Erica wants to have it all figured out. She's fresh out of college, itching to put her master's degree in psychology to use. Her fiancé of five years swears on his life they'll set a date for their wedding any day now. On top of it all, her sister a...
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"You seem distracted."
"Huh?" I slide my phone into my pocket and look over to Tiffany snuggled under my arm. Sofa cushions swallow me up as my stomach sinks with guilt. This is the second time she's mentioned me being distracted in the past thirty minutes. Truth be told, I shouldn't have let her come over in the first place. I know what's in store for Erica tonight. Derek is going to screw things up again.
"You keep looking at your phone." Tiffany purses her lips and stares at my phone like she'd love to snatch it and read every message I've ever sent. Too bad for her, we're only messing around, and I know for sure I'm not the only guy she's seeing either. "Would you rather be seeing someone else?"
"Nah." I readjust myself and pull her closer. "Just thinking about something is all."
"What are you thinking about?"
"Stuff."
"Stuff?"
"Yup. Stuff." I bite back a smirk and pretend to watch whatever reality show she's forced on me. Erica and Imani love to watch this crap too. Celebrities who've outlived their notoriety yelling and screaming at each other for an hour long. Groundbreaking content.
"Don't even pretend like you care about what's on the screen."
"I do," I chuckle. "It's very interesting. What's her face just found out she's pregnant, and that dude's gonna have seven children now?"
Tiffany rolls her eyes. "Eight. And that does not mean you were listening."
"Tell me what you really want. Clearly, I can't look at my phone to distract myself from this show you know I'm not gonna watch." I grab the soft curve of her chin and bring her close. "You want me to pay attention to you?"
Despite her dark complexion, flushed hues rise on her face and her chocolate eyes shy away. "It wouldn't hurt."
"Come here." I scoop my arm around her waist and pull her on top of me. She rests her hands on my chest, pushing me down, and I bring her lips to mine. I give her a gentle kiss and ask, "This better?" She nods and leans back in. We kiss for a good minute before pulling away for oxygen. By then, my fingertips are already under her shirt brushing against thin bra straps. I feel around for the hooks only to find smooth, endless fabric. I grunt. It's one of those front snapping ones. I change directions and roam my hands over her small breasts.
Bzzt. Bzzt.
I sit up fast and nearly headbutt Tiffany. Her face scrunches up in shock, and I apologize quickly as I yank my phone out. It's Erica. "I gotta take this," I rush out and urge her off of me. I'm across the room so quickly I pick up by the second ring. "Let me guess, he forgot?"
There's a brief silence before her soft voice fills the line. "Yeah. I think he's getting ready to bail on me now."
I shake my head and ruffle up my hair. Eleven years and this man still can't get it right. Had it been me that asked her out way back in high school, I'd make it my mission to bring a smile to her face every single day. We sure as hell wouldn't be five years and counting into an engagement. If only you weren't a chicken-shit too afraid to approach girls. Sadly, I didn't have my old man to teach me how to go for what I wanted.
