Page 44 of Falling Into Gravity

She nodded against him, her hand clutching his shirt like her body already believed him—even if her heart was still catching up.

“What time is it?” Aku’s morning voice was gravelly.

She stretched out, reaching blindly across Malik’s bed for her phone while her lashes blinked the sleep off slow. They’d spent the night talking and laughing in that stupid, soft way people dowhen they don’t want the night to end. At some point, her head landed on his chest, and the last thing she remembered was the beat of his heart and his fingers tracing light circles on her hip.

Now the birds were chirping and her phone was vibrating on the floor.

Malik was sprawled out, one long-ass arm tossed across his face. “The hell if I know,” he hummed.

Most nights, sleep barely caught up to him. But last night, with her warm body curled into his side, he was out like a light.

She grabbed her phone—3% battery—and checked her notifications. Noodle had texted twice.

Noodle: Where tf are you

Noodle: Ahvi cooked. get here now before Kamari eat everything.

That shot her clean out of the bed.

“I gotta go,” Aku groaned, looking down at her club clothes. One heel, top wrinkled, jeans halfway unbuttoned. “But I ain’t trying to do no walk of shame. Your people gon’ be out there. This their first time meeting me.”

Malik didn’t even open his eyes. “Man, they ain’t worried about you. My people hella cool.”

“So what? You bring all your new app users to your bed? This the beta testing welcome package?” She side-eyed him while patting around the bed for her bra.

Then she froze. “Shit…I took it off in the living room?” she groaned and pressed a palm to her forehead. “I was that gone last night?”

Malik finally cracked one eye open, just watching her in quiet amusement. Her face went through six emotions in two seconds. Drama. Panic. Confusion. Shame. Denial. More drama.

“Chill,” he said, smirking. “I’ll go get your funky ass bra.”

Aku crossed her arms, lips curled up in warning. “Malik, don’t ever play with me like that again. I was many things last night. Lit? Maybe. Flirty? Definitely. But funky? Never.”

He laughed. “Lemme smell it then.”

“Boy—”

He dodged the throw pillow she launched at his head and slipped out the room, still laughing.

The moment Malik stepped into the hallway, he noticed his Granny was already up.

Gran Betty didn’t miss shit.

He grabbed Aku’s bra off the couch and attempted to sneak by, unnoticed.

She was sitting at the dining table, still in her robe, eating toast and watching Family Feud. Her wig was shifted, just slightly off center, like she had more important things to do than adjust it.

She looked up, old eyes squinting. “Is that a bra in your hand?”

Malik froze. “Uh…yea.”

“Whose is it?”

“None of your business.” He smirked, knowing his Gran was ready to cut into him for his mouth.

“Oh, so you grown-grown now?”

Before he could answer, his Mama popped out the kitchen.

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