I had decided that I was going to fuck Quincy tonight around thirty minutes after our initial misunderstanding. After I quickly got over being creeped out, I realized his intentions were good and we started vibing, he seemed like a nice guy. And that print in his grey sweats that he’d changed into after we decided to hang out and order some food sealed the deal. Honestly, it had been too long since I’d had some and I was like a cat in heat. And I dropped hints all night, which he chose to ignore until I gave him no further chances of ignoring. But then…then it all went to shit. Because I got on my Juju, ruler of all that she surveys shit, and Quincy? He definitely didn’t seem like the type of man who would eventually become subservient, I was now coming to find out. Nevertheless, that didn’t quell my desire to have this man embedded so deeply within my walls that I forgot where he ended, and I began. So, I got over myself, strapped my boots up, and invited myself back into his space to get what I didn’t know I came for but was more than ready to receive.
After my declaration, he said nothing, just allowed me to lead him back into his place. We crossed the threshold for his apartment, but I stopped short after closing the door. I knew that his bedroom was near the back of the space, because I’d seen two additional doors when I used the restroom earlier, but I wasn’t sure which of the two doors led to where I wanted to go.
“Lead the way, sir,” I said, all bravado on full display despite feeling…not nervous, but also very nervous.
I’d initiated sex on many occasions and in many circumstances after spending far less time with a man that Quincy and I had spent tonight, but something about this seemed…different. I couldn’t put a finger on what was different or why it was, but I just felt it in my gut. And my gut had never let me down, but my gut was also not finna stop me from letting Q get in my guts, so there was also that. Instead of leading me to the bedroom, Quincy redirected our steps toward the couch in his living room.
“Are you sure about this? I want you to be sure about this because a few short minutes ago…”
I dropped my head on a groan. Because while my pussy was definitely on board, my brain wasn’t one hundred percent sure.
“Can I say something without it going to a weird place?”
“It’ll only get weird if you take it there,” Quincy replied, smirking.
“Aight, so boom. I…this…,” I started before taking a second to collect my thoughts so that I could clearly express my thoughts. The only problem was everything in my head was a jumble and I had no concise way to expressing what I was thinking.
And Quincy, is an incredibly brilliant display of patience, just sat waiting for me to gather my thoughts.
“Does this feel different to you? Like…I don’t know, I can’t really explain it, but all of this? The random train encounter. You being the one to work on my car at Holt’s? Tonight? It almost feels like it’s divinely orchestrated, you know? What are the odds of us having never seen each other before as much as we’ve both moved around this town, but we have enough mutual followers on Instagram of all places to connect us? Well tonight was wholly by your design, but all of those other things? Seemed…fated?” Juniper didn’t wait for an answer as she continued, “I just don’t want to fall into bed with you tonight and possibly ruin something that could be really special.”
Quincy let out a low chuckle.
“That’s silly, right? It is. I’m buggin. Which way’s your bedroom?” I said, grabbing his hand to try and pull him up from the couch.
He countered by dragging me down to sit on his lap before speaking.
“It’s not silly. Something about this does feel different. I don’t know what it is either, but I’m glad you stopped us from making a mistake. Can’t have you not respecting me after I gave you my virginity tonight,” Quincy said, with a completely straight face.
“Oh my god, can you be serious? I’m for real,” I said, burrowing my head into his shoulder.
His flip response should have pissed me off, but I was more embarrassed than anything. God, even my reactions to things that would have normally sent me running the other way normally were being affected by this man.
“Hey,” he said softly, causing me to pull back to be able to look him in the face again.
His face bore the ghost of a smile, as if he’d been trying to curtail it before he spoke.
“Yeah?”
“I was serious, you know. About this feeling different? But I’m leaning into it, trying something new. The worst that can happen is another heartbreak, but honestly? I feel it’s safe with you and I know you’re safe with me—so if you can get on board with that? We’ll take things as they come. That sound good to you?”
I nodded once before verbally responding, “Yeah. That sounds good to me.”
