Fault

Chapter 16

I had never been so excited to hear the sound of a doorbell before. Leah and I both hopped up, then laughed at how thirsty I was to answer it.

"Girl, if you don't sit yo' ass on down!" I barked. "That's bae at the door!"

"Don't fall down the stairs trying to skip steps!" She yelled sarcastically into the hallway. I didn't care to respond.

I neared the bottom of the steps, and there he was in clear view. The smile that flashed across his perfect face was priceless. Most importantly, he was bearing gifts!

"For me?" I exclaimed as I jumped into his arms.

His lips were so soft and the smell of his cologne had me ready to drop my panties right then and there. He kissed me even harder after I whispered it to him— I could feel how happy he was to hear it. This may sound outlandish, but the sheer thought of him being a youth pastor and such a freak had me completely absorbed!

He tried to walk up the stairs with my legs wrapped around his waist. We soon realized it wasn't the best idea after almost falling.

"Hold on bae, you gotta get down before we both die on these steps," Jeremy reasoned.

"I'm surprised you even made it that far!" I laughed. He reached for my hand and we continued to walk up together.

"You know, I really missed you a lot more than expected."

"Yeah? I missed you too, babes. Oh, by the way, nobody has left the house yet. They should be heading out soon though, like in the next half hour or so."

"Is the baby here?" He asked.

"Yes, but Tionna is taking him for the day. I think they're going to a barbecue or something. Can you believe summer is almost over?"

"I know! It seems like everybody is trying to get in those last minute cookouts before the summer ends now, right.

As we entered the living room, everybody came out to greet Jeremy. He reached for the baby, then sat down and made himself comfortable. Since Tionna was about to leave, she made sure to inform us both of the house rules.

"Rule number one, no f*****g in my house!"

Everybody shrieked with laughter, once the shock from the statement marinated.

"C'mon, man! Nobody is on that auntie! Plus, the baby is right here. Why are you talking like that in front of children?"

"I don't give a damn! You heard what I said, no f*****g in my house!"

"We hear you loud and clear!" I announced less humorously.

The minute everyone left for the day, I hopped right onto Jeremy's lap and began to softly kiss his face and neck. He distinctly reminded me of Tionna's orders, but I had to get one thing clear. We weren't going to be f******g! Our connection was deep enough for lovemaking— two completely different things. Guiding him into the room, I flipped off the light switch and the rest is history.

Afterward, we stayed in bed for a while discussing the amazing accomplishments of his mission trip. It made me want to get involved and perhaps even participate in the next trip. Deep down, I knew that was only wishful thinking though. A much as I would love to see the world, truthfully there was no one to keep Lil' Jamal for that amount of time.

As we talked, Jeremy gently combed his fingers through my hair, then tucked it behind my ear. He began telling me how different I was from the women in his past. In the back of my mind, it was completely plausible because I knew I wasn't from Chicago. For starters, I don't have the big city personality many Chicagoan's have. Also, no matter how hard I try to change it, people often called me out because I spoke "proper" compared to the hood natives. My life at the moment was in complete limbo. The older I got in Washington, the more I felt like I didn't belong there. Now I'm beginning to wonder if I'd fully be accepted here. The thought was interrupted as Jeremy place his hand on my chin and turned my face towards his.

"Shi Shi, I think I'm in love with you..."

Surely he could hear my heart beating out of my chest and feel my body temperature rise. Silence filled the room and I was once again choking on my thoughts... No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't say it back...