Guy
Time flies when you’re having fun.
That was the saying, but I had never experienced it in the way that I was now as I sat with Nova, Jaxson, and Kaylin at the last basketball game we’d all be able to attend since by the time Lamar’s team came back from their next series of road games, my vacation would be over. It didn’t even seem realistic for so much time to have passed, for so much to have happened in that time. But as I looked over to Nova who was still all smiles from our sex that morning and my son who was tucked up under her like she was his best friend, I knew it was real.
The sight took me back to when we first met her in the airport with no intentions of ever seeing her again regardless of how pleasant our interaction had been. But somehow the universe had worked mysteriously to bring us together, to have us in the same condo all summer long, and to establish feelings for each other I wasn’t sure what to do with now that summer was winding down. I mean, of course it would’ve been nice to continue things beyond the summer. But unfortunately, life circumstances just didn’t call for it with us living in completely different cities, having completely different worlds.
Just the thought made me sick. So instead of focusing on that, I decided to focus on Nova who rose to her feet to celebrate Austin’s latest slam dunk.
While I knew he was deserving of the celebration, and knew things between them hadn’t gone beyond that first date, I couldn’t help but tease, “Yo, you cheering for ol’ boy real hard over there.”
“Shut up, Guy. He’s ballin’,” she fired back just as Lamar got a steal, stopping at the three-point line to sink a shot of his own. And now we were both on our feet as the time on the clock ticked down until there was none left, the whole arena celebrating as Lamar’s team got their seventh-straight win.
“That was amazing,” Nova gushed as we filed out of our seats to head towards the locker room so we could catch Lamar after the game.
I wrapped my arm around her shoulder, leaning in to whisper in her ear, “And you were amazing this morning…”
At least I thought I was whispering until Kaylin butted in, “Oh, was she now?”
Nova blushed immediately, turning around to say, “Kaylin Marie, don’t start.”
But her warning only made Kaylin dance her way in front of us and reply, “I’m just sayinggggg. Y’all are real cute or whatever.”
“Thanks, Kay. I think we’re pretty cute too,” I told her, tightening my hold on Nova’s shoulder as she threw a side eye my way. But it was a side eye paired with a grin that proved she agreed, only making my thoughts of summer almost being over rush to the forefront. The thoughts that brought on a sadness, an emptiness, that I was unfamiliar with.
I did my best to shake it off, quietly listening in as Nova and Jaxson went back and forth talking about their favorite parts of the game. It was always amusing as hell to watch Nova match Jaxson’s enthusiasm when he spoke, something I eventually realized was one of her strategies in working on his communication skills. But just the simple fact that she was willing to go above and beyond to always keep him engaged meant the world, though once again I got a little sad since I wouldn’t be the only one losing someone special to me.
This time I wasn’t as quick to shake it off and Nova noticed, the smile she wore washing away once she saw my somber expression. “What’s the matter, Guy? I know you aren’t really trippin’ over me cheering for Austin, are you?”
My somber expression quickly turned into one of amusement, especially since the question was coming from the girl who I later found out had been trippin’ with me over some damn baked beans. But considering the timing wasn’t really appropriate for the conversation about my original mood, I plastered on my best smile when I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and answered, “Ain’t nobody worried about him, baby. I’m good. Just thinkin’ about how dope this summer has been.”
“And that made you sad?” she asked, even more confused now that I had tried to tiptoe around it.
Since I could pretty much assume she wasn’t going to let it go without explanation, I did my best to answer honestly without going too deep, shrugging as I replied, “I guess. I mean, we only got a week left, and...”
Before I could finish, she cut me off. “So how about we enjoy the week instead of missing what’s not even gone yet?”
“I like the way you think, sweetheart,” I told her, dropping a kiss on her nose before catching her lips for a second one that she relished in as if we were the only people around.
But we were quickly reminded that that wasn’t the case at all when I heard Lamar ask from behind, “Now how in the fuck did I miss this? Sis and brodie done really linked up?”
Nova only blushed, gnawing at her lip as if she was holding her answer in while I turned around to reply, “Somethin’ like that.”
Lamar looked more impressed than anything, shaking his head as he turned to his wife to say, “Damn, Kay. Guess I owe you that five hundred now…”
Even if Lamar thought nothing of the bet, thought nothing of the money, Nova was hysterical when she repeated, “Five hundred? Kaylin, you bet five hundred dollars on this?!”
