Between Isaac yelling and the scowl on his face, I had to look away to keep from laughing. The pictures Eli and I had taken were sent, and Justine gave us some prompts to use when we posted. Eli and I had already posted ours, and it just so happened that I was with Isaac. We were working out together before the scheduled interview Eli and I had for later. As I wiped my face, I finally allowed myself to smile, but I dropped it when I lowered the towel.
“You said you were cool with us fake dating, bruh,” I reminded him.
“Yeah, fake dating, not kissing!” he yelled, and the distress in his voice made it impossible for me to hold my laugh in. “You got your hand all on her ass and shit. If you would have moved your hand down an inch, it would’ve touched her fucking pussy!”
“Isaac, how do you think people are going to believe our relationship is real if we aren’t affectionate?”
Sucking his teeth, he shoved his phone in the pocket of his basketball shorts. “Don’t be kissing on my sister, nigga. I’on give a fuck about none of that other shit.”
Little did he know, I was planning to do more than kiss his sister. I kept telling myself one night with her would be enough to satisfy my desire for her, but that was a fucking lie. If we took things to the next level, I’d be addicted, so it was best if we stuck to hugs and kisses.
“Do you want this shit to work or not?” I asked with a syrupy grin. Just the thought of being inside of her had me cheesing hard as hell.
“Yeah, I want it to work, but I feel like y’all gon’ catch feelings, and you know that can’t happen.”
“I’ma be honest with you, I do like your sister. What’s not to like? She’s beautiful, smart, sweet, talented. But we know nothing can happen between us for real. Come September, we will be done with this charade, and I’ll keep my distance just like I was before we agreed to do this.”
I could tell he didn’t believe me by how he looked at me, but I gave him silence and the space to process how he was feeling.
“I can’t stop you from liking her, but Iwillstop you from being with her. Don’t put me in that position, bruh. For real.”
We shook hands, then went our separate ways. I was a damn fool letting myself feel anything for Eli, but I could honestly say it was beyond my control at this point.
A Few Hours Later
This time,I was the last to arrive. This time, Eli was in good spirits. She was already smiling at whatever Justine was saying,but when she saw me, her shoulders hiked as she grinned. Knowing she was happy to see me made going behind her brother’s back a little easier. Still felt bad about that shit though. I said I owed it to myself to go after what and who I wanted, but I’d always been loyal and operated from a certain set of principles and integrity. Was what I was doing with Eli really worth going against that? And if it was, how did I think it could be over in a few months?
“Hi,” she almost sang as I stepped in front of her holding a large bouquet of roses and a gift box from my favorite jeweler in the city.
“Wassup, Smiley?”
Her hands went to her cheeks as I extended the bouquet, but then I realized the shit was almost as big as her. “I’ma take these to the house for you.”
“My teddy bear. They are gorgeous, Fally. Thank you.”
I lowered them slightly so she could smell them before setting them on the small round table where the interview would be conducted.
“Well isn’t that a beautiful addition,” Justine said as Eli stared at me.
“You’re making it really hard to not like you more, mister.”
“Good. I know you like herringbone chains.” I opened the box. “How do you feel about diamonds?”
Her breath hitched as she clutched her chest. I watched as her eyes glazed over. The platinum necklace with eighty brilliant-cut diamonds was just over thirty carats and four hundred thousand dollars.
Eli’s eyes blinked rapidly as her mouth opened partially.
“Where would I wear this? I would only be able to wear this with my security,” she almost whispered, running her fingers over the necklace.
“You can wear it wherever you want. The world knows you’re mine now, and ain’t nobody gon’ fuck with you.”
I saw Justine giving me two thumbs up out of the corner of my eye. She probably thought this was for show since she had a videographer recording the moment, but there was nothing fake about this.
“Thank you, Falcon. That feels like it’s not enough at all.” She giggled as she turned. “Put it on me please.”
I took the necklace out of the box and wrapped it around her neck. After placing a kiss on her neck, I released her hair and turned her to face me.
“Thank you is more than enough, but I’d love it if you had dinner with me after this interview.”
