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Y’all give credit to @dealore for this prompt that made me want to actually write something down for once. I changed it up a little about how they meet and such. I made Annie;’s daughter a little psycho.. so yeah.. She not wrapped too tight at all. Anyway.. I hope you enjoy my take on it.
As always,
Enjoy :)
“Elijah fuck, you digging in me,” she clawed at the headboard, hoping to get a grip on anything. He thrusted into her hard, her knees slipping under him. “No, no, no, put it back where I had it Anais,” he snarled into her ear.
She couldn’t believe what she had got herself into. Her fucking daughter introduced her to this man. She was 38 years old, what business did she have fucking a man 10 years younger than her. Shit, that 28 year old was tearing her insides out. The night they met was literally a fluke. Her daughter, Amerie, had been ranting and raving about the new CEO at her job.
-
“Mama you gotta meet him, he’s just different. He cares about us, y’know? I never had a boss who actually cares.” The way her daughter’s voice lit up, it sounded like she had some type of crush on the man.
-
When they entered the fundraising gala that night, Annie’s attire stole everyone’s attention. The black dress hugged her breast just right, pushing them up perky and oiled up. Her hips were outlined as if the Gods themselves sculpted it. The 6inch pump that laced up her calf, showing off her dangerously long and thick legs. The men ogled the older woman, forgetting the ones standing right next to them.
“Mama, let’s get a drink or something,” Amerie led her towards the bar. “What do you want? It’s open bar,” Amerie asked looking back at her partially. “I’ll take a French 75,” Annie told her daughter. They got their drinks and made their way through the crowd. Amerie making sure comments on every person who has their eyes on her mama.
“AMERIE!” Their heads turn as they spot Chanel, one of her daughter’s coworkers. “Dang girl, you clean up nice,” she complimented her favorite coworker. “Chanel, hey girl! Thank you. This here is my mama,” Chanel’s eyes turn to Annie. Her face worth a thousand words, jaw dropped and eyes popping out of her head.
‘Nah, girl.. THIS CAN’T BE YO MAMA,” Chanel chuckled. “Well thank you Chanel, I’ll take that as a compliment,” Annie smiled politely.
Comments on how young she looked always gave Annie a little more pep in her step. She was already so naturally captivating and confident. She was successful and well off. But time slows down for no one and she was 38 before she could catch her breath. Amerie’s voice cut through her thoughts, “Have you seen Mr. Moore yet? I want to introduce my mama to him.” Chanel looked around in the direction she last pointed, “Last I saw him he was outside having a conversation with big money.”
Amerie didn’t hesitate to walk in that direction in search of the man. Annie couldn’t really understand why her daughter was so desperate for them to meet. He was her boss, they’d literally never cross paths. But she wanted to make her child happy. She spent so long waiting for Amerie to be passionate about something, and if this new boss was helping her find her passions then fine.
They reached the back exit, onto a large patio carved with marble and rose bushes meeting the edge. Smoke hung in the air as the men puffed on their cigars. A lot of expensive suits were on this patio. Armani suits and Cartier tie clips, Scotch poured into low rim drinking glasses. It wa almost as if Amerie spotted the man instantly. As Annie approached from behind them she took in the mans thick frame, his muscled cut through the tailored shirt he wore. The beard that ran down the side of his face, low cut with deep waves. Her mouth was dry before she even saw his face but then he turned. And her world stopped as his eyes connected with hers for a brief second.
“And who might you be?” he offered his hand out towards Annie. She took it. “Well that’s who i wanted to introduce you to Mr. Moore. This my mama, Anais Desson. Mama, this my boss, Elijah Moore,” Amerie cut in.
Amerie watched the interaction between them with a bitter taste in her mouth. He’s never even looked her way for more than a few seconds. She pushed the feeling aside as nothing, this was her mother for god’s sake. ‘What would a 38 year old woman even do with that?’ Amerie thought to herself. “Well it’s a pleasure to meet you,” he pulled her hand up to his lips, placing a warm kiss to the back of it. “Likewise,” Annie responded her eyes gone dark.
‘Elijah Moore.’ Annie thought to herself.
‘Anais Desson.’ Elijah thought to himself.
He thought about her the whole evening. Looking for her in every room that he walked into. ‘Who the hell was this woman?And what the fuck took her so long to get to me?’ He thought to himself. When he laid eyes on her, he was almost 100% certain that he was drooling on himself. A woman that fine should not exist. When he spotted her amongst the crowd her zoned in, making his way to her. Soon as he was in arms length of her, Amerie stepped in front of him. Eyes sparkling at him like he hung the stars. Elijah had seen that look before. The woman obsessed with what he appeared to be. Did it have to be the woman of my dreams daughter though?
All he had to do was get through this interaction with her, so that he could get to the trophy at the end of this race. The gala wouldn’t go on forever and it was already too much time lost between them already.
“Hey Mr. Moore, I just wanted to thank you for being such a gentleman with my mama earlier. Those are good qualities in a man,” her eyes hinting up for a response she would never get.
“Of course, Amerie. You’re a valued employee and well respected. We will always treat family members as if they were members of our team too.” Good response, Elijah. There was nothing leading about that at all. She should get the subtle hint and dropped this silly infatuation. That was not at all what the young woman heard from the man. He might as well have swept her up and kissed her, cause in her mind she was completely gone. Her face burned hot, her cheeks turning a deep red. “I appreciate that, sir.” Her attempt at appearing docile and meek was everything that embarrassing could be. She did not read that response right at all. He would have to deal with that later, he had to get back to her.
“Excuse me,” he sidestepped her and swerved through the people that gathered between them when he finally reached her. Sitting at the bar, her back outrageously up straight, her legs crossed under the fabric. His breathing heavier as he casually leaned up against the bar. “Yo let me get a whiskey, thank you brotha,” he delivered smoothly. His scent flooded her nostrils, dark and sweet, she inhaled sharply.
“Don’t take this the wrong way,” he whispered only loud enough for her to hear. “But I haven’t been able to get you off my mind since I met you over an hour ago.” Annie sat there frozen, shit she felt it too. She’d imagined a thousand times in the last hour what that mouth would feel like on her neck, those hands wrapped around her waist. But this was her daughters boss, she was about to be fucking forty, what the hell were these feelings.
“Mr. Moo-,” he cut her off.
“Elijah. You can call me Elijah, You the only person in this whole building who can get away with that. I’d surely die if I had to bear that this whole conversation,” he grinned at her. She tried it out in her mouth, her breath altering as she said it barely above a whisper.
“Elijah.” And their eyes locked. They both were holding their breath and knew exactly why. When she said his name it was like something woke them both up. It wasn’t surface attraction, if it ever was that. Chills ran up his body, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. His body shifted towards her against his will.
“I been waiting my whole life to hear you say that,” he relayed it so seriously her body damn near went limp. ‘Thank god I am sitting down.’ She thought to herself.
“I-i,” she stuttered. The moment was broken by a cough, it was Amerie. Elijah stepped back slowly, making it seem as the space had been between them. ‘She cockblocking like a motherfucker.’ He sighed out lowly. He wanted this woman under him shaking, clawing at this back and releasing sounds that should only be meant for his ears. He wanted her lips on him, her warm mouth pulling and tugging at his lips. Fuck, he had to figure out how to get her between 4 walls and completely alone. He needed privacy for the fire she sparked in him.
Elijah had never seen a woman so beautiful, someone whose eyes made him feel like he was drowning and the only one who could save him was her. His world stopped for a few seconds when he met her. But standing here? At the bar? Hearing this outrageously gorgeous woman say his name. He felt more in that moment than he had with anyone in his whole life.
“Mama, it’s bout time for us to go. Cars out front,” Amerie shot out. She noticed the way Elijah looked at her mother. He couldn’t even make eye contact with her when he needed something done at work. ‘So the man can spare my mama glance but not me?’ Amerie was a ticking time bomb. She’d never have a man sidestep her so hard. And then of all people to take interest in? Her mama? She knew for one thing, her mama wasn’t going. That’s a grown ass woman who needs herself a grown ass man. CEO be damned! Little did she know that Annie was feeling something for this man that she hadn’t felt for a man in a long time.
The way something sparked inside her was something that was foreign. And at 38? That’s scary. Something so unknown and unexpected on something so damn fine. She wanted nothing more in that moment for him to have wrapped his hands around her face and swap DNA with her. She wanted nothing more for him to strip her down bare, and have his way with her. She wanted nothing more than to make her child disappear and not be calling her mama in front of a man who so obviously wants to take her the fuck down.
“Mama c’mon,” she insisted. She was growing impatient. When Amerie turned to Elijah, you couldn’t tell. She even put on a voice to go with it. “Mr. Moore, thank you for such a wonderful evening.” She held her hand out, Elijah felt obligated to shake it even if it was against his better judgement. Amerie batted her eyelashes at the contact and let out a small giggle. She wasn’t even trying to hide it.
She stood, slowly and hesitantly. Waiting for some sort of sign that he was going to stop her. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Moore,” Annie heard out her hand, he brought it to his mouth and kissed it.
“The pleasure was all mine.”
-
As they made their way out of the building, she couldn’t help but look back and see if he was coming for her. ‘What the fuck am i doing? This man is 28 years old.’ She talked herself all the way out of it. Of what she felt less than 10 minutes ago. It was bullshit, it wasn’t real. It was a big party and everyone had to cling to someone.
“Anais,” her head snapped up. She turned quickly, his chest was rising and falling as if he just ran a mile. Thank the lord, Amerie was in the car when he came out. “You left this,” he reached to give her the purse. How the fuck did she forget her whole fucking purse? And with the purse came a small piece a paper that she quickly tucked inside.
“Thank you,” she whispered with a small smile on her face.
“Again, the pleasure is all mine,” he winked and smirked at her. They bid their ‘final’ goodnight and Annie got into the car.
“Whatchu forget mama?” Amerie asked, she was obviously agitated. “My purse. That was nice of him to return it to me,” she replied. ‘Yeah, sure was.” Amerie thought to herself through a lens of judgement.. She decided she was going to ruin the thought for Annie. A mother wouldn’t pursue someone who had interest in her daughter?
“Isn’t he amazing Mama. And he’s so handsome and smart,” she gushed. It made Annie sick to her stomach. Had she been so wrapped up in his charm that she hadn’t noticed? Was she just so dizzy in his presence that she completely missed it? She could hear that admiration in her daughter’s voice. Surely, something had to be said for that to come about. What Annie didn’t know is that Elijah hadn’t shown any interest in Amerie. Hell, he hadn’t really shown any interest in anyone until he saw Annie.
Annie clutched the purse tight into her abdomen, trying to forget the piece of paper that waited so patiently for her to read it.
-
The rest of the car ride was silent and slightly uncomfortable. Amerie dropped Annie off at her apartment with a swift ‘Night Mama’ and rushed hug. Maybe she did sense something between Elijah and Annie. Maybe she didn’t make up the connection. She wracked her brain the entire thirty minute ride.
When she got in the house she wanted nothing more than to wash of this ridiculous night and it’s ridiculous emotions. But she sat on her couch, clutching the purse, hesitant to open it. When she did every single doubt left her mind.
I’ll never stop thinking about you. Elijah
951-7768
She pulled her phone out and called the number. The buzz that ran through her body felt like kisses all over her skin. His kisses, and she hadn’t even felt that.
“I was waiting on you Anais.” He said as he pulled on his freshly lit joint. Her breath hitched. Before she said anything she needed to clear the air about her child. If she was to do this, she had to be sure. She had to be certain there was NOTHING there.
“What’s the deal with you and my daughter? Whatchu’ trynna run a game?” She asked confrontationally. She puffed her chest up as if he could see her.
“I’m gon’ be real honest with you, I couldn’t even tell you what she does at the company. The most I’ve talked to her is tonight.” He was honest and upfront. He knew who he wanted right now. And it was not Amerie.
“You wanna keep talking about her? or do you wanna get to the reason you called?” He cut through sharp bringing her out of her head. His voiced vibrated through her body like a sound wave. The hum he gave her when he spoke quite literally made her dizzy.
“I don’t know why I called.”
“Yes you do.” He shot.
She didn’t even fight it. How could she with the way her blood was pumping through her.
“I haven’t stop thinking about you either. And that’s confusing for me,” she confessed. She settled back into her couch, letting out a deep breath.
“Let’s deal with it face to face,” he took a shot in the dark. He was holding his breath, gearing up for rejection.
“Okay.” Why should she deny herself this? She’s allowed to see people, right? Allowed to engage?
“Send the location.” She sent it immediately.
“I’m 30 minutes out, I’ll let you know when I’m close.” He confirmed with her. He hadn’t thought twice, he was going to see this woman.
-
Annie rushed to prepare herself for this very welcomed visitor. She showered and put on her backless night gown. She sprayed herself with a heavenly perfume. That stayed in the air, no matter what way she moved. Her phone chimed, making her hyper aware of everything that seemed to be out of place in her home. She rushed to fluff pillows, straighten picture frames that seemed crooked and smoothed out her attire. She wanted to appear prepared, when in reality she was shitting bricks.
Elijah wasn’t too far off from that same feeling as he approached the three-story townhouse. His heart was in his ass. But, he came here with a mission in mind. And that was to at least to convince her to think about giving him a chance. So, he was young but h was grown and he could handle a grown woman. As he approached her home, he took slow and measured steps getting to the front door. Trying not to seem like he was in a rush to get there. He played cool with three even knocks on her door. Annie took her time opening it but, she knew he would not knock again.
When the door opened, Elijah released a deep breath at the sight of the woman. Standing there with a slip on that accentuated her curves and left nothing to the imagination. Her nippled standing at attention, her neck exposed and shining. Begging for him to mark his territory.
“You gon just stand there?” Her eyebrow raised.
“I ain’t heard you doing no invitin.” He countered.
She opened the door wider, ushering him in with her arms. She instructed him to leave his shoes at the door. She had a strict rule of wearing shoes in her house. She guided him into the living room. Sitting down at the furthest end of the couch. Distant couldn’t keep this heat contained too much longer. The way he looked. The sweatpants hanging low on his waist. The white t-shirt with his muscles busting through. His scent, the way he filled the space. Such a big, strong man. ‘Fuck, don’t start salivating.” She straightened her posture, pushing her aching breasts into the air. He noticed.
“You don’t think I’m worth the trouble? Cause I’m young?” He posed the question innocently, there was no sexual charge behind his words, yet.
