Chapter 12
September 8, 11:24 a.m.
*2 weeks later*
***Chauncey's Perspective***
After my court hearing, i had to serve 168 hours of community service. I had been home a week and Stephanie was proving to me that she was making an effort to make things right. She had gotten a job, put Skye in school and she was doing a lot of things for me. Yeah, she was being sweet as hell, but damn. I still couldn't trust her for shit.
I jogged down my steps. Stephanie had to work a 10 hour shift today, so i was chilling. I had just finished serving my community service and Ty was starting his freshman year at Tennessee State.
I went in my kitchen. Cali was sitting at the table eating a bowl of Froot Loops with nothing but a towel on. She had just got out the shower. She had water still trinkling down her back and shoulders.
"You think Stephanie would want you to be walking round here like that?" I asked her as i reached in the fridge and grabbed some orange juice.
I turned around to see her ass naked with her hands on her hips. Her towel was on the floor by her feet.
"Like this?" She asked as she ran her hands up from my neck to my face. She leaned my head down for a kiss.
I removed her hands and pushed her away.
"C'mon, you know you want this." She said as she stood on her tippy toes and licked my lips.
"Move, mayne." I said as i pushed her off me. I wiped my mouth. She was being overboard. She lived with me and Stephanie. She knew what the fuck was going on between us, meaning she knew we was trying to get our shit together.
"Nigga don't put up a front. I see the way you be looking at me." She said as she slowly turned around and bent over, spreading open her cheeks.
I picked up her towel and covered her as i fought the urge to fuck the living shit out of her.
"Naw, i don't want it." I said as i pushed her, making her stumble.
I went back up the stairs and closed and locked my bedroom door behind me. I picked up my phone and dialed Stephanie's work number.
"Thank you for calling your neighborhood IHOP. This is Stephanie speaking how can I help you?" She answered the phone.
"Steph, this Chauncey." I said.
"Babe, it's busy, i can't talk right now." She responded.
"Stephanie listen. You needa get yo girl Cali. She keep throwing herself at me."
"What? Ima handle that. Just wait til i get home." She said as she hung up in my face.
I walked out of my room to see Cali leaning on the banister. She now had on her bra and panties. I smirked at her. She just didn't know Stephanie was gon get off in that ass.
"Here's your last chance." She said as she touched herself inside her panties. She moaned as she walked over to me.
"Just admit it." She said as she pushed me against the wall. She unzipped my jeans as she stuck the fingers she played with in her mouth.
"I'll give you something you never had." She said as she tempted me.
My hand snaked down her back and i squeezed her ass tightly making her jump.
"What is it? Chlamydia?" I asked her as i forceful pushed her away from me.
She chuckled as she regained her balance. "Nigga fuck you. The only reason you saying that is because you don't want Stephanie to leave you. But she ain't gotta know." She said as she waved me off. "And for the record, i never fuck without a condom. I make a nigga wrap it up twice before he get in this. That's more than Stephanie could ever say. Ask her if she fucked Spade raw." She said as she walked away. She slammed the guest room door behind her.
***Stephanie***
I had finally gotten off work. I was pissed off. I had nearly gotten fired for cussing one of my co-workers out. They gossiped and talked too much shit about each other. I wasn't beat for that. So, i let her to keep my damn name out of her mouth.
Before going home, i stopped by Leeda's house to pick up Skye and my cousin Jasmyn. She had just flew in from the Bronx where she was raised. She was born here in Tennessee but was adopted by a family friend when her mom, Susanne, died. That was over a decade ago. This would be the first time I've seen her since we were, i would say, 11. We had grown up together.
"Hey Jas." I said as she put Skye in her booster seat.
"Hey Steph." She said as she got in the passenger side and hugged me.
"Grandma said i was staying with you." She said as i pulled off and drove to Chauncey's house.
"Yeah. It's an extra bed in Skye's room. You can stay there." I said as i pulled in the driveway.
We got in the house and the first thing i did was buttoned my shirt and take aloose my belt. I wasn't used to wearing uniforms.
No one was in the living room, kitchen, or dining room. I figured Chauncey was upstairs in the room.
"You can get comfy." I said as i walked over to the trash can to throw the piece of flavor-less gum i was chewing away. I rolled my eyes in disgust. It was overflowing.
"Chauncey!!" I yelled his name. He came out of his in-home studio a couple of minutes later. He must have been recording.
"You been here all day and you couldn't take out the trash?" I asked as i pointed to it.
"Yo, i ain't even eat nothing all day. That ain't on me." He said.
"But this your house though." I said as i walked away. "Tell Cali to bring her ass down here and do it." I said as i went to go sit down at the kitchen table.
He jogged up the stairs and came back down with Cali. She had a nasty attitude and this time she was courteous enough to have on clothes.
"What?" She said as she rolled her and adjusted her weight to one side.
"Why the fuck is you messing with my man. That's what." I said as i got up and pointed my finger in her face.
"Lemme ask you this," she began. "Do you have reason i shouldn't? Ima grown ass woman. I can fuck whoever i wanna fuck." She said as stepped a little closer to me. "Under ya'll roof or not." She smirked. I raised my to punch her square in her mouth but Jasmyn caught my arm and held it down.
"Wait, wait," she said as she came between us. "See, i'm trying to understand. You're living under my cousin's roof with her man, her child, her brother, and his little brother, and you have the audacity to try and fuck him?" She asked. Cali looked her up and down.
"You a dirty hoe. Let's whoop this bitch cuzzo." She said as she let my arm go. We both went at her. She had no chance to fight back, she was busy trying to cover her face, it didn't work.
