Page 54 of Off the Charts
“I wish I had a deep answer for you, but I always find the good shit up here. Downstairs, it’s easier to get what’s popular or what you can access faster. Nobody wants to put in the work and find the true hidden gems. It took me one time. Now I come straight here and tell anybody who is willing to listen.”
Jersei turned toward me like she’d heard the double meaning. “I see that. I should’ve come up here first, but the more you know, right?”
“Exactly.” I pointed directly at the brown record. “You like that one?”
Jersei frowned and grabbed it from the shelf. Her eyes nearly bulged out of her head seeing the image of us. I watched her blink a few times then her head snapped in my direction.
“What is…Vayce? This is us?” Her voice lowered. “Soundtrack to you and I,” she whispered, running her fingers over the image as if confirming it was real.
“Every song I could think of that we have played together is on there. Any song we have sang together and sounded like nails against a chalkboard, it’s there. Adore, the first song we connected over, it’s number one.” I hooked my index finger under her chin because she lowered her head when tears fell. “The songs that remind me of you, your heart, your beauty, or the way you make me feel, they are there. It’s ours, J. Play it when you need it even when I piss you off,” I smiled, and she chuckled. “When the nights come and we are apart, I pray the lyrics make you feel me in some way. Every time the record spins, I pray you get a fresh wind of my love for you.”
Her eyes darted between mine and a fresh set of tears dropped. “Love?”
I brushed my thumb against her cheek. “Love, J. I can’t fight the shit no more. I love you, Jersei Lane. I do. The shit I feel ain’t a like. It’s a burning desire, a fucking yearn. If I didn’t think you would think I was insane, I would ask you to marry me right now. Court room, paper signing, jumping a broom, I’on give a fuck. However I can have you forever, I’ll do it without a second guess ‘cause I know you’re who God crafted for me. Fuck the timing. My brain, heart, and mind are on one accord and that’s you.” I pressed a kiss against her lips, tasting the salt of her tears. “Flip the record over baby.”
“Vayce,” she cried. I could tell she was overwhelmed. Not in a bad way, but in a way that her mind was trying to catch up with everything in front of her. She fanned her face, still staring at the front cover.
The front cover art was a picture of Jersei and I at the cabin one night by the fire. She was making a silly face with her tongue out while sitting in my lap and I was mid-laugh. Her hair was in a messy bun and mine was covered by a silk durag. It was special to me because it was our first picture together, but also showed the basis of our relationship, raw, honest, and happy.
This was also my first time seeing the record, but Terren and her team did an amazing job bringing my vision to life. Jersei finally flipped it over. On the back, was a picture she’d taken from her point of view. We were outside and her leg was in my lap while I massaged the opposite foot. The sun setting in the background was the perfect addition to the image, giving it a slight vintage feel. I watched the exact moment J’s eyes went across the bold wording at bottom.
Will You Be Mine?was inscribed in beige lettering.
“I’ve been out of the game for so long, but I never want you to assume your position. I’m not leaving this season without everything God has to offer me and that includes you. Will you be my girlfriend, Jersei?”
“This is…wow,” she looked from the record then to me. “Nigga, you got my heart racing. I feel like I’m finna have a panic attack.” I laughed, holding back tears from being so fucking happy. “I’m deflecting, but my God, you are amazing. You’ve knocked me off my feet through every interaction. I admire how charming you are, Vayce. You have helped me live again and love again, ‘cause yes, I do love you.” I exhaled a breath finally hearing her say it back. “If the girlfriend ask is like this, I know the proposal is gone have me on the ground.” I hollered. “I would be honored to be your girlfriend, Vayce Denver.”
“Yeah?” I smiled.
“Hell yeah!” She wrapped her arms around me, and I kissed her lips. It was slow, much like the first time we kissed in my truck. She placed her hand on the back of my neck to deepen it, and I made it a point to catch each of her moans with my lips.
“I got you for life J,” I mumbled between kisses.
“I wouldn’t have told you yes if I felt any other way, baby.”
I smiled, placing another kiss against her soft lips. We left the vinyl shop hand in hand with titles we didn’t enter with, and I knew that this would be the second best yes I would receive in my life.
Won’t Keep You Waiting
My timeat Hillside was going better than I imagined. Etta making me the head distiller meant I worked directly under her but was responsible for every position within the winery from production, fermentation, to guest experiences. My hands would be tied, but for good reason. Etta ran the winery very well, so it didn’t take long for me to fall into a rhythm. This was my second language next to nurturing, so this week didn't feel like work. So far, my favorite part was conducting wine tours and teaching the guests about the process as well as the proper way to taste. People wanted to sip as soon as they poured, but wine drinking is an experience, and you’ll miss out by rushing it.
Hillside’s fermentation process was different from my own. Because I wasn’t a know-it-all, I opened myself up to learning their steps. Still, I didn’t want to overshare what I knew because the truth was, being here wasn’t forever, only a stepping stone. One day I’d have my own distillery, selling wine across the country and the beauty of mine will not only be the taste, but my touch.
I glanced at my watch seeing that I had ten minutes left until the end of my shift. I clasped my hands together looking around at the group of out-of-town guests. It was time to wrap their tour up. Harvest Hills was home, but it always blew my mind that people came from near and far to visit. This specific group was from Oregon, and they told me they’d been having a blast.
“You all booked the Hillside Experience, so if you go through these double doors,” I extended my arm to the right. “There is a bar. Let them know your group name and our bartender MarKyla will make sure you are all taken care of. Before I let you go, do any of you have any questions about the wine, the process, the building itself, or anything at all?”
One of the girls nudged the other and they giggled. I tilted my head because I didn’t like all that extra giggling. I had to stop myself from asking these apple headed heffas what the fuck was so funny.
“Did I miss the joke?” I said as nice as I could.
“Um, we were just wondering if you have any recommendations for people like…us?” She looked around at the group who was still laughing. My brows raised. “We want to have fun for our last night here.”
“Hmm,” I looked at them all before smirking. “I think y’all should go to Feelz. It’s in a town called Grove Hollow. If you want to have a time, baby that’s the place to be and not to mention, the food is so good. They have all the after-hour spots there. It’s a little drive, but it is worth it.”
They were in for a time for sure and probably would be appalled by the amount of black people up there, but that was on them to figure out. One of the girls took notes of the places I recommended, and they thanked me a million times over.
“No problem. Thank you all for coming and I hope you had an amazing time. Anytime y’all are back in Harvest Hills, please come by to see us. We would love to have you. There’s a QR code at the bar that you can scan and leave your feedback. My name is Jersei, the head distiller. See y’all!”