“I think that I’m 38 and I’m not looking to be distracted by young shit.” She wasn’t going to tiptoe around it. She had her worries and concerns. Especially with the situation at hand. “I’m young but ain’t shit young about me woman. I’m straight forward with my shit, I rarely fuck around. I saw you, I wanted you and I made that clear. That sound like a man who do ‘young shit’?” His eyebrow arched. She cleared her throat. What the fuck was she supposed to say to that. He hadn’t played at all. He was sitting in her house after only knowing her all of 6 hours.
She stood up slowly, approaching him with heated caution. She stood in front of him breathing heavily, with her hand stretched out. Inviting him further into the house and into her bedroom.
-
She led him to the loveseat at the end of her bed.
Elijah sat, impatiently patient. A goddess was standing in front of him so close, he could melt into her. “Come here,” he beckoned her. Annie crawled into his lap slowly. Placing her thick thighs on the outside of him, straddling his lap. Her pussy sitting directly on top of his bulge. “You think you know what to do with all this,” she whispered hovering over his ear. He groaned at the pace of the slow assault on his lap. It was almost painful. “You gon be begging me to get up off of you,” his lips met hers in a fiery passion. A moan worth a thousand words escaped their lips. Their tongue battled for dominance, swapping slow wet flicks of the tongue. Whimpers coming from him sucking her bottom lip. Her pussy clenched around nothing and his dick grew painfully harder. the more passionately they kissed, the harder Annie grinded, Elijah meeting her hips with his.
His hand reached around kneading her ass, spreading and squeezing her plump cheeks. “Mmmm, feel on this body,” she moaned into his mouth. She was drunk off his kiss, she never wanted it to end.
Elijah was fighting for his life, he wanted to rip her clothes off. He took his time finding and exploring her neck. Looking for a sign of pleasure, he sucked and bit at her soothing by wrapping his tongue around the sting. His hands found her titties, he pulled and brushed over the hardened nipples. Dragging the front of her nightgown down, her breast fully exposed to him. His mouth got wet and before he could think his hot mouth wrapped around her peaks. Annie moaned and let out a string of cuss words lost in the pleasure. Her pussy was leaking in the seat of her panties, surely leaving a wet spot over his erection.
“Elijah, please,” she breathed out. She needed him to touch her. She needed something, a release.
He lifted her up placing her in his spot on the seat. He hovered over her, locking lips while he spread her legs open. He kissed down her body leaving and path of heat across her skin. He came face to face with her wet, covered center. “Fuck, that pussy crying. i ain’t even touched her,” he whispered into her heat. He ran his strong hand over her center. Her fat clit poked through the fabric. He rubbed slow circles over it. Her back arched and hips rolled, begging for more contact with whimpers and sighs. He wanted to taste her. He ripped the panties off her, “Now don’t go ripping shit you don’t pay for.” He didn’t dignify it with a verbal response. He put his tongue right at her opening, lightly flicking his tongue in her gushy center. Her pussy clenched and wept at the contact.
He licked up her slit taking her fat mound in his mouth, covering it in spit. He licked her pussy sloppy and fully. “Oh my Godddddd,” she grabbed the back of his head, spreading her legs wider. His tongue fucked her whole until she was begging for a release, “You like the way I eat this fat muhfucka,” he growled from below, sending shocks up her spine. She thrusted her pussy closer to his face, pulling and gripping the back of his head. Encouraging him to just climb inside her and live in her. Her looks shooks with the build of her first orgasm, “Baby please keep sucking this pussy, I-I-I’m boutta fucking squirt all over you,” she whimpered looking down. Her pussy clamped down on his tongue as her body went limp, she locked him in place and she rode it out. He licked her slow until she came down from it. Her chest rising and falling heavily. He scaled her body, squeezing her sides as he came in for a kiss.
“That’s one.” He grinned. “You taste so fucking good.” The kiss deepened, Annie tasted herself on his tongue, the taste had to bea drug. Her head swirled and her body tingled. His dick sat hard, pointed straight at her stomach. She trailed his stomach, feeling his hard stomach on the way, until she felt the front of his pants, gripping him hard. She stroked him teasingly, spending time rubbing his tip. She slipping her hand into his waistband making contact with the dick for the first time. He was huge from what she could feel. Veiny and long, and so fucking heavy.
“Pull that dick out Big Mama and see what you won,” he stood up over her. She pulled her sweats and underwear down in one tug, freeing the monstrous cock from its cage. Gosh, he was beautiful. She drooled at the sight of the magnificent penis. She stroked him slow, in awe of how her hand barely wrapped around him. How soft her touch was, even though she was jerking him hard. She leaned in without permission, swirling her tongue over the tip f his cock. She licked the bead of precum and hummed. “Mmm, just how i thought you’d taste,” she swallowed him whole.
His dick hit the back of her throat and his eyes rolled to the back of his head. He spit and jerked him like she’d done it before. She was a professionally, for sure. She moaned around the head, how was he getting fucking harder? “Just like that baby, suck that dick just like that,”he guided her head until he realized he was throat fucking her. Not that she wasn’t complaining. She liked having her throat used by him. Loved it even. He pulled her off for air but she said, “Why’d you stop?” He groaned at the sight of her, covered in so much spit that it dripped down her chin.
Her pussy pulsed at the way he fucked her mouth. She couldn’t wait until she was being drilled by that big mean dick.
“Cause if I keep going, I’m not gon get to the good part baby. Come lay on the bed.”
-hey yallllll :) im so happy to put something out that im really proud offf! Again s/o @dealore for the prompt!! Lmk what you think!! Am i like.. back?? Some typos and shit but fuck it yolo!!!
summary: all his life, smoke had heard that two is company but three is a crowd; and never had it made as much sense as it did now.
cw: smut, toxic smoke x annie, possesive!smoke, obsessed!smoke, car!sex, cheating, extra messyy, this is real stack coded fr (smoke on some bullshit), they arguing, use of the nword
a/n: y’all always have me making a one shot into a mini series smfhhh. there’s at least one more part, and you’ll see why after readingggg… requested here and inspired by @librababe7
part one
masterlist
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After that rather unfortunate event, Smoke’s girl decided it would be best if they didn’t try that again. The pair had attempted to make it up to her, and while she was elated to have Smoke and Annie making her body scream while her feet touched the headboard, it wasn’t enough for the lingering thoughts and memories and doubts to subside.
Smoke sat up in bed.
It was late as hell, and his girl was sleeping peacefully beside him, but his mind couldn’t rest. He was stuck thinking about Annie and wondering what she was doing—if she was up thinking about him, too. Since his girl had put an end to things, he hadn’t had much of a chance to see Annie. She’d come over to hang out or pick his girl up for a trip to the mall, but he kept his distance as best he could. Annie was addictive; Annie was everything he thought of now, and he knew it wasn’t right. His girl didn’t deserve to be treated that way, but when his mind would drift back to Annie, he couldn’t care any less about her feelings.
Huffing silently into the still night air, the man’s back hit the headboard before he reached to retrieve his phone from the nightstand. Beside him, his girl was curled up in the sheets, and when she sensed his movements, she groaned, touching his leg in a need for closeness. It always amused him how much she wanted him even in sleep, but he was on a mission, so stilling his body, he went to work.
His phone illuminated the ceiling. It shined over his face—stoic as always—and it took him no time at all to find Annie’s contact. She had put it in his phone that day when his girl had gone to the bathroom. In the time that she’d been away from them, Annie had added her number, texted herself, deleted the message, and made him a promise to figure this out while kissing the edge of his mouth. All he could do in that moment was listen, nod his head, and kiss her full and on the lips.
But neither of them had reached out.
Neither of them had the courage.
Smoke swore he was waiting for the right time, and Annie was waiting for him to make the first move. Anxiety causing his fingers to tremble, Smoke was beginning to think he’d get no better time than the present.
You up?
The first text was simple. He was a man of few words, a man who didn’t beat around the bush too often. His stomach thumped in anticipation and regret, but when three dots rose in the bottom left corner, his nostrils flared.
i am
thought you’d never text me
You got my number, too. You coulda made the first move
you don’t know who you talkin to, do you? i don’t make the first move. i don’t chase no man or woman. they chase me
So you consider this me chasin you?
it is one in the morning, smokey. what else you doin if you ain’t tryna get into some mess?
His jaw clenched at the nickname, at how easily she had read him, but all it really did was stoke the flames and make him want her more. He looked down at the woman clinging to his legs. His eyes immediately focused on the phone once again.
She sleep beside me. So I can’t do much.
He felt raw with need as he texted her, wide open for her to see all of him, but he didn’t mind it. His mind flashed back to that day when they had gotten so inwrapped in each other that all they could do was keep going. There was a closeness between them that he couldn’t make sense of; All he knew was that he needed her again.
Smoke watched the curser blink as the delivered message stared back at him. He quickly moved to type once more.
I been thinkin bout the other day.
me too, baby
i been needin you so bad
it’s too hard to ignore
Shit. I been thinkin bout just givin in
i think you should. we’ve fucked already anyway, so just let it happen
Fuck. We doin this fr?
if you want to, smokey. come over to my place tomorrow
Bet.
And without much effort or tooth pulling, Smoke gave in and let go. He went to Annie’s home the next day. And the day after that. And the day after that. He was with Annie whenever he could get a chance, coming and going as he pleased, and she welcomed him with open arms and a heart free of guilt.
It had made her feel like shit at first, but how could you blame her? Smoke knew how to take care of every single one of her needs, and her friend should have been focused on keeping that good dick on lock. It wasn't her fault that the threesome had awakened something in her, a side that needed Smoke just as much as he needed her. And with time, they just grew more attached to each other, completely uncaring for how this would impact themselves and others.
~~~~~
Bent over the center console with her heels rooted into the floor of the backseat, Annie muffled her moans as Smoke stroked her deeply. They were in his truck, parked in the middle of an abandoned lot, and although they were trying to be inconspicuous, the way he was thrusting into her had the truck rocking back and forth.
"Take this shit, baby," Smoke growled, smacking the side of her ass. It had become a force of habit now because he couldn't just watch that ass bounce on him and not touch her. She was addicting, and the more time they spent together, the easier it was to have her body screaming.
Unsuccessful in her attempts to shush herself, Annie cried his name, begged him to let her cum. As much as she needed the relief, they both had places to be that didn't involve each other. And the longer they went at it like this, the more their schedules were getting pushed back and the closer they were to this situation being ruined.
Behind her, sweat beaded on Smoke’s forehead. If you asked him, the man would swear that he and Annie were molded for each other—perfectly created for this moment. He knew where he had to be, knew that Annie had plans too, but he was losing himself in this, in her.
His strokes shifted out of rhythm as he began to feel his body tighten in every muscle. Anticipation grew, and his eyes clouded over.
Barking out a command for her give it to him, Smoke continued to fuck Annie through her orgasm. When her moans turned to whines, his chest expanded at the glorious sound; And with little effort, he let go into the condom, sinking back into the car seat for reprieve.
"You know she settin' up a double date, right," Annie huffed. She fixed her skirt, pulling it back down to an appropriate length and unsuccessfully smoothing out the wrinkles.
The man beside her was fully relaxed into the seat, mind blank. His eyes were closed, head tilted toward the ceiling as the after effects of his orgasm soothed his exhausted body; But as he registered her words, dread filtered through him.
"A double date with who," Smoke questioned wearily. His voice had a groggy note to it, but his fear and irritation shined through.
"You two and me and the nigga I'm seein' right now," she rolled her eyes in annoyance. Without even taking the chance to look, she knew the expression he wore on his face: one of confusion; one of betrayal. They'd never talked about her new man, and quite frankly, she wasn't ready to have this conversation with him, but they both needed to get on one accord if they were going to be able to pull this date night off without acting like people who have fucked each other more than once.
She pretended to be engrossed in her phone, biting at her bottom lip as she felt the anger course through him.
"Well, you must be confused 'cause the only nigga you seein' is me," Smoke boomed. Chest heaving, the man shook his head, finally gaining awareness of his surroundings again. Empty parking lot. In the backseat of his truck. Half naked. With his girl’s friend.
Hastily, he fixed his clothes and set the used condom to the side before turning in the woman's direction. But she refused to look him in the eye, refused to speak.
"Don't piss me off, Annie," he exasperated, shaking his head in disbelief.
"You can't claim me, Smoke," the woman reasoned, arms wrapped tightly under her chest. Her eyes finally flashed over his body, and when they settled on his eyes, she could tell just how torn he was. The emotion made her blood boil. "You got her, so I can fuck around with whoever I want."
"So you fuckin' this nigga, too," Smoke thundered, arms flailing as everything felt like it was hitting him at once. He didn't have time to listen to reason. All he knew was that Annie belonged to him—whether it was fair to feel that way or not.
"I'm not fuckin' nobody but you, so don't even go there for real," she argued, hand in his face as she put emphasis on each word. "You shouldn't be worried 'bout shit when you got a whole bitch at home waitin' for yo' cheatin' ass like a dummy."
Taken aback, Smoke revved his head back, brows pulling together.
"That's yo' damn friend, too, so if you feel any better in this situation than I do, you the dummy," he chastised, pointing a finger right back at her. "I ain't even touched her ass for real since we started doin' this 'cause I'm tryna be faithful to you."
"Oh my God! Do you hear yourself," Annie laughed, completely astonished. "You talkin' 'bout bein' faithful like you ain't doin' wrong to somebody else."
"Whatever," Smoke tsked, rolling his eyes and letting his back meet the seat again. He ain’t feel like explaining it to her, but the way he saw it, his relationship was over. It was over when she decided to bring someone new in the equation. It was over when she made him feel like he wasn’t enough. Breathing deeply, he cut his eyes at Annie, leveling her with a look. "I just know you better not show up wit' no other nigga," he warned.
"You don't own me, Smoke" she shouted in response, and as she continued to curse him out and call him every name in the book, Annie climbed out of the backseat and slammed the door shut. Smoke watched her with an angered expression, but no matter how upset he was, he still ensured she made it safely to her car parked nearby. Defeated, he watched he skirt out of the abandoned parking lot, leaving him behind.
~~~~~
A week passed without word from Annie. Smoke texted and called and even showed up at her house a couple of times, but she refused to speak with him. In her mind, she was a grown ass woman who could do whatever she wanted because Smoke wasn’t her man. But in his mind, Smoke was her nigga and her only nigga.
When his girl told him about the double date, he made sure to respond appropriately. Not overly surprised. Not overly excited or interested. He made sure to seem somewhere in the middle because the way he responded to Annie was not how he needed to show up here. He needed to be as neutral as possible, and while he did the best he could, he could tell that his girl had picked up on something in his response.
