I open my eyes to the morning light streaming in through the blinds, the room bathing in a soft golden hue. My body still aches in all the right places from the night before and the memory of Shane's body, imprinted on mine, was still fresh in my mind. I could feel the warmth of his body next to me, his arm draped possessively over my waist and I turned to kiss his chin.
We made love last night, caught up in the euphoria from yesterday's events and just being back in each other's lives again. It was intense and passionate and the way we looked at, kissed and held each other, made us fall that much deeper in love. Every deep stroke and caress, sending recurring waves of pleasure-driven shivers down my spine and as I soak up his touch, I continue to breathe him.
The smell of Shane's musk and cologne from last night lingers on my skin, the taste of his lips are still fresh on mine, and the sound of his voice whispering promises of his undying love for me echo in my ears. Looking up at him, his light snores make me smile, knowing that I have finally found the love that I had been yearning for, the love that I deserve.
I trace the contours of his face with my thumb, stroking his soft and fuzzy mustache and then his smooth lips, causing him to shift in his sleep, pulling me closer into his embrace. I smile some more and snuggle into his arms as I close my eyes, savoring every second of this moment.
"You done playing with my face?" Shane's groggy voice cuts through the morning's silence. His eyes are closed but a satisfying smile forms on his lips. My heart flutters at the sound of his voice, his words are low and send more chills down to my lower back.
"Just admiring the view, is all." I reply, my voice still raspy from last night's passion. He chuckles before dragging his lips across my face, then back down to my lips and onto my neck.
"I'll let you admire me all you want, as long as you say yes to dinner tonight." His lips linger against me and then I kiss him back.
"Yes, baby, I'll have dinner with you tonight." I say, pulling away so I can check the time on my phone. I then check my notifications, wincing to read a text that came from Tony. "Tony's asking me to come to the office."
"Mm, must be important, seeing as though it's Saturday." Shane says, tracing his fingers up and down my left side.
"That's true. I wonder what it's about."
"Well with winning the lawsuit and everything, do you see yourself still working for him?" Shane was asking all the right questions and I had to really think about it.
"It's a tough decision. On the one hand, I love my job and the people I work with. But on the other hand, with the money my dad, Jasmine and I will have now, the company split could be a great opportunity to start my own business or do something else that I'm passionate about." I say, curling myself back into Shane's hold, not wanting to get up. "Honestly, baby, I'm not sure what I want to do. But what I do know is that I want you by my side through it all."
Shane pulls me closer, his warm breath tickling my ear as he whispers, "Whatever you decide to do, I'll support you every step of the way."
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"Lavender! I'm not playing, five times a year is how many times yo' ass needs to be on that plane, visiting me! Five!" Ralph yells at me and even though he's been hugging me nonstop for the past five minutes, I don't want it to end. His slightly longer dreads block my vision and I try to detangle through them with my face, lightly gasping for air. Samyra tosses a box onto the ground when she catches a glimpse of our embrace, taking short dramatic steps towards us, wanting to get in on it too.
"Fuck, you're actually leaving us, Lavi." She mumbles into my hair as our group hug gets tighter.
"Un uh," I said, "This is already hard and you promised you wasn't going to guilt trip me, Samyra."
"Okay? And now I'm taking it back."
"Y'all are impossible." The three of us start to tear up, us wiping each other's faces and I look over at Shane, he and Darius talking as they come out of the building with the last load of my things. He looks at me and slightly pouts his lips at our interaction. Our circle breaks and we pull away from each other, Shane coming up to say his goodbyes as well. They hug it out, one by one.
"Okay, Mr. Myers, you better take care of my best friend, and I'm not even playing with you," Samyra points a warning finger at Shane, her playful voice now serious and Ralph joined in on the scolding.
"Don't worry, guys. I love this woman. No one's got her like I do." Shane smiles reassuringly, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me close. His confident display of affection sends a wave of chills down my back and I steal a kiss from him. We hug one more time before saying goodbye. I watch as they walk to their cars and Shane helps Samyra take the few remaining boxes of her things that she had been avoiding until now.
"Alright, that's everything." Darius strains himself with the last few boxes from my now vacated apartment, carefully placing them into the back of his moving truck to haul to a storage facility nearby.
"Thank you, Darius." I say, grateful for all his help.
