This November

Chapter 35

The last several days had been bliss.

Besides going at each other all night they woke up and repeated everything again. Nova could not get enough of him. She desired him in ways she could never imagine.

It was definitely different than when she was with Carter.

With Carter it was more of a lustful feeling, with Malik, it was love, passion, desire and contentment. She felt fulfilled. Like the old saying goes, he completed her.

Nova wanted him with her twenty-four seven, so since she was off from work, she told him to stay with her instead of getting a hotel room again. She gave him her extra key, Carter's old key and he brought all his things in. Then they spent every day together, if they weren't in bed, they were in the living room cuddled together, or in the bathroom showering together, or even in the kitchen cooking together.

They didn't leave her place much, once to just talk and walk around downtown, and then another time to run to the store and buy more condoms.

She did not know how long they had together since he needed to go to L.A. for his movie soon. She pushed that out of her mind, because what was she supposed to do with that?

"I haven't told my sister I'm back in town."

"Why not? What's wrong? You two are close, right?"

They were cuddled on the couch watching a movie, and eating popcorn and drinking strawberry Vess sodas. Being lazy and she liked it.

"We are, but we need our space. We haven't lived together in years...you know that, right?"

"Yes, her with your mother across town, and you next door with your dad, lucky me." She leaned over to give him a kiss. "If you didn't live next door we would have never met."

"Yes we would have. I still would have went to Roosevelt like my sister."

"Yes but, you wouldn't have lived next door and gotten close to me. You would have never noticed me. Girl like me...yeah, right!"

Malik pulled her close to him. "Why would you say that? November, it doesn't matter how we met, we would have met and we would still be where we are today, together. What I feel for you...that shit won't go away."

She liked the sound of that. Sometimes she still felt undeserving of a guy like Malik Hunter. Not only was he extremely handsome and sexy, he was now rich and famous. She was just an average looking teacher, nothing stunning. What would he do when he went back to his Hollywood lifestyle? He still had a long way to go in his fame, and she knew he would reach the top someday and be worldwide famous.

Malik could be the next Michael B. Jordan. He was that good and that gorgeous. Looks mattered a lot in Hollywood, that's why she never pursued it.

"Nov, what are you thinking?" He rubbed her lips. "Tell me."

"I can't keep you all to myself, Malik. You should go see your sister. And your son."

He pulled her to him for a kiss. "I will, only if you come with me."

Malik made plans first, before he invited Anthony along. Then they dressed in matching outfits, red t-shirts and blue denim shorts and headed out. Malik texted Aida to dress Anthony in red and white. He also called his sister to let her know he was back in town and staying with her. She heard them argue and she knew something was up, but she didn't question it.

"Is everything cool with your son? You're getting to know him?" She asked him this as he drove to south city.

"Nova, I can't explain it, but I knew once I looked at the boy he was mine. I knew once I got to know him, he was like me. And I know I have a long way to go to fully earn his trust, but we get along well. He's going to fly out to LA. and stay with me and come to set and watch me work on the film."

She nodded, wondering if she would get an invite as well. She wasn't going to push the issue, but she would love to visit L.A. and see what it had to offer.

Maybe Malik was more focused on building his bond with his son, than on her.

Maybe now that they had sex, he would soon bore of her and move on.

Self-doubt made it's way into her thoughts. Again, she thought she was not pretty enough for a guy like Malik. Would he bring her to red carpet events and flaunt her around all the other celebrities. She was a nobody in the sea of superficial looks. She could not compare, no matter how attractive Malik thought she was.

Then again, it was her brain telling her she was not good enough.

It was not even her dark skin that made her self-conscious of her looks. She was short, skinny, no curves like a Kardashian, no long, billowy hair down her back. Yes, a good wig could fix that, help her blend into Hollywood, but she would never feel enough.

"Nova, you okay?" Malik asked once he pulled up in front of the house Aida and Anthony were living.

"Yes."

He gave her a quick kiss. "I love you. A penny for your thoughts."

"That won't be much." She forced herself to smile and put on a happy face.

Soon as the door opened, Anthony ran out, dressed in a red and white t-shirt, red shorts and red and white Nikes. He put his arms around Nova and hugged her.

"Hi Nova!"

"Hey Anthony. How are you?"

"Are you going to hang with Malik and me?"

"Yes, if you don't mind."

"Sweet!"

There was a Cardinals baseball game and Malik was able to get nice seats on the first-base line at the last minute. As many games as she had gone to over the years, never was she that close to the game. It was exciting because they all were big Cardinals fans. Anthony pigged out on popcorn, hotdogs and a giant pretzel, topping it all off with cotton candy and soda. The boy was unstoppable.

Malik bought him a signed baseball, a bat, a foam finger and a stuffed Fredbird. She shook her head at all the things Malik wanted to buy but she talked him out of. Anthony was not complaining.

She wondered what people thought seeing them all together. Could Anthony be her son? No way. Did he look like he could be her and Malik's child? Possible, but he would have taken all the genes from Malik between his skin color and blonde hair. You could not tell the boy had any Black in him from a quick glance.

She wondered what a child with Malik would look like?

She shook the thought from her head. They were just enjoying themselves for now, no need to rush things.

They were heading out after the Cardinals won their game when Anthony asked, "Malik, can I come stay with you for the weekend? If I ask my mom."

Malik looked to her, she shrugged. What was she going to say? He was staying with her now and not a hotel room and that would not be appropriate. Even though she had a spare bedroom she never used, or anyone for that matter, she did not think it appropriate Anthony stay at her place.

"Maybe I'll get a nice hotel suite and you can have your own room in a hotel! We can order room service and pig out on junk food."

"That would be so cool!"

"Is that cool?" Malik whispered to her.

"Sounds like a plan. And you can bring him to the reunion on Saturday."

"The what?"

She laughed at him. "Don't act dumb. I told you about our ten-year high school reunion this weekend. There are events Friday and Saturday but I really just want to do the picnic and show my face and leave."

She really wanted to impress everyone that she was with Malik, how happy they were and shove it in their faces. Especially his ex Starchima.

"I never RSVP'd for any of that."

"As if they would turn down Malik Hunter at the door."

"A picnic?' Anthony asked. "So lots of food?"

"Kid!" Malik grabbed him in a hug. "We gotta get your mind off food."