Heavy shook his head, slightly. “You make it sound easy.”
She shrugged. “Not easy, just obtainable. He, meaning the Lord, wouldn’t have put you in a position to better yourself if it were going to be easy. That’s too much like right. You gotta work for something. Maybe this is your test. You gon’ pass or you gon’ fail?”
Smirking, Heavy rubbed a hand over his beard. She’d just put him on blast, and there wasn’t much he could do about it.
“I’ma pass, fasho. Just gon’ take a bit more studying.”
Cyren smiled. “See! That’s all you need to do. And stay focused. You don’t seem like someone who’s supposed to be stuck doing the same thing forever.”
Heavy chuckled, lowly. “You don’t even know what I do.”
“I know enough,” she said and winked. “But I mean it. I believe in you. Whatever it is you’re doing, just always remember what you started for. Your grandfather’s dream or not, he trusted you with it, so keep your promise to him and yourself. Everything will pay off in the end.”
That pulled a real smile out of him. “Damn.”
Cyren’s brows lifted. “What?”
He shook his head, looking at her a little differently now. “You just… you have a way with words.”
She laughed, softly. “Is that a bad thing?”
“Nah. Not at all. It’s just different. Refreshing as hell, honestly.”
Cyren held his gaze for a second, something unspoken passing between them before she looked down at her food again. Heavy stared, trying to figure out where this girl had come from. It wasn’t just what she was saying, but how she was saying it—spitting advice and encouragement, not trying to impress him. Cyren was just being herself, pouring into him so freely without him having to go into detail about everything, and Heavy liked that more than he expected. More than he probably should have, considering they were supposed to be taking things slow. Wasn’t shit slow about a Black woman pouring into a man, making him feel like he could do and be anything in this world.
“You finished?” he asked after a moment, nodding toward her plate.
Cyren glanced down, realizing she’d slowed up without noticing. “Almost.”
“Take your time,” he said, pushing off the counter. “You good here.”
“I know,” she replied, softly. And she meant it.
When she finished her food, Heavy dumped the plate in the trash and grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge. Twisting thecap loose, he handed it to her like it was second nature for him to open bottles for her.
“Here you go.”
“Thank you,” she said, taking it, her fingers brushing his for half a second longer than necessary.
They left the kitchen, and he grabbed her bag before heading toward the stairs. Cyren followed behind him, with her heart beating at a different pace now.Heavy led them down a hallway and pushed his bedroom door open. Cyren stepped inside, taking it all in the same way she had downstairs. The smell was the same, but it wasn’t what she expected.
“I don’t know why I thought you’d have some type of bachelor pad,” she announced, finally sliding her shoes off.
She placed them by the door and looked around. His room was clean and put together in the same fashion as the parts of the house she did see. A large bed sat centered against the wall, dressed in crisp black linen that still looked soft and comfortable. He didn’t have a million pillows like she normally would, but there were enough.
A well-organized dresser with cologne and a tray holding his wallet and watches sat off to the side. His TV was mounted across from the bed, taking up the majority of the wall, and a soft light from a lamp in the corner gave the room the same calm feel as downstairs.
“I don’t know why, either. I ain’t entertaining nobody in my crib,” he acknowledged, removing money and a set of keys from his pocket.
Cyren slowly turned, her brow lifting like she didn’t fully believe him. “Why not? You’re single.”
Heavy casually shrugged. “Yeah, I am. That don’t mean I got a flock of women running in and out of my house.”
She hummed, walking the edge of his bed, brushing her fingers lightly across the comforter. “So, I’m the only woman you have coming through here?”
Heavy glanced her way. “You can be.”
His answer was so brutally honest, Cyren couldn’t help but giggle. “I guess, sir.”