Whether it be the uptick of his pulse, the tightening of his jaw, or the tremble of his hands, he knew she saw something—and there was no burying the realization that had popped up in her head.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
word count: ~2,000
a/n: shit's getting messyyy. what y'all thing gon happen at the double datee?
summary: all his life, smoke had heard that two is company but three is a crowd; and never had it made as much sense as it did now.
cw: smut, toxic smoke x annie, possesive!smoke, obsessed!smoke, car!sex, cheating, extra messyy, this is real stack coded fr (smoke on some bullshit), they arguing, use of the nword
a/n: y’all always have me making a one shot into a mini series smfhhh. there’s at least one more part, and you’ll see why after readingggg… requested here and inspired by @librababe7
part one
masterlist
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After that rather unfortunate event, Smoke’s girl decided it would be best if they didn’t try that again. The pair had attempted to make it up to her, and while she was elated to have Smoke and Annie making her body scream while her feet touched the headboard, it wasn’t enough for the lingering thoughts and memories and doubts to subside.
Smoke sat up in bed.
It was late as hell, and his girl was sleeping peacefully beside him, but his mind couldn’t rest. He was stuck thinking about Annie and wondering what she was doing—if she was up thinking about him, too. Since his girl had put an end to things, he hadn’t had much of a chance to see Annie. She’d come over to hang out or pick his girl up for a trip to the mall, but he kept his distance as best he could. Annie was addictive; Annie was everything he thought of now, and he knew it wasn’t right. His girl didn’t deserve to be treated that way, but when his mind would drift back to Annie, he couldn’t care any less about her feelings.
Huffing silently into the still night air, the man’s back hit the headboard before he reached to retrieve his phone from the nightstand. Beside him, his girl was curled up in the sheets, and when she sensed his movements, she groaned, touching his leg in a need for closeness. It always amused him how much she wanted him even in sleep, but he was on a mission, so stilling his body, he went to work.
His phone illuminated the ceiling. It shined over his face—stoic as always—and it took him no time at all to find Annie’s contact. She had put it in his phone that day when his girl had gone to the bathroom. In the time that she’d been away from them, Annie had added her number, texted herself, deleted the message, and made him a promise to figure this out while kissing the edge of his mouth. All he could do in that moment was listen, nod his head, and kiss her full and on the lips.
But neither of them had reached out.
Neither of them had the courage.
Smoke swore he was waiting for the right time, and Annie was waiting for him to make the first move. Anxiety causing his fingers to tremble, Smoke was beginning to think he’d get no better time than the present.
You up?
The first text was simple. He was a man of few words, a man who didn’t beat around the bush too often. His stomach thumped in anticipation and regret, but when three dots rose in the bottom left corner, his nostrils flared.
i am
thought you’d never text me
You got my number, too. You coulda made the first move
you don’t know who you talkin to, do you? i don’t make the first move. i don’t chase no man or woman. they chase me
So you consider this me chasin you?
it is one in the morning, smokey. what else you doin if you ain’t tryna get into some mess?
His jaw clenched at the nickname, at how easily she had read him, but all it really did was stoke the flames and make him want her more. He looked down at the woman clinging to his legs. His eyes immediately focused on the phone once again.
She sleep beside me. So I can’t do much.
He felt raw with need as he texted her, wide open for her to see all of him, but he didn’t mind it. His mind flashed back to that day when they had gotten so inwrapped in each other that all they could do was keep going. There was a closeness between them that he couldn’t make sense of; All he knew was that he needed her again.
Smoke watched the curser blink as the delivered message stared back at him. He quickly moved to type once more.
I been thinkin bout the other day.
me too, baby
i been needin you so bad
it’s too hard to ignore
Shit. I been thinkin bout just givin in
i think you should. we’ve fucked already anyway, so just let it happen
Fuck. We doin this fr?
if you want to, smokey. come over to my place tomorrow
Bet.
And without much effort or tooth pulling, Smoke gave in and let go. He went to Annie’s home the next day. And the day after that. And the day after that. He was with Annie whenever he could get a chance, coming and going as he pleased, and she welcomed him with open arms and a heart free of guilt.
It had made her feel like shit at first, but how could you blame her? Smoke knew how to take care of every single one of her needs, and her friend should have been focused on keeping that good dick on lock. It wasn't her fault that the threesome had awakened something in her, a side that needed Smoke just as much as he needed her. And with time, they just grew more attached to each other, completely uncaring for how this would impact themselves and others.
~~~~~
Bent over the center console with her heels rooted into the floor of the backseat, Annie muffled her moans as Smoke stroked her deeply. They were in his truck, parked in the middle of an abandoned lot, and although they were trying to be inconspicuous, the way he was thrusting into her had the truck rocking back and forth.
"Take this shit, baby," Smoke growled, smacking the side of her ass. It had become a force of habit now because he couldn't just watch that ass bounce on him and not touch her. She was addicting, and the more time they spent together, the easier it was to have her body screaming.
Unsuccessful in her attempts to shush herself, Annie cried his name, begged him to let her cum. As much as she needed the relief, they both had places to be that didn't involve each other. And the longer they went at it like this, the more their schedules were getting pushed back and the closer they were to this situation being ruined.
Behind her, sweat beaded on Smoke’s forehead. If you asked him, the man would swear that he and Annie were molded for each other—perfectly created for this moment. He knew where he had to be, knew that Annie had plans too, but he was losing himself in this, in her.
His strokes shifted out of rhythm as he began to feel his body tighten in every muscle. Anticipation grew, and his eyes clouded over.
Barking out a command for her give it to him, Smoke continued to fuck Annie through her orgasm. When her moans turned to whines, his chest expanded at the glorious sound; And with little effort, he let go into the condom, sinking back into the car seat for reprieve.
"You know she settin' up a double date, right," Annie huffed. She fixed her skirt, pulling it back down to an appropriate length and unsuccessfully smoothing out the wrinkles.
The man beside her was fully relaxed into the seat, mind blank. His eyes were closed, head tilted toward the ceiling as the after effects of his orgasm soothed his exhausted body; But as he registered her words, dread filtered through him.
"A double date with who," Smoke questioned wearily. His voice had a groggy note to it, but his fear and irritation shined through.
"You two and me and the nigga I'm seein' right now," she rolled her eyes in annoyance. Without even taking the chance to look, she knew the expression he wore on his face: one of confusion; one of betrayal. They'd never talked about her new man, and quite frankly, she wasn't ready to have this conversation with him, but they both needed to get on one accord if they were going to be able to pull this date night off without acting like people who have fucked each other more than once.
She pretended to be engrossed in her phone, biting at her bottom lip as she felt the anger course through him.
"Well, you must be confused 'cause the only nigga you seein' is me," Smoke boomed. Chest heaving, the man shook his head, finally gaining awareness of his surroundings again. Empty parking lot. In the backseat of his truck. Half naked. With his girl’s friend.
Hastily, he fixed his clothes and set the used condom to the side before turning in the woman's direction. But she refused to look him in the eye, refused to speak.
"Don't piss me off, Annie," he exasperated, shaking his head in disbelief.
"You can't claim me, Smoke," the woman reasoned, arms wrapped tightly under her chest. Her eyes finally flashed over his body, and when they settled on his eyes, she could tell just how torn he was. The emotion made her blood boil. "You got her, so I can fuck around with whoever I want."
"So you fuckin' this nigga, too," Smoke thundered, arms flailing as everything felt like it was hitting him at once. He didn't have time to listen to reason. All he knew was that Annie belonged to him—whether it was fair to feel that way or not.
"I'm not fuckin' nobody but you, so don't even go there for real," she argued, hand in his face as she put emphasis on each word. "You shouldn't be worried 'bout shit when you got a whole bitch at home waitin' for yo' cheatin' ass like a dummy."
Taken aback, Smoke revved his head back, brows pulling together.
"That's yo' damn friend, too, so if you feel any better in this situation than I do, you the dummy," he chastised, pointing a finger right back at her. "I ain't even touched her ass for real since we started doin' this 'cause I'm tryna be faithful to you."
"Oh my God! Do you hear yourself," Annie laughed, completely astonished. "You talkin' 'bout bein' faithful like you ain't doin' wrong to somebody else."
"Whatever," Smoke tsked, rolling his eyes and letting his back meet the seat again. He ain’t feel like explaining it to her, but the way he saw it, his relationship was over. It was over when she decided to bring someone new in the equation. It was over when she made him feel like he wasn’t enough. Breathing deeply, he cut his eyes at Annie, leveling her with a look. "I just know you better not show up wit' no other nigga," he warned.
"You don't own me, Smoke" she shouted in response, and as she continued to curse him out and call him every name in the book, Annie climbed out of the backseat and slammed the door shut. Smoke watched her with an angered expression, but no matter how upset he was, he still ensured she made it safely to her car parked nearby. Defeated, he watched he skirt out of the abandoned parking lot, leaving him behind.
~~~~~
A week passed without word from Annie. Smoke texted and called and even showed up at her house a couple of times, but she refused to speak with him. In her mind, she was a grown ass woman who could do whatever she wanted because Smoke wasn’t her man. But in his mind, Smoke was her nigga and her only nigga.
When his girl told him about the double date, he made sure to respond appropriately. Not overly surprised. Not overly excited or interested. He made sure to seem somewhere in the middle because the way he responded to Annie was not how he needed to show up here. He needed to be as neutral as possible, and while he did the best he could, he could tell that his girl had picked up on something in his response.
Whether it be the uptick of his pulse, the tightening of his jaw, or the tremble of his hands, he knew she saw something—and there was no burying the realization that had popped up in her head.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
word count: ~2,000
a/n: shit's getting messyyy. what y'all thing gon happen at the double datee?
Annie, an 18-year-old from New Orleans, moves to Clarksdale with dreams of building a life all her own. There she meets Smoke, a 21-year-old war veteran with a dangerous reputation. What grows between them is sweet, sticky, and Southern— a smoldering love set against a world of bootlegging, Hoodoo, and blues.
Chapter 9
Desire—A Night-Blooming Flower
“She was one of those languid women made of dark honey. Smooth and sweet, and terribly sticky, who take control of a room with a syrupy gesture. A toss of the hair, a single, slow whiplash of the eyes—and all the while remain as still as the center of a hurricane, apparently unaware of the force of gravity by which they irresistibly attract to themselves the yearnings and the souls of men.”
Perfume - Patrick Süskind
Annie stared out the kitchen window of Nellie’s home, the pad of her thumb caught on the tip of an empty pea pod. She could see Nellie’s mama in the yard hanging linens from the clothesline. Beyond that, the hum of Fourth Street crept through the backyards and alleyways of the neighborhood. Smoke rose from the railroad depot a street over, coughing thick black puffs into the air that looked like a blemish against the bright blue afternoon sky. And somewhere in the distance, the sweet, rotten smell of the Sunflower River floated its way through the cracks of the modest shotgun off Ashton Street.
“Louisiana?” Gigi asked. She shelled a pea with quick hands, dropping the pod in the waste bowl. “You over there daydreamin’.”
“With a big ass grin on your face, too,” Verity chimed in.
Annie blinked twice. “Yeah. Just thinkin’.”
Nellie grinned. “Mhmm. She thinkin’ about her man.”
Annie rolled her eyes but her mouth twitched. Her man. Her mouth felt dry, words trapped in her throat, but she didn’t dare swallow. Not with Nellie sneaking glances at her, Pearline watching her closely out of the corner of her eye, and Gigi eyeing her curiously. Eventually the conversation folded back into itself. The phonograph skipped to a new song, shells hit the bowl in the middle of the table with a hollow tap, Verity started talking about living in Bronzeville. But desire bloomed under Annie’s skin like a bruise the more she thought of Smoke, spreading through her veins like a whisper of lightning before a storm.
“So are you gonna…you know…” Pearline started. “Give him your virgin?” she whispered.
Annie turned her head to Pearline.
“Uhh, I-I think so.”
“You think so? Or you know so?” Gigi asked.
“Don’t do it if you ain’t sure,” Pearline added.
“I am sure.”
The answer settled into the room.
“You scared?” The question came from Verity.
A beat.
“Yeah.”
“Of what?”
Before she could answer, another question followed, this time from Gigi again. “You scared of what it’s gon’ feel like, or how you gon’ feel after the deed is done?”
Annie hummed in thought.
“Both,” she said finally. “But mostly what it’s gon’ feel like.”
She fiddled with her fingers. “Do it hurt?”
She looked up then, avoiding the direct gaze of the faces staring back at her.
Verity spoke up.
“At first, yes,” she said honestly. “Then it feels good. As long as he know what he doin’,” she mumbled under her breath.
“Mhmm.”
“Oh,” Annie trailed off. She rubbed her arms, looking down at her work. Their pile of peas was dwindling down as the day dragged on.
Pearline placed a hand on Annie’s forearm, the touch reassuring. “I feel like you in good hands.”
“‘Specially since he snatched you up so quick,” Nellie added. “He ain’t waste no time.”
“None.”
Annie chuckled. She rubbed her arms again. “Yeah, I guess so.”
She shifted her weight on the chair, her chest tightening. Her heartbeat thumped loudly in her chest, and she tried to ease it by taking deep, controlled breaths. As the conversation in Nellie’s kitchen turned into something lighter, Annie’s thoughts drifted back to what she finally admitted out loud.
The next day…
A bloody sludge of gills and guts covered Annie’s apron. Her fingers, the edge of the kitchen counter—coated in it. She cleaned and gutted catfish, then skinned, trimmed, and sliced them with a thin, sharp knife, separating the scaly skin from the fillet after removing the entrails. The heads sat in a corner of the countertop, where Felix sat on the kitchen floor just below. Tail swinging, eyes wide, he looked like he was ready to pounce.
Annie watched him out of the corner of her eye.
“Aht aht!” she scolded, pointing the tip of her knife at him. “Don’t even think about it.”
Some of the gunk from the knife flew onto his paw, which he looked down at like he was personally offended by its presence. He looked up at Annie and meowed, a short trill of frustration.
She talked back like he could understand what she was saying, looking up from scooping the kidney out of a fish. “What?”
“Mrrp,” he meowed.
Annie rolled her eyes. “That ain’t my problem.”
“Mrrrrrrrrp.”
“Since when you scared of a lil’ blood?”
Felix yawned and rubbed his head with his clean paw, licked the blood off his other one, then meowed again.
“Le pauvre,” she teased.
