“Yes, you can.”
We shared another kiss, and I waited until she was on the other side of the door before I walked back to my truck and headed home.
The night turned out well, and I couldn’t wait until I got to spend more time with her.
A few dayslater
Angie, Kayla, and I were in Kayla’s living room, catching up with each other. It was the first time the three of us had spent time together since I was released from the hospital. Fruity wine flowed, as ’90s R&B and hip-hop played through the speaker in the corner of the room.
“Y’all, this man said he was infatuated with me and that he hasn’t stopped thinking about me since the fire. He also said he wanted to be my protector.” I gushed, then took another swig of my wine.
“Like, the protector Beyoncé sang about?” Angie asked before laughing.
“Girl, what? Maybe you shouldn’t drink anymore,” Kayla said as she tried to take Angie’s cup from her.
“I’m good. Just asking a question.” Angie shrugged.
We went through two bottles and were on our third when the conversation switched to my and Onyx’s date.
“Sure, Angie. Yes, that type of protector.” I finished my wine and put the cup on the table.
The three of us looked at each other and laughed as we fell out over each other. Clearly, we all had too much to drink. Neither of us had anywhere to go, so we could drink as much as we wanted to. Angie planned on staying the night with us, so she was good.
Spencer sat on his bed, chewing on one of his toys while he looked at us like we were crazy.
Kayla tucked her legs underneath her butt once she calmed down. “How does that make you feel?”
“It made my heart skip a beat and my pussy shudder.” I giggled. “It threw me for a loop because nobody had ever said anything like that after only knowing me for a minute.”
“Maybe he’s the one,” Kayla said with a smile.
Kayla had always been the hopeless romantic out of the three of us. She had her wedding planned since we were in middle school. Unfortunately, she had some bad experiences in love, but she believed her knight in shining armor would come one day.
“Who knows. I do feel different with him than with anyone else. I can’t even explain it.”
My phone rang before either of them could respond, so I got up to get it from the charger. Nobody called me, so I was curious to see who it was. I wasn’t on call, so it shouldn’t have been any patients, but I could never be sure. My parents knew I was with the girls, so I didn’t think it was them. The phone continued to ring until I picked up.
Instantly, my lips curled into a smile as Onyx’s name scrolled against the screen.
“Look at her all smiley and shit,” Angie whispered as I pressed the button to answer.
“Hello.”
“Miss Maverick. How are you?”
I took the phone from the charger and held it against my ear as I walked back to the couch.
“Heyyy, Onyx. I’m good.” A hiccup escaped, and I quickly covered my mouth. “Sorry.” I covered my face with my hands as embarrassment crept through my body.
Onyx’s chuckle made my insides warm. “You’re good, sweetheart. Were you busy? I don’t want to interrupt.”
I looked at the girls as they stared at me, being nosy. The wine made me feel giddy inside just from the sound of Onyx’s voice on the other end of the phone. I tucked one of my legs under the other and got comfortable.
“I’m okay. I was hanging with my friends.” I dragged the s in friends, and Onyx chuckled again.
“I see. You’ve been drinking, haven’t you?”
“A little.” I giggled.