Instead of matching Nova’s energy, Kaylin only shrugged, her expression more reserved than ever as she reasoned, “Come on now, Nova. You know I’m all about my coins. And this bet was as easy as they came. Though that whole Austin thing threw me for a loop.”
Lamar nodded to agree. “Yeah, my guy said he had a good time with you, Cas. Talkin’ about how…”
“How about we not talk about that? Austin was a gentleman, but I’m happy right here,” Nova said, cutting him off and squeezing even closer to me in a way that made her seem guilty as hell. But then I thought back to her words, thought back to our time together after her date, and decided there was nothing worth being upset about.
Still, Lamar wasn’t quite as ready to let her off the hook according to the response he tossed out. “Much happier than you were with that David nigga, that’s fasho.”
Nova cringed against me, closing her eyes in annoyance as she pushed out, “Lamar, you really, really talk too much.”
Of course he didn’t seem fazed, shrugging when he insisted, “I’m just sayin’. My bro is a good look for you. Y’all are a good look for each other.”
This time it was me nodding to agree as I told him, “Thanks, bruh. Appreciate it. Appreciate y’all for lettin’ us have the condo to kick it at.”
While I knew Nova felt a way about them conspiring against us, making bets about us hooking up behind our backs, it was their decision - planned or not - that put us in a position to cross paths. So I could only thank my bro for his hospitality, and absent-mindedness, even when he brushed me off to reply, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, nigga. Just make sure you wash the bedsheets before you leave. Ain’t no tellin’ what y’all ol’ cozy asses been up to now.”
“Miss. Nova was sleepin’ in Daddy’s bed, Uncle Lamar!” Jaxson blurted from below, my eyes immediately shooting down at him as Kaylin and Lamar bursted with laughter while Nova turned bright red.
“See what I mean. Gon’ ahead and run ‘em through the washer twice, G. And disinfect them countertops while you’re at it. Cause if you’re anything like me...” he trailed until Kaylin shoved him in the arm. But even then, he only looked at her to continue, “Shit, you’re the one who used to request it. Eat it on the…”
“Lamar!” she shouted to cut him off, her cheeks turning almost as rosy as Nova’s had.
And now that she wasn’t the one on the hot seat, Nova was eating it up, telling Lamar, “Nah, keep talking. Kay wants everybody else to get embarrassed around here. It’s her turn now.”
Instead of letting him go on, Kaylin took control of the narrative, crossing her arms to huff, “Whatever. I don’t get embarrassed talking about s-e-x. My man knows what I like, he’s a good listener, and he makes me proud to wear this ring every time we do it.”
Lamar licked his lips as he pulled her into a hug and gushed, “Damn. Shorty tryna earn herself some extra servicing tonight I see…” Before giving her a kiss that was practically a preview for what was to come.
I admired the way they loved each other, enjoyed seeing the passion still flourish between them years after the “I do’s”, and truth be told, I hoped to have something similar in the near future which I hadn’t saw for myself in a very long time - since Mariah. While the thought kind of caught me off-guard, I was thankfully still aware enough to cover Jaxson’s eyes as things got more intense between them, Nova interrupting to ask, “So… do we still have plans tonight or…?”
With all they were doing, I wouldn’t have been surprised to hear our plans had been cancelled. And them cancelling our plans would’ve gave room for me to come up with some plans of my own with Nova, something I couldn’t help but take advantage of since the opportunity would no longer be available come next week. But eventually, Lamar pulled his lips away just long enough to answer, “Yeah, yeah. Fasho. Just call before you come.”
&
For as bold as she got in the bedroom, and everywhere else we found ourselves having sex, I was amused as hell to see timid, shy Nova show up when we outvoted her in going to the strip club after our dinner plans that had gotten pushed back thanks to Lamar and Kay. It started with her trying to convince us of how tired she was, then it changed to her not having money to throw which Kay and Lamar shut down immediately, and then it changed to her being worried about the women’s well-being which we all explained in different ways how they weren’t being forced into their jobs, not to mention most of them made more in one night than Nova and I made in a month.
After dragging her from the car into the club, Nova still acted as if she wasn’t interested in the talent, acted as if she was doing something wrong by looking at other mostly naked women, peeked through her fingers to watch like a kid watching a sex scene in front of their parents. But then one of the strippers began to climb the pole, the higher she climbed, the wider Nova’s eyes went until the stripper descended at an accelerated pace. And Nova looked like she was ready to run on stage to save the girl until the stripper caught the pole in between her thighs just before her head touched the ground.
