Nighttime falls. Darius and Kayla cuddle on the sofa in the living room. A horror movie is on a thirty-inch big-back TV. The aroma of spice and sauce flows from the kitchen.
Kayla sniffs the air, picking out beans and garlic. “Hmmm… it smells so good!”
“You’re lucky… my dad cooked homemade pizza yesterday. It was terrible! Can I stay here tonight?” He jokes, beaming enormously.
Kayla blushes. “What is it?”
“Nothing.”
Darius squints. “No, it’s something, tell me.”
“I don’t think I should. It’s not like it’s going to happen anyway…” she retorts miserably, knowing her boyfriend can’t sleep over without a huge dilemma from her folks.
“Can I take a guess?”
“No.” A ghost pops up on the screen with sunken eyes and a mouth that drops past its neck. She jumps. “Let’s choose something else!”
“No way, you haven’t grabbed me out of fear yet.” He flirts.
Kay snickers, wringing her arms around his waist. Darius trails his hand through her thick hair, down her cheeks, then to her neck. Someone clears their throat. The two separate from their embrace in alarm.
At the hall, a middle-aged man crosses his arms with a demanding expression. James, Kayla’s dad. His afro is short; he’s dressed in casual attire—sweater and slacks. “Thank you.” His formidable tone corrects the situation.
“Sorry, Mr. Harris.” Darius composes himself, keeping his distance. James turns away and steps down the hall in dress shoes.
Kayla waits until her dad’s office door shuts before reaching for his hand. “Busted.” She huffs. Darius glances to the hallway before pulling Kayla to his side and wrapping his arms around her waist. She rests her head on his chest, shielding her eyes from the bloody scene in the movie. Her arms hug around his stomach and squeeze like a snake. “There, I grabbed you. Now change it to something else… please!”
“Okay, we can try a romance.”
“Aww.” Kayla swoons hard, holding a hand to her heart.
He ventures to a rack of VHS tapes, sorting through the options. Which one?” Darius rotates the massive display.
“Gone With the Wind.” She points to the bottom.
Darius bends to pluck out the VHS. “Isn’t this a sad one?”
“It’s bittersweet.”
“Why not a happy one?”
Kay shrugs. “I’m in love with all the charm.”
Darius plucks out the VHS and ejects the old tape from the player. The screen goes dark. He inserts the second one. The player whirls and spins. The opening credits play. He heads back to the couch to embrace her by the waist. Kay rubs his palms, enjoying the heat from them.
Footsteps sound from down the hallway again. For the second time, they quickly scoot apart. James briefly observes the two before returning down the hall. Darius and Kayla eye each other, grinning mischievously.
The long dining table is set for four. Large serving bowls line the center—bread, greens, crackers, and sauce. Kayla’s mom serves chili. Everyone gets two scoops. Mary makes to sit the bowl down, only to halt and add another scoop to Darius’s.
“Why’d you do that?” James is puzzled.
“Teen boys have a huge appetite.” Her mom explains.
“Thank you.” Darius grins.
“She’s trying to fatten you up; watch out,” James pokes.
“Am not! Look, my brother vents about how much his sons eat. One ate a whole pizza…by themselves. It’s because of their growth spurt.” She places down the serving bowl.
Kayla tilts her head to the side. “How do you know that?”
“From Doctors Magazine.” Mary adds garlic bread and greens to their plates. “It makes me wonder if I really wanted a boy like I thought. I can’t imagine how much more I would be shopping.”
“Yeah... my dad said I’ll have to get a job with how much I eat.” Darius agrees while chomping on the spicy beans.
Kayla frowns, taking in new information she never knew. “I didn’t know you wanted a son.”
“Well, you were about two years old,” James dips his garlic bread into the sauce. “We weren’t in the best circumstances. So, we decided not to.”
“Oh…” Kayla accepts the answer, reaching to fill a cup with juice.
“Besides, I’m happy with what we have. A beautiful, talented girl.” Mary gushes at Kayla with great accomplishment.
“Mom… stop….” Kay groans, embarrassed.
“What’s wrong with saying that; baby?”
“You’re being too sentimental; that’s not cool with the youth.” James guffaws, observing his daughter’s uncomfortable expression.
“Oops, sorry, honey… but it’s all true.” Mary winks, taking a seat.
“It is.” Her dad adds.
“I say, take the compliment and run with it,” Darius comments.
Kayla gives a crooked grin. “So, where are you taking me, Dad? Mom has the mall planned for Saturday.”
“Oh right, the makeup day. I was thinking of the skating rink. I thought it would go hand in hand with ballet…it beats your mom’s idea.”
Mary throws him a competitive glance. “We’ll see.”
“We will.” James retorts challengingly. “I even got rhymes ready.”
“Oh, no!” Kayla sinks into her chair. “Dad… don’t.”
“No, you’ll like them, trust me.”
Her boyfriend’s eyes light up at the subject. “I could mix a track for you.” Kayla gives an incredulous gaze to him, much like an angry cat.
“Hmm, good idea. Maybe the DJ will play it for a few bucks.” Her mouth drops, and her brows shoot up. Everyone laughs at her dramatic expression. Kayla attempts to stay serious but loses to the amusement.
After dinner, the lovebirds return to the sofa, savoring their last cuddle before 8 p.m. The two snuggle, keeping a lookout in case James does another security sweep.I wish he could stay the night, but that’s not happening. Ever.Kayla sulks while watching the old-timey movie.
Scarlet and Rhett’s love story makes me wonder. Darius rarely argues with me. I wonder why. I mean, he is around my parents most of the time, so he must behave. I can’t even imagine us getting mad at each other. Of course, we bicker, but that’s it. I think that’s a good sign.
“You okay?” Darius lifts her chin to dissect her face.
“Yeah…” Kay mumbles.
A long inhale travels his chest. “You’re hiding something.”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” She broods. A clock above the fireplace chimes, announcing that 8 p.m. has arrived. The noise rattles her ribcage.NOO! THAT DIDN’T FEEL LIKE TEN MINUTES. UGH!
“Goodnight.” Darius strokes her hand before leaving for the door. There’s a tingling burn where his fingers just were. A static heat. A token of his effect. She scowls, not saying it back because it’ll make her cry. Her already watery eyes would leak.
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