He released me, and I bid him good night before walking briskly back into the guest bedroom and closing the door behind me. The seat of my panties was moist, as I stood against the door.
“I gotta get out this man house before I end up being the gift that keeps on giving.”
The next morning,I awoke to my Sunday alarm. I expected to wake up panicked, but to my surprise, I was at ease. My body felt light, thanks to the good night’s rest. There was no throbbing between my legs, an indication that Enzo wasn’t a creep and hadn’t taken my goodies in my sleep. Although he didn’t give weirdo, I slept with my legs tightly closed. Wondering what came of the snowstorm, I got out of bed and walked over to the window.
Pushing the curtain back just enough to peek out, I saw nothing but white. Everything was covered with snow. Enzo hadn’t lied, and I was glad I stayed. As I stood at the window, taking everything in, he came into view. He was off to the side of the house with a big coat on, a beanie, and boots, shoveling. I watched him from the window longer than I meant to. And as if he’d felt me staring, his head lifted, and he turned to me.
Our eyes met through the glass. My stomach flipped, seeing that I was caught. Not wanting to be weird, I raised my hand and gave a small wave. He winked at me and continued working. I sucked in a breath and stepped back from the window.
“What the hell was that?” I whispered to myself, referring to the high school moment. “Girl, get it together.”
Shaking my head, I grabbed my emergency kit from my purse. It was a little pouch that I traveled with in the event I found myself in a situation such as this. It consisted of a toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, a mini skin care set, and wipes. I hated being unprepared. It gave me anxiety to the highest level. Life had taught me to stay ready, so I never had to get ready.
Grabbing my phone on the way to the bathroom, I set it on the counter, while I brushed my teeth. As I went to wash my face,I could hear the door to the room open. I poked my head out of the bathroom to see EJ standing in the doorway, rubbing his eyes. On his feet was a pair ofCarsslippers, and his durag was off.
“Good morning, sleepyhead,” I said softly while wiping the facial cleanser off my face.
“Morning, Tyri. I hungry.”
I laughed. “Already? You just woke up.”
He just nodded.
“You eat like a grown man. I got you. Let me finish up here.”
“Okay. I help you.”
Smiling, I lifted him easily and set him on the sink, while I finished up. “Here, put this back in that bag please.” I handed him the small toothbrush and toothpaste and pointed to the bag. I watched him squint, checking the contents of the bag, before tossing the items in. This kid was too much.
He watched as I flossed, flashing his teeth in the mirror. “Teet, Tyri.”
“I see. You have nice teeth. We can brush yours once I’m done.”
As I finished up, my phone rang on the counter. It was an incoming FaceTime call from KJ. Swiping the screen to answer, his face popped up on the screen. Before I could say hello, EJ leaned over into the screen like someone had called for him.
“Not you being nosey,” I teased, moving him back from the screen, so I could see.“Wassup, son?”
“Who kid?”KJ asked.
“My client’s. I started that nanny position, remember?”
“Oh, right.”EJ looked at the screen again.“Wassup, man?”KJ spoke to him, and EJ gave him a head nod.
“You alright?”I asked KJ.
“Yeah. I was calling to see if I can stay over Godma Nae’s house for another night. Winter Break started, so I don’t have school tomorrow.”
I thought for a second.“Yeah. That’s cool. Do you have practice tomorrow?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay. Danae can drop you off, and I’ll be there to pick you up.”
“Ma, come on.”
“Text me the time, KJ.”
He sucked his teeth and shook his head.“Aight, man.”