He whipped around, slipping out the back through the slightly cracked door. Just then Aunt Della walked through the same door, a basket at her hip full of root vegetables. Her hair was pinned back and kept in place with a lavender headscarf, her temples displaying hues of vivid black and silver kinks, coils, and curls that spoke to time and memory. She set the basket and her gardening gloves down on the kitchen table next to the chipped ceramic bowl of onions.
“What you do?”
“To who?” Annie wiped the sweat beading on her brow with the back of her arm.
“Felix.”
“I ain’t did nothin’ to that boy,” she huffed. “He wanna stand in the rain and be mad he got wet.”
“Figures,” Aunt Della chuckled. “You almost done?”
“Almost done, auntie,” Annie answered. “Got two more left.”
“Lemme start heatin’ this oil up then.”
Three knocks on the front door interrupted their routine, causing both ladies to turn their heads. Loretta Hightower stood at the door, visible through the front window in a tailored three-piece set and matching hat. The vibrant green suit dazzled under the sun that cloaked the porch in a veil of honey-gold. Annie, elbows deep in fish guts, turned back to the catfish while Aunt Della walked over to answer the front door.
“Delilah!” Loretta squealed.
“Loretta!”
They embraced. A long, familiar hold that spoke of history and friendship. The low murmur of their conversation carried into the kitchen as Annie stood facing the large back window. Felix was bathing himself with his tongue, staring at her like he had an attitude. She stuck her tongue out at him.
Soft footsteps and the click-clack of heels approached the kitchen.
“Annie! Loretta got somethin’ for you.”
Annie gasped softly, turning and wiping her hands off on her apron. “What is it?”
“You got a letter back.”
Annie jolted and hurried to the wash basin.
“Oh, let me just…” She submerged her hands down to her forearms in the soapy water, picking up a brush to scrub under her fingernails. “Just gimme a second. Thank you so much, Mrs. Hightower.”
Aunt Della and Loretta chuckled.
“It’s not goin’ anywhere, baby,” Aunt Della assured her.
“And it’s a thick one, too, Annie,” Loretta added.
Annie’s heart went from leaping, to soaring, to beating so fast it almost bolted out of her chest. She scrubbed death off her hands until they started to prune. They shook gently underneath the water, vibrating the basin and splashing droplets onto her apron. Aunt Della and Loretta could both hear the soft sniffles she tried to hide underneath the sounds of splashing water. Aunt Della approached her and Annie felt a hand on her back as she whispered something that made her calm her frantic movements.
Annie slowed her motions, dried her hands, and took the envelope, holding it like she held the world in her palms. She brought the paper to her nose, inhaling the familiar scent of her mother’s perfume and her father’s aftershave, breathing it into memory. She gently detached the adhesive of the envelope with wobbly fingers, her heart thumping in her chest as she removed a stack of thick, wide paper folded delicately from the envelope, taking care to notice the flower petals that were packed along with it.
Blue lobelias.
They were her favorite.
It was a visually striking perennial that grew in clusters in the field by her great-grandmother’s shack. She remembered hiding behind them when she played hide-and-seek with her brothers as a child.
Annie wiped a tear that threatened to fall down her cheek carefully and unfolded the letter. The first thing her eyes ran across was her mother’s beautiful cursive that filled the page with soft, whimsical strokes.
Our dear Annie, was all she read at first. Then she reread it. And read it again.
The words hit her right in the gut. Homesickness burned deep under her skin, hotter than the afternoon sun that hung large and heavy and beamed through the kitchen windows. Deciding to read the letter later on, she tucked it back into the envelope, careful not to spill any petals. The thick envelope went into her apron pocket.
“Thank you, Mrs. Hightower. Thank you so much.”
Loretta took a step towards her, then widened her arms, bringing her into a hug. She rubbed her back with a soothing, maternal warmth.
“Lemme know if you need anything else, okay?”
“Yes ma’am.”
Annie felt the long tail of Felix tickle the side of her calf as he contorted his body around her ankle and tilted his head up at her.
“Mrrow,” he purred.
“Guess you ain’t mad at me no mo’, huh?” Annie pursed her lips at Felix as he stared at her for a moment before disappearing into the front room.
“Well, I better be goin’,” Loretta said. “Almost supper time at the restaurant.”
“Thank you again,” Annie said.
Loretta nodded, gave Aunt Della a hug, then walked towards the front, the floorboards groaning under her heels. She hesitated at the door, looked back and gave another winsome smile, then slipped outside without another word.
For a moment, the cool air that crept in made the room feel less stuffy, like the crack of the door let something slip out with it.
Annie exhaled, her shoulders relaxing.
“You okay, sugar?” Aunt Della asked.
“Yeah,” Annie looked around, rolling up her sleeves. “Just need to do somethin’ with my hands.”
She crossed the room to the woodstove and scooped a heaving amount of lard into the cast iron pot to heat up. She checked the pot of beans on the back burner, stirring it once before covering it back up. Aunt Della moved to the counter, rolling her own sleeves up and cleaning the catfish filets while Annie mixed the batter together.
The scent of frying oil filled the kitchen even as words didn’t.
The two women worked together quietly preparing supper as the shuffle of boots became louder, attracted by the smell of spice and fried cornmeal.
Annie stood at the stove frying fish in batches, watching the corners curl up and waiting to feel the underside was the perfect shade of golden before it was ready to flip.
Annie was in her head.
Because that’s where the letter lived. Not the words. Not yet. It was the smell of her parents soaked into the paper. The flower petals that brought her back to her childhood.
She didn’t hear the door creak, the screen door slamming shut in that playful way. Didn’t notice the floorboards acquiesce under the weight of his soldier-like footfalls. Didn’t feel the air in the room shift. Didn’t hear him greet Aunt Della in the background. And definitely didn’t hear him approach her.
Two large hands gripped Annie’s waist. The scent of tobacco and peppermint, potent and personal, floated over her shoulder eclipsing the smell of hot grease.
Annie smiled. “Hey.”
“Hey.”
Smoke set his chin on her shoulder, his hands firm on her hips. “How you be?”
“Good,” she hummed, the answer an affirmation that settled deep in his chest.
Better now, she thought to herself.
The homesickness—gone. Thoughts of the place she called—used to call—home, all melted under his touch. It soothed her somehow. The way his grip was firm but gentle on her waist. Possessive when he pulled her in tighter and rested his chin on her shoulder. Restrained when a shaky breath hit the delicate skin of her neck.
Smoke noticed it all.
The way her shoulders slackened when he touched her.
The little jolt that ran through her body. Barely noticeable, but there.
The way her breath hitched.
The way she tried to hide it all.
That was his favorite part; the way she tried to mask her reactions.
Then she did something unexpected.
Before he knew it she reached behind her, her fingers finding the shell of his ear. She grazed it just once with her fingertips, the touch barely there. But still. He couldn't help but shiver. It was a full-body one. His grip tightened on her waist, fingers twisting the fabric of her skirt for a second before relaxing again. He watched the corner of her mouth turn up as she turned a fish filet in the cast iron pan. Then he grinned too. His lips twisted playfully, the dimple in his cheek caving in.
“Y’all lookin’ mighty cozy over there.”
Stack.
He walked in, brows high on his forehead when he saw Smoke behind Annie like a vat of hot oil wasn’t bubbling right in front of them. Steam rose slowly from the pot, beading sweat on both Annie and Smoke’s foreheads. One bad decision and a body part could end up with a third-degree burn.
But neither of them seemed to care.
They didn’t seem to notice he or Miss Della were even there.
Annie swayed a bit as she flipped and dipped fish. And Smoke moved with her, a hushed conversation taking place between them as he rested his head on her shoulder.
Stack looked at Aunt Della like “you seein’ this?” She shrugged. He walked over and gave her a hug as she prepared sides with serving utensils, all the while eyeing the perfectly golden-brown catfish strips piling up on a platter next to the stove.
His mouth watered at the smell of the crispy fried crust and the spice of the batter—and he just knew once he bit into it, it’d steam and flake just the way he liked it.
So he took a chance.
He reached for a piece at the edge of the platter and two heads snapped towards him.
“You tryna get popped?” Annie asked.
Stack pulled his hand back. “I’m tryna get some fish, actually.”
“You’ll get some when it’s ready.”
“It looks ready.”
“I mean during supper. At the table.”
“I just wanna taste.”
Annie smirked, her chin tilting up playfully. “Later.”
Stack reached again.
“Boy!” She pointed her tongs at him.
Smoke watched the whole thing, amused. He didn’t move from his position.
“Girl!”
“You tryna get burned? Stack, you too close to the stove.”
Stack blinked. “Y’all basically knee deep in oil.” He smoothed out his shirt. “Besides. A lil’ burn won’t hurt me, woman.”
“You gon’ get popped with more than just oil if you don’t move,” Annie said with a grin.
“Make it worth my while then,” he teased back. “Lemme get a lil’ piece.” He was relentless. He eyed a strip with a crispy end that he could break off easily. He reached out for the third time.
Annie sighed. She had turned back to watching the pot now, but still caught Stack out of the corner of her eye. “Don’t move that hand.”
Stack smirked.
Annie rolled her eyes, breaking off the end of the piece Stack was eyeing. Steam curled into the air as the fish broke apart in flaky, white pieces. “Here, greedy!” She placed it in his palm before turning back to the stove.
“I’ll be that,” Stack teased. He hummed as soon as the savory spice of the fish hit his tastebuds. “Thank ya kindly.” He swaggered into the front room satisfied.
Smoke finally moved.
“I’ll let you get back to it,” he said. He rubbed her shoulders and kissed her cheek before following his brother out the same way.
Annie chuckled to herself, shaking her head as she finished the last pieces she had left to fry.
“I reckon everything goin' well between you two.” Aunt Della said.
Whole time, Annie had completely forgotten her great-aunt was even in the room. Her cheeks warmed at the thought of a moment—any moment with Smoke, really—being watched.
“Uh yeah,” she replied. That familiar tingling she only got when she thought about him spreading across her skin like wildfire. “We are.”
Annie felt Aunt Della’s smile from across the room, even with her back turned. She left the kitchen to ring the supper bell, the fabric of her skirt fluttering around her.
Men made their way into the dining area one-by-one, fresh from cleaning their hands. They carried with them the smell of musk, turpentine, and a hard day’s work. It was heavy. Masculine.
The twins walked in last.
Stack came in first, all dimples and bright eyes.
Smoke walked in behind him still sporting that same dimple that showed up earlier when his eyes found hers.
He didn’t hurry to sit at the table. Didn’t hurry to grab a plate. He stood at the edge of the room, waiting as Annie and Miss Della brought in the food. A large platter of fried fish, a steaming pot of beans and rice, skillets of cornbread, and a large pot of greens went to the middle of the table.
The dining area filled with rising steam, watering mouths, and low conversation as the lodgers began to devour their supper.
Annie dropped her arms and stepped to him, the faint smell of pipe mix and soap clinging to his clothes.
“You not gon’ eat?” she asked.
“Was waitin’ for you.”
“You ain’t gotta do that.”
He grabbed her hands. “I do.”
Annie tipped her head towards the kitchen. “Lemme go wash up first.”
“I’ll fix you a plate. Before these niggas eat it all.”
Annie giggled softly.
“Whatchu want?”
“Just some fish…,” she said, walking backwards to the kitchen, “and some beans and rice.”
Smoke nodded once. “I got it.”
Supper was spent at the high-top four-seater table in the corner of the dining area. Smoke and Annie sat next to each other, Stack and Aunt Della directly across from them. They talked. They laughed. They ate. They drank.
Every so often, Annie’s shoulder would brush against Smoke’s. She’d reach across the table for something—her glass, the saltshaker. When she pulled back their arms would press against each other and they’d stay there. Close. It felt like both of them were waiting for the moment something would force them to pull away from each other. It didn’t.
Occasionally, Smoke would brush lint from Annie’s clothes or thumb a crumb from her cheek. His fingers would linger for a second too long, like they were waiting on her to pull back. She didn’t.
By the time supper was long over, the heat still lingered.
It wasn’t from the food.
Even outside where a cool breeze swept through the night in broken intervals, pulling a delicate, melodic sound from the windchimes that reached back into the yard where Smoke and Annie stood. A fading oil lamp hung up high, casting gold across the backyard and leaving the rest of it in shadows.
Annie didn’t know why she pulled Smoke to the side of the lean-to shed. Or maybe she did and she just didn’t want to admit it to herself.
She stood by it, back pressed against the wooden siding, hips tilted out slightly as her fingers twisted in the fabric of her skirt.
Smoke stood in front of her, jaw tight, hands at his sides. They flexed periodically, twitched like he was fighting something.
Nature’s soundtrack felt even louder tonight. The chirp of crickets shuddered in the grass. The deep bellow of a bullfrog echoed in the distance. And somewhere down the block, a harmonica played a gritty blues bend that floated down the street like smoke curling from a cigarette.
But the moment Annie shifted, the sounds began to slowly fade away.
She moved in one smooth motion. Her hands rose to the collar of Smoke’s shirt, fingers twisting around the edge. Then she tugged, just once. The movement pulled him in until his hands bracketed her on the shed.
She didn’t hesitate.
The kiss started softly.
The slow smack of lips drowned out the crickets first, then the bullfrog. Then the metal-on-metal tapping of the water pump, its handle moving stubbornly with the wind. Smoke pulled Annie towards him as their mouths moved against each other. His hands found the small of her back, making it bow into him until she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave in to his pull. He sighed as the feeling of soft, plush curves met a hard stomach, strong arms, and broad shoulders carved by war and Mississippi cotton fields.
They kissed slowly. Like they were savoring the taste of each other. Their lips met and released, connecting in a slow dance that was all their own. Then the kiss deepened, their tongues coming out to play as they twirled around each other.
Annie’s hands moved from his neck to his shoulders to steady herself as their heads swiveled and they explored every corner of their mouths. She gasped, then groaned, when he pulled her bottom lip into his mouth. Biting, then soothing the sting with a lick.
Their tongues flicked against each other, slow and nasty. Like the harmonica still playing down the street. It had slowed down its tune, the legato wailing all sultry and soulful through the night.
Even that sound disappeared after a while. It was quiet in the bubble they created when it was just them two, just shared breaths and gasps for air.
Annie tasted like pot likker and the peppermint stick she sucked on after supper. Like home on a quiet winter evening in front of a fire. Smoke tasted like tobacco and grass from the cigarette he finished right before Annie pulled him into the backyard when she thought nobody was paying attention.
