Page 47 of Wings of Ebony
Its heat travels through my wrists and strange voices swirl in my ear.
Huh?I strain to hear as the heat creeps farther up my arm.
What’s happening?
I grip the metal tighter.
Louder now, the voices speak a tangle of sounds I can’t make out.
Everything’s still, so still, as I sit there listening, my heart in my throat.
The doorbell startles me, and the cuff hits the floor.
“Get that, would you?” Ms. Leola shouts from the kitchen. “Probably them boys from ’round the corner coming to help with some housework.”
I can’t take my eyes off the cuff. Whatwasthat?
Tasha moves toward the door and I scoop up the cuff, zipping it up in my hoodie pocket. The door swings open and my stomach drops. Standing there in Ms. Leola’s doorway, in ripped jeans and a white tee, covered in tats with a blingy smile that makes my knees weak, is my first boyfriend, the first lips I ever kissed and only boy I ever loved.…
Julius.
CHAPTER 15
HE STEPS INSIDE ANDall the air in the room leaves. What’s wrong with me? I’m over him.
Tasha gives me a look.Thelook. “I’ma get back to looking for that book.” She tiptoes off, mouthing the words “He is fiiiinnneeeee” as she heads back to dig for the scrapbook.
“Rue?” He steps inside and licks his lips.
“Julius? Demarcus? That you, baby?” Ms. Leola returns from the kitchen with Bri on her heels, holding an ice pack on her hand.
“Yes, ma’am. Just me today. Demarcus couldn’t make it.” The bass in his voice does something to my insides and I suck in a deep breath.
“Ain’t seen you in a minute, girl.” He smiles and dimples split his cheeks in that perfect way that always made me melt. “How you been?”
“I-I’m good.” A lie. “Just back for a visit. See my sister, the old crew.”
“There’s a plate.” Ms. Leola stacks a few Styrofoam containers next to a plate piled with food with a wedge of pound cake twice the size of the one I had. “And be sure you take that back to yo momma ’nem. There’s a plate for Demarcus, too.”
“Thank you, Ms. Thomas. And yes, ma’am.” He plants a kiss on her cheek before settling at the table. Ms. Leola leaves us to catch up, and I guess even Bri senses the tension because she joins Tasha in the back to look for the scrapbook.
“I thought you came to work?” I joke.
“You know she ain’t gonna let me do nothing before making sure I eat.”
“True.” I laugh, trying to look at something besides his umber eyes. I don’t know what I expected him to be like after a year, but it’s like a lifetime has passed. Staring at him now, the drama and how everything ended is a faint memory. Funny how time does that—makes some things feel smaller than they used to. We shared a lot of good times, even though he was acting dumb at the end.
“You looking good, as usual.” He flashes a gold smile and shifts his posture, his shirt clinging to the rounded muscles rippling beneath. “What you been up to?”
“Just hanging tight, handling business. You know.” That’s code forI can’t tell you or I don’t wanna tell you, or both.
“That’s wassup. You been aight since everything went down? I been thinking ’bout you. Came by here a few times, hoping to catch you. I didn’t know where you went. No one on the block did. Shit, had me thinking the worst, you know?”
“I’m managing.” I pull my hoodie tighter over my shoulders, trying to ignore my burning cheeks. So much history with him. So many feelings. He was my person—the person I went to.
“You always been tough as nails, girl.” He playfully shoves my shoulder and his touch, even through my hoodie, sends a jolt through me.
I loved him. Like, really loved him.
