Page 21 of Love Next Door
“Look at them all cuddled up, taking selfies,” Abril observed as I let her off my back.
We sat on our beach towels in the sand. Our friends had moved back out into the water.
“See, I told you it would be fun.” I bumped Abril’s shoulder, and she rolled her eyes as she dragged her finger over the decorative colors of the shell.
“You just invited yourselves on our little vacation. I know ya mama raised you with better manners than that.”
“Girl, get outta here with that. You know you happy that I’m here to chase away all them bitch made niggas. And ya li’l friends happy too. Look at ’em. Out there taking selfies with my boys. Bet those captions gon’ claim them niggas as their men.”
“My girls are not claiming them. Trust.”
“Wanna bet?” I asked as I saw Yamika walking away from Evyn with a smirk as she typed something on her phone.
Abril’s eyes twinkled with excitement, and her lips curled up in a slow smile. “Sure. I’ll bet. You think I don’t know my girls.”
“Not saying you don’t. But I know how women get when men come around, especially if they’re attracted to them.”
“Boy, stop. Your boys were attracted to my girls, and my girls are taking pity on them.”
“Your girls begged me to bring my friends.”
“It was a pity move ’cause they felt sorry for your thirsty ass begging to come along.”
I laughed. “A’ight. Pull up your li’l phone and check ya girls’ Sociogram pages.”
“Hol’ up. What’s the wager?”
“You gotta let me get it in the water.”
Her eyes widened. “Boy! You’re not fucking me in the water. I might get all kinds of sea urchins in my cat.”
I laughed so hard my eyes grew wet. Abril shoved me. “It’s not funny.”
I was still snickering as I replied. “If you’re sure about ya girls, you gots no worries, baby girl.”
She sucked her teeth and rolled her eyes. “Fine. If I win, you have to pick up the tab for the rest of this trip.”
I leaned in closer to her. Brushing my lips against hers, I whispered, “I’ll gladly do that anyway, even if I win.”
Abril cupped the back of my head and pressed deeper into the kiss. She opened her mouth for me, and I gently sucked onher tongue. She tasted like the rum sour she ordered at the pool bar before we walked down to the beach.
Nina and Nick walked up. “Thought you didn’t want a baecation, boo.”
Abril pulled back and wiped her gloss from my lips before she replied, “Don’t you need to be getting your cave swept, friend? Quit denying that man what he’s been after since we landed three days ago.”
Nina gasped when Nick smirked and commented. “Told ya, girl. Ain’t nothing to it, but to do it. Now let me get them draws.”
Nina walked away, but she broke out into a run when Nick chased her. Her squeals of laughter were giddy and loud.
“You don’t get off that easily,” I commented and pointed at her phone.
“These heffas betta not make a liar out of me.”
I watched as she pulled up her phone and turned it slightly away from me. I wrapped my arms around her waist and lifted her onto my lap. Abril tried to hold her phone out of my reach.
“Nah, nah. Don’t chicken out now.” I tickled her underneath her arms and around her rib cage, until she jerked her arms down and close to her sides to protect herself. When she did, I took her phone from her hand.
“Ohh, yeah. This is good.”
