Nothing In This World (BWWM) ✅

Prologue

Something about the first love and the first kiss. It pulled strings on her heart and made her stomach do things she's only read about in books. Charlene always knew better because she's seen better. Her friends walk around with their lovers, hand in hand. She was left behind on the park to wallow in her own insecurities. But the moment his crystal blue eyes met her brown ones, she didn't know what insecurities she once had. All she knew is that it was him and her.

They were in love.

"Don't you got a certain time to be home?" The young boy rested his coarse hands over her soft and delegate brown fingers. He was on the tips of his toes to reach her window and the burning sensation in his legs meant nothing. He was used to it.

"I'm already home," he grinned ever so softly. Charlene blushed as she admired the moon that lit up his clear face. "I'm always home with you."

Just then, she heard the rattling of the shower pipes go to a rest which made her jump. She lifted her hands away from him causing a break in physical contact. Charlene paced to the middle of the floor; anxiously fumbling her fingers over the other.

"You gotta go. Janis will be in here any second and when she sees you she'll yell. I'd be in big trouble then."

He then hoisted himself further into the window until his toes weren't touching the ground as now his upper body was halfway in the house. Charlene covered her shocked face with her hand.

"Kiss me before I go. Give me something to hold on to for the walk home."

Charlene looked at him in pure amazement. A thick strand of his greasy black hair hung loosely over his left eye. His face red from working in the heat all day. Even his nails were brown from the dirt forced through his finger tips. She loved a hard working man because it reminded her of her father who worked himself to death; literally.

Without another second to waste, she climbed back on her bed that was pressed against the wall and right under the window. She bit her lip as he leaned in to lay one on her. She met him half way until their lips were pressed against each other tightly. Lance reached his arm in and pulled her as close as he could while she massaged her fingers through his hair.

The creaking of the floor boards caused Lance to release the window ledge until he was now falling a few inches to the ground. She watched him land softly on his feet and send her a cheeky smile. Charlene rushed him away with her hands then quickly closed the window just as the bedroom door squealed open.

"Charlene?" Janis whined as the little black girl whirled around to see what she was complaining about. "You can't keep the window open all the time. It gets too hot and I like to be cool when I get out the shower."

"Sorry, Janis. It won't happen again. I swear it." Charlene crawled over to her pillow and flattened out her gown as she attempted to lay down in a way that seemed normal.

Janis forced a pout on her face then took a seat on Charlene's bed, right near her legs. "Lance is coming over tomorrow so I requested your mother cook something nice. I want you to help me pick out my dress if you won't mind it."

"No, not at all Janis." She rubbed Charlene's legs over her gown then got up to go to her side of the room to sleep. "What's the event?"

Janis hummed softly then blew out her candle. "My hand in marriage."