We made love, or at least what felt like it, until I came multiple times, and Major did twice. It surprised me that he was able to get hard right after the first one. He was honest about not being able to that soon after the second one. It was fine with me because I needed a nap.
Major and I fell asleep on the rug in front of the fireplace. Our nap only lasted thirty minutes when Major woke me to go another round.
When we were done, we showered and migrated to the kitchen to make something quick for dinner. After dinner, we went to the living room to play some of the board games.
The music had been changed to a movie. Major and I sat on the floor with Connect Four in front of us.
I changed into another pajama set with thick socks up to my knees. Major wore sweatpants that hung loose around his waist. His hair was pulled back into a ponytail. His two silver necklaces rested on his bare chest. He looked too damn fine. His bottom lip was trapped between his teeth as he thought about his next move.
“Do you think you’ve matured over the years?”
Major briefly looked at me, then dropped his piece down. I had to look carefully because one false move, and I would lose. We were both one piece away from winning.
“For sure. I’ve changed from high school to now. If I were keeping it real, I changed from who I was a year ago, or even a few months ago,” he stated.
I dropped my piece in and jumped up. “I won!” I pumped my fists in the air.
Major beat me two times, and he had beaten me in Sorry. “How so?” I sat back down and crossed my legs.
Major emptied the board and started a new game.
“Not too long ago, I was just fucking and going on about my business, but lately, my thoughts have been elsewhere.” He looked off to the side, then focused back on me.
“What changed?” My question came out in a whisper.
“I met somebody who has me seeing shit differently.”
Something in the air changed. The atmosphere felt charged and hotter, and not from the fire.
“I can see that. If it’s supposed to work out, it will.”
“I hope so. I also hope she’ll be ready.”
We were quiet for a few minutes. The only sound was the fire and the music. Sparrow had gone off somewhere, and I probably wouldn’t see him until the morning, or whenever I went to bed. Sometimes he liked to cuddle, but he’d been hiding since Major had been around.
“How do you know you are?” I rubbed the back of my neck.
“It’s a feeling. Some shit that you can’t explain. You just know.”
I nodded because I understood what he meant.
“What emotion do you find hard to express?” he asked.
“Frustration or sadness. I don’t want anyone to feel sorry for me. What about you?” I hated expressing certain things around people because I hated the look of pity. I didn’t want anyone to pity me for any reason. Not when my parents died, and not when my brother turned his back on me. I learned to function without them. It was something that had to be done.
“Fear. As a black man in this country, I’m not supposed to be afraid of anything. Most of the time I’m not, but I do fear some things. I fear going outside and getting killed just because I’m black. I’m afraid of a woman lying on me about some shit I didn’t do. I had that almost happen to me before. I fear that when I become a father, I may not be a good one. Don’t ask me why, because I have a good example of a father, but still. It’s a lot of shit.”
I processed how vulnerable he’d been with me. This wasn’t the same guy who looked like he wanted to shoot my head off before. He seemed caring and willing to share things about himself that he probably never shared with anyone else. The realization of it being me made my stomach flip.
“Those are valid reasons.” I reached over and rubbed his knee.
We continued playing games and connecting on an even deeper level.
By the end of the night, we ended up in bed with his arms wrapped around me. He kissed the top of my head and whispered, ‘Good night,’ just as I closed my eyes.
I fucked aroundand fell hard for Tumy after three days. This trip turned out to be way more than I bargained for. I really thought I was going to hunt, then return to my regular shit once I made it back home. Instead, I racked my brain trying to figure out how to spend more time with Tumy. She was a breath of fresh air. Not only was she beautiful, but her energy was also refreshing, and she kept me entertained. Sex with her was phenomenal, and that wasn’t a word I used to describe any other woman I’d been with.
When I woke up, she was still asleep with her back toward me. I wanted to wake her up, but we’d been up for most of the night. We’d talked, fucked, and talked again. It was like we never ran out of things to talk about. For some reason, we stillnever addressed where we lived, and I didn’t ask for her phone number. I wasn’t sure what made me so hesitant about it.