"Stephanie, c'mon. You making a fool of yourself to me and your child." Chauncey scolded me as he pulled me off of him. Skylar was looking at me with tears filling her eyes. I didn't want her to see this. She had seen too many fights in involving me and someone else at her tender age. She didn't need to see anymore.
"Aight, Jasmyn." I said as she kicked Cali in her face. "Let her go."
I said as i pulled her back.
"What?" She said out of breath as she put her hands on her hips.
"She had enough." I said as i picked Cali up by her shirt and sat her in a chair.
"Stupid bitch." I said as i went to go get a ziploc bag. I filled it with ice and wrapped it up in a towel.
"Here." I said as i threw it at her.
She didn't say anything as she sat back and cried.
"Let this be a lesson. You try that shit again, i'll whoop your ass again and kick you the fuck out. Then we'll see who will take you in. Don't forget who gave you a second chance at life. If it wasn't for me, you and Mone't would still be stripping for Marco." I snarled at her.
"So, you Captain Save-a-hoe?" Jasmyn giggled.
I shot a dirty look a her then laughed.
"Jas shut up." I said.
"Chauncey take out the trash please." I said as i picked Skylar up and took her upstairs with me.
I laid her in Chauncey and I's bed. She was quiet, so i knew she was upset. I told her i loved her and kissed her. She closed her eyes and went to sleep. When she woke up, i was going to ask her about school. I was so caught up in Cali's bullshit and pleasing Chauncey that i forgot that Skye needed my attention to. So did Ty. I hadn't talked to him too much since he started college.
I walked in the bathroom and turned on the hot water. I got in and let in beat down on my back. I was concerned about too damn much. I took on too much than i could handle.
I wet my hair down and grabbed some soap and washed my body down. I scrubbed every each of my body down, trying to wash away my stress.
I rinsed off and grabbed my towel. I wringed my hair out and stepped out of the shower to see Chauncey sitting on top of the counter.
"What are you doing?" I asked, startled to see him.
"I just got a call..." he said.
"From who?" I asked.
"My manager. He said he got me on a country-wide tour." He said as he smiled.
I didn't smile. I was happy for him, but a country-wide tour? He'd be gone for over a month.
"Have fun." I said as i began to walk out of the bathroom.
"Hol' up." He said as he pulled me back. "Why you being salty? This is me making money for you, for us." He said as he placed me in between his legs.
"I'm not being salty but you gone be gone for awhile..." i whined.
He closed the door back.
"I don't wanna leave you for long either but i gotta do what i gotta do." He said as he rubbed his hand over my shoulders. He leaned down and kissed my lips softly.
"When do you leave?" I asked him.
"Tonight." He said as he kissed me again. He took my towel off me and let it drop to my feet.
I wrapped my arms around my neck as we continued to kiss.
"Is Skye still in the room?" I asked.
"Nah. I took her in her room." He said as picked me up and walked into our room. (The bathroom and bedroom are connected).
He laid me on the bed as he removed his shirt. He leaned over top of me and grabbed a condom out of his drawer.
He took off his Levi cargo shorts and pulled down his boxers enough to reveal himself. He applied the condom and sucked on my neck.
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I laid on top of him as we intertwined our fingers. I wouldn't say me and Chauncey fucked. I would say we made love. It was slow and nice. I felt every single emotion he had and i knew he felt mine.
The condom broke and Chauncey came in me twice. The had went two rounds. It was amazing and something real. I hadn't felt as passionate about anybody or anything ever.
After awhile, we both got up and got in the shower together. Soon, Chauncey would be leaving me. I would be left to take care of this house and everybody living in it.
"You gone be aight without me." He asked as he stepped out of the shower with a towel wrapped around his waist.
"I have no choice." I said as i combed my hair in the mirror. He sensed i had an attitude.
"I love you." He said as he hugged me from the side and kissed my neck. "I'll probably get you to fly out a couple times." He said.
"Sounds like a plan." I said as i walked out of the bathroom. I put on a pair of shorts and one of his wife beaters. I snatched the comforter and sheets off the bed.
He put on his boxers, some black Levi's and a Crooks and Castles t-shirt.
"When i make it big, for real for real, ima make sure you don't have to go to work and that when times like this pop up, i could bring you with me." He said as he began to pack his bags.
"I got faith in you." I plainly said as i put fresh pillow cases and a sheet on the bed.
"C'mon. Ima take you out before i go." He said as he grabbed his wallet and phone. "Get ready. I'll be downstairs." He said as he walked out of the bedroom and closed the door behind him.
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We sat down by the lake as we watched the sunset. Chauncey held me tightly as my head rested on his chest.
"You think this is real?" I asked him.
He laughed, showing off his dimples. "It ain't fake."
"No for real like, i'm tired of the run around. I don't wanna be invading your space and living with you if we're not..." i paused.
"Getting married." He finished my sentence. "Steph, i love you to death, but i'm not worried about all of that. I'm worried about us here and now. Cause if we don't work out, i don't wanna have my hopes up thinking ima marry you when it ain't gone happen. When the time comes for us to take that next step, though," he said. "I'm all in. I would be the luckiest nigga on earth to marry you." He smiled.
"I love you." I said as i looked up and kissed him.
"Dido, kid." He laughed. He pulled out his phone and checked the time.
"You gotta go?" I asked him.
"Yeah." He said as he got up. He helped me up and wiped the dirt off the back of pants and his.
"This right here is perfect. I don't want this moment to end." I said as i poked out my bottom lip.
He laughed and wrapped his arms around my neck.
"When i get back, the world is ours." He pecked my lips. "That's if you don't fuck it up." He laughed. We walked towards his car.
"I won't chump." I said as i elbowed him in his side.
"We'll see." He said as we got in the car and pulled off.
Sorry for typos! Y'all know what I'm tryna say lol