“You should always talk to me like that, E. That’s how I see you. I see you as a separate entity from KD. You’re not just his little sister to me. I see you as the grown ass woman that you are. Talk your grown shit.”
I tried to hide my smirk as I cleared my throat. Just hearing him say that made me feel like I could really talk to him. “When I was young, I always had a crush on you,” I began.
He coughed a little and cleared his throat. “Wow. Okay. Didn’t see that coming, but I follow. Keep talking, mamas.”
“Now, I’m back. And like you said, I’m a grown ass woman. And I have a grown ass woman attraction to you. But I’m conflicted, because it’s obvious that you’re still in love with Teagan. I don’t wanna be pressin’ up on you when you’re not available for me to have.” I sighed. “When we’re lying in your bed, all snuggled up and you’re holding me, you feel like mine, Q. But in the light of day, you’re still very much hers.”
He widened his eyes, but he also nodded his head, so I wasn’t sure what he was gonna say. “Damn. I appreciate the fact that you put it out there because it needs to be addressed.” He took a deep breath. “I’m attracted to you too. You’re the first woman to make me feel . . . shit, anything. Having you in my bed, holding you, taking care of you . . all of that feels so right. But at the same time, I can’t pretend that it doesn’t also make me feel some kind of way about my situation. My biggest concern is moving recklessly with you, E. It’s gonna take me a minute to navigate all the thoughts, the feelings, and just everything. I’mma need your patience and your grace.”
I tried not to let the frustration his words caused consume me. Why couldn’t anything ever be easy? Seamless? But I had to admit that I’d taken the time to sit with my feelings. I’d taken the time to fully explore them. He deserved the same time. “Okay.”
He laughed. “You sure? Don’t say okay if it’s not okay, E. I don’t want you poutin’ and all in your feelings. I want you to enjoy this date.”
I tried not to let the smile bloom on my face. “This is a date?”
“This is a date.”
It made me smile to myself that he had planned a date for me, even while he was still exploring his own feelings.
We made small talk until the server brought out our food. At that point, all conversation ceased as we enjoyed the deliciousness of our selections.
“Where are we?” I practically squealed as Quentin brought his truck to a stop. I was happy just to be with him, but the fact that I was well-fed and that he’d called this a date had me smiling on the inside and the outside.
“It’s a pop-up light museum.”
“What’s a light museum?”
“It’s like a regular museum, except the exhibits are like mini light shows. When you walk into the spaces, light is used to create . . . art. I figured you would like something like this, because?—”
“Ambient lighting soothes my nervous system.” I finished his thought for him. I had mentioned that to him once in passing as a throw-away fact when I moved into his place and put candles everywhere. I hadn’t expected him to store that information away, or to ever use it.
“It’s quiet. I didn’t think there would be too many people here. It just opened yesterday, and it closes next week. I thought it would be a cool place to bring you. A place where you wouldn’t be anxious or . . . on high alert.”
I looked up at him and grinned as I slipped my hand inside his. “Let’s see this light.”
We walked into the first room, and it was like being in an enchanted forest with trees everywhere and fairy lights dripping from each and every one of them. Every time you took a step, the ground underneath you lit up.
“Wow,” I exclaimed, feeling like Dorothy or somebody fromThe Wizon the yellow brick road.
We walked from space to space experiencing each exhibit. There was a room that made you feel like you were underwater with the sounds of the ocean pumped into the space, while digital images of big waves, sea creatures, and schools of fish seemed to float near and around you. Light was used to make the ground look like the ocean, with waves lapping over your feet and up to your knees. It was crazy and cool at the same time.
There were eight rooms in the pop-up light museum. Quentin and I took our time moving through them. The longer we lingered, the more we leaned into each other and touched each other. It was dark in the museum, and something about the darkness heightened the feeling of romanticism. He stood behind me, taking in the light show while periodically kissing me on the neck. I took his hands and brought them up to my breasts. I wasn’t usually the brazen type, but there was something about the light, the night, the darkness, and Quentin that had me feeling like us coming together physically was inevitable.
“Be careful, lil mama. You playing a dangerous game.” He rolled my nipples between his fingers.
“Who’s playing, Q?”
He stood frozen for a minute. “E, don’t start?—”
Before he could even get the rest of his sentence out, I pushed my ass into his groin. “I’ll take my panties off right here,” I said lowly.
He leaned in, and his breath was warm and sweet as it traveled over the shell of my ear. “I’lltake your panties off right here. Keep fucking with me.”
We kept moving through the museum, all pressed up on each other. Next thing I knew, I was being pulled toward a heavy black curtain that had a sign right beside it that read “staff only.”
“This is for the staff only,” I whispered to him, once we were behind the curtain.
“Oh, now you scared?”
