Page 21 of Awakening
Golden hour has taken over the penthouse, the light so soft it feels like a secret. Ajaih’s standing acrossthe room, barefoot, sipping whiskey, robe clinging to her like it knows better than to let go. The rest of the suite is quiet. It’s just us. Layanna stepped out for a spa appointment.
She looks at me with that unreadable calm she wears like armor. “You always this hard to read?”
I grin lazily, “Only when the reader makes it interesting.”
She arches a brow and walks over, her hips carrying more power than she realizes, sinking onto the couch next to me, close enough to feel the heat radiating between us. God help me.
“Tell me something real,” she says, “Something that lets me see more of who Nurse Carter is.”
I don’t answer right away. I rest my arms across the back of the couch, staring past her for a second, trying to decide how much truth to give her.
Then I say it.
“Knox.”
She tilts her head, “That his name or the thing that still holds you closed?”
Shit, she’s sharp. I like that. I can’t wait to love it.
“His name,” I say, “We met in college freshman year. He was my roommate. I’d left home after years of being lied to by my parents and lying to them about who I was. On the day of move-in, I blurted out to Knox that I was gay and if that was a problem, we needed to change our dorm assignments. We both laughed heartily.
“You meant business,” she said.
“I was determined to be myself out loud and unapologetic in this new phase in my life,” my tone neutral.
“How long?”
“Decades. We grew up together. Figured things out, made mistakes, loved each other the whole time,” the love I had for Knox evident in my voice.
“And?” She probed.
“He got offered this amazing opportunity working in Santorini with a Michelin-starred chef who speaks in grunts and curses. I wouldn’t go, I love Winston Hills, and I love what I do here, but he couldn’t stay.”
She’s quiet. Not judging and just listening. Her undivided attention belonging to me.
“Y’all still talk?”
“We do, and when he’s in town,” I glance down, “We hook up.”
Her breath shifts, but not uncomfortably; it’s more so her taking in the truth and the realness that she asked me for. She doesn’t speak. Doesn’t need to.
“You still love him?”
I nod, slowly, “Yeah. I do. But it’s different now. He’s part of my journey that led to me being the man I am today, and I love and am in love with him, but I need to see where this can go with you.”
She touches my chest then, right over my heart, like she’s checking if it still beats for him, or if there’s room for her.
“Who says you have to choose?” she whispers.
I lean in, so close our mouths are already touching. “How will this work? You make me feel, Ajaih. You’re something I didn’t expect, but I’m wide awake for it.”
Her lips press into mine with a hot hunger, no hesitation. I kiss her back like I mean it, like I’ve been waiting to taste her since the moment we met. Every kiss feels like the first kiss. Her robe slips off her shoulders as she straddles mylap, her skin warm and smooth against mine. I run my hands over her thighs, up her back, wanting more.
“What if you had the freedom to have us both? Love us deep?” she breathes against my mouth.
My body stills, her question stirring something profound in me, my mind sifting through the possibilities.
“Then you’d never regret opening a safe space for me to love you both,” I finally answer.
