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Fayth
"Thanks for the dinner, Malik. It was sweet of you to take me to a place like that. You didn't have to rent the whole building out though." I laughed a little.
We're currently sitting on a park bench. It was kind of late but Malik wasn't ready for me to leave yet. It was one of those swinging benches so I kicked my feet back and forth.
"You know it's a lot of niggas out here that want to see me dead. I was just protecting us." Those sentences caused me to look around the park at Malik's men. He had to have top-notch security wherever he went.
He even had some of his men keep an eye on Maliyah and me from time to time. I'm sure people were watching his mother too.
"Do you ever get tired of having to keep your guard up 24/7?" I asked and he paused to think about it.
"What you mean?"
"I mean like... whenever you're in public you like to act so toughly and you seem so emotionless. The only time I've ever seen you be yourself is when you're around Maliyah or your mama."
He looked down at me as he bit his lip. "I can be myself when I'm around you too. I guess that's why I like your company so much."
I blushed a little "You still didn't answer my question."
He looked away from me for a moment. "Before my pops died he always used to tell me to keep my guard up. These people will kill the people you love most just to see you hurt."
"That shit just kind of stuck with me because I don't know what I would do if something happened to my family." He shook his head.
I put my hand on his thigh to comfort him. I knew his dad was a sore subject for him.
"I understand. We can change the subject if you want to." I said and he placed his hand on top of mine.
"Thank you, Fayth."
"For what?" I furrowed my eyebrows.
"For not asking too many questions. Whenever I mention my pops around people, they get too curious."
All I remember about Malik's dad is that he died when I was 12 and Malik was 14. I know he was killed by his ex-wife over pure jealousy. I didn't really know the whole story though. The Mavericks never talked about him much, especially Malik.
"You know I understand shit like that. It ain't easy to talk about." I said referring to the way I was brought up.
He looked down at me and I smiled up at him. He slowly leaned down and kissed me.
His scent engulfed me and his lips tasted like vanilla. This moment felt like the shit you see in movies.
Everything was great until his phone started buzzing and he pulled away from me.
"Shit, I gotta take this." He huffed as he pulled his phone out of his pocket.
I rolled my eyes as he answered the call. "What do you want, Maliyah?" He said with a hint of frustration.
I heard her voice ring through the phone but I couldn't make out what she was saying.
"Alright, I'm on my way." He hung up the phone and quickly stood up. He reached his hand out for mine and I took it.
"What's wrong?" I asked as we walked back to his car.
"Maliyah supposed to be handling the club right now but I guess it's too much for her." He said opening the door for me.
Once we were situated he quickly sped off. I sat in a comfortable silence the whole ride. Malik had his hand placed on my thigh and he would caress it every now and then.
We pulled up to my apartment complex and Malik parked his car. He quickly got out and opened my door for me. I gave him a small smile as he took my hand in his. He walked me to my door and this feeling came over me. I wasn't ready for him go, I didn't want this night to end.
"Do you have to go?" I asked as I placed my key inside the lock.
"You want me to stay?" He furrowed his eyebrows.
I gave him a nod with pleading eyes. He thought about it for a couple seconds. He pulled out his phone and sent some text.
"Okay, I just told Maliyah to go ahead and close the club for the night." He said putting his phone back in his pocket.
"Oh I'm sorry, you should go then. I don't want you missing out on an extra money." I said as I opened the door and stepped inside.
"Trust me babygirl, I got more than enough money. It wouldn't hurt to close for the night." He shrugged as he stepped inside as well.
"You sure?" I asked and he nodded. I sat my belongings down on the kitchen counter and got a bottle of wine from the cabinet.
"Make yourself at home." I said as Malik walked into the kitchen area.
"Damn, this your apartment?" He asked in shock as he analyzed the area.
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"Yeah that's all me." I smiled.
"What do you do for a living? I know this ain't from modeling for my sister." He chuckled.
I laughed as I grabbed two wine glasses and poured the wine. "You know I have a platform. I'm basically an Instagram model and brand ambassador. Plus, I've been saving money since I was 16."
"For somebody to have as nice of a place like this, you're never at home. You always at my mama house or Maliyah's." He sat on one of the barstools and I handed him a glass.
"Yeah it's cute and all but it gets pretty lonely here. That's why I've been thinking about taking some work trips. I got a couple modeling gigs in different states so I figured I would travel for a bit." I smiled. I liked talking about my career, it was the thing I'm most proud of.
"Oh yeah, where you plan on going first?" He asked as he gulped down his wine.
"Either New York or Los Angeles. I haven't really made my mind up." I shrugged
"That's crazy, I have to be in Los Angeles in a couple weeks to look at a new club. We should go together." He said and I smiled.
"That would be cool."
After a while of talking about work and the trip to L.A, we made ourselves comfortable on the couch as we watched a movie. I snuggled up close to him and he had his arm wrapped around me.
For the first time in forever this house didn't seem so lonely. I was actually content.
Maybe Malik was different than how I've always thought of him to be. I sure could get used to this version of him.
