Page 6 of Mister Artist

She thought about it for a while before nodding. “Okay, but we can’t tell him. And I want to talk to Mr. Peterson too. I know I’m too young to give up on love but with all these failed relationships, that’s kind of where I’m at with it.”

“We definitely don’t want that. I got you, and I’ll tell my pops too. The next relationship you have will be better. And regardless of what he does or how it ends, I want to make sure you understand you are not responsible for the behavior of others. All you are responsible for is how you show up, who you choose, and what you tolerate. That’s it.”

Her smile was soft as she stood and slid into my side of the booth. With her arms around my neck, she kissed my cheek and muttered, “Thank you.”

Between her closeness and the warmth of her body, I had to beg my dick not to react.

5

Malorie

That Weekend

I knewthis wasn’t a real date with Neko but I was still nervous. I’d been crushing on him since my eight grade year. Even though I’d convinced myself we could never be together, a part of me never gave up hope. Tonight felt like a fairy tale… minus the ball and fancy clothing… and I was certainly no princess.

A true man of his word, Neko wasted no time linking me with not just his father but his mother too. They’d always been kind to me over the years in passing, but our two dinners this past week had been different. Neko didn’t tell them all my business, but he made it clear to them that I was home because of a failed relationship and in need of guidance.

Both Naomi and Michael had been checking in with me daily ever since. We had some great conversations over dinner. They talked to me about healthy relationships and life in general. Already, I’d learned more from them than I’d learned from my parents in my entire life. That wasn’t to say I felt like my parentsfailed me. It just seemed like romantic relationships weren’t a priority for them when it came to guidance.

But Naomi and Michael had been teaching me about the importance of trusting my intuition and being alone to actually strengthen it and hear it along with God’s Spirit. We also talked about my appearance and how I presented myself. Though I couldn’t control who I attracted, I did control who I entertained. I had to be honest with myself about how I dressed and carried myself and the kind of man my style appealed to.

Hell, I wore heels and short dresses to go grocery shopping and to the gas station. A lot of my exes were athletes, drug dealers, or older men with money who wanted young eye candy. None of those were the kind of men I wanted to spend forever with, so I could admit I shouldn’t have been entertaining them.

We also talked about expectations, boundaries, and non-negotiables. They asked me about my values and what I wanted and needed in a man… even what I felt I had to offer. A lot of the things we talked about I had to think long and hard about because I’d never considered them before. I realized I wasn’t choosing men with substance. If he was fine, had money, and could show me a good time, nothing else mattered. Now, I knew I had to be more intentional about the character of a man and not just his coins.

Spending time with Neko’s parents made me like him more. Just him presenting them as a solution to a problem that had nothing to do with him made him more noble in my eyes. I think that’s why I was so nervous about our date tonight. He was the kind of man I wished I could pursue something with, but because of Malik, that wouldn’t be able to happen.

As much as I wanted to tell Christina, I felt it was best to keep it a secret. Plus, a part of me wanted to keep this to myself. We were only going on one or two dates, and seeing as this wasliterally like a dream come true, it was sacred to me. I wanted this time and our future memories to stay between him and I.

A clipped, quiet, “Ah!” escaped me when I heard his knuckles lightly tapping against my door. He chuckled, so maybe it wasn’t as quiet as I thought it was.

Inhaling what I needed to be a calming breath, I stood from my vanity and walked over to the door. He told me to dress casually, so it didn’t take me long to get ready. I chose a graphic shirt I’d gotten from TikTok shop, some shorts, and matching Dunks. My hair was flowing in beach waves, but with how hot it was, I’d probably pull it up into a bun if he’d chosen outdoor activities.

As soon as I opened the door, a smile crept up my face. This man was fine for no damn reason. Even dressed simply in a form fitting, crisp white tee, jeans, and Nikes, Neko looked good as hell.

“Hi.” I spoke quietly.

His eyes lowered to the Cuban chain he’d given me for my eighteenth birthday. “You kept it.” Neko’s fingers slipped between the chain and my neck, and he used it to pull me close. My eyes fluttered as I inhaled his spicy scent. Gripping the sides of his shirt, all I could do was look at him for a while. “I thought you threw it away or lost it or some shit.”

“I used to never take it off. The only reason I stopped wearing it was because Kingston asked about it one day and felt some type of way over me wearing a gift from another man.”

Neko’s eyes shifted toward the ceiling as he chuckled and released me. “You ready to go?”

“Yeah. Can I know where we’re going now?”

“A few places. I wanted our first date to be recreational. It’s easy to hide in movie theaters and be overly impressed by flashy shit and dinners. With recreational dates, you can really see ifyou vibe with a person and like spending time with them outside of sex.”

“That’s true. I’m down.”

We headed out, and I was surprisingly shy. I’d been knowing this man for ten years now, and we had no problems talking in the past. Me going off to college put space between us, but when we saw each other for holidays, we still cracked jokes and entertained one another. But on the ride, I found myself a ball of nerves. I was grateful he didn’t force communication. Instead, we listened to music and enjoyed the ride.

Our first trip was to the adult arcade. We spent about two hours shooting pool and playing all kinds of games. Admittedly, Neko made the right call. I enjoyed myself immensely, and it was fun not having the immediate pressure of having to talk and get to know each other in a more intimate way. When I did settle my nerves, we started to talk and tease each other like we used to do.

By the time we left, I was starving. He was intentional with our meal, taking me to a Japanese restaurant for ramen and drinks. Then, we went toPuff, which was an exclusive cigar lounge that you had to have a membership to get in. I didn’t smoke cigars, but I did smoke weed, and that was mostly what I did when I was with my brother and his friends. We played pool, partied, or smoked—that was it. So it didn’t surprise me that Neko planned to end our first date with a smoke session, but I was surprised to learn he had a membership here thanks to his father.

The black and gold luxe vibe made me feel like I was underdressed, but we weren’t the only ones in jeans and shorts, so I released that insecurity quickly. Once we were settled in our booth, we selected our strains for the evening and ordered drinks.

“You smiling hard as hell like you high already,” Neko said with his own smile before taking a sip of his Jack and Coke.

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