Page 14 of Grown Folks Confessions: Black Lush

Although we’d agreed on one night, we were good friends and trusted each other. So while I was trying not to stick my dick in every woman I met, Audrea was trying to take a break on seriously dating to chase her dreams. Over the past few months that we’d gotten to know each other as adults, I’d learned that Audrea knew how to work her mouth and her words to her advantage. The Mercedes sprinter she’d help me secure was equipped with more bells and whistles than I’d expected.

Not to mention, she understood the importance of sucking good dick.

That was important, too.

“Shit, girl, I’m about to come,” I warned her.

Instead of backing away, she increased the strokes of her tongue until I was gripping the back of her head with one hand and grabbing the brim of my fitted baseball cap with the other.

“Fuuuck,” I drawled, as my nut crept on me quicker than I thought it would. My voice echoed off the building I was leaning on and bounced off the large, black garbage dumpster to my right.

I was so wrapped up in the moment, I didn’t even hear someone calling my name until Audrea popped up from her squatted position.

“Oh shit,” she said. “Who is that?”

“Shhh.” I quickly used the face towel I had in the back pocket of my suit and cleaned myself off before zipping my pants back up. “Don’t freak out. That’s just Eros. He’s probably just looking for me since it’s almost time for the wedding. Wait in this corner and I’ll lead him back inside. Then you can come inside a few minutes after.”

“Okay,” she said with a nervous nod.

I could understand how she felt. Audrea and I were merely passing the time and she didn’t want any of my friends or hers knowing our business any more than I did. That’s another reason I liked her. We may have been all-in-your-face in high school, but now, we liked our shit to stay on the low.

I rounded the corner to walk toward Eros who was already heading in the opposite direction. It would be easy for me to jog and catch up with him, but I needed a moment to come down off the fun I’d just been having before his loud ass interrupted me.

“Crap,” I huffed to myself when I stepped into a small puddle, soaking my loafers. If I’d had on my Tims, I would have been good. That was another thing I didn’t like about doing shit in alleys. Besides homeless people and big ass rats, there were potholes everywhere. Small ones. Big ones. Unnecessary ones that the city should have fixed a long time ago. But that was Chicago for you. High in taxes and shitty with fixing mess in the streets.

“Ares, is that you?” my brother asked, lifting his right hand to block the sun seeping through between the buildings.

“Yeah, it’s me,” I answered, as Eros walked back the way he’d came. I briefly glanced over my shoulder to make sure Audrea was still out of sight.

I shouldn’t care if he found us because I didn’t want to apologize for being me, nor did I want Eros’ high and mighty ass making me feel guilty and questioning my morals. Of course I knew that Audrea deserved a guy who truly cared about her as more than a fuckship, but at least we were on the same page with this.

“Man, what the fuck are you doin’ out here?” Eros asked, glancing behind me deeper into the alley.

“Nothing. Is it time?”

“Time for what? Theseus to get married?” He shoved me in the shoulder, and I quickly shoved him back. “Yeah, dumbass, it’s been time. You out here clowin’, got Mama panicking and crap thinkin’ her baby boy got hurt or some shit.”

Frowning, I reminded him, “I may be the youngest, but Mama knows yo’ sensitive ass needs all the attention.”

“Whatever, man. Theseus said you were prolly out here with some female, which only made Mama go into a rant about you settling down with a nice woman. But don’t worry. While Mama was going through her rolodex of women she’d set you up with, I whispered to Theseus that the only woman you’d almost settled down with was that widow you dated years ago,” Eros teased, laughing to himself. “The one that played yo’ ass.”

I smacked my lips. “Bruh, you ain’t funny.”

“It’s the truth,” he said. “I helped you get the ring, remember? Then she let you down easy, stating y’all were just having fun.”

That’s me. The one you have fun with, but not for settling down.I shook my head as I followed Eros back inside, briefly peeking over my shoulder again in time to see Audrea scurrying the opposite way to the front of the grand downtown Chicago hotel Theseus and Ivy had chosen to say their vows.

By the time we made it to the ballroom, the guests were already seated, and our mom was waiting at the door anxiously. I rounded the corner and took my place next to Eros and the bridal party, ignoring the eye rolls and teasing.

“Where were you?” she asked, taking my hat off my head and tossing it onto a nearby chair. Her eyes dropped to my deep purple bowtie that was undone next. “Boy, if your father was alive to see you out here running in these streets after women, he’d give you a good talking to. Your brother’s getting married today for Pete’s sake. And fix your tie, son.”

“Yes, ma’am.” I immediately began fixing my tie because, well, for the most part, I listened to my mama when she asked me to do something. Especially with my dad not being here anymore. Although we always didn’t see eye to eye, we all missed him so much. I was sure Theseus missed him most of all since they were so close.

As I promptly fixed my tie, I didn’t even have to look up to know that Layla’s eyes were on me. She wasn’t just Ivy’s best friend, but still a beautiful pain in my ass, too.

When I finally glanced her way, she was laughing and shaking her head, mouthingfuckboy anticsat me like she always did. With her best friend being with my brother, our friendship had grown over the years, even if we still bickered. She was actually one of the few people in my life who knew that Audrea and I had reconnected since I’d run into her and Gary from high school at the movies not too long ago. I hadn’t even been able to focus on the randomness of seeing her with Gary at the time because me being with Audrea was just as weird. But at least I’d dated Audrea back in the day. At the movies, Gary had looked like a kid who finally chased down the ice cream truck. Per usual, Layla and I got into a heated argument—this time about what we thought the message of the film was—that left Audrea picking at her nails and Gary watching Sports Center on his phone, both ignoring us.

A week later, Layla and I were with our mutual friends, Meeka and Tone, and hashed out the weirdness, agreeing that friends was the best thing we could be to one another since debating never got us anywhere.

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