Page 39 of Off the Charts
“You walk through my door and I’ma shoot yo ass. I promise! Do not come,” Valen stressed. “I know you don’t like to hear it, but I don’t need saving. I’m not your students, Bubby. Life is going to hit me, and you can’t save m?—”
I groaned. “V, I’an really tryna hear that shit right now.”
“Because you don’t want to hear the truth, but I don’t give a fuck! We aren’t kids anymore. I’m a grown woman. Let me bump my head in peace. I called you because you’re my best friend, not because I needed you to fight my battle. On my life, I am okay so for once please take care of you. Devon is here so my healing will involve me fucking another nigga to forget the last one and I’m okay with that. Plus, I know you don’t want to leave Jersei girl.”
She was right. I didn’t want to leave J, but my sister was a priority. I sighed. I knew her like the back of my hand. Valen wouldn’t tell me about her true feelings over the phone or in person. She would rather fight in silence.
“If you need me, call me. I will turn my phone on.”
“Nigga, and you call me the drama queen? Keep your phone off and clean your damn ears. Enjoy yourself! I shouldn’t have bothered you.”
“You did exactly what you were supposed to,” I hung my shirts back up. “Do you need anything?”
“No and after this I never want to hear his name again.” I nodded as if she could see me. “Actually, I do need something. I saw this purse when I was at Wright and Sage the other day.”
I shook my head. “Bye Valen. Call me if you need me. I’m here and I love you.”
“I love you. I’m blocking you until you get back.”
She ended the call, and I sent her a few thousand to cheer her up. She had her own but loved spending mine. I was content with the fact that Devon was there with her and after hearing her let me know she was good, I decided to stay put. It took me about ten minutes to unpack and reorganize the closet before I went to the kitchen area. Jersei was in one of my shirts, waving the spatula over her head as she whined her hips.
“May fall in love again if I stay too long,” she slowly whined to the floor, completely unaware of my presence. My dick jumped watching her ass bounce effortlessly and thighs swipe the floor. Her thick ass was fine as fuck. I leaned against the counter watching her, fighting the urge to bend her over. “What we did last nighttt! Oh, it was amazing!”
“Am I dreaming? What am I seeing?” I sang the next part. Jersei lost her footing and tumbled forward. I barely caught her arm and snatched her to her feet.
“Vayce!” She palmed her chest. “Whew! Nigga, you better be glad I threw that grease outside. Yo ass would’ve been in here sizzling,” she pointed the spatula at me before tossing it in the sink.
I couldn’t stop laughing. “Caught yo’ ass. You talked about me living a double life. You used to work at Feelz?”
“You see me huh? You should’ve been paying me all them racks that night,” She did a playful twerk and bit down on her finger. “If I was single and without a child? I’d tear that pole up. Them niggas wouldn’t know what hit ‘em. You know my grandma was a stripper. That’s where Harmoni gets it from.”
My mouth parted and I frowned at her, really unsure what to say. “Damn. She was a gardener and a stripper? She lived one hell of a life.”
Jersei threw her head back laughing and I joined in. “I’m lying,” she drew a cross over her head and heart. “Lord forgive me. Grandma, I’m playing.”
I kissed my teeth. “Get the fuck on, man.”
“I’m done fo’ real,” she chuckled, dipping a spoon in the pot. She blew it a few times before putting it to my lips. “Taste this.”
I stared upside her head for a minute, looking from the spoon to her. “What is it?”
“Food. Open. You want me to do the choo choo train?” I chortled and opened for her to insert the spoon. The taste of it shocked me although I tried to hide it for a minute. It reminded me of the gravy on smothered chicken with a blend of different seasonings, but then again, niggas always compare new meat to chicken.
“Taste like chicken, don’t it?”
See. I laughed. “Woman, what the fuck did you put in my mouth?”
“Giblet gravy,” she lifted on her toes to press a kiss against my lips. When she pulled away, I grabbed her hip and kissed her again. “Hmm. Good morning, Mr. Denver,” Jersei blushed. “Go ahead and admit it. I got a city boy loving giblet gravy.”
“Good morning, beautiful. Before I answer that, what the fuck is a giblet, Jersei?” I released her hip, and she spun around to face the stove again.
Although we’ve done nothing but spend time together, it didn’t seem like enough. I stepped into her space again, wrapping my arms around her waist and kissed along her neck a few times. I saw some grits and some kind of gravy and the portions were small because half this shit, she didn’t eat.
“I’ma be real. I’on know but also don’t wanna Google it either ‘cause I’ma be disgusted. I follow my grandma’s recipes that I remember to fill my babies’ stomach and—” her body tensed likeher brain realized what her mouth said. “I, um…I cook to make sure stomachs are full. Everything else is extra.”
I ducked my head to get her to look at me, but she turned the other way. By the hips, I spun her to face me, and I did it fast in hopes of giving her stubborn ass whiplash.
“You know sum?” I lowered my head, so my lips were just inches shy of hers. “One of my favorite things to do is to redirect your attention to get you to stop running. You calling me baby ain’t extra. Call me what you want. Baby, love, sweetheart, yours, or whatever other sweet shit you feel. I’on give a fuck. You don’t have to overthink when it comes to me, J. I’m right here. It’s a lot of shit I haven’t verbally expressed to you ‘cause you might think a nigga off his rockers for how I’m tryna come behind you. You running away only gone make me chase yo’ ass harder. Every time you look over your shoulder, you gone see me right on your ass like a fucking lunatic. You ain’t alone, mama.”