Her hands fell from his shoulders to his chest, rubbing her palms against the solidness that sat underneath the cotton. His hands traveled south from her back to the curve of her ass, his calloused hands smoothing over all the thickness that sat back there.
His blood sparked hot.
His hands itched to grip, wanted to grab—but he pulled back instead.
“Annie,” he rasped, his voice low and rough.
Their breaths were heavy, lustful. What began slowly was quickly turning into something more gluttonous than supper. He felt it in him. He saw it in Annie.
He pressed his forehead to hers. Her eyes widened as the noise from inside swelled abruptly. She turned her head towards it as her pulse sped down and her breath came out slower. When the noise dimmed down again, she turned back.
“Why’d you stop?”
The question cut through the silence.
Smoke looked at Annie, her brows knit, her eyes searching his.
The oil lamp above them crackled one last time before completely snuffing out, leaving them with just the dim light that pooled outside from the kitchen window. A large wax candle sat on the sill, its fire burning dimly through the window. Annie looked at Smoke. Even in the near darkness outside, she could feel the hunger in his gaze.
And she felt the same way.
Famished.
Smoke lifted a hand. His fingers brushed the side of her face, grazing the smooth skin of her cheek. Annie’s eyes fluttered under his touch. Her hand grabbed his wrist and his hand stilled, but it wasn’t to stop him. It was to hold him there.
“It’s okay,” she whispered, gulping when she saw the darkening of his eyes.
“I ain’t never…” was all she got off before the words disappeared in her throat.
She didn’t finish her sentence. She didn’t need to.
Everything in Smoke went still except the muscle of his jaw that twitched once then stopped.
He looked away.
He wasn’t surprised. That was the thing.
Her words were confirmation of something he’d already assumed about her.
But there was something about the way she said it that he filed away for later.
She’d never been touched.
Not like this.
And while he stood breathing desire down her throat with his hand on her ass, he felt something twist in his chest.
Guilt.
It moved in quickly, crowding his thoughts. Guilt for moving too fast. Guilt for letting his want for her carry him far enough that he had to stop himself before she did.
“I know,” Smoke said finally.
Annie looked away.
“Look at me.”
She couldn’t look at him at that moment.
Not because she was embarrassed, ashamed, or insecure. Not really. She just felt inexperienced. Young in a way she hated feeling in anybody’s eyes.
Her eyes traveling up his chest to his collar where she picked at a loose thread. “I want you,” she whispered, “to be my first.”
The words were so quiet that the night almost took hold of them.
Smoke’s eyes closed for half a second. He pulled her close, pressing his forehead to hers.
“You ‘sho?”
For a split second, his words sounded like a plea to Annie rather than a question.
“Yes,” she said, grabbing onto the folds of his shirt.
The backyard held its breath. Here in their little bubble, the only thing that existed was Smoke, Annie, and this moment between them. Smoke took Annie’s hand and pressed his lips to her knuckles, keeping his eyes trained on hers.
“You mine?”
Annie grinned, nodding once.
“Nah,” Smoke gripped her chin again, tracing her bottom lip with his thumb. “I wanna hear you say it.”
She lowered her head, then looked up, her big brown eyes certain and glittering in the sliver of moonlight that peeked out from behind the clouds. Her lips parted. “I’m yours. Tout.”
“Creole?”
“Mhmm,” she grinned proudly.
Smoke hummed— a deep vibrating sound that shot up Annie’s spine. Her words were a soothing balm, loosening the hooks of guilt lodged in his back.
“Good,” he said. He rubbed her back with wide strokes, holding her close as the nighttime settled around them, comfortable and warm despite the November cold.
“Ou m’ap pèm?”
“What’s that?”
“You mine too?”
“Teach me how to say it back.”
“Mwen se ou.”
“Mwen se ou,” he repeated back.
“You gettin’ better,” she gasped, her whole face lighting up.
Smoke smirked smugly. “Gotta good teacher.”
“Mwen se tout ou.”
“That too,” he grunted.
Annie snorted, turning her head briefly. “Don’t be makin’ fun of me.”
“I ain’t,” he shrugged. “That’s what you sound like.”
He gave her a real smile then, dimples deep in both his cheeks. He couldn’t hide it.
“I was so nervous,” she admitted, her grin wrapping around her words despite herself.
Smoke raised a brow. “Nervous ‘bout what?”
“To tell you.”
“That you a virgin?”
Annie nodded, hand finding that loose thread again. Smoke grabbed her hand and kissed it.
“You ain’t gotta be nervous to tell me stuff, you hear?”
Annie sighed, pressing her palms to his chest. “I know.”
Smoke stared down at Annie. Her soft, panting breaths, her heart beating against his own chest. He raised his right hand to hers, covering her right palm that lay directly over his heart. His thumb brushed over her knuckles. The gesture—the warmth in it—made her look at him. Their eyes locked and held, the look between them speaking louder than any words could at that moment.
“I’m scared,” she said quietly.
“Scared of what?”
Their mouths moved but their bodies were still. Smoke’s hand sat over Annie’s on his chest like it was frozen there, his heart beat steadily under her palm.
“What it’s gon’ be like,” she mumbled, barely a breath, “the first time.”
“What you think?”
Annie shook her head, unsure. “I don’t know.”
Smoke ran his tongue along the back of his teeth.
“How you want it to be?”
Annie’s lips twisted in thought as Smoke’s eyes pinned her in place. Their hands stayed where they were, his thumb tracing circles on the back of her hand.
“Don’t be scared.”
Annie said nothing. Her lips parted like she wanted to speak but decided against it.
Smoke’s voice dropped low and deep, rough with something—but not sultry. He wasn’t trying to make her shiver or choke on a gasp. Not right now. Right now he wanted—needed—to assure her. He needed her to feel the promise in his words. Needed her to know he meant it.
He looked Annie in the eye, the weight of his hand pressing harder against hers where it rested on top of his heart. “I’m gon’ take good care of you, Annie.”
The words were simple, but she felt them in her core. Her skin lit up with that familiar tingle, her heartbeat thumping hard against her ribs.
Annie looked down at her hand, shifting it slightly under his.
She could hear the promise beneath the words.
And something in her—something that felt older than her—told her to believe it. So, she did.
“I ain’t even thought about it like that. Not for real.”
Lie.
Smoke raised a brow. “Never?”
Annie shook her head once. Then she nodded, pursing her lips so the corner of her mouth would stop twitching.
“Well,” she breathed, the gust of air warming his collarbone. “A little.”
She rolled her lips inward and finally looked up at him.
The heat that had reduced to a simmer sparked up again. Smoke’s eyes darkened at her words, her curiosity, her comfort. Her closeness felt like second nature to him, but her vulnerability hit something deeper in his chest.
“What you was thinkin’?”
Annie’s eyes trailed from his eyes down to his lips. They sat perfectly on his face— thick, plump, and so soft against her own.
“Tell me,” he insisted, voice low and coaxing.
“I had a dream…” She looked away. Her eyes went to something different now since she felt his gaze piercing her soul. She focused on a bush of moonflowers by the fence, their wilting petals fluttering in the breeze like little ghosts. “About you.”
“‘Bout me?” he drawled. Smugly, almost. “And what happened in this dream?” His hands traveled up and down her spine.
Annie fidgeted nervously.
“I don’t remember.”
Smoke tilted his head. “How you know it was about me then?”
She hesitated.
“‘Cause….”
“‘Cause what?”
“How I felt.”
“How you feel?”
The flashbacks came in waves. Along with a feeling she couldn’t find the word for until now.
“Full.”
The word came out so tiny, it sounded accidental. It was barely a word. More like a faint expulsion of air that drifted through the seams of his mouth. But it was raw, and it settled like a presence in his chest, latching onto the corners of his soul that housed devotion and something deeper.
Restraint pressed against every instinct he’d ever possessed and the inside of his slacks.
This woman had no idea what she was doing to him.
“We should go inside,” he muttered. “Befo’ your aunt come lookin’ for us.”
Annie giggled softly, his shoulders relaxing at the sound.
“You scared of Aunt Della?”
“Yes.”
Annie laughed for real this time, the tension loosening just enough to let them breathe again. They walked towards the back door and Smoke held the door open for her to fully step inside.
The moon hung high above the rooftops, cutting through the inky black sky like a blade of silver light. It poured through the windows of Annie’s bedroom, making the lobelia petals that were scattered across her covers glow around the edges like they were suspended in a dream.
Annie unfolded her letter, her eyes scanning through the words briefly, but she was only looking for one thing. Something she’d been holding in since Loretta first placed it in her hands.
The end.
The signatures.
She read it with shaky hands.
All our love,
Papa & Maman
Nana
Junior
Vernon
Leroy
Raymond
Maurice
They were all there.
Except one.
Uriah.
He was her closest brother.
Annie didn’t know why she expected his name to be scrawled among the signatures, his chicken scratch inked deep into the paper. He’d been dead over a year at that point. But the absence felt worse than accepting he was dead.
She still felt him, like him slipping through the cracks of the earth didn’t necessarily mean he would be missing from a letter sent from home.
She knew it wasn’t really his missing signature that made tears pool in her eyes, it was his soul.
Since the government refused to send his body back from France after the war, his spirit had been unsettled. Restless.
She felt it the most when she took her ilekes off. She always covered them, sandwiching them between two thin, white cloths that belonged to her great-grandmother, then set them in a drawer taking care that they didn’t touch the surface of the wood.
She’d say a prayer for him at the tiny altar in the corner of her room that sat on top of a warped, lopsided, low table. It smelled of old wood, herbs, and dust.
Salt for protection and peace of mind.
A pinch of soil.
A Mississippi river rock.
His name written on a piece of paper. Pinched and folded in half towards her.
A half-burned taper candle.
Blue cloth. A snippet from his baby quilt, stitched from her mother’s, grandmother’s and great-grandmother’s hands.
Molasses chews. Because those were his favorite growing up.
She lit the candle, the flame catching blue at first before bleeding orange. When it steadied, she bowed her head.
“Uriah Silas Antonio Royal,” she said. Her voice sounded tiny and helpless in the confines of her room.
“Blood callin’ you even though your bones ain’t make it back.”
She paused, taking a shaky breath.
Then she laid her offering.
“Water for the journey. Salt for your peace. Light so you can see. A piece of home so you remember. Think of us, and remember where you belong.”
The candle flickered violently.
“Ancestors, please,” she said, looking out the window to the moon. “Don’t let him cross alone, he scared.”
Annie swallowed hard to clear the lump that swelled in her throat, a tear drop falling directly onto the flame. It flickered and smoked, but the amber light held the line in the darkness of her room.
She bent over, crying quietly into the fabric of her nightgown, her tears dampening the delicate white cotton. She closed her eyes and the present slipped into the past, seamless and real. She could see it all— the draw, the aim, the shot. The scream she could feel in her bones, muffled by wet soil, quicklime, and tarp.
Annie opened her eyes and the scent of graveyard dirt and saltwater hung in the air. The silence that came after wasn’t peaceful. It was eerie.
After a while, she spoke again.
“Ain’t no guns tonight,” she said. She cleared her throat to silence the tears and took a few deep breaths. “Ain’t no shoutin’. Ain’t no mud in your mouth. Just light. Just a way home.”
The flame flickered again, its shape bending against the darkness like someone was pushing on it.
Annie wiped the grief that lay wet tracks on her cheeks.
“It’s okay,” she rasped, catching her breath. “Come on home.”
The flame finally settled into itself.
Only then did she blow it out.
The next morning felt like a slow exhale. Annie moved around the boarding house with a lightness that felt like the rainbow after a thunderstorm. Morning duties went by smoothly, followed by breakfast, chores, lessons, and a quick lunch. By the afternoon she was tying bundles of roots in the kitchen while Aunt Della sat in the front room writing a letter at her desk. The house groaned around them as cool air settled into its bones. The phonograph was playing low in the background when they heard a knock on the front door followed by two impatient honks of a car horn.
“I’ll get it,” Annie called from the kitchen.
She wiped her hands and walked towards the front.
“Hey Pea,” Annie said when she opened the door.
Pearline frowned as she laid eyes on Annie.
“Annie girl, why you ain’t dressed?”
Annie looked at Pearline. Then she looked at the car idling on the street. Then back to her, confused.
“Dressed for what?”
“Your fittin’ today!”
“Oh my Lord!”
Aunt Della shook her head as Pearline stepped in, watching Annie trip halfway up the stairs.
“How you doin’, Mrs. Clark?”
“Doin’ fine,” Aunt Della responded. “How you?”
“Doin’ mighty fine myself.”
“Glad to hear it.”
Aunt Della put her pen down and looked at Pearline as she stepped further into the front room. She pulled a small drawstring pouch from the pocket of her dress and placed it on her writing desk.
Pearline took it and quickly stuffed it in her purse. “Thank you,” she said quietly.
“You welcome.”
Aunt Della's eyes flicked down to Pearline’s stomach before she turned back to her pen and paper.
Twenty minutes later, Pearline and Annie were on their way to Issaquena Street. The ride was quiet, with Pearline staring out the passenger window while her husband drove. Annie sat in the backseat, lips rolled and hands in her lap.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. George,” Annie said to Pearline’s husband. “It completely slipped my mind.”
Mr. George grunted as the car came to a slow stop in front of the shop. “That’s alright.”
The girls climbed out of the Model T Ford.
“Pearline?” He called after his wife.
She looked back as she stepped on the curb. “Yes?”
“Six o’clock.”
“Alright.”
The sign for the shop hung overhead as Pearline and Annie inched their way toward the door. As they walked down the steps and down the short, covered walkway to the modiste, Annie’s thoughts drifted to the excitement waiting for them next week.
The Harvest Party.
LUELLA’S DRESSING ROOM & ALTERATIONS
“Smoke gon’ forget his own name when he see you,” Pearline teased Annie.
Luella smirked, adjusting a corset frame where it was pinned to one of the Dressmakers’ mannequins.
Annie blushed where she stood barefoot on the platform in front of the three-way mirror, knee-length robe wrapped around her thick frame, long hair braided into a coily crown.
Sunlight came through the curtains in golden slits, turning the dust motes suspended by the window into glitter. The click of heels and the low hum of sewing machines faded away behind the damask velvet drapes that separated the private alcove from the showroom. It felt cozy back here— like warmth, perfume, and whispers. Gloves, hair combs, purses, and other finishing touches were lined up on a table on the side where the crystal jars filled with candies added to the plush decor.
