Aniya spiked our juice packs with alcohol and put them in a cooler in the back of our booth. She said it was just enough for usto get a buzz but still remain respectful of the kids. Since this was not technically a work event, I didn’t mind bending the rules.
Being around Aniya reminded me of just how by-the-book I was. She was a person who took pride in living every moment of her life like it was her last and completely disregarded anything that made her feel restricted. I, on the other hand, was a prude.
While my work besties flirted with the fine ass men who had come off the army base down the street from Renewed, I stood quietly at her side, manning the booth we were assigned. We had the photobooth, and since photography was a hidden talent of mine, I was happy to snap it up while Aniya entertained the people standing in line.
“Dang, Dr. E, when you start wearing real clothes?”
I looked up from the camera and came eye-to-eye with Sakani and Stone. It had only been a few days since Sakani left, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t already miss him. No matter how tough our sessions got, I always looked forward to them.
“Sakani!” I gasped and pulled him into a hug before I stepped back to get a good look at him. “I see one of us is keeping it the same.”
Sakani was dressed in his signature all-black jogger set, but Stone was who stole my focus. It wouldn’t matter if I saw Stone coming from a mile away; his presence would always catch me off guard. I tried my best to focus on Sakani, or even the two kids whose picture I was supposed to take before they walked up, but everything about Stone required my full attention.
“Good to see you again, Doc.”
Stone smirked as if he knew he demanded my attention without even trying. I could smell the cockiness on him, but I couldn’t be mad about that. He had every right to be cocky. Stone looked like a man who only existed on social media, except this was real life, and he was standing right in front of me.
“Good to see you again too.”
I nervously tucked my hair behind my ear and tried to tear my eyes away from that man. It was no use because just as fast as I forced them to the ground, they darted right back up to meet his gaze. His eyes were dark but still soft whenever they landed on me. That softness made it hard to look away.
“I’ll take that from you,” Aniya said before she grabbed the camera from my hand. I didn’t know how long I’d been wrapped up in Stone, but clearly, it was long enough to catch her attention. Sakani was giving me a knowing smile, which caused me to step back and smooth down my shirt.
“Um, no, I got it. I’m sure they have to make their rounds. Sakani has so many people who need to see him, I’m sure.”
“I do need to make my rounds, but he doesn’t. Ms. Aniya, you mind walking me to the front office? Stone can help Dr. E.”
“What? No. I’m sure he’s busy.”
“No, I’m not. My old unit is sponsoring this, so I’d really love to help out any way I can.”
“It’s settled then. See you later, girl.”
Aniya wrapped her arm around Sakani and walked him to the office like he’d asked. She only looked back at me to mouthget yo’ man. I understood what she and Sakani were trying to do, but clearly, neither of them knew just how awkward I could be.
“I take it you didn’t want to be left alone with me.”
“We’re not alone. There’s a whole line of kids waiting for us to take their pictures. You volunteered to help, so let’s go.”
I didn’t mean to snap at Stone, but that’s how I got when I was nervous, especially when I had no ideawhyI was nervous. I had years of schooling on how to master emotions and remain in a calm state, yet here I was, letting Stone rattle me with just the mention of help.
“Hey, beautiful. You came to get your picture taken?”
Stone directed his attention to the next person in line. He fell into his role easily. I could hear the kids laughing behind me more with each snap I took. He was a natural at this, which told me Sakani was probably already feeling at home. On one hand, I was happy for him, but on the other, I was asking God how He thought it was okay to make me cross paths with a man like this.
We’d knocked our initial line down so fast I didn’t even notice we made it to the end. Together, Stone and I had filtered at least twenty kids through the photobooth, and he’d laughed the whole time. This was his first day interacting with kids at the group home outside of Sakani, yet they weren’t giving him the hard time they usually gave me.
How the children naturally gravitated to him let me know he was a good person. Children and animals were usually the best judges of character. If the kids of Renewed had no problem with Stone, I guess it was foolish of me to invent one.
“So what y’allwas doing while I was gone?” Sakani asked.
“Taking pictures of the kids. What you mean?”
“That’s it? You didn’t even try to get her number or nothing?”
Sakani was doing his best to whisper, but he wasn’t good at that shit at all. We were still getting to know each other, but he warmed up to me a lot faster than I thought he would. He’d only been with me for about a week. The other day, we watched basketball together in the living room, and it felt like something we’d been doing for years.
“Who said I wanted her number?”
