Page 42 of Krash & Bern

How long before I unraveled and succumbed to the call of his body to mine?If I had to guess, it would be sooner than I expected.

“Where are we going today?” Bern asked as she looked out the tinted window.

Tonight was our second date. I’d opted to using the driver because I didn’t have the patience to navigate through Houston traffic. Saturdays, everything in the city was usually packed, so I had Gary call ahead to the spot to reserve us some time away from paparazzi and prying fans. I didn’t want the world to get their hands on Bernice yet. I wanted time to wine and dine her. I wanted to solidify our newfound relationship before the media did their job of trying to taint our love.

“I planned a date to the painting with a twist thing downtown. Everybody says it’s a fun time, so I booked us a couple uninterrupted hours with the host.”

“Ooh! I love a good painting with a twist. I wonder what the twist is.”

“Hopefully, it involves you butt naked on my canvas,” I replied. The smirk tugged on my lips as she swatted my arm.

“You are so nasty,” she stated.

“I am, but you’ve known that since I was sixteen years old.”

“That’s true.” Bern’s eyes made their way to the front of the SUV where my driver was. “Hey! What’s your name?”

I watched in amusement as he made eye contact with her. He cleared his throat. “My name is Javon.”

“Javon. Thank you for navigating this awful traffic for us tonight. Krash is terrible at introductions, but I’m Bernice.”

“It’s nice to meet you too, ma’am.”

“Sir, I just told you my name was Bernice. It might sound old, but I’m not. Please, just call me Bernice.” She giggled.

“Yes ma’am, Bernice.”

I chuckled. “You introduce yourself to everybody?”

“Yes, especially if someone is doing a service for me. It’s the most basic line of respect. Javon here didn’t have to drive us anywhere tonight, but he did, and I’m thankful for that.”

My Bern was still as kind and caring as she’d always been. She was more outgoing than before. My introverted little reader had blossomed into a conversation starter. I loved that for her. She held the attention of any and everybody who talked to her.

“When did you become so extroverted?” I asked as I placed my arm over her shoulder.

“Years of speaking in front of crowds brought me out of my shell. Granted, my social meter does deplete quickly in stressful situations, I can hold a casual conversation without wanting to escape to a fictional reality.”

“I’m happy for you. It’s cool to see this new version of you. I like learning new things about you.”

“I like learning new things about you, but from what I’ve seen so far, you’ve become one of the problem celebrities,” she pointed out.

I scratched the back of my neck with my free hand. “The media likes to misconstrue my actions.”

“So you weren’t out here breaking girls’ hearts and having pregnancy scares every other week?”

“We’re back on this again?” I asked.

“I mean… not really, but there have beensomany headlines over the years.”

“This goes back to you keeping tabs on me. If you missed me, you could have just sent me a message, and I’d have flown you out.”

She rolled her eyes. “No you wouldn’t have.”

“I would have, actually. A nigga did a lot of soul searching when you left. I realized I could have made it work and added flights to my monthly budget. I allowed my insecurities and fears of the unknown push you away. I won’t make that mistake again. If you want to travel, I’ll be on the flight right next to you—especially since I’m retiring in January.”

“What? You’re retiring?”

“Yeah. I’ve been fighting and defending my title for eight years. I’m finna be thirty. I want to do other shit and put the gloves up.”

---