Page 12 of Ex- Factor
Sitting side by side.
Then laying down, her back to my chest.
She fell asleep first, and I stayed still, head buried in her hair, breathing her in.
When I woke up, it was early Monday morning.
I watched her sleep for a while—her lips parted, a tiny line of drool at the corner of her mouth.
I smiled and eased off the couch.
I ordered her a coffee like she liked it—black with vanilla, no sugar—and a breakfast sandwich with turkey sausage and a hash brown.
I waited for the delivery to be dropped off, then scribbled a note on the bag:
Have a good day at work. You deserve that and more. —S
I left quietly, locking up behind me.
I didn’t want to distract her from getting her day started—and I knew if I stayed, I’d try to convince her not to go to work.
When I stepped outside and the morning air hit my skin, all I could think was—
I smiled at the rising sun, feeling a sense of calm, I hadn’t known in years.
Eshe felt like a fresh start.
Chapter Seven- Silas
The clock on Dr. Bailey’s wall ticked louder than usual today. Or maybe I was just edgy—it had only been a couple of hours since I’d left Eshe, and I missed her already. I slouched back into the leather couch, legs stretched out, trying to look relaxed, but I kept fidgeting with the hem of my hoodie. I could still smell her all over it. It was driving me crazy.
“So,” Dr. Bailey started, tapping his pen on his knee, “you gonna tell me what’s got you grinning like a kid who just found his daddy’s old Playboy stash?”
I huffed out a laugh. “Was I grinning?”
“And you still are,” he shot back. “Talk to me.”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “Her name’s Eshe.”
He nodded slowly. “Ah. So we got a new hurricane forming.”
I smirked. “She’s not a hurricane.”
“Yet.”
“No. She’s different.”
He chuckled, relaxed, leaning back in his chair like he had all damn day. “Tell me what happened.”
So I did. I told him everything—from the night at the club, to how I ended up at her house, ordering her coffee, and watching her sleep this morning. How I’d kissed her in thekitchen and almost lost all sense. How she stopped me, and I didn’t even get mad.
“I kissed her fucking forehead,” I finished, staring at a crack in the ceiling tile. “As Angel would say, ‘She don’t play about herself.’ And I like that.”
Bailey nodded again. “Sounds like she might be different.”
“But?” I said, eyeing him. “I hear a ‘but’ coming.”
He nodded. “Because you’re smart enough to know there is one.”