Pearline sat on a velvet ottoman, one leg crossed politely over the other. Her gloved hands came together in her lap, her fingers mindlessly playing with the lace trim at her wrist.
“I can’t wait to see it,” she said. She smiled at Annie through the mirror—but it was bittersweet. Pensive.
Annie’s brows knit together. “What’s wrong?” she mouthed.
Pearline just shook her head and looked down. Annie tilted her head at her friend.
Just then, Luella’s assistant walked around the corner with a garment bag. She handled it carefully, hanging it on the clothing rack before rolling it from behind the seating area to rest at the side of the viewing platform. “You ready?”
Annie turned, her face lighting up, but she still watched Pearline carefully out of the corner of her eye. She had a melancholic aura to her even though she tried to cover it with excitement for her friend. Her spine was snapped straight, her legs politely crossed— but something hung in the air between them.
Annie nodded, signaling she was ready. Luella stepped to the clothing rack and unzipped the garment bag as her and assistant removed it from its cover. She gasped when the rich, deep green velvet bodice caught the dim light of the alcove, then hopped off the platform, padding over to the rack.
“Wow,” Pearline stood up in awe. “It’s beautiful, Annie,” she whispered. She ran her gloved fingers down the sides of it, skimming over the delicate beadwork and fringe.
It was a one-of-a-kind piece, made to stand out and be seen through the low lights and smoke in the juke.
Luella and her assistant went over accessory ideas with Annie— purses, coats, shoes. Even some hair ideas. They talked to her about pressing her hair and wearing it pinned back into a chignon with a side part. Her excitement grew by the minute until she looked to the side and saw Pearline. The teasing from earlier was gone. Now she was quiet.
Polite.
But barely there.
They finally got to the jewelry options. Lightweight earrings, delicate necklaces, beaded bracelets. Luella held up a thin silver chain for Annie to look at, but Annie almost winced at the idea of wearing anything but her ilekes. She ran her finger over them.
“You can’t wear that necklace with,” she pointed to it, then to the dress on the rack, “that dress!” Luella’s assistant exclaimed.
Luella quietly agreed. “She’s right, sugar.”
“But, I always wear my beads,” Annie rubbed one, taking a small step back from the accessory table.
“Every single day?” Pearline asked.
“No,” she shook her head. “Not every day.”
Pearline shrugged. “So you can go one night without ‘em,” she trailed off as a hand reached over to touch them.
She stopped herself when she saw Annie’s eyes grow wide.
“I can’t touch ‘em?”
Annie shook her head no.
Pearline crossed her arms, putting her weight on one hip. “Why not?”
“Cuz they blessed.”
Pearline scrunched her nose up. “What you mean, blessed?”
Annie looked towards the window, then back. “I don’t really know. But my great-grandma told me I can’t let anyone touch ‘em, or she gotta bless ‘em again. And she dead, so...”
“Annie,” Pearline pleaded quietly. Her face relaxed like she recognized this wasn’t a conversation to have here. Not while they were surrounded by pearls and sequins, lace, leather and perfume. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
Luella and her assistant sorted necklaces while they continued their conversation in hushed tones.
“She gave ‘em to me when I was seven.”
Pearline’s eyes softened.
“Told me never to take ‘em off.”
“Have you?”
“No,” Annie sighed. “Only on certain days.”
She exhaled again, her lips curving up into a sly grin. “But I guess I can go without ‘em…for just the night.”
Pearline smiled.
Luella’s assistant came over and squealed with glee while Luella picked up a long silver necklace with a small diamond pendant that hung like a teardrop in the center.
Luella’s assistant pointed at it. “Annie, what you think ‘bout this one?”
Annie’s eyes lit up, intrigued. “I like it.” Her hands fingered the delicate chain. “A lot.”
She turned to reach over and rub Pearline’s shoulder as Luella and her assistant continued to talk her ear off about her jewelry options.
“Wanna get a soda after this?” she asked.
“I’d love to.” Pearline couldn’t agree fast enough.
The walk back over to Fourth Street was brisk. Annie and Pearline walked the streets, arms folded across their chests, wool overcoats wrapped tightly around them.
The sidewalks were even busier today. Despite the unusual cold front that blew into the Delta, most sharecroppers were stuck in limbo waiting on their settlements to come back from the plantation owners. Which means they’d make their way to town looking for some way to entertain themselves.
Besides the cafes and jukes, Fourth Street Drugs was a popular spot. It held a soda fountain on the right side of the store with ice cream, soda, and other fizzy drinks.
Step through the narrow wooden door that separated it from the drugstore and it felt like you were stepping into a different world.
The space was a haven for young folks—swirling on lacquered stools, sipping sodas, floats, and malts. A polished oval countertop ran along the mirrored wall, a bar-like soda fountain directly in front of it. Ice cream, fruit, and syrups stood in a line up for the soda jerk to easily mix flavors. Light snacks sat in glass displays at each end of the countertop.
The bell above the shop dinged twice as Annie and Pearline stepped through.
They made themselves comfortable at the bartop, unwrapping scarves and taking off their hats. Annie ordered an ice cream soda from the soda jerk and Pearline decided on a cherry phosphate over ice.
They enjoyed the live music— an elderly man in dark blue and black checkered shirt and overalls playing his harmonica and singing. He was tall, dark-skinned, and lanky, but his eyes were warm. His harmonica sat between his hands like a silver smile.
🎵 Don't get mad at me, boys, if your buggy don't ride like mine
I said, don’t get mad at me if your buggy don’t ride like mine
'Cause it's an easy-ridin' buggy, rarin' to go all the time* 🎵
Annie didn't recognize the song, nor the man. But she recognized the sound of that harmonica. The way he bent his notes felt familiar to her, like it was the soundtrack to something special.
The memory hit like a freight train.
Her and Smoke in the backyard after supper.
She barely heard, let alone remembered, anything from that night. Not besides the sound of Smoke’s voice. But she remembered that harmonica playing while they kissed slow under the moonlight.
She instantly got chills.
“That’s my time for today, my name is Delta Slim and I thank ya for listenin’.”
The whole room exploded with applause as Delta Slim slipped from the stage to the backroom.
Annie watched him disappear down the hallway, then turned to Pearline.
She could tell she was only halfway present.
She tried to be cheerful while sipping her drink, but every time the shop bell rang her eyes would drift towards the entrance. Annie watched her out of the corner of her eye, wiping the corner of her mouth when a drop of ice cream landed on her chin.
“I can’t go to the party,” Pearline admitted.
“Why not?”
Pearline sighed. “My husband.”
Annie’s lips pressed into a straight line.
Pearline’s husband was an older man. Good bank job. Well-maintained house in a decent part of town. He was respected in the Black community of Coahoma County.
He was protective over Pearline when it mattered.
She found it sweet at first. Endearing.
But that protection started to feel like a suffocating control.
And Pearline was starting to feel like a fish out of water.
Annie shook her head. “I’m sorry,” she said softly.
Pearline looked down, swirled her drink, and took another sip.
“He's a good man, Annie,” she said, staring into her cup like that would make it true.
Annie felt skeptical but she was unwilling to push her friend into feeling uncomfortable.
“You happy?”
Pearline took a full minute to answer.
“Yeah.”
“Well,” Annie grabbed Pearline’s forearm, stroking her skin. “That’s what matters then...that you happy.”
Pearline gave her a weak smile.
A Few Nights Later — Moon Lake, Mississippi
Smoke and Stack stepped foot into the building, overhead lights so bright they had to blink so their eyes could adjust. It was something Smoke never got used to—the lights. He’d seen the Mississippi sun become a furnace in the sky— but this new, artificial shit? It was stronger. Blinding.
He didn’t like any of it.
Stack was prepared. He always was when it came to his twin.
He handed Smoke a pair of American Optical aviators that they were fitted for during the war. They had smoked out dark lenses, a thin metal frame, and a double bridge that sat comfortably across his nose.
The twins walked through the casino like men on a mission. Smoke kept his hands in his pockets, but he still met eyes. A bootlegger on a craps table. Another man in a fancy pressed suit, elbows deep in a blackjack game to the right.
They made their way to the side of the room, shoulders squared, eyes sharp, steps measured, cutting through a maze of fumes, lights, and laughter, until they were standing in front of the walkway that led to the private gaming salons.
A narrow, low-lit corridor loomed in front of them. Dark green doors stretched down the hallway lined up like little soldiers. The walls were covered with patterned maroon wallpaper that looked like old blood dripping slowly from the panels. Smoke hovered overhead, suspended at the ceiling like a thick, tobacco-filled cloud. Floorboards groaned underneath heels and two-tone spectator shoes while furniture legs groaned under men all looking to play the long game with duffel bags full of cash.
Door 14. The Roulette Room.
Laughter slipped out the open door.
The room was cozy but not small, decorated to feel expensive with its soft lamplight, burgundy wallpaper, velvet drapes and deep mahogany woodwork.
A large roulette table flanked by carved wooden chairs with upholstered seats sat in the middle, the dealer leaning over the table with practiced focus. Framed paintings hung high above tall wooden panels, fireplaces, and wall sconces that divided the space.
The room wasn’t full but wasn’t empty either.
And most people present weren’t there to play.
Not really.
Members of Clarksdale’s fraternal lodge were scattered around the room—Pythians with their ceremonial hats and others in regular suits. Smoking, fraternizing, throwing drinks back. Women in sequined dresses, strappy shoes, and pressed waves socialized among them.
Clay stood in the middle, leaning against a fireplace with two fingers of something dark in his hand. Maybe whiskey. Maybe brandy. A crystal glass decanter sat by his elbow. He swished his drink around, taking small sips while he listened to a man speak, voice low under the soft clatter of chips and murmured bets.
It was a white man. Rotund build. Dressed in a white single-breasted suit jacket and trousers, white shirt, and striped bowtie. He had a thick unibrow and mustache, and a hearty laugh that echoed off the walls but a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. He didn’t look flashy; he looked comfortable. Too comfortable.
And that was just from a distance.
Smoke’s lip curled up instantly.
Stack elbowed him in the arm when he saw the raw expression on his brother’s face.
“Chill out, nigga.”
Smoke grunted.
When Clay saw the twins across the room, he didn’t flinch. He just waved them over, setting his glass down on the mantle.
They split up like they always did when they first entered a space, Smoke rounding left, Stack circling right.
It was part of their routine. A twin language developed from survival and war.
They didn’t discuss it. They didn’t need to.
They orbited the room. The movement looked casual, but they were quietly filing away every detail. Every glance meant suspicion, calculation, or warning. Nerves that had nothing to do with gambling. Shifty eyes. Hidden weapons.
Smoke was the quicker draw of the two, and he always rolled deep. Two pistols. Bolo knife. Always tucked away but easily accessible.
Stack was slower to draw but had a way of disguising danger as charm before anybody realized it was danger. He kept a colt .45 and a brass knuckle knife hidden seamlessly in his clothing.
When they reached Clay, he already had two cigars cut for them.
“Jim—” he said with a wide grin. “These the two gentlemen I was tellin’ you ‘bout earlier.”
“Ah, the twins!” this Jim character said.
He tapped ash from his own cigar on a lacquered tray and looked between Smoke and Stack who flanked him—one twin on each side.
“You fellas ever think about comin’ up North?”
Stack answered. “We been up North.”
“Where to?”
“Harlem.”
“New York...What about Illinois? Arkansas?”
Smoke spoke up. “Arkansas ain’t up north.”
“I know,” Jim replied.
“So why you askin’?” he asked flatly.
Jim shrugged. “Just curious.”
“Nah.” Smoke turned his head. “We don't go up North much.”
“But it depend on who askin’,” Stack added.
Both twins looked at Jim.
Smoke with his head tilted downwards and his hooded eyes that could look up through a man and pierce his soul.
Stack stood with his head tilted up so he was always looking down at someone, eyes twinkling, smirk wide, golds flashing.
Jim chuckled once, amused. At least on the surface.
The ice in Stack’s cup tapped against the glass as it melted, sitting completely untouched in front of him. Smoke had already smoked his cigar down to the nub and sat with his elbows on his knees.
Jim and his posse were long gone by now.
Smoke, Stack, Clay and two of Clay’s men sat around a small round table that was polished to a shine that caught the lamplight in amber streaks. They talked routes, distribution, provisions, collections, hidden shipments, payoffs.
Stack’s eyes sparkled every time someone mentioned Little Rock or Chicago.
Smoke’s eyes held an unimpressed dullness even under the golden pools of lamplight.
Clay noticed, his eyes flicking between the two of them, subtly eyeing the difference in demeanor.
“What you think?” Stack whispered to Smoke.
Smoke frowned then leaned over. “‘Bout what?”
“Big Jim.”
“I ain’t.”
Stack sucked his teeth loudly which earned a stare from Smoke.
Stack grumbled under his breath.
“Shut up, nigga” Smoke gritted.
“Just think about it,” Stack pushed. “Me. You. And Little Rock.”
Stack finally picked up his drink and took a swig. “You can bring Annie, too.”
Smoke just shook his head. Leaving Clarksdale was the last thing he was thinking about.
The casino carried on in the background. Jazz, smoke, and the sweet-sharp smell of corn liquor spilled from the large double doors every time a patron stepped out.
Smoke stood outside, the orange ember of his cigarette burning bright behind his palm.
He didn’t come outside for quiet. The casino wasn’t quiet. Moon Lake never was.
He stood at the dock and took a long drag of tobacco. It burned his chest. The cherry, spice, and the faint trace of lake humidity calmed the dull throb of a headache that sat behind his skull.
“People done carved out every corner of Chicago. Whole lotta money there. But Arkansas….”
Big Jim’s words echoed in his head.
And Stack’s.
He was always hyped about something. A scheme, a trick, a scam.
And Smoke would always be caught up right along with him.
But this one—
“Know a couple call houses in Little Rock need fixin’ up,” Big Jim said between puffs.
A member of his posse, another white man with olive skin, a stocky build and a scar on his left cheek spoke up next.
“Bathhouse in Hot Springs. Y’all would do good up there, too.” He took a swig of his whiskey. “Real good.”
Smoke pushed the thoughts away before they could take root in his mind.
His thoughts turned to Annie instead.
To the confession she made.
The thought he filed away for later resurfaced while he looked out at the water. Night blanketed the cypress trees and the shores and the forest beyond it while the twinkling lights of the Moon Lake island helped soften its edges.
Annie never shrank herself or made herself smaller for other people’s comfort. That’s one thing Smoke noticed the most about her. She was like him in that way.
But something was different about the look on her face when she said those three words.
