Page 8 of Watercolors
“You gave me directions on how to get to your home, Liyah.” Ocean’s eyes sparkled in the moonlight. “That’s not my fault.”
“You already memorized my address, didn’t you?” She asked.
“Yes.” Ocean smiled. “Of course I did.”
Aaliyah briefly looked away and hope the embarrassment in her heart didn’t reflect on her cheeks. She’d almost forgotten how persuasive he could be if it was something he really wanted. There was no question he wanted her, though the thought of them forming a lasting relationship seemed impossible.
He turned her chin towards his and swept his lips over hers. His tongue tangled with hers and he licked inside of her warm mouth. “Don’t think about it.”
Aaliyah’s heart still swayed from the kiss’s lingering effects. Ocean successfully made her want him again, not that she ever stopped longing after him. “It’s impossible not to when you have security detail surrounding us.” She looked around. She silently counted four and those were the ones visibly seen. Who knew how many were hidden?
“I won’t force you to do something you don’t want to do, but I want you to think about everything. If you don’t want this, it’ll end tomorrow. Your call.”
The way Ocean said indicated something else and Aaliyah wondered why he’d suggested the next day. Maybe he wanted her to sleep on it. “Fair enough.”
He kissed her again. “Call me tomorrow, baby.” He caressed her cheek. “I’m on a flight back to D.C. tomorrow, but I can fly you up there if need be.”
Aaliyah had never been to D.C. before. She briefly wondered if she would like it. “I don’t have your number, Ocean.”
He presented a card and quickly wrote on it. “That’s my personal number. Very few people have it.” He handed it over to her. “I’m looking forward to your call.”
“What are we going to talk about?’ She asked. “We hashed out everything tonight.”
Ocean briefly looked up at the sky and back down at his ex. “Not quite.” He kissed her again before he went back into his awaiting SUV and took off.
Aaliyah sighed and kept the card close to her heart. Could it really work between them? How? She was firmly based in Atlanta. He divided his time between L.A. and D.C. It couldn’t work. There was no way it would work.
But what if it did?
~~~~~~
Crisp sunlight awoken Aaliyah from her dream-filled sleep. All she saw was Ocean’s blue eyes and infectious smile. She saw a scandal-free future between them. Afternoons spent baking cookies while Ocean played with their children in the front yard.
Evenings were spent hosting numerous other political friends and family and talking about everything but politics. She would’ve been considered an unconventional wife but everyone accepted her the same.
Aaliyah quickly realized those were just fantasies. They would never come true no matter how much she hoped they would. Still, a girl could dream about a world where her relationship with Ocean wouldn’t matter to anyone but them.
She sat up in bed and stretched. She had a busy day with several pieces to do and time waited for no one. She got up and headed downstairs. Before she entertained calling Ocean again, she needed to gather her senses.
A nice cup of English breakfast tea would do just the trick.
As she prepared her tea, she heard her cell phone ring off in the distance. One call, then another, followed by another. Considering it was her personal cell phone that sometimes acted as her business phone, Aaliyah ignored the calls. She would get back to whoever wanted another tattoo later.
When her house phone rang, that’s when Aaliyah knew something was amiss. She hurried over to her house phone and answered it. “Hello?”
“I have a bone to pick with you, missy!” Brittany admonished over the phone. “I thought you just said you had dinner with Ocean and that’s it.”
“That was it.” Aaliyah yawned. “What’s going on?”
“What?” Brittany asked. “Are you serious?”
“Bitch, I just woke up.” Aaliyah yawned again. “And no, Ocean didn’t spend the night with me nor did any hanky-panky went on. We just kissed and that’s it.”
“I bet it was some kiss!” Brittany prodded.
It was. The kiss reminded Aaliyah why she fell in love with Ocean to begin with. “Is there a reason why you’re busting my balls right now?”
“You seriously have no clue right now?” Brittany asked.
“Britt, either spill the tea or let me go back to sleep.” Aaliyah warned. “I don’t have time for any of—”
“Bitch!” Brittany laughed. “You’re all over the internet!”
Aaliyah went from sleepy to alert and about to die of embarrassment in zero to sixty seconds. “I beg your pardon?”
“You and Ocean! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!”
