Three's Company

33

Jayden
Me: Ooh! Now this one is really cute and it's on sale!
Layla: I do like that one!

Layla and I were at Bed, Bath, and Beyond checking out bedding sets for her door room. I picked up a turquoise and grey comforter with stripes. She was adamant about no florals.

Layla: I think I'm going to get it!
Me: Alright, so you have your comforter set and it comes with a set of sheets, but you need to have one backup set. We'll get some pillows. You've got all your bathroom stuff, a lamp, you're pretty much all set! Daddy said he was going to get your fridge and microwave after work.
Layla: I want to go look at TVs. Mama is saying I need to downsize from the one in my room at home.
Me: Yeah 42" is huge for a dorm room. We can go to Wal-Mart and check some out.
Layla: Hold on...Devin's calling.

She answered the call on her AirPods. I saw her face turn into a huge smile almost immediately. I remember the days of high school love. Carefree, unrelenting love. Talking on the phone for hours when you should be sleep. Hanging out on the steps of the school cuddled up.

Layla: Yeah...I'm out college shopping with Jay. Where you at?

She tossed a rolling shelf cart in the shopping basket. *whispers* "For my snacks!" She winked at me. This girl loves to eat and never gained any damn weight.

Layla: What y'all tryna see?

We headed towards the checkout with a basket full of dorm essentials. She opened her wallet and pulled out her debit card that our parents loaded money on for her to pay for all her stuff.

Layla: Alright. Ima hit you later when we get done shopping and I'll see where y'all at. Okay, bye. I love you too, bae.

Me: Where you tryna go?!

Layla: Devin's best friend and his girl are tryna go to the movies to see that new Avengers movie and they asked if me and Devin wanted to go.

Me: Oh so you just gon ditch me?!

Layla: I mean...you cool and all but that's bae.

Me: Oh whatever!

She paid for her items and we headed out towards the parking lot pushing the cart and loading them in the back of my car.

Me: So Daddy is just letting you date and be all grown now, huh? He never let me do shit!

Layla: He's just like "Don't have that lil boy over my house when I'm not here and don't let me find out you being fast!"

Me: And are you?

Layla: Awww here we go...

Me: You knew I'd ask.

Layla: I'm not tryna hear you preach today, bro.

Me: So answer the question.

Layla: To be completely honest witchu, and nobody knows this except like my best friend and Devin's best friend...we did...do...it.

Me: WHAT?! You said you would tell me!

Layla: I'm telling you now!

Me: When?!

Layla: I don't know...a couple months ago. His parents went on a date and he had the house to himself and he asked me to come over and a study. And it was like...I don't even know. The first time is weird. Like hella weird. It didn't really hurt like I thought it would, but it wasn't like good or anything. But we used protection!

Me: So are you still like doing it?

Layla: Bro...

Me: That's a yes.

Layla: Yeah...we have. Not regularly. It's gotten a lot better. I guess we just had to learn each other's bodies.

Me: Oh Lord...so you enjoy it?! Sex is bad!

Layla: Obviously it ain't! You walking around here knocked up!

Me: I'm grown!

Layla: Uh huh...

Me: I wasn't ready!

Layla: We waited like a long time though. Like over a year when everybody is having sex and when I say everybody, I mean everybody. Neither of us felt pressured into it. When it happened, it just happened. We didn't even really ever talk about it before either. Like literally, we were studying and he just touched my thigh, which he does often. No big deal. And it really just like turned into more. His brother had condoms in his room and he went to get one and it just happened. It was a few weeks before we were alone like that again and we tried again. But we don't even do it every time we're alone.

Me: Just please be safe and don't put yourself in a position to get caught because you know if you do...

Layla: Daddy is gonna flip!

Me: Uh huh...

Layla: Devin's really different though. He helps keep me focused. He stays on me about prioritizing school over everything else. When I was working on my scholarship essays, he literally would come over and just sit with me and make me work on my shit. He never pressures me into anything. Honestly, I feel like I might've came onto him more.

Me: Lord...so you're like me.

Layla: The fuck does that mean?!

Me: Let's just say I'm the more pursuant one in our relationship.

Layla: So why you be all on me then?

Me: Because you're still young and you have college and sports ahead of you. Do you see how quickly sex changed my life?!

Layla: You ain't gotta worry about me.

Me: But I always will...

Layla: I know. And I love you for it!

***three weeks later*

"Layla Armani Tate"

Our whole family erupted in cheers as Layla walked across the stage of her high school commencement ceremony. "Yeahhhhh Layla!" She'd be attending Dillard in the fall. She received two other basketball scholarship offers to a small Christian school in Kansas and Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma but she'd decided her Dillard offer was the most rewarding because it'd allow her to play basketball and softball. Her boyfriend Devin would be going to Xavier to play basketball so they could be close together.