I ain’t never…
She looked vulnerable. Timid almost.
His chest tightened at the thought.
Something flickered in her eyes that night, just for a second before it disappeared.
It wasn’t from the moonlight, from the candle on the windowsill, or from the oil lamp that hung above them on the shed.
It was deeper than that.
It was fear.
Fear of how he’d take it. Fear it would change his mind about her.
He could see it in how she rushed to cling onto something. The loose thread on his shirt, something in the backyard.
She showed him a part of herself. A part nobody else got to see.
She gave that to him.
And for just a second, she was scared of what he’d do with it.
Smoke’s jaw clenched.
He never wanted her to feel like that. He never wanted to be the reason she felt like that. Not again.
Because that softness, the most tender part of her that she revealed to him in a whisper, barely a breath—that was his to protect now.
Reeds danced with the current as it drifted downriver. The blades flitted across each other in the breeze, the low, whispery rustle felt gentle and soothing compared to the harsh sounds of the casino.
It felt like Annie.
Her scent arrived like a memory carried over water.
The lake carried the smell of some woman’s perfume. Smoke wouldn’t have noticed it, but the smell of lavender carried something sharper underneath that made his head snap around.
Night-blooming jasmine.
That sun-drenched, heady lushness that lingered on Annie’s wrists, behind her ears, and on her necklaces.
That combined with the smell of something brackish made him feel like she was standing in front of him, those soft arms wrapped around his neck while his head tucked into her chest smelling like a midnight garden.
It cut through the harshness of the casino. The haze, the booze, the sweat.
Moon Lake smelled like vice and pressure.
Annie was the opposite of all of that.
While moonlight turned lake waters into glass, Smoke closed his eyes and made a decision.
Then another one.
He showed up at Della’s a few days later when the house had lulled into its afternoon pace.
“Got somewhere I wanna take you.”
Those were the only words Smoke muttered before he whisked Annie out of the boarding house and into his truck. He wouldn’t tell Annie where they were going. All she knew was that they were heading north, the sun just starting its slow descent to the left of the road.
The fields were empty this time of the year, of both people and cotton. The bare stalks stood tall and rigid like silent witnesses.
“I got a letter from my folks back home,” Annie said, looking out the window.
Smoke kept his eyes forward. “What they say?”
“Everybody doin’ good.”
“Good.”
Annie went on, talking Smoke up about her nieces and nephews, cousins, aunts and uncles. By the time she stopped to catch her breath, she was beaming with pride. Smoke listened to her talk with a lopsided grin of admiration. Then she started talking about her immediate family. Her mama. Her daddy. Her brothers. Her words got slower. Her breath hitched a few times like she was choosing her words carefully.
Smoke noticed and started probing.
“Your mama a midwife, right? And your daddy—he work at the docks?”
“He a fisherman. You remembered.” She grinned and relaxed a little bit.
“How your brothers be?”
Annie tensed. “They good,” she said quickly.
“Hmm. And what they do?”
She rattled off five different occupations, but he knew she had six brothers. She told him.
Annie was her parent’s seventh child.
He waited for her to fill in the blanks, but she didn’t. She just stared out the window like she was holding her breath.
“What was his name?” he asked.
Annie looked down at her hands. They were fidgeting again, playing with the hem of her clothing. She had on a tan-colored shirtwaist dress that complimented the rich brown color of her skin. It sat underneath a grey overcoat made from a light material.
Mississippi weather was mild that day, a nice break from the cold front they experienced the past few weeks.
Stockings and oxfords completed her look, and a cloche hat with a cream-colored ribbon was pinned onto her low bun.
The cab of the truck was silent for a while as the wheels rolled over loose gravel. But after a few more moments, Annie finally let out the breath she’d been holding.
“Uriah,” she said quietly. “His name was–is–Uriah.”
Smoke’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. “What happened to ‘em?”
“The war.”
“I’m sorry.”
Annie looked towards the road again. “Ain’t your fault.”
“Still.” He looked over at her briefly. “Y’all were close?”
“The closest.”
Smoke’s hand grabbed hers in her lap. She took a moment to rub the skin of his hands, his calloused palms warm around hers.
The road in front of them narrowed slightly. They crossed a bridge, the packed dirt turning into dusty brickwork as they traversed the water.
The sun was beginning to wane, writing its farewell letter in shades of orange and purple as it disappeared behind the trees.
On the other side of the bridge sat Moon Lake Island.
A twenty-four-hour haven of whimsy, seduction, and leisure. Hanging lights glittered like fireflies, their bulbs blinking rapidly like they were dying out. That was on purpose.
It was just a bridge away from Lula, but it felt miles away—a sharp contrast to the cotton fields and the back of plantation houses that sat just across a small stretch of water.
A supper club and casino stood like landmarks on the north island. The Blue Room was a pleasure palace that fronted as a place to enjoy oysters and prime cuts of steak at all hours of the night, and the Moon Lake Casino was its younger, slick-talking brother.
The Black Elk Lodge was a hotel that stretched across the entire span of the southern island, wide and proud like the hand of a giant. Small lake front cabins scattered along the shore surrounding the courtyard hotel, a place where the whole world could go quiet.
Smoke cut the engine. He kept a hand on the small of her back, the other hand holding onto a covered basket as he guided Annie to the small private dock where he’d rented a rowboat from the lodge. He tugged the fraying rope that moored it to the shore, pulling it up so it sat halfway on the bank.
The inside was a tight fit, but dry. It was deep, lined with fragments of mismatched, aged wood where he set the basket of food in the middle of the two benches. Smoke helped Annie inside, unleashing the boat while he took the oars in his hand.
His muscles moved beneath rolled sleeves while he rowed them away from the shore. He grunted under his breath as he stroked, moving his arms back and forth until their boat was dislodged from the thick mud on the shore. It glided smoothly into the water.
Annie’s thoughts were a tangled web. She smoothed her skirt down and crossed her legs, staring at the lake surrounding them to avert her eyes from the way his muscles clung to his shirt. A cool gust of wind swept over their boat drying the small bead of sweat that had started to form at her temple.
The lakefront cabins of The Black Elk Lodge lined the shore behind them. Small, wooden cabins with hanging lanterns, flower boxes on the porch, and warm orange light in the windows.
Sounds from the island started to fade as they rowed into a thinner stretch of the lake. Ancient trees stood tall like ancestors along the shore. Spanish moss hung overhead like lace curtains, turning the sun into little slivers of bronze light that spotted the forest floor.
“Pretty out here,” Annie remarked quietly.
She trailed her fingers along the water. It rippled and separated under her touch into gentle waves that sloshed along the side of the boat.
“Yeah it is,” Smoke agreed.
But he wasn’t talking about the lake. He was talking about her.
He couldn’t stop looking at her.
The colors of dusk shimmered on the water catching the contours of Annie’s skin that looked lit from within. Her cheekbones, full lips, button nose, doe eyes. She unpinned her hat and released her bun once they got further from the shore. Her hair—dark, thick and coiled down her back—caught the light in deep blue streaks that shimmered against the jewel-toned sky. She looked ethereal. Sunset made her beads glow against her skin; the multi-colored necklaces sat tucked gracefully under the neckline of her dress.
“You gon’ burn a hole in me, Elijah,” Annie said, eyes trained on the rippling water around their boat.
Smoke smirked.
“Just thinkin’ about how pretty you look right now.”
Annie huffed a laugh. “Just right now?”
“Nah,” Smoke chuckled. “You always beautiful…but you glowin’ different right now.”
“Why, thank you.”
Just then, the sun cut sharply, burning into her eyes. Her entire iris flooded with a deep bronze color just long enough for it to make Smoke blink twice.
“What?”
Smoke shook his head. “Nothin’.” But something about the evening sky and the water bleeding into each other had him feeling like he was seeing something that wasn’t really there.
“You hungry?” he asked.
Their picnic basket was lined with sheer fabric and made of handwoven old reed with a handle covered in spiral carvings. It carried a couple baloney sandwiches with mustard, mason jars with sweet tea, and a brown paper bag filled with boiled peanuts rolled in honey and brown sugar.
“‘Could use somethin’ sweet.”
Smoke uncovered the basket. Annie removed the paper bag from it and inhaled its sugary scent. She reached in and popped a peanut in her mouth. “Want one?”
Smoke looked at her like she should already know that answer.
Annie smiled. “You know–I never thought someone like you would be a sweet tooth.”
“Why not?”
“‘Cause you walk around like you eat straight salt for dinner.”
Smoke sucked his teeth and looked away.
Annie laughed lightly. “You know it’s true.”
Smoke looked back at her. “It ain’t.”
“Here.”
She put a peanut in her hand, holding it up to his lips as he held onto the oars. It went in easily, his lips leaving moist heat on her fingertips that went through her body in waves.
Smoke hummed at the salty, sweet taste. “Mmmm.” The echo of his voice vibrated deep in her body. “That’s good.”
“You like it?” Annie teased with a sultry voice.
Smoke raised a brow as he set the oars in the boat. “Don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
Smoke looked down at the peanut she had ready in her palm and leaned towards her anyways. He parted his mouth just enough. His lips touched her fingers again this time, his tongue licking through the opening of her fingertips as he took the candied peanut in his mouth. He licked his lips when he pulled back, eyes on her.
“Trouble.”
“Me?” she snickered. She clutched her chest, taunting. “You the one tryna swallow my fingers.”
The air outside felt thicker over the water. The sky grew darker now, the brightness of the day dimming to something that looked like the glow of a low-burning oil lamp spread across the sky. Annie tossed the bag of peanuts back in the basket and screwed the cap off her mason jar of tea, taking a nervous sip.
“You come out here often?” she asked.
Smoke shrugged. “From time to time.”
“For what?”
Her eyes drifted to a pair of wood storks nested together along the bank. It was lined in reeds, soft mud, and the thick, tangled network of cypress roots that reached like fingers into the water. Annie thought it looked like the kind of place old spirits preferred. Somewhere quiet enough to listen and deep enough to hold secrets. Smoke favored that part too—the quiet, the shade, the way the trees swallowed noise and gave a man room to think.
“To quiet what won’t settle anywhere else.”
Annie turned to look at Smoke. This wasn't just a date.
“Thank you for showin' me this place,” she said. “Your place.”
She leaned in and he met her halfway.
The front room was dim.
Not because he was trying to set the mood, but because he only had the patience to light two candles. The soft light brushed the walls, the flames coaxing shadows into a slow dance. Outside, the night breathed in low drones. An owl hooted somewhere—a deep, resonant sound that echoed through the trees. The wind fluttered through fallen leaves and whispered secrets through branches. But inside, the living room of Smoke and Stack's home held a calm, comfortable level of domesticity despite the hum of outdoors.
Smoke and Annie sat next to each other on the couch in Smoke’s house. Annie played a crossword puzzle from the Chicago Whip, stretched sideways across the couch with her feet in Smoke’s lap. Smoke had his hands on her feet as they went back and forth about the answers.
“What’s a three-letter word for a four-legged animal with spots?”
“A cow,” Smoke said easily.
“No, that don’t fit my crossword.”
“What? Lemme see that…”
Smoke reached for the newspaper, but Annie moved it away from his grasp.
“It's a dog.”
“It could be a cat, too…since we just sayin’ shit.”
Annie swatted him with the newspaper.
“What was that for?”
“For bein' a smart ass.”
Annie set the newspaper down.
“Givin' up already?”
She shot him a look that could have cut through glass. “I’m tired.” She propped her head up with her hand.
Smoke started to push off the couch. “You ready to go back?”
“No,” her hand shot out, “not yet,” she said softer.
Smoke sat back.
Annie tugged on his arm, and he followed her pull as she brought him towards her. Slowly.
Not because he was scared.
He hadn’t been scared since he was a child.
But because he cared.
He laid down behind her, his front pressing against her back, and automatically wrapped an arm around her waist. His hold on her was tight, possessive.
And Annie loved it.
She stroked his hand with her fingertips. It sat just above her bellybutton with a firm grip.
She melted into him.
He kissed the back of her shoulders first.
Light, delicate pecks that left warmth on her skin.
His lips moved to her neck and the kisses lingered longer, his arm tightening around her waist. He heard her gasps, her short panting breaths, and decided to keep going.
And Annie could feel everything.
His kisses became closer together.
Somehow, her hand lifted to the back of his head pulling him closer to her.
She finally let out a word that wrecked him.
“Elijah,” she gasped.
Smoke chuckled, the sound forced a breath onto the delicate spot just behind her ear, and he heard something from her he never heard before.
A sharp, sudden intake of breath.
It was nothing like the noise she let out when he kissed her the other day. This one was quick, unexpected, new. It made her eyes widen.
It made her roll her hips once. The friction was there for a second and gone just as fast, but it pulled a low groan from him.
She laced their hands together and turned, just slightly. The movement pulled her under him.
Their faces met first.
They looked into each other’s eyes and rubbed noses.
“Damn,” Smoke whispered. “You so beautiful.”
He leaned forward and their lips met gently. The kiss quickly turned passionate, their hunger urgent and palpable. Annie’s back pressed into Smoke’s front, and she could feel him behind her, hard and growing and right there.
Between the breaths and the pants and the tongues and the lips, he pulled back from her a second. Smoke looked down at her kiss-bruised lips and her blown pupils, and the want written all over her face.
They were so wrapped up in each other that he almost missed the sound of a car turning onto the dirt path that led to their home.
Almost.
But the soldier in him never knew a full night's rest.
Smoke’s head turned towards the door out of instinct. He listened carefully, then heard it clearly.
The rumble of an engine.
Wheels erratically crunching over dirt.
Stack.
Smoke looked at Annie who had stilled under him, trying to figure out why he stopped.
“He's back.”
Annie paused for a second, then exhaled sharply and swung her legs over the side of the couch. She stood up slowly, smoothing the fabric of her dress along her hips as the adrenaline started to fade and annoyance started to set in. She walked over to the mirror to check her hair which had become a mass of crushed kinks, coils, and curls, and tried to tame it back into place even though she herself was completely undone.
Smoke sat on the couch, just staring at the floor.
He rubbed a hand down his face.
He couldn’t help but feel like Stack picked this very moment to come back—on purpose. He checked the Elgin watch on his wrist, 9:30pm. Stack never came in this early— not on the weekend anyway.
Doors opened and closed in succession. Car door first. The snap of twigs and the crunch of polished shoes over solid earth next. Then the screen door creaked open and the bolt on the front door unlatched.
Stack walked in the house completely aware of what had just transpired, but he knew better. He was well versed in reading a room.
