I shook my head. “Of course not. Please make yourself at home.”
“Aight,” he responded before sliding out of the truck. I waited for him to come open my door, then got out. He grabbed my things from the back seat along with a duffle bag that belonged to him.
When we stepped foot inside my house, it almost felt like Zoo and I were coming home together. The feeling caught me off guard, causing me to nervously point him in the direction of thebathroom. He put my things on the couch and shouldered his bag.
“The room is right next door.”
“Cool,” he said. “Get some rest.”
“I will.” I chuckled.
As I passed him to go towards the hallway, he brought me close to him. He stared into my eyes, and said, “Get some rest.”
Laughing, I said, “I heard you the first time.”
“Yeah, but I need you to listen and do it,” he fired back.
Nodding, I agreed, “Sure, Zoo. Good night.”
“Night, Baby.”
It wasn’t an hour later, before taps came at my opened bedroom door. I wasn’t asleep anyway. I had been laying there trying to force myself to get that sleep Zoo told me to get. Nothing I did worked. I counted basketballs being shot into the goal. I even counted the blinds as the sun rising shown through them but I was still up looking crazy.
“Come in.”
I sat up in bed and immediately had to adjust my thoughts as Zoo entered in nothing but basketball shorts.
“My bad, I forgot my shirt.”
Damn, did he notice me staring at him?
“It’s fine. Is something wrong?”
“Yes and no. See, I have this little teddy bear that my mama gave me when I was a kid. I sleep with it, nightly, and I ain’t shame to say that shit either. It’s not with me, so sleep ain’t finna find me until I get home.”
Surprisingly, I didn’t laugh. I thought it was cute.
“You can lay with me. I tried to sleep but couldn’t. My sister was still on my mind heavy.”
Pulling back the covers, I scooted over to allow Zoo to settle in. As if this area was designed for me, my head rested on his chest with his arm keeping me there. It felt... right. Thoughts of howthis would feel daily, consumed my mind. Zoo clearing his throat pulled me back to reality.
“Tell me something, Pen.”
Looking up at him, I asked, “Tell you what?”
“Has playing ball always been something you wanted to do?”
“Not at all. I thought I would be a lawyer and so did my parents. Arguing and winning was my thing. I was perfect for it. Plus, I used to hate sweating, so nah, playing basketball was never on my to-do list. It just kind of happened and became something I loved doing. It helped that my sister loved it as well. We have always been a force on the court. Which is why I don’t know how I’m going to do the rest of these games without her.”
“You’ll do it for her. You go out there and you play for her and don’t let no one get into your head. You got this. Bri will be right there pushing and coaching you. Naomi, will be cheering from the sidelines. Even though she won’t physically be on the court, her presence will be in the arena.”
The smile that stretched across my face had to be as wide as the Mississippi River. The tingling butterfly feeling, had me inhaling his scent as I closed my eyes.
“Thank you.”
“No thanks needed. It’s my job.”His job?
“Why is that?” I questioned.
