Hotline Bling

Chapter 28

Essence pulled her hair into a high puff, her teeth nipping at her bottom lip in frustration. It had been three weeks since she Roman had basically forced her to move in and despite herself she couldn't deny that she was comfortable. She felt safe in his home and she relished his affection at night. All the years of loneliness and attention seeking seemed almost idiotic now that she was in his arms again.

She no longer searched for love in all the wrong places but found it in an abundance in his embrace. She laughed more, she smiled more and most of all she felt free from the constraints of emotional fatigue that Mona had put her through. She still found herself longing sometimes but she knew, deep down, that she was safe here. With the man that she been running from for years. The irony was not lost on her.

She sighed again for what felt like the thousandth time that night. She sat crisscross on the side of the bed that she had deemed hers, a pen in hand and binder spread open with notes and blank paper.

She was more than happy that she was graduating soon but being a senior was not all that it was cracked up to be. On TV it came across as the best year of the whole high school experience but in all honesty it was riddled with research papers, tests, pop quizzes, and stress.

The sound of the bedroom door opening and closing registered in her ears but she kept her eyes locked on the assignment before her. This project was worth half of her final grade and she needed it to be perfect but that was easier said than done.

"You still up?" Roman's voice suddenly penetrated her thoughts and she glanced up.

He had been working late these days and coming home with tired eyes. He met her eyes as he tossed his jacket onto the floor, unbuttoning his dress shirt as he went.

She shrugged before focusing her attention onto the binder in her lap. She nibbled her bottom lip once more, growing more and more irritated with her current funk. She couldn't think and that alone was pissing her off. She had maintained a decent grade point average all school year but as the end of the year was steadily approaching her goal of reaching a four-point-zero were becoming more and more unrealistic.

Her goal was college, a career, full escape from the streets that seemed to be swallowing new victims' whole. She had ambitions and goals and the first of them started with her current GPA. She knew what happened to those who did not pursue their dreams with real clarity, she had seen it with her two eyes. The streets were like a dangerous predator disguised as a source of familiarity.

It would lure you with the promise of easy money and quick fame but such things always came with consequences and painful sacrifices.

She refused to be another statistic. She refused to be another victim of the streets. She groaned before balling up the essay that she had begun and flinging it toward the small trashcan beside the night stand.

The frustration clouded her was obvious to Roman and he climbed into bed beside her, caging her in. She didn't notice at first, not until he cupped her face in his hands, yanking her his direction. Before she could protest he planted his lips firmly on hers, kissing her softly and then with an almost tangible hunger that pulled her from her thoughts.

He kissed her hard, sucking all the air from her lungs until she was gasping, pushing away from him. He let her go and she struggled to catch her breath, licking her lips.

As she composed herself he reached for her binder, his eyes scanning over the material with eyes filled with genuine interest. She reached for it but he grabbed her hand, stopping her as he continued to skim over its contents.

"Philosophy?" He mumbled as he sat the binder in his lap, his brow raised, "of love..."

She frowned, feeling slightly embarrassed at him finding out the topic of her assignment. Philosophy was an extracurricular class and she had signed up for it with eagerness...until she learned that the course load was as hectic as it was.

Her final project consisted of choosing a topic and writing a four page essay. She had chosen the topic of love...at the time it had felt right but now it was just becoming more and more difficult to narrow down.

Love was such a broad topic and she hadn't really thought it through.

She sighed again, "It's my final project and as of right now I'm irritated." She snapped.

"Ai'ight," he said with a smirk.

She raised a brow, "What does that mean?"

He chuckled softly, "I'll help you out."

She tsked, "Boy please, give me back my binder."

"You don't think I can help you?" He asked, sounding slightly offended.

"Naw...I'm just saying that...its been a minute since you been in school."

He shook his head, "I sold drugs and was never caught, I invested money, I own clubs; you, for real, think I can't help you write an essay?"

She thought about his words for a second, tilting her head. "Ai'ight, fine."

He grinned, "For of all, your topic is too broad."

"Thanks captain obvious."

He pinched her and she flinched, smacking him on the arm, "Ow!"

"Be more specific. What about love? Are you writing about what it is? Are you writing about why we love?"

She stared at him, blinking slowly, "Why we love...," her voice trailed off. The topic felt right. A smile formed on her lips and she snatched her binder from him, jotting down the words 'Why Do We Love?' on the top of a blank piece of paper.

"Oh my God, this is perfect! I can find a few quotes, look up a couple peer reviewed papers...Thank...you." She turned to look at Roman but he was slumped up against the headboard, his eyes closed and his lips parted, soft breaths filling his lungs.

Even in his sleep he looked exhausted and she couldn't help but wonder if work was weighing him down. She gathered up all the papers in her binder before shutting it and placing it on the night stand. She stood and rounded the bed, flipping off the light.

She climbed into bed beside him, gently urging him to lie down all the way.

He readjusted, sliding down the bed with a soft sleepy groan. He reached for her, yanking her against him. She settled into his arms, lying half on top of him.

He mumbled something sleepily but his words were too slurred for her to understand. Soft snores emanated from his throat as he nodded off once again, his chest rising and falling gently.

She sat up slightly, making sure that he was really asleep. She leaned toward him, pressing her lips against his and murmuring, "Thank you, Roman."

He did not stir and she was thankful he didn't. She settled back into his embrace and gladly allowed herself to be lulled into sleep.

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