Page 3 of Mister Artist

“It’s aight, sis. We gon’ take care of you. Don’t worry about that nigga, aight?”

His comfort and offer were appreciated as Malik wrapped his arms around me. I was so tired of choosing wrong and feeling like I’d never be loved right. Even though I was only twenty-two, I’d had my fair share of relationships. Kingston was the man I was sure I’d gotten it right with, and now, I trusted myself and my choices when it came to men even less.

2

Neko

I couldn’t believeMalorie was staying with us. Having her this close felt like a fate worse than death. I could only shake my head and feel like I was being dramatic but that was the truth. Malorie had always been and would probably always be the woman I wanted secretly and could never have.

While she was away in college, I only had to see her for holidays. Now, I was going to be haunted by her presence daily—at least until she got a job—and even with that, neither Malik nor I wanted her to work unless she wanted to. We’d been taking care of the bills before she came and would do so now.

Her ass had a whole bedroom, yet she was knocked out on the living room couch. The blanket she had wrapped around her was on the floor, so the short shorts she had on were riding up and exposing her round ass. Even with the bonnet on her head and her mouth slightly open, she was beautiful. I felt like a creep watching her from the kitchen, but I couldn’t move.

It didn’t surprise me that things between her and Kingston were over. Malorie didn’t have the best luck when it came tomen. It was like she went for the opposite of who was safe and sincere. Kingston seemed cool but there was always something off with him. It was like he tried too hard, and anytime that was the vibe I got, it made me feel like a nigga was hiding something. A part of me hoped she would cool it with dating for a while and just focus on herself, but the other part of me wanted her to keep trying so she could learn what she wanted and what was good for her.

Wanting her the way I did and seeing her give herself to men who were unworthy was a different kind of hit to my ego. If it wasn’t for the friendship I had with her brother, I would have tried to pursue Malorie years ago. Malik had made it clear he didn’t want any of his friends to date his sister, and as much as I hated that, I respected it. I guess to him, we’d be on some ain’t shit vibes like he was, and he didn’t want any of us to hurt her. But if I had the chance to be with Malorie, I’d do nothing but give her the love she deserved.

When I couldn’t take it anymore, I decided to move closer to Malorie. After inhaling the warm, milky, and nutty scent she’d put on before bed, I covered her with the blanket and kissed her temple.

“Is the coffee ready yet?”

At the sound of Malik’s voice, I jumped unexpectedly. I ran my hand down my shirt as my heart raced. Getting caught that close to her almost felt sinful, and it was proof that I needed to stay away.

“Yeah,” I answered, meeting him in the kitchen.

The open concept allowed him to look over the island at Malorie. He shook his head and smiled with one side of his mouth. “That girl still refuses to sleep in a bed I see.”

“Why won’t she just watch TV in bed?” I asked, leaning against the stove as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

“Her plan be to watch TV and go get in bed when she gets sleepy but that never works. I don’t understand it, but she’s been like that since we were kids. I don’t know if she don’t like laying around in bed unless she’s sleep or what, but her weird ass will probably sleep on that couch more than she will the bed while she’s here.”

“I’ll probably get a little couch to put in her room then,” I decided. “I don’t want her being out here when David and nem come through on the weekends.”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea.”

We talked for a few seconds more before I headed to my room to get ready for work. The last thing I wanted was for any of our friends to see what I’d just saw. I knew I couldn’t stop them from looking at her and lusting after her because she was beautiful, but they for damn sure weren’t going to do that in my home and in my face.

3

Malorie

Neko was too damn fine.The older he got, the better he looked. He was my favorite shade of brown, looking like a milk chocolate bar that I desperately wanted to taste, especially now while he was working out. Malik had turned the back patio into a little gym, so while I smoked and had my coffee, I had the pleasure of watching Neko work out. I’d been here for three days so far but this was the first morning I was up early enough to see him before he left for work.

I couldn’t help but watch the muscles in his back flex as he lifted weights. Sweat glistened, causing his tattoos to shine. It seemed like every time I saw him, he had even more. When he turned, my eyes settled on his abs as they clenched, lowering slowly to his dick print. I didn’t realize how hard I was staring until he said, “You like what you see?”

My eyes lifted and landed on his—they were under turned, dark, and smiling though his skin colored lips weren’t.

“You wish.”

Neko released a cocky chuckle as he set the weight down. “I don’t have to wish with you.”

“And what is that supposed to mean?”

“The way you pick and choose, I know exactly how to get you if I wanted to. It really ain’t that hard.”

I wasn’t sure if I was just overly sensitive or if I had a right to be offended but I was. Scoffing, I stood and put out my blunt.

“I don’t know if that’s your way of saying I’m a ho or just dumb and liable to fall for anything. Either way, fuck you.”

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