Page 44 of Ms. V's Hot Girl Summer

“And you, Desmond, when was the last time you called Orlando to check in on him and his caretaking duties?” Desmond had the grace to look down, then faced me again, contrition and acknowledgment clear in his expression.

“Trinidad is right, my bad, my dude. I’ve gotten used to you keeping things in, but I could do a better job at checking in from time to time.” Desmond nodded, and Trevor’s head swiveled between Orlando and Desmond with clear disbelief.

“Nah, but we hang out all the time; shit, he could have said something!” Trevor gestured at Orlando, who shook his head.

“You ain’t lying, but when is there space for that? Whenever I bring up anything that is not girls, shooting the shit, sports, or anything like that, what do you say?” Orlando asked.

“Ain’t nobody got time to be a grown-up,” Grace, Desmond, and Orlando all recited at the same time.

Trevor sucked his teeth, his frustration escalating. He paced back and forth to the living area.

“Alright, alright, y’all have a point. I gotta work on that. Growing up…that shit scares me. And you have been doing that shit for so long, Orlando…it’s… .intimidating,” Trevor confessed.

“Finally.” Grace threw her hands up. “Some communication between us all. It took Ms. Trinidad to come and set us up for success. We’ve been friends for years. The friendship is and can be deeper than what we allow it to be,” Grace said with so much fervor, that my temper finally subsided.

Somehow, these young people were trying to figure out themselves and each other. I remember how that felt. And I had kids already. Now I wondered how much my ex and I weren’t communicating—how much we were keeping inside. Trevor’s confession had triggered some long-lost memories of my ex, joking that he couldn’t keep up with me and my dreams. I’d always dismissed those comments, but now? Maybe I should have allowed him to speak more about that to me.

“Fuck, I know we’re here for fun, but this feels good. Talking to y’all feels good. I have other shit I need to share with you, but we can do that after we return, we can focus on the fun now,” Orlando said with a smile, reverting back to where he was more comfortable, but I could sense his excitement. I hope he saw that his friends were truly wanting to support him.

“Yeah, that’s alright.” Grace rolled her eyes and mouthed at me, “boys,” as Trevor dabbed up Orlando, and they hugged as if all was forgiven. Trevor and Orlando had a brief exchange while embracing, their words low and just for each other, and the weight that had settled on my chest lightened considerably. When Desmond pulled Orlando for a hug, doing that back-pounding thing men loved to do, Orlando drew back misty-eyed, everything inside melted. Without any thought, I was soon beside him, my hand in his. Warmth, support, and safety. Want, pleasure, and yearning. Orlando didn’t need to say a word, because I felt the same.

Orlando bent over, and the soft touch of his lips on my cheek warmed my insides and calmed all my troubles.

“Are you ready to go to the fair?” he asked loud enough for everyone to hear. With everything happening since this morning, I forgot our plans for today. But I was ready—more than ready—to embrace this day and every day to come in Ofele.

“I am.” I smiled and hoped that he understood that I was ready for that and more.

“Thanks, Ms. V…that shit was sexy as fuck; you can defend me like that any day.” The caress of his warm, minty breath on my ear caused a shiver all over me.

“Thank you for letting me live out loud and be me,” I replied, getting lost in his gaze.

His friends shuffled out of the rental, telling us they’d wait for us outside, finally giving us privacy.

“Are you good?” he asked, checking on my well-being even with all of this happening.

“I am. I’m really, really good.”

And for the first time in a long time. I meant it.

NINETEEN

Orlando

The way I kept myself balanced and positive all these years was by building my walls up enough that no one could bother my peace. But building up those walls meant happiness had a harder time reaching me, so I lived in a perpetual state of contentment. Having the twins and their mother in my life had slowly started to change that. A superhero putting his guard down for people to find out his real identity. A lonely man, realizing he was, in fact, lonely.

Trinidad, with her fiery temper and beautiful heart, kept chipping at that this weekend. My fucking face hurt from grinning like a fool all the way to the fair, and when she placed her hand in mind after I paid for our entrance, that happiness took over everything and everywhere.

The fairgrounds were located on the outskirts of Ofele, at one of their public parks near the beach. A sea of white tents, rides, and food trucks transformed the lush green space into a feast for the senses. A thrum of excitement vibrated through the crowds as revelers chatted with each other, flitting in and out of tents selling an assortment of Caribbean souvenirs, flags, handicrafts, and other services. The sun blazed, even though it was early evening, but the ocean breeze acted as the perfect foil for the heat.

Hand in hand, Trinidad and I ambled through the stands, while Trevor, Desmond, and Grace went to the rides.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go with them?”

“Do you like rides?”

“No. Why would I put myself through that type of stress—my job is a roller coaster already,” Trinidad confessed with a smirk.

“Do you like what you do?” I asked her, unable to take my eyes off her. Trinidad glowed radiantly in a short pink romper with some type of frills that enhanced her hips and ass. She’d started glistening due to the heat, especially between her cleavage, and I wanted to bend over and taste all over her salty skin. But honestly, that was just me being horny.

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