Page 42 of Embrace

Blaze stood up and walked over to the bar. He opened a bottle of champagne. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“Sir? It’s seven o’clock in the morning. Who the hell is drinking champagne this early?” I asked.

“We are. You just did something I’d never think you’d ever do. You conquered your fear of heights in the best way possible. Looking out the window of a plane is next level shit, Su.” He poured two glasses of the champagne and passed me one. He lifted his glass into the air.

“Cheers!” we shouted in unison before we drank the champagne and reclaimed our seats. I reclined the seat slightly and grabbed the fuzzy pink and white blanket.

“I’m going to rest my eyes the rest of the flight. I don’t think I can stay up the two hours we have left of the flight. I’m not sure how much rest I’ll get when we land.”

“Sweet dreams, my love.”Blaze’s voice was the last thing I heard before I welcomed sleep.

BACK TO REALITY

“I said to the window, to the wall. My niggas ride when I call,”J. Cole’s “G.O.M.D” played through the speakers in the shop. I currently had two cars hooked up to the oil change machine. It filtered out the old oil and put in new all in under ten minutes.

While I checked the washer fluid and battery levels of Gerald’s car, a familiar face appeared in my peripheral. A deep sigh escaped my lips as I straightened my posture to prepare for more bullshit. I thought Jakayla would be the last ex to pop up, but I was wrong.

“Hey, Blaze,” she sang in my direction.

I grabbed the rag off the hood of the car and wiped my hands. I didn’t greet her yet. I called Freddie over to finish up the oil jobs. With my arms crossed tightly across my chest, I walked over to Brielle. Brielle was a mixed woman with natural, loose curls against bright, beige skin. She was thick as hell, one of the reasons I approached her to begin with. Though she was beautiful, she came with too much drama which was why we didn’t work out.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“You look good in your element. Those muscles look good as hell drenched in sweat,” she stated confidently. Her eyes were fierce with lust. The mischievous smirk on her brown, glossy lips made me frown.

“Why did you come up here on some bullshit?” I asked.

“What?” She feigned confusion.

“Don’t act stupid, Brielle.”

“Oh, it’s Brielle now? A couple weeks ago I was bae.”

My eyebrows knitted together. “Girl, what the fuck are you talking about?” It had been months since I spoke to Brielle. I don’t know what the hell she was going on about.

“Oh, you forgot? If I remember correctly we ran into each other at Kamp. You got drunk as hell and wanted to get a taste of this old thang. Do you want me to refresh your memory?” Her tongue slid across her teeth as she tilted her head and allowed her curls to sway slightly.

I rubbed my temple to ease the growing ache in my head. “Look, I don’t know what purpose you’ve got coming up here today, of all days, but you barking up the wrong tree.”

“I don’t think I am, Blaze. It’s been a while, but I miss you. I need another fix of the good stuff,” Brielle said in a soft tone.

Rontre and Freddie snickered from behind me. Those nosy ass niggas found too much entertainment in my drama. A frustrated breath pushed through my nose.

“Look, Bri. You got the wrong one. I’m sure you got plenty of niggas waiting to knock the sonic rings out that coochie. It just ain’t gon’ be me no more.”

“Why?” she whined. “Just a few weeks ago you were ready to lick me from head to toe. Ain’t much could have changed in that short amount of time.”

You have no idea.

Before I could respond, Suvi’s presence was known before I saw her. Her scent tickled my nose as her footsteps neared. When she got in view, she had a red and white lunchbox in her hand. My heart swelled. My baby brought me lunch.

“Hey,” she sang to me as she stood in front of me. She scrunched her nose at the sight of my oil covered hands and clothes.

“Don’t do that, Su. Give me those lips.”

She let out a soft giggle before she stepped onto the tips of her toes and kissed my lips. I wanted to make a show of it, but I refrained from getting nasty because Suvi hated how dirty I got at the shop. Instead, I made sure to pull her bottom lip between my teeth before letting her go.

“I brought you a General Tso’s chicken meal and three spring rolls. I know how much you love the Chinese takeout spot up the street, so I wanted to surprise you. You left early this morning, and we both forgot to pack your lunch.” Suvi held the lunchbox out to me. I took it with a big grin.

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