me & tomfoolery

All My Love | Donte DiVincenzo Short Story

Paige felt most relaxed on Donte's couch with her feet in his lap. His hand resting on top of her ankles as he sunk into the couch. They were watching reruns of Run's House. Both had nothing to do specifically but knew they needed to get up.

"You tryna go to target?" Donte knew that she loved that place, but Paige knew he hated going there with her. "What's the catch Tae?"

He scrunched his face up before chuckling, "I need groceries."

"And you want me to shop for you instead of you doing it when I'm not here?" When he nodded profusely she threw some pretzel sticks at him. "Aye, watch that! I like keeping my couch clean."

She threw more pretzels considering that she cleans his apartment anyways. Donte jumped on top of her to tickle her, something he did to make her tap out.

This was their relationship, as best friends. Meeting each other during a rival game between Villanova and Penn State, they instantly clicked. Their friends were dating each other at the time and they played chaperone to their shenanigans the whole weekend. They had been inseparable ever since.

"Your phone is ringing Pai." He yelled as she went to search for the vacuum. "Who is it?"

Her bitch ass boyfriend he thought.
"Nobody."

Donte hated Anthony with a passion. He was arrogant, a liar and a freeloader. He used Paige for the perks and didn't actually care about her, not like Donte did.

Declining the call, Donte went back to the couch to put the snacks away. It was petty of him, but he couldn't help it. Paige was the sweetest woman he knew next to meeting Ayesha Curry.

••••

Donte dropped Paige off after their Target run. He would spend the next few hours with guys.

"Paige coming to the game tomorrow right?" Ty asked handing Donte a beer. "Yeah, she doesn't leave for another three days"

"Paige coming to the game?! Oh I'm dropping 30." Jordan joked. Donte waved him off, everyone knew Paige was all about her boyfriend. She wouldn't give any of them the time of day.

"You know not to play like that. Donte will blow a gasket about Ms. Harris." JaMychal added.

"Leave him alone, he's turning red." Moody laughed.

Donte was indeed red. They tease him about Paige all the time, especially when she comes to visit. The team thought she was his girlfriend when she ended up in Japan for the Tokyo Games. But she had time in her schedule and she didn't have to pay for the trip, why not go?

"I told y'all, she's my best friend. She also has a boyfriend. Nothing to chat about."

•••

Paige would only be in the city for a few more days. She lived in Houston currently but, considered moving. Her job as a real estate agent could be done anywhere. All she needed was to apply for certification whenever she moved.

Currently alone in Donte's apartment, she had time to catch up on work. Most of the time when she's in his presence she doesn't care to look at her phone. There were three missed calls from her boyfriend, she knew calling him back hours later would lead to an argument.

"Hey babe, sorry I'm just getting back to you. Everything okay?" She couldn't fully hear him over all of the music. Anthony worked as a party promoter and he spent most of his time out and away from her on the regular.

"You can get us in the section?" She overheard. "Yeah this my party. All the baddies get in my sections, follow me."

It frustrated Paige that he couldn't do his 'job' without flirting. To her that was cheating and he always defended it. She hung up quickly wiping the tears that left her eyes.

When Donte entered his home, he knew something was off. R&B Break up songs were playing, candles were burning and he could smell chocolate chip cookies. Her favorite.

"Hey Pai, you okay in here?" When she didn't answer, he searched his condo. As he walked into his bed room, he bumped into her as she left the bathroom.

"Dammit Donte!" She yelled trying to regain her balance but fell into him. "Sorry, I was looking for you and you didn't answer."

He looked down at her and noticed he could see her bare backside. "Pai, your towel fell."

"Shit, close your eyes!" She quickly snatched the towel off the floor, grabbing her clothes and running back into the bathroom.

Donte blinked a few times trying to get the image out of his mind, but he couldn't. It was getting harder to hide his growing feelings for her when things just kept happening. When she exited the bathroom he couldn't help but watch her. Paige rubbed her hands together making sure the cocoa butter was evenly distributed.

"You wanna tell me why there's Toni Braxton and chocolate chip cookies in the air?"

"No, I don't." She sighed. "Wanna watch a movie?" She countered.

"Sure Pai."

Donte set up the movie and pulled out two bottles of wine.

Thank God for that Target run right?

Paige made another pack of cookies so that she could share with Donte. The first batch being 6 very large cookies that she wanted for herself. She hated that Anthony upset her again, so much that her mood was spoiled. With only a few days left with one of her favorite people, she couldn't enjoy it. Wondering how much further her boyfriend would go to drive them apart.

As she laid on the couch, Donte laid on her chest. They were always close like this and created boundaries every time they were in other relationships, but as Anthony continued to break Paige down, Donte would be there to fill in for her physically and emotionally. Right now she felt comforted as he held onto her, slowly falling asleep.