“All right, now that that’s settled,” Quincy said, tapping my thigh so I’d raise up,” Let’s get you outta here and home safely.”
“You don’t wanna…”
“Hell yeah I do, but you’re not ready yet, sweetheart. You’ll know when it’s time. C’mon.”
And with that he led me back out of his house and into my car. I pulled off, looking in the rear view to see Quincy still standing near the curb I’d pulled away from. I tooted my horn once before making a left at the stop sign to continue on my journey home. That seemed to jolt him as he threw a hand up in salute toward my direction, then turned back to go into his house.
I sat lounging on the couch in the den listlessly watching an SVU marathon, as per my usual Sunday routine. If no one else requested my time, I had a long-standing date with the USA network and their themed crime drama marathons. The house was quiet, so I assumed Noelle was off somewhere with Jay, which was fine by me. I could use a bit of quiet contemplative time. I’d been burning the candle at both ends this week, weaving MYOP workshops between web current roster of web design clients.
We normally conducted the bulk of our MYOP workshops on the weekend, with the occasional Friday appointment, but for some reason Wednesday was becoming an increasingly more popular booking day as well. Joey was talking about adding some hump day specials to capitalize on this growth, but I honestly just didn’t even have the brain bandwidth to think about what all that would entail. We were growing more rapidly than anticipated and I wanted to talk to Joey about possibly bringing in a couple more facilitators to help alleviate some of the strain from our schedules. There were a couple of folks who were in class with us when we were getting our certs that I thought would be dope additions to our movement. I whipped out my phone to make a note to bring this back up when we met for lunch tomorrow.
I’d damn near fallen asleep after a few episodes when I heard my name being yelled from the front foyer. It was Noelle and she was hella turnt for some reason, so I dragged myself from reclining on the couch to see what it was she wanted.
“Hey Junie B—what is wrong with you?” Noelle asked, her brow furrowed.
“Damn, I look bad?”
“Not bad, but you definitely have a lil sour look on your face. What’s going on, you good babygirl?”
“Not really,” I said, surprising myself because that was definitely not what I was prepared to say in my brain.
Noelle grabbed my hand and dragged me back into the den. She shut off the TV before speaking.
“What’s going on?”
“I…don’t know, honestly, No. I mean…life is good right? Both of my businesses are flourishing. All of you guys are in good health and good spirits. I’m still fine as fuck, but something…just is off. I’m all off kilter and I can’t call it.”
“So, I didn’t wanna say it, but you’ve been kind of…off since your whole Instagram shot shooting incident. And, sis, if your confidence is knocked because some nigga didn’t respond to you hollering at him…”
“Wow, NoNo, tell me how you really feel, then.”
“Nooooo,” Noelle practically yelled, “I didn’t mean it like that! I’m just saying, I’m used to you letting ish like this roll off. You don’t even take a lot of downtime after breakups, but one rebuff has you shook?”
“First of all, there was no rebuff. I actually spent the day with him yesterday?”
Noelle gasped, raised a brow, and said, “So we holding out on each other now?”
“So was I supposed to break into brudda’s last night, interrupt your post-coital glow to tell you about how I almost got piped but messed it up by being weird?”
Noelle held up a hand, “Wait. A. Minute. Back it up, gymshoe. Start from the beginning.”
I ran down the circumstances to me ending up at Quincy’s place and all of the rest of the night, sparing no detail because I knew that if no one else kept it funky with me, NoNo would. I finished my story on a sigh and Noelle said nothing. We sat in silence for a good two or three minutes before she had any reaction. And that reaction was to burst into a high-pitched shrieking laugh, which annoyed the hell out of me.
“Not sure anything I said was funny but go off.”
“Awwwww Junie, don’t be that way,” Noelle said, reaching out to embrace me.
I deftly avoided her outstretched arms and rolled my eyes.
“Just…forget it. Nevermind. What had you so crunk when you stepped in?”
“Nah-uhn babygirl. Don’t even think about shutting down. You know what the problem is right?”
“No. I don’t. You do?!”
“Yeah, baby. You like him.”
