"Nia." Her name softly fell from his lips and she soaked in his sweet breath like a pancake to syrup. Her eyes were low and she was watching his chest rise and fall. She couldn't look at him just yet. She was frozen in place.
With just this brazen...
The hazy, hot, August night made perfect walking weather. The moon lit Malcolm and Nia as they strolled back to his home holding hands under the stars.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
It felt like a simpler time, another night from years ago, when they had similarly walked home aimlessly. After a night they wouldn't forget, on the cusp of a future they couldn't predict.
As if on cue, déja vu replayed a scene from over ten years prior when Malcolm said, "Don't forget about me Ni."
"Impossible Mac." Nia unknowingly repeated the same answer from long ago.
"Maybe it was impossible once upon time, but now I feel like I couldn't blame you if you did."
"But the thing is, I won't.
"How do you know you not gonna be fuckin with me once you get there?"
"Because..."
"Because...?"
"I wouldn't be fuckin with you now if I wanted to totally cut ties with you later. When it comes to us, I just want us to be good. To do whatever feels good. As long as you don't fuck with me, Malcolm." Nia shook a pointed finger at him seriously, like a warning. "Because I swear to God, if you do anything remotely close to that shit again I'll–"
Malcolm kissed Nia in the middle of the sidewalk, under the dark night sky in a way she wished she had allowed him to on their prom night over a decade ago. It was as if the Earth fell from beneath her and only his arms kept her from falling into it. It was tender, sprinkled with timed moments where he'd pull away only to look at her for a few seconds or to caress her bottom lip with his thumb.
"Nia, you mean too much to me for me to lose you now..."
"Prove it." They both spoke simultaneously.
"I knew you were gonna say that shit. But I intend to. I heard everything you said last night and took that shit to heart. I know that you were so mad at me..." Malcolm shook his head as his voice trailed off. "Honestly, it's a blessing you're even spending time with me now."
"I wasn't just mad at you Malcolm. You—"
"I know that I fucked this up."
"You broke my heart."
"What?"
It wasn't until it spilled from her lips that Nia realized she hadn't told him that.
"You hurt me, Malcolm. What you did cut me – deep."
"You didn't tell me that."
"Honestly, I shouldn't've had to. I wanted to be with you – that shoulda been enough. Besides, you ever seen a bitch this bad beg?" Nia smiled weakly and broke away from their embrace to keep moving forward, but Malcolm grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him again. Nia sighed and rolled her eyes. "Malcolm, we're not getting into this again."
