“That’s men for you,” Mama laughed. “I know you don’t want to leave that man, Daee. He is single, right? You haven’t seen any signs of a woman in his home?”
I shook my head and licked my lips. “He’s single, but of course, you know what single guys do. Well, single people in general. But again, Shad and I… this was just a snowed-fling, Mama.”
We talked for a little while longer until I noticed his battery was at five percent. Dad got on the phone for a second, and I just knew Mama was about to have him run the background check as soon as we got off the phone. My thirteen-year-old sister, Denver, was still asleep.
I groaned, knowing I had to go back into the living room to face this goofy ass nigga. I dragged my feet. Shad was sitting on the couch smoking. There wasn’t anything else for him to do.
“You can smoke while working for UPS?” I questioned, tossing his phone beside him. “Your phone is going dead.”
“I got the job already. Shit, been on it for a few months now. I’m good at what I do, so they’d better let me smoke in peace,” he answered. “Your mama likes me, don’t she?”
“She said your hair looks nappy and you look a lil’ rough,” I lied, seeing the smile Shad wore turn menacing. His smile completely evaporated. Shad took a long, slow drag from his blunt while grilling me. If shad said anything out of the way about my mama, I’ll probably crash out.
“She say that?” he asked, voice dangerously calm.
I swallowed back my teasing smile and nodded.
“Aight.” His head bobbed. “Wash my shit and braid me back up. We have nothing but time, baby.”
I shifted from one foot to the other. My stomach growled, reminding me that I hadn’t eaten anything yet. I couldn’t believe I wasn’t eating a nice Christmas dinner.
“How do you even know I know how to braid?” I quizzed.
Shad gawked at me like I was stupid. “Go eat some and then get me right. Don’t need Mama talkin’ all crazy ‘bout a nigga.”
His hair didn’t even look all that bad. It was just a few short unruly hairs sticking up. The first night, he wore a durag to bed. Since we’d been hunching on one another, Shad had been forgetting to protect his hair at night.
I did know how to do hair, well, braid to the scalp. I also didn’t mind doing Shad’s hair if it meant being close to him. My body was already going through withdrawals, missing him inside.
I went to the kitchen and grabbed a strawberry frosted Pop-Tart and a room-temperature bottled water. I hate that all of Shad’s food in the refrigerator was going to have to be thrown out. This part was okay, but it was nothing like the honey-glazed ham, greens, candied yams, and baked mac ‘n cheese that I could have had today.
When I finished, I crumpled up the foil wrapper and tossed it in the trash. I gulped my water and then hollered, “Where’s the shampoo and conditioner? I need a wide-tooth comb too!”
In the middle of the kitchen, I turned up the water bottle and continued to gulp it down. I could hear Shad moving around his home, hopefully gathering everything I needed. As I was tossing the empty bottle into the trash, he sauntered in with everything I asked for, including a towel draped over one shoulder. His eyes were red and low, but focused on me.
This man is so damn fine.
Removing my eyes from Shad, I turned and ambled to the sink to turn the water on.
“I’m going to start with warm water to clean your hair and…”
Shad came behind me and pressed his front to my back like the mannish nigga he was. He leaned down and kissed my neck, then placed everything on the counter. My face heated.
“You like kissing on me?” I asked him.
Shad chuckled. “I guess I do. I can’t help it.”
Using my elbow, I moved him back so I could turn to him. He groaned.
“What?” I quizzed, squinting at him.
“You bet not ask me what we doin’. I just like kissing on you, aight. Fuckin’ you, too.”
A blush crept up my neck, and my ears burned. I smacked Shad’s chest. Shad just grinned that lazy, confident grin that had grown on me.
“Put your head in the water,” I ordered, pointing to the sink. “I’ll try not to drown you.”
“Don’t play wit’ me, Holidaee.”
