Page 20 of Love's Free Will

I watched her as she tapped her pen against her knee, humming to herself before writing something down in her notebook.

“You tryna add to my shit?” I asked, raising a brow.

She side-eyed me. “I’m improving your shit.” I laughed but let her work. “Try this for the hook.”

She slid the notebook toward me, her handwriting neat, but her additions bold as hell. I skimmed over her rewritten lines, the slick metaphors she slipped in, the way she made my words even sharper without changing the energy.

She a wild one, love the way she talk back…

Red lips, slick tongue, make a nigga fall back…

Say she don’t need love, but I know she lyin’…

Dangerous curves, got me swervin’ while she ridin’…

Mmm, she move different when she all alone…

Act tough, but she melt when she hear my tone…

Say she hate me, but I know she fiendin’…

Playin’ with fire, but she love the way it’s heatin’…

And I hated that I liked it. “You ain’t terrible,” I muttered, not wanting to gas her too much.

She smirked. “Fuck outta here.”

After hoursof going back and forth in the studio, I leaned back in my chair and stretched. “Let’s get some food,” I said.

Averi frowned. “What?”

I stood up, grabbing my keys. “I’m hungry. Do you wanna go eat?”

She hesitated. “What? With you?”

I smirked. “Obviously with me, you scared?”

She rolled her eyes. “No. But I already know how people are. We get seen out together and suddenly we’re dating.”

I scoffed. “Man, who gives a fuck?”

“I give a fuck.”

“Why? Your good girl image can’t get tangled up with a nigga like me huh?”

“I didn’t say that…”

I laughed. “Shawty, it’s just food. Damn, you act like I asked you on a date.”

She stared at me for a long moment, then sighed. “Fine. But if some dumbass blog posts about it, I’m blaming you.”

Ms. Kay’s was a hole-in-the-wall spot, one of those places that looked humble as hell from the outside, but once you walked in? You were home. It was one of those spots that didn’t need no social media hype—word of mouth alone kept it packed daily.

The smell of fried chicken, fish, collard greens, and mac and cheese hit us the second we stepped in wrapping around me like nostalgia.

Averi took it all in, brows lifting slightly. “Okay… this place already smells amazing.”

I smirked. “Told you.” She had been skeptical about being out on ‘this side of town’ during the short ride here, just like a stuck up ass debutante.

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