“That’s no secret, No. I said he was a cool dude and we had a good time,” I replied, exasperated.
“Noooo, baby. You like him. And you’re freaking out because you think it’s strange or too soon or you’re in denial of your feelings for him. But maybe that IG caption wasn’t just in jest. He makes you feel something. And I ain’t talking about in ya loins, I’m talking about that man moving your foundation and you’re fucked up behind it because you’ve never felt this way. Dassit!” Noelle said and spread her hands in a ta-da fashion.
“I…you…shit. Shit! Is that…shit!”
I sank down into the couch groaning.
“That’s a good thing, Junie B. Buck up,” Noelle said, waving her hands in my face, “Liking someone has its perks.”
She kept moving her hands wildly and finally the light caught onto and almost blinded me with its misdirection of sunrays but caused me to focus on its cause. I grabbed Noelle’s hand and screamed. The gorgeous ring that Jay had showed me just a few short days ago now sat beautifully perched on the fourth finger of her left hand. I marveled over how beautifully the delicately filigreed band rested upon Noelle’s slender finger.
“Oh my god you have to tell me everything. Forget about my mess! How’d he do it? When’d he do it? I can’t believe he did it without telling me!”
“You knew this was happening?”
“Sis, please. Everybody and our mama knew it was inevitable. Nobody knew when though. Shout out to Jay,” I said, sarcastically.
“You wanna hear how it went down or nah?”
“Yes, please, now!”
“All right so it’s not really a glamorous story. We were supposed to go out with last night with TJ and his wife, but one of their fifty kids got sick or something, idk, but it resulted in us just bumming around the house. Like…it was bad. My hair wasn’t combed. I was in a ratty pair of his old basketball shorts and one of his old t-shirts. Jay had been kinda…skittish all day, but I knew that he was preoccupied with some recent bs with Dude, Where’s My Bar? So, I figured his behavior had to do with that. Anyway, that’s not important to the story. So, we’re sitting in the basement, watching Russ n’em getting whooped and Jay’s like “do you need the ice in your drink refreshed?” And I looked over to give him the boy what look, and he was sitting there with the ring box opened and a stupid ass grin on his face.”
“Oh my God he’s so corny and in the best of ways!” I gushed, “Then what happened?”
“He got down on one knee, said a lot of really beautiful things that my brain still hasn't fully processed and asked me to be his wife. And the rest was history.”
I sighed, damn near swooning out of my socks because that proposal was so Jay and NoNo. Low key, corny, no theatrics and filled with love. And for a moment, in the midst of my happiness, I felt a little put out. Now that Jay had finally popped the question? The Cheese stands alone. I was now the only unpartnered Holliday sister.
“Uh oh, what’s that look?” Noelle asked.
I brushed her off, not wanting my silly thoughts to mar what was supposed to be a happy moment. I’d work through my mess later. Now was the time to bask in my big sister’s glow.
“It’s nothing. I’m happy for you, No. And for Jay, too. Y’all finally got it right!”
“Excuse you?” Noelle scoffed.
“I said what I said.”
“But back to you, chica. Don’t think you’re slick! Honestly, how are you feeling about this guy…what’s his name again?”
“Quincy.”
“How are you feeling about Quincy?”
“Honestly? Like I want to see him right now.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Is that weird?”
“Does it feel weird?”
“Kinda?”
“You don’t sound sure, Junie B.”
“I don’t know,” I whined sounding all of eight years old.
“You know you sound like Jordie right now, right?”
“Can you just tell me what to do? Please,” I begged which did nothing but garner another one of those infuriating peals of laughter from Noelle.
“Do what makes you feel good, boo. That’s the only advice I got. Stop fighting it and lean into the good.”
“But I don’t know if it makes me feel good?”
“Trust me, sis, it does make you feel good. You’re just trying so hard to fight the feelings because they’re foreign. But that googly eyed twinkle in your eye from just simply saying his name? That lets me know everything I need to know about you and him and y’all.”
“Which is?”
Noelle just laughed again, shaking her head.
“Call him and find out.”