Page 63 of Crash: Love in Scrubs
“Yes, ma’am?”
“If she makes you this happy, then I already love her. Just be smart about it.”
“I will, Mama. I love you.”
“Love you too, baby boy.”
As I hung up and pulled into the university parking lot, I thought about her words. She was right, I needed to be smart about this. But looking at gifts in my backseat, all I could think about was seeing the look on Sametra’s face when she walked out of that building.
I found a parking spot with a clear view of the psychology building and settled in to wait. The custom balloons bobbed in the backseat, gold and black ones that read “Future Dr. Andrews” and “Proud Boyfriend.” I was proud of my gift.
Students streamed in and out of the building, most of them looking young enough to be Samaj’s classmates. This was exactly why Sametra had mentioned potentially feeling out of placeamong them. I wondered if her nerves had settled once she got into the classroom. Knowing her, she was probably already taking charge, asking questions, and making connections. The woman didn’t meet a stranger, and a lot of people in this city knew my lady from her showing up for them over the years.
My phone buzzed with messages from the hospital, but I ignored them. Nothing was more important than being here for this moment. I wanted her to know that her first day mattered to me. Any milestone she had would be treated the same way. Going back to college after years away had to be intimidating as hell. She would need someone in her corner, rooting for her as she worked her way to the finish line.
Twenty minutes later, I saw her.
She emerged from the building looking confident, beautiful, and slightly overwhelmed. Her hair was pulled up in a high ponytail, and she wore a white linen vest and pants that made her look like an angel. She was the finest future psychologist I’d ever seen. That radiant smile lit up her whole face as she talked animatedly with another student, a woman who looked closer to her age, both laughing about something.
I slid off the hood of my car, where I’d been leaning, and grabbed the balloons, unable to hide my grin. The moment she spotted me, her face lit up like Christmas morning.
“Malik!” she called out, her voice carrying across the parking lot. “What are you doing here?”
“Celebrating my girlfriend’s first day back to college,” I called back, holding up the balloons as she jogged toward me, her heels clicking on the asphalt.
“You did not,” Sametra said, but she was beaming as she reached me. Thank God the balloons had weights on them because I didn’t give her time to say another word before I scooped her up around the waist. I pulled her close with both hands, lifting her right off the ground. As I spun her around,I kissed her like I’d been waiting all damn day. Her laughter spilled into my mouth, soft and sweet, before it melted into a moan.
I didn’t stop kissing her until I felt her arms tighten around my neck like she never wanted to let go. By the time I set her back down, her lips were parted, eyes heavy, and I knew I had her exactly where I wanted her.
“I absolutely did,” I murmured against her lips before pulling back to look at her. “How was it? Tell me everything.”
“It was perfect. Challenging, intimidating, but perfect.”
“But I know my baby handled that shit right?”
“Yep, I swallowed my tears and focused on what I could control. I don’t know how I’m going to do this.”
She said it, looking down, and I lifted her chin, those pouty lips and uncertain eyes making me pull her closer and place soft kisses on her neck.
“With my help. With me celebrating you every step of the way.” I opened the car door and retrieved the cake box. “A proper celebration for a proper milestone. Today, you started becoming Dr. Andrews. Don’t let doubt trick you out of your spot.”
Her eyes filled with tears as she looked up at me. “You’re going to make me cry and mess up my makeup.”
“Good tears though, right?”
“The best tears,” she whispered, standing on her toes to kiss me again. I picked her up, and she wrapped her legs around my waist. “This was so sweet.”
“Get used to it,” I said, holding her close against me. “I plan on celebrating every milestone with you. Every test, every paper, every semester. All of it. Here.”
She pulled back to look at me, those beautiful eyes shining with unshed tears and trust, love, and gratitude. I loved it because I’d never run into anyone, I wanted to do cheesy shit likethis for. But Sametra brought out both the grizzly bear and the teddy bear in me.
Sametra grabbed the card and tore it open. I smiled as she read it:
You know what’s just as important as intimacy? Access. And that’s what I want you to have, with me, with everything that comes with me. You never have to worry about shit. Like I told you before, I can handle most of your problems, starting with this one. Focus on school, I got the rest.
Rommy Rome
“I love you so much. I’m just going to cry in the car and not fight you on this. It’s no use anyway.”