"You know I gotchu, girl." He says, licking his lips obnoxiously as he waits for Shane to look away and he towers my frame, rubbing his palms together. "Let me know if that nigga start acting up, and I'll be on my way for sure." I smile and roll my eyes because I know I'll miss his overprotective outbursts.
"Thank you, Darius." I say again, exaggerating this time and leaning in to hug him tightly. He chuckles and half-hugs me with one arm.
I couldn't help but take a moment to take it all in. A lot's happened these past few weeks but I couldn't be more happy at how life was turning out, for all of us.
In the months that passed, Jasmine was offered a contract to tour and participate in co-ed esports competitions and she'll be in Korea for the next year or so.
Watching her face, planted up high on billboards out in Times Square, Tokyo and London with men and women of equal talent, was a surreal experience for her, I'm sure and I found myself truly proud of all my little sister's accomplishments by far.
Meanwhile, my Dad decided to retire early, selling his landscaping business to do some much needed traveling, like he and Mama planned on doing before she passed.
Tony was on the market for a new co-CEO and I was flattered when he asked me to fill the position. I did turn him down, though. Instead, I used my newfound wealth to invest in ALT9 and help shape the company from the sidelines, giving me more time to enjoy everything else, with Shane by my side.
Samyra ultimately accepted the job offer. As a result, Ralph stepped up to become the head of ALT9, leading the company to new heights with his innovative ideas and tireless work ethic. Between us and his cafes, flying back and forth from Virginia to California became tiresome and after a while, Shane and I decided that I would move in with him.
And It's not easy, saying goodbye to my friends and the city I grew up in, but I knew it was the right move for us. We made the choice, knowing that the extra time will allow us to build on our relationship, to explore more about each other in ways that time and distance previously didn't give us the ability to.
Everyday, I read my Mama's letter, letting her words serve as a gentle reminder of what to expect out of our relationship. Shane kisses me, hugs and holds me and he most definitely waters my garden in ways that make me feel like I'm floating on air.
More importantly, he listens when I speak and for me, It's not just a matter of hearing the words, but truly understanding the meaning behind them. That's the kind of connection I've always craved for, and Shane offers it without hesitation.
I watch as Darius drives away, the moving truck slowly fading into distance and then the sound of my phone ringing brings me back so I can answer it. Immediately, I smile from ear to ear, beaming as I hear my daddy's voice from the other side.
"Hi, Daddy!"
"Hey, baby! How's the move going? I'm sorry I'm not there to help."
"It's going. It's okay, everyone's being so helpful as usual and we're pretty much done. How's Bora Bora?"
"That's good. It's so beautiful, baby! Your Mama would have loved it here." He says, his voice floods with a touch of nostalgia. "But enough about me. I wanna make sure my oldest flower is doing okay."
"Daddy, I'm okay. Really." I assured him with an optimistic tone.
"Are you sure? You moving across the country is a big leap, Lav."
"I know, and I am, Daddy. I'm sure about Shane, about moving... about everything." There's a pause and then he chuckles, "Well, alright then. I'll leave you to it, but you better call me as soon as you get there, Okay?"
"I will, I promise. I love you."
"I love you too, baby. Talk to you soon. There's a steak the size of my damn back staring me down right now." The sound of our laughter echoes back and forth through the phone as we hang up. Shane comes up from behind me, slipping his arms around my waist and pulling me back a few steps so we can lean against his truck.
"Was that your old man?" he asks, his breath warm against my ear.
"Mhm, it was." I responded, leaning back into his embrace. "He wanted to know how the move was going and I told him everything was fine." The spring breeze of April sends a gust of tiny purple and white flower petals to scatter around us and in, through the streets. I inhale deeply.
"Hey." He says softly and I turn around and press my abdomen against his, meeting his eyes, those entrancing brown eyes that I've come to love so much.
"Hmm?"
"Are you nervous?"
"Have you ever been so excited about something, so sure of something that it scares the shit out of you?" I ask, really scanning his face, eager for an answer.
He traces my frame until his heavy hands find my hips. "Yeah, you."
His response takes me off guard, and I can't control the burning that spreads across my cheeks. I look at Shane, biting my lip to stop the grin threatening to break on my face.
I don't know what the future holds for us, what we'll be doing six months, hell, even a year from now. But one thing that I'm undeniably certain of is the love I have for this man.
