Page 30 of Krash & Bern

“Well, the only reason y’all broke up was because y’all didn’t want to do the long-distance thing. Now you’re both grown… Are you going to shoot your shot?”

“I don’t even know if she’s single. Man, she looks so fucking good now. She got her grown woman body and… whew.”

“Man, calm down.” Gary cackled.

“I’m calm.”

“I’m assuming she’s still in the house.”

I nodded. “Yeah. She’s downstairs right now.”

“My advice is to offer her a drink and some lunch. Ask her if she’s dating anyone. If not, tell her you want to see what spinning the block is like.”

I laughed. “You make it sound easy, but if we’re being honest… I’m terrified.”

“What!TheKrash Williams is afraid of rejection from a woman? Mr. Keep A Bitch is afraid of talking to a woman?”

“You’re a fool. This is different. She’s not just any bitch on the streets. She’s the one that got away. She’s my first love. I can’t imagine what rejection from her would feel like after eight years.”

“It might hurt for a while, but you’ll finally get the closure you need. She’s been on your mind for damn near a decade. If you ask her out and she says no, then you can finally look for someone new to settle down with.”

“I hear what you’re saying, man. I’ll keep you updated on what happens. I’m about to go down and ask what they want for lunch. They’ve been working for almost two hours. I’m sure they’re all thirsty and hungry as hell.”

“Definitely keep me posted.”

We hung up. As I stood up, I slid my phone into the front pocket of my shorts and made my way down the spiral staircase to the main floor of the mansion. I walked into the showroom style garage. I had over fifteen different vehicles in the space. Bern sat cross legged near the main panel of the room.

“Hey,” I called out as I closed the distance between us.

“What’s up?” She continued to connect wires.

“Y’all have been working for a few hours. I wanted to know if you and your people would like me to get y’all some food and refreshments.”

“I’m not one to deny free food. What did you have in mind?” she asked.

My tongue slid across my bottom lip. “I can get whatever y’all wanna eat. Let me know what y’all want. I have bottled water and sports drinks for the time being.”

“I’ll call them to meet you in the kitchen.”

I nodded. “Do you need help getting up?”

She laughed. “No. I can stand up on my own, Keyshawn.”

“You know most people have forgotten my first name is Keyshawn. I’m Krash to everyone, including my closest friends. It’s kind of refreshing to hear Keyshawn.”

“You’ve always been Keyshawn to me. Time hasn’t changed that one thing.”

“Good.”

I waited until she was on her feet before I led her through the garage to the kitchen. As she occupied a seat at the bar, she called her employees to come over. I opened the refrigerator to grab four bottles of water. I set three on the counter and opened the fourth.

Bernice made me nervous. My breathing quickened, my body heated, and my heart raced. Her effect on me could be studied for centuries. As I occupied my time with gulping down the water, my mind replayed our last encounter together.

The last time I’d physically seen Bern, our love juices mixed inside of her. Bern had been the best I’d ever had. In fact, I’d spent all these years trying to find someone, even a fraction of the pleasure I got from her. She was irreplaceable. One of one.

“What’s up, boss?” Ralph spoke as he and Toni met us in the kitchen.

“Mr. Williams offered to pay for our lunch. What do y’all want?” she asked.

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