"You no tell this girl that I said, I want no relations with a darkie?" She spat to me, making my eyes go wide. What? I thought to myself and Gio tried pulling me away but I snatched away from him, knowing I heard right this time. "Wait, what?" I spoke out loud and Gi grabbed me roughly, trying to pull me away again. "Why you saying these things? She's beautiful." I heard his abuelita sticking up for me as she stood to her feet and all the guys began to as well, telling their mom that she was wrong for what she was doing. "That puta heard me." She spat, pointing her finger at me. "You're too dark." She held up a brown paper bag that she was drinking her beer out of. "You no match this bag or lighter, you're too dark." "You look too much like his father. I no want you around me." She shooed me off, instantly breaking my heart into a billion pieces as I looked up at Giovanni who was looking down at me with hurt in his eyes. "Baby, please." He begged and I shook my head at him in disgust before putting my attention back onto her. "Get that darkness out of here, Giovanni. She's a demon." "Only demons have her color." She kept on going and I felt sick to my stomach in this moment as I stood there in complete shock.

"So you just wanna fuck me forever, and that's it, huh?" "I ain't say-" He sucked his teeth. "We already talked about this shit, Z." "Nah." She chuckled dryly. "You just keep shutting me out." "Why you doin' this to me, Ma?" He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Hm? Why you tryna fuck everything up?" • • • • • • 𝚆𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚊 𝚗𝚘𝚗-𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚎𝚎𝚝𝚜 𝚊 𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚌, 𝚊 𝚌𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚌 𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚋𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚏𝚒𝚝𝚜, 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚜 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚐𝚒𝚌. 💌👻 ⭒ WATTPAD AFTER DARK 2023 ⭒ ◦ contemporary romance ◦ celebrating black history month

"All my feeling and emotions are bottled up"

20-year-old university student Maliyah Tijjani is independent and fierce, yet damaged. She's been damaged for many years of her life and she is trying her best not to bring her past traumas into her new profound freedom. She avoids dating to maintain her focus on becoming successful however, life throws several obstacles (handsome obstacles too) her way. Everything changes when the not-so-new boy, Cameron Owens, who has a past of his own, moves in right next door. Secrets from their past are dug up, complicating their personal lives as they try to navigate through their new adulthood. Will they be able to keep their guard up and pull through or will they be vulnerable to the path made for them? Read to find out. FOR MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY.

𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝟏 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐍' 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝙸 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚎. 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚐𝚘𝚝 𝚖𝚎 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚗'.