Page 103 of Taeja

Damon scowled. “Okay, enough. I don’t like thinking about you with anyone exceptZain.”

Taeja couldn’t stop the snicker that escaped her. “You get jealous easily, you know that?”

“You’re everything I want,” Damon said, leaning in to kiss her neck. His grip around her waist tightened while her skin sweetly tingled as he showered her with affection. “I’d be a fool not to get jealous over you.”

Taeja smiled when he pulled away and stared into her eyes. Damon looked into the depths of her soul, his eyes shining bright with admiration, while hers were more intense.

It was a foreign, yet welcomed feeling. Her heart raced. The blood pumped through her veins faster. And a feather-light feeling blossomed in her stomach as Damon held her captive in his gaze.

Fueled by this strong passion, she leaned forward and kissed him. Hard. Her lips said all the things her mouth yearned to say, but couldn’t because it was a feeling she couldn’t quite understand. She only knew that she wanted to kiss him until her very last breath.

And she would’ve if he didn’t pull away first.

“Can I get dessert now?” he joked.

Taeja chuckled and got off of him. “Nope.”

Damon sighed as he returned to his desk chair. He resumed eating while Taeja sat on the edge of his desk and watched him. Over the next several minutes, they chatted and joked with each other. Damon’s lunch break ended minutes ago, but they were too engrossed by each other to care.

As the laughter died down, Taeja wiped tears from her eyes. “Listen, it nuh funny. I thought I was going to die! My dress was stuck on a branch, so I was hanging upside down for two minutes before Jerry come outta door come see mi. I was wearing a thong that day, so he saweverything. To this day, mi still embarrassed.”

Damon chuckled. “Why didn’t you call Liyah?”

“My phone fell out of my hand. It was lying on the lawn looking up at me. I had no choice but to scream until someone came outside. Good thing it wasn’t the neighbors.” Taeja sighed as she made herself more comfortable in Damon’shold. They were cuddled on the sofa while Zain sat at the desk, swaying the chair side-to-side while catching and throwing a paper ball. “Your turn,” she said to Zain.

Zain stopped throwing and catching the paper ball. “My most embarrassing moment is…” He paused. “When I was rushing for a frat. I survived the hazing, but the last thing they wanted us to do was beat our dicks and come on a cookie. The last person to come needed to eat it or none of us would make line.”

Taeja’s eyes widened. “Wa?!” she exclaimed, and Zain nodded. Taeja shivered, her mind drifting to all her school associates who were in fraternities. “What did you do?”

“I lost.”

Her eyes almost bulged out of her head. “I—”

Zain and Damon burst out laughing. Realizing she’d been played, Taeja pouted and yanked herself out of Damon’s hold.

“Come back here.” Damon pulled her against him despite her grumble of resistance.

“Should’ve seen the look on your face,” Zain said as his laughter died down.

Taeja rolled her eyes and looked away to a painting on the wall, but her eyes kept darting to Zain. This was the second time she saw him this at ease and carefree, allowing himself to laugh. She liked this side of him. “Mi nuh like unu.”

“Sure you don’t,” Damon said.

Zain snickered before saying to Taeja, “I didn’t make line because I didn’t do it. Anyway, my most embarrassing moment was high school. It was prank day of senior week, and I brought fart spray. I think it was a faulty bottle because it burst inside my book bag. I smelled so foul.” Zain scowled. “Fuck, it’s like I can smell it whenever I talk about it.”

“Why are you leaving out the best part?” Damon asked. “Tell her how the scent had you vomiting so bad, we skipped school so I could bring you home. Baby, I had to help him walk all the way home because he was too sick, and no taxis wanted to carry him. I’d never walked for an hour nonstop before. I had to eat the entire night to recharge.”

Zain smirked. “You made some soup for me, lit all of mom’s candles in myroom, and stayed with me in case I got sicker.”

Taeja smiled. “Aww! Unu love each other, and eva a gwan like unu hate each other more than anybody else.”

Zain scoffed, then started throwing and catching the paper ball again.

“What are brothers for?” Damon asked, smiling. “Who else was going to keep you out of trouble if not me?”

“Myself,” Zain retorted, then his voice lowered, taking a dark tone. “But I really needed you that day…”

Damon’s expression went grim too, and Taeja’s brows furrowed as she looked between them. Her curiosity got the best of her, but she knew better than to ask. If it was something they wanted to share, they would’ve done so.

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