkward if I enter now. I stand back and wait for the conversation to turn to something neutral so I can enter.“Shh, he might hear you.”“So that’s exactly what you were doing. How was it? Give me all the details. You know it’s been four years since I’ve gotten any….” Four years, wow that’s a long time.“Shhh… he’s my assistant. And you’re choosing not to have sex. You can have any man you want.” Ami says.“The dating pool has urine in it. Girl, you know. They are all either cheaters, users, or gays.” Ami chuckles her cute little laugh.“There are some good ones left,” Ami says.I smile, hoping she’s thinking of me.“I guess he must be something special for you to have that stupid grin on your face.”“What grin?”“That stupid gr