“Oh my God. That was… incredible,” she said, a sigh of relief coming with it now that she knew it was only a trick.
“What? You just thought it was all naked girls shakin’ ass? Nah, these girls down here are athletes,” I assured her, even if it wasn’t the athletics I was interested in.
But if that’s what it took for Nova to be more comfortable, I’d go with it. And that seemed to be the case, her eyes focused on the stage as she said, “Athletes with amazing ass bodies. Sheesh.”
I wrapped an arm around her from behind, enjoying the show while also teasing, “I’m pretty sure you could get a job here if you wanted, baby. You’d fit right in.”
She turned in my hold, putting a hand against her stomach when she replied, “With all this? Nah. They’d laugh me right out of here.”
Even if she was only joking, I didn’t want her to get my attraction to her twisted no matter who we were surrounded by. So as I gave her a little kiss on the cheek I told her, “You in one of these little outfits and some clear heels? Shit, you’d get my whole check.”
Instead of taking the compliment, she only rolled her eyes. “You’re an art teacher, Guy. That’s not even that much money.”
“Well it’s the thought that counts,” I insisted, making her laugh which thankfully made her relax some too. And since she seemed to be at least a little more comfortable with the idea of being here, I decided to issue a challenge when I grabbed one of the stacks of ones Lamar had left us and handed it her way. “Here. Go make it rain, Nova.”
She looked at the money like it was dirty, her lips turning into a pout when she asked, “Why can’t I just… hand it to her nicely? When she’s done?”
“Cause that’s not how this works. And the more money you throw, the more entertainment you’ll get,” I explained as innocently as I could. But the truth was, I really just wanted to see her loosen up and have a good time since I wasn’t sure what kind of excitement she’d be going home to, especially now that we had agreed to make the most of our last week here.
When she still didn’t seem convinced, I pointed out towards our best friends who were all smiles and money rainfalls, and said, “Look at Kaylin and Lamar. See how much fun they’re having?”
But even that she was able to brush off as, “That’s married people’s business. Not mine.”
“Come on, Nova. I’ll do it with you,” I told her, grabbing her hand and not giving her much of a choice, though the closer we got to the stage, the more she dragged her feet. But once we were right in front of it, I thought Nova’s eyes were going to pop out of her head with how amazed she suddenly became.
“Baby, you can’t just watch for free. I mean, you can but… you don’t wanna be that person,” I explained before letting a set of ones fly off my fingertips, enough money to get the stripper’s attention as she made it our way in hopes of collecting more.
Her approach alone seemed to make Nova nervous, though I still tried to hype her up when I said, “You got this, baby.” But instead of looking at the stripper, she looked in my direction with her eyes squeezed together when she finally tossed the money onto the stage, the fact that the world didn’t stop when she did it coming as a surprise to her.
“Throw it like you mean it, boo!” Kaylin shouted from closer than she had been, letting her own stack of ones cascade onto the stage as Lamar did the same next to her. And I suppose it was the peer pressure that gave Nova even more motivation to let another round of dollars fly, this time with an excited look on her face as if she was actually enjoying it.
While my eyes should’ve been on the girl who was putting on a show, the show of happy Nova throwing ones seemed much more important now that our days together were becoming numbered. But it wasn’t just seeing Nova happy that made me happy, it was her willingness to get out of her comfort zone and share an experience with me, even if it took a little convincing. And I’d be damned if a girl who could find the joy in sports and the strip club as much as I did wasn’t the turn-on of the century.
Apparently I was looking a little too hard as Nova turned my way to tease, “You stare at me like that any longer and I’m gonna make you pay for it.”
Even if she saw it as a warning, I saw it as an opportunity, my eyebrow piquing when I put my hand on her ass and asked, “Oh word? What you got for me, baby? You gonna twerk somethin’?”
She giggled, gnawing on her lip as she answered, “I’ll save my skills for later. But for now, let’s give out a scholarship,” peeking down at her new hand of ones before continuing, “In Kaylin and Lamar’s honor.”
Her newfound energy only made me fall for her even harder, had me brainstorming ways to make this feeling last just a little bit longer; shit, maybe even forever. But the reality was, things were coming to an end in a week no matter what, even if I wasn’t ready to accept it tonight.
Lucky for me, I didn’t have to.