Danae’s walk slowed once she stepped inside. She quietly observed. Her eyes made their way from the living room to the open kitchen and then to me.
“You live here alone?” she questioned, still standing in the foyer.
I kicked my shoes off at the door and walked around her. “I do. For now. Let me take your coat.” She handed it to me, and I hung our coats in the hallway closet. “Take your shoes off and come in the kitchen.”
Surprisingly, she did as I asked and followed behind me. Pulling out one of the barstools that sat at the island, I gestured for her to sit.
“How many bedrooms is in here?”
“Six,” I said, walking into the pantry to grab the assortment of teas. “Six bedrooms, six bathrooms, and two half baths.”
“And you telling me you don’t have a small family somewhere? You ain’t gotta lie to me, Aura.”
I chuckled. “The fact that you think I would is wild. As much as y’all nail niggas to the cross for being honest, the last thing you should think is that. To answer your question though, no, I don’t have a small family anywhere. I plan to start one, which is why this place is the perfect size.” I pushed the tray of assorted teas over to her. “Pick one.”
She picked up the ginger lemon tea and handed it to me. “All this house and you’re barely here.”
“How you know where I’m at, Ma? You keeping tabs on me?”
Her lip curled. “Umm, no. This place barely looks lived in.”
Grabbing a cup from the cabinet, I filled the glass kettle with water and set it on the stove to boil. Turning back to face her, I leaned against the counter with my arms crossed. “Well, move in and fuck some shit up then. Hang your wig on the back of the bathroom door. Have your makeup all over the counter. Hang your panties up in the laundry room to dry. Move in and make my house a lived in home.”
She tried to hide her smile, but I caught it, the second one today. I loved when Danae smiled. She was pretty as fuck, and when she flashed her thirty-twos, it reminded me of why I went so hard about her.
“Here’s your tea.” I set the cup in front of her. “You want honey or sugar?”
“I’m gonna drink it like this.”
“Okay.”
I watched as she handled the cup delicately, blowing the hot liquid before taking a sip.
“Why do you do that?”
“What?”
“Watch me.”
“Because I have eyes, Ma.” I snickered.
“You know what I mean, Aura.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Yes, you do. You don’t just watch me. You show up in ways I didn’t ask for. And even when I push you away, you still find a way to fit into my life. You can have any woman you want, yet you…”
“I wait.” I finished her sentence.
“What exactly are you waiting for, Aura?”
“For you to get your mind right,” I replied without hesitating. “I wait for you to heal from whatever it is that’s keeping you from me mentally.”
She paused. Her facial expression said she wasn’t prepared for my response. “And what do you do while you wait?”
I cracked a smile. “I send you flowers to the nail shop. I get your car serviced without you knowing. I threaten niggas that think they have a chance witchu.”
“You try to get my car towed.”
