Only You

the realest sensation

Zoe awakened that Friday morning to the sound of her phone ringing. She groaned and stayed still for a moment, contemplating the consequences of answering what was possibly a work-related call. When she finally rolled over to check the screen, her eyes widened and her face lit with a smile that quickly dissolved into an expression of horror as she saw that Dean was requesting to FaceTime her. At 7 AM. As she lied in bed with her crusty eyes and bonnet.

Her heart was definitely telling her to answer the call. She hadn't seen him since the beginning of his season because she made excuses not to attend his home games. Zoe was committed to avoiding Dean if only because she couldn't help but admit that her feelings for him weren't always friendly.

She swiped to answer the call in spite of the thoughts racing through her brain.

"ZO!!" he greeted her, revealing his perfect, perfect teeth as he grinned. She just stared at him for a moment, reveling in his attractiveness.

"Starboy!! It's been a minute," she finally responded, smiling lazily.

"It really has 'cause I couldn't get your ass out to see any of my games," he said, sucking his teeth in pretend annoyance. She laughed only because she knew he was teasing. She worked part time at a small cafe that was always bustling, so he'd probably believed her when she said she was scheduled to work.

"I was working," she laughed, rolling her eyes.

He sucked his teeth again, leaning his head back against a black leather seat.

"I told you a long time ago to quit your job."

She once again rolled her eyes.

"I would be a fool to quit my job for a nigga who I don't hear from for weeks at a time," she replied sassily. ...and who is not even my man, she reminded herself. Before he could quip another reply, she questioned abruptly. "Dee where are you right now?"

"One second," he appeared to be getting out of a car, and for a few moments she could only see his chin and the sky. She furrowed her eyebrows and watched as he kept walking. Suddenly he stopped, reversed the camera and exclaimed, "Surprise!" as he knocked on...her door.

Zoe's eyes widened impossibly and she shot up from her bed, yelling an exasperated (but lowkey excited) "EFF you!" before ending the call. Zoe stood before her mirror and attempted to straighten her pajamas before whipping off her bonnet. She fluffed her packed down afro a bit while De knocked incessantly on her door. She took her time reaching the door, but when it opened, she couldn't help the smile that broke out on her face as she admired the man before her. It seemed he couldn't control his excitement either, as he took a few steps inside and then gathered her into his arms. He lifted her 5'2" frame off the floor and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

It was moments like this in which Zoe couldn't deny her emotional connection to Dean, despite her numerous attempts at self preservation. He held her in his arms for a second before she began to squirm a bit, and even then he only let her go so that he could close the door behind him.

"You look great, Zo," he breathed, running his hands from her shoulders, down to her waist, and then situating them there. She smiled uneasily, a little put off by the intent look in his eyes. " I know," she responded sarcastically, unable to resist tracing the line of his beard with her hand. Zoe took in everything about him in a few seconds, from his fresh line-up, across the frustratingly blemish-free surface of his brown skin, her own eyes lingering for just a moment too long on his mouth. But if she wasn't mistaken he seemed to be having the same problem.

She attempted to get out of his arms so that she could think clearly. "Do you want some breakfast or something?" she questioned, pulling away from him.

He kept her in his arms but his eyes sparkled with amusement. "Do I want some breakfast or sum'n?" he mocked the nervousness in her voice. She narrowed her eyes up at him and made another move to pull away. He held on even tighter. "What's on the menu? Eggs, all scrambled without seasoning as usual?"

"Listen, you know not to come see me for gourmet cooking," she replied a little defensively.

"You're right, I only came to see you looking like a WHOLE snack," he teased. She folded her arms between them. It was a cruel joke. She was unshowered, dressed in Nike shorts and an old summer camp t-shirt, among other unflattering things.

"And because you're my best friend," he said, smiling widely. She smiled back only because his smile was, and always had been infectious. And she knew he was telling the truth. They'd known each other since 3rd grade, and they weren't the type of friends whose bond could be broken by distance, time, or fame.

Zoe again tried to pull away to head toward the kitchen, but he wouldn't budge. "Can you let me go bro?" she asked, attempting to lift his hands off her waist.

"Gimme a kiss and I'll let you go," he said, looking her dead in the face. She gasped a little and looked up at him with a shocked expression. Not that his lips didn't look hella snackish, and not that he'd never kissed her before but to be so direct when they weren't even-

He cut off her train of thought by slanting his mouth over hers, once, twice, until she fell into the kiss and couldn't stop reciprocating. As he pulled away with a smile on his face, her mind raced. She remembered she had vowed not to let their friendship get messy like this again, not when he could just leave...

But looking into his eyes,  now...

"Um..." she started, biting her now swollen lip.

Dean could see the wheels turning inside of her head, and that's why he finally let go of her waist and turned himself to head toward the kitchen, leaving Zoe behind with a feeling she wished she didn't understand.