𝙿𝚛𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚘𝚛

𝐼𝐼 𝑀𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑊𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑑

𝐵𝑒𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒́

I sat outside on the porch just watching the world. The cool breeze of the first summer night caused the Spanish moss to sway. Crickets chirped and the bees buzzed. The moon shone over this house like a light from the heavens. As if God himself were watching over each and every one of us.

I sat out here as they all slept, having had snuck away in attempts to quiet my mind, it only seemed to become more and more active.

I was remembering things left and right. Since the moment I kissed Onika to making love to her that night by the river, even when I woke up to her humming a sweet tune to Kaia this morning, I was remembering everything.

Onika and I met June 3rd years ago at a bar. I had gone to get away from my mother and she was there with her friends. Lauren and Robyn were off flirting with a couple of guys, but she was at the bar alone, babysitting a Bud.

~8 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑔𝑜~

I'd been eyeing this girl for the last twenty minutes. On and off, of course. I'm not a creep.

She sat alone at the other end of the bar, swishing her beer, her head turned down. Though I couldn't quite see her face from here, I could tell she was pretty. Her hair pulled back from her face in a half up-down style. Dressed in a pink fitted top and what looked like jeans. She didn't fit in much, but I was happy she stood out.

I wanted to walk over and introduce myself. To see her face and fawn. I hadn't been out in a long time and it's been even longer since I'd gotten to know a woman who wasn't pushed onto me by my mother.

But how do I do that, let alone, how do I know if she wants to be approached?

I sighed, waving the bartender over. He was a buff man, thick beard and tattoos running along his arms. He'd scare the life out of Momma.

"Another round of whiskey?" He asked me and I nod. In that moment, a thought crossed my mind.

"Matter fact, make it two. Send the other down to the lovely lil lady on the other side," I ask him for his pen and wrote a little note on a napkin. "And give her this." I handed it to him and he chuckled before sending me a wink.

The bartender made my drink then went to do the rest of his rounds. I don't look over at the girl in those few minutes. I sipped carefully on the glass of whiskey and didn't turn around until I heard a slightly amused voice behind me.

"You look like you could use something a bit stronger, lil lady. Signed, B." The girl spoke loudly over the blaring country tunes, repeating what I'd written down moments ago. I turned to her with a shy smile.