He noticed the way Smoke was sitting. Noticed how he was staring at the back of Annie who was fixing her hair in the mirror. He saw the pillows on the couch that look just as deflated as his brother.
He looked between them and his smirk spread slow and smug on his face.
“Well good evenin’,” he announced, his voice cutting through their quiet tension.
Annie looked over from the other side of the room. “Evenin’,” she said warmly, putting the last of her pins in her hair.
Smoke didn’t respond. He pinched the bridge of his nose and pushed off the couch.
“Annie,” he said to get her attention. She turned around as he stood up to grab his coat and car keys. “Let’s get to gettin’.”
Stack crossed the room and sat right on the couch. He got comfortable, putting an ankle on his knee before pulling a small notebook from his pocket. “Leavin’ so soon?”
He looked at Smoke, then Annie, then back to Smoke.
“It’s gettin’ late,” Smoke grumbled. He grabbed Annie’s hand and held the door wide as she slipped underneath his arm.
“Bye, Elias!” Annie said as she practically skipped to Smoke’s truck with Smoke’s gaze following right behind her.
“Bye, Annie!” Stack yelled after her. “Bye, Elijah,” he said to Smoke in a slower, more teasing manner.
Smoke rolled his eyes and grunted as he walked down the steps to his truck. He opened the door for Annie who hustled into the passenger seat. Smoke shut her door carefully then rounded the front to the driver’s side. Once he got in, he let the quiet sit for a second before adjusting himself in his seat.
Annie pretended she didn’t see it, but her face, half shadowed in darkness and the light from the front room of the cottage, betrayed her. She looked out the window smiling as the engine started with a rattle and sputter of the exhaust pipe.
The drive back to Aunt Della’s boarding house was quiet. Moonlight flooded the cab of the truck, highlighting the contours of Smoke's face—his eyelashes, his lips, his mustache all bathed in a pale, lunar glow. His hand rested on her thigh, holding firmly onto the supple flesh. Annie traced along the veins of his hand with her fingertips before laying her palm on top of his.
“I had a good time tonight,” she said after about a mile of silence.
“You did?”
“Yeah, I did.”
“Good,” he said quietly.
The stars sprinkled tiny silver blessings above them as they made their way to the boarding house, the occasional animal darting in the road, drawn like a moth to a flame to his headlights. Smoke and Annie laced their fingers together as the road to town stretched in front of them.
-
-
*Song by Bud Spires
<- Chapter 8
-> Masterlist
Note: Sorry this took so long to post. I was lowkey scared. 😂 But on another note— The Harvest Party is coming up next!
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synopsis: Hollywood has its fair share of secrets, devious celebrities, and messy scandals. But behind the scenes, an anonymous blog known as House of Rumors unveils its boldest challenge yet: make Michael B. Jordan fall in love before the Academy Awards. Wunmi Mosaku accepts without hesitation. The only problem? No one ever taught her what to do when the leading lady falls first.
pairing: Michael B Jordan x Wunmi Mosaku
warnings: au, romcom, fluff, eventual smut, cursing, slow burn, angst, wunmi the birthday AND drama!
authors note: sorry for the wait! hope you all enjoy! can’t wait to continue this series.
“Hollywood has always been built on three things: power, fame, and secrets.”
— THE CURATOR
Since 2015, House of Rumors had posted without fail every Wednesday at exactly 12:30 a.m. Pacific Standard Time. It didn’t matter whether Hollywood was celebrating another Best Actor winner or cleaning up after its messiest scandal, a new post always appeared.
Members of the House knew one thing: Wednesday without a House of Rumors post was never an accident.
If House of Rumors were to ever go silent, would be the day Hollywood goes quiet.
Because the one thing that’s more dangerous than a rumor was the reason there isn’t one.
Since its launch, House of Rumors has remained Hollywood’s top secret source for the industry.
Lipstick Alley has the discussions. Deuxmoi has submissions. Crazy Days and Nights has the blind items. Though the difference is that House of Rumors lives within the industry. By the time a rumor reached the public, members of the House had already discussed it days prior.
House of Rumors isn’t interested in the fabrication life that celebrities have for the public.
The perfect red carpet pose so that Twitter wouldn’t go down in a frenzy. The perfectly written Instagram caption. The carefully rehearsed answers during press tours.
Everyone knows that version of Hollywood already.
House of Rumors is interested in everything that happens after the cameras stop rolling.
The makeup artists who overheard a conversation in a studio hallway.
A stylist who noticed a celebrity arrives to set wearing someone else’s jacket.
The crew members who saw two co-stars spending a little too much time together between takes.
A producer who knew a project was falling apart months before the announcement.
These stories never made it past a publicist’s statement. All of these stories live inside House of Rumors.
Now, nobody publicly admits to having a profile on House of Rumors, of course.
During one red carpet interview, a New York Times reporter asked an A-List actress whether rumors regarding a secret Hollywood website were true.
She giggled. Almost instinctively, her fingers drifted to the side of her nose.
“No, of course not,” she laughed. “That’s hilarious.” The interview ended shortly afterward.
It was cute. Really cute.
Especially considering her username had been active twenty-three minutes earlier.
The public thought nothing of her body language. Members of the House noticed immediately.
It was the one thing the actress hasn’t mastered: lying. Every time she lied, she touched her nose.
Sometimes even Hollywood’s best performers forgot they were acting.
The public will never understand the appeal.
To outsiders, House of Rumors is nothing more than just another piece of lore connected to Hollywood. A story people whisper about, a website that may or may not exist, or a rumor about rumors.
They couldn’t be more wrong.
Disappointedly, House of Rumors’ layout was simple. Black, gold, and minimal.
There’s no flashing banners. No advertisements that begged for attention. No Pinterest-worthy aesthetic meant to keep users scrolling for hours.
House of Rumors isn’t to impress anyone. Simply, House of Rumors provides protection for Hollywood.
Hollywood views House of Rumors as a rare commodity; a place where actors, actresses, directors, assistants, stylists, producers, and everyone in between could say what they actually thought without worrying about headlines the next morning.
House of Rumors doesn’t need unnecessary features to keep people coming back. The conversations do that for them.
Every section serves a different purpose. Some were for debates. Some were for confessions. Some were for the questions Hollywood avoided answering publicly.
🎞️ The HotSpot
Let’s debate! Hollywood’s busiest discussions.
Where members can debate anything from casting choices and directors final cuts to box office performances and viral moments.
🫣 These Are My Confessions!
Yes, “These are my confessions.”
Actors, actresses, crew members, assistants, producers, stylists, and everyone in between anonymous send in their deepest secrets. It’s considered the most addictive section on the site.
“I accidentally fell for my co-star.”
“I’m seeing my married director.”
“My agent wants me to leave my hit show.”
“I only accepted the role because I needed the paycheck.”
🏆 The Oscar Goes To…?
All things awards season.
Predictions, campaign posters, Oscar buzz, snubs, Golden Globes, SAG Awards, Emmys, Critics Choice—the industry’s biggest race.
🎥 First Take
Behind the Scenes.
Stories from set, first table reads, chemistry tests, directors, crew members, auditions, and hidden gems that audiences never see.
☕️ Industry Gossip
Because whispers travel faster than headlines.
Rumors about upcoming projects, casting news, studio drama, production delays, celebrity relationships, and everything Hollywood pretends not to care about.
🎭 Hollywood Questions
Ask the industry.
Questions members ask that only people working in Hollywood can answer.
Is method acting really effective?
Do chemistry reads really matter?
What’s the biggest misconception about actors?
Have you ever walked off set?
What’s the hardest scene you’ve ever had to film?
What is it about intimate scenes that make co-stars awkward with each other afterwards?
🎞️ The HotSpot
1,842 Active Discussions
🫣 These Are My Confessions!
3,129 Anonymous Confessions
🏆 The Oscar Goes To...?
967 Award Season Threads
🎥 First Take
1,304 Behind-the-Scenes Posts
☕ Industry Gossip
2,511 Rumor Discussions
🎭 Hollywood Questions
786 Open Questions
The only account members of the House recognized belonged to someone nobody has ever met.
The Curator
There was no profile picture, biography, follower count, or verified badge.
Hollywood’s most famous account was a simple black profile icon with a small gold “C” sitting beside an username that had become one of Hollywood’s biggest mysteries.
Is The Curator an actress? An actor? Maybe an assistant or director? Or one theory suggests The Curator isn’t one person at all.
Some members swear it’s an Oscar-winning actor. A few insists it’s a studio executive that has too much free time on their hands.
One discussion even argues The Curator is five assistants secretly sharing one account.
Nobody ever proves anything and nobody ever asks.
Because unlike every other member, The Curator never answers questions.
They simply posts.
Every Wednesday at exactly 12:30 a.m., a new message appears.
Sometimes it’s a discussion, a confession, or even a simple reminder. But every post begins the same way. With a quote.
“You’ll forever be remember in Hollywood for your greatest performances. The House, however, remembers who you were before the cameras started rolling.”
— THE CURATOR
Members rarely discuss the quotes, they simply read them, scroll, and wait for whatever comes next.
Among the thousands of anonymous members refreshing the website every Wednesday morning..
Wunmi Mosaku is one of them.
Ever since her time on Lovecraft Country, Wunmi has been a House of Rumors member.
Jurnee had introduced her to the website between takes, excitedly noting that it’s the only place in Hollywood where people actually tell the truth.
At first, Wunmi thought the entire thing sounded ridiculous. A secret website? Anonymous actors? Industry confessions? In Wunmi’s mind, it sounded like the beginning of a bad conspiracy theory.
Then she received an invitation.
Curiosity wins, always.
She accepted, and much to her surprise, Jurnee hadn’t exaggerated.
Like most members, Wunmi rarely posts or comments. She prefers watching.
Her username, LeadingLady, hasn’t made a post in months.
Reading debates that somehow turned into masterclasses on television. Scrolling through anonymous questions from aspiring peers. Laughing at occasional confessions that sound far too specific to be fake.
Some Wednesdays Wunmi promised herself she’d only spend five minutes on the site. Forty-five minutes later, she’d still be scrolling.
House of Rumors quietly became part of her routine.
Tea -> House of Rumors -> Work
April 2024
This Wednesday is no different. The smell of tea drifts throughout Wunmi’s home as morning sunlight slips through the curtains.
Her phone buzzes, three times.
An email. A missed called. A text from Danielle asking if she’s awake.
Instead, Wunmi ignores all three. She decides to open the familiar black-and-gold website she’s visited nearly every Wednesday for a couple of years.
But before the discussions load, a familiar reminder appears.
THE HOUSE RULES
Respect anonymity
No screenshots
Receipts over rumors
Publicists aren’t moderators
Everyone is anonymous.. until they aren’t…
— THE CURATOR
Wunmi had read the rules dozens of times. Like every other member, she clicked Accept without a second thought.
The homepage loaded.
Her fingers instinctively tapped 🫣 These Are My Confessions!
A new submission sat at the top.
Anonymous I accidentally fall for my co-star. Posted 18 minutes ago
Top Comment
AfterCredits Yeah… every co-star says they’re “just friends” before a relationship starts.
Wunmi laughed, she didn’t even bother opening the thread.
She keeps scrolling, another confession.
Award season makes me hate everyone
Another.
I smiled through an entire press tour knowing my contract wasn’t being renewed.
Wunmi frowned, Hollywood really is exhausting. Backing out of the page, she tapped 🎞️ The HotSpot.
Today’s most popular discussion has nearly two thousand replies.
Do audiences mistake on-screen chemistry for real-life attraction too often?
Wunmi doesn’t even bother opening it. She already knows the answer.
Yes, always.
People love romance, especially when it doesn’t belong to them.
With a quiet shake of her head, she closed House of Rumors.
Her tea had gotten cold by the time her laptop chimed.
9:17am.
New Email
AUDITION REQUEST
Project: Sinners
Director: Ryan Coogler
Attached beneath are seven pages. Seven pages, it makes Wunmi pause for a moment.
The first page introduces a woman named Annie. By the second page, Wunmi’s smiling. By the fifth, she’d completely forgotten she was reading for an audition.
By the seventh page, Wunmi found herself staring at her laptop screen long after she’d finished.
Wunmi read the final page again. Then a third time. She lets out a quiet giggle, “Wait..”
Reaching for her phone, Wunmi called her agent.
“Is this…?”
“A love story?” her agent interrupted.
Wunmi lets out a sound that almost sounds like a laugh, “That’s exactly what I was about to ask.”
Her agent spoke truthfully, “I honestly don’t know.”
Neither of them did. Seven pages isn’t enough to figure out Ryan Coolger’s plans.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
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Synopsis: The Juke joint has been the talk of the town, every night filled with people from all walks of life. Smoke watched them come and go, never caring too much to hear anyone’s story. That was until she started coming in. Every night she’d show up, dance until Pearline’s voice was horse and then disappear like she never existed. Smoke watched her and for the first time in a long time, he wanted to do more than just that.
The juke joint was alive with the sounds of jazz. The walls whispered secrets of the sins hidden behind them, the floors moaned at the feel of heels and worn out boots. The lights were dim and the air was painted of dark liquor and beer.
Bodies on top of bodies all covered in sweat, roamed around the place like they owned it.
Regulars.
They were there every weekend. Different clothes but same ole shoes.
Cornbread stood by the door, some nights he’d take his job too seriously, other nights he’d play around too much for Smoke’s liking.
But every night he showed up, cheesing wide like he’s already gotten paid.
Stack’s wicked smile greeted those who dared go near him. Smoke wouldn’t even bother sparing anyone a glance.
Complete opposites and yet one and the same.
The nights were long but the days were longer. The twins spent most of their time cleaning up the aftermath of a successful weekend.
Then before you knew it, it was time to do it all over again.
-
She showed up on a random Friday. A night Pearline had finally agreed to sing.
Her dress clung to the silk of her skin tightly but loose enough to flow with the movement of her hips.
Smoke usually wasn’t on the floor. He didn’t hang around the bar like Stack. Most of the time he’d be tucked away in a corner, eyes watching for anything he didn’t like. Cigarette in one hand, liquor in the other.
He was used to the women, the way they came with less and less clothing in hopes to catch their attention. Stack always took the bait but he never did. Didn’t care to.
But she
She made something deep within him stir. The second his eyes landed on her, his spine straightened. His body hummed in a way that felt like it was calling out to her.
He watched the way she moved like water. Eyes closed and lips spread in a barely there smile. She didn’t notice him, not even a little bit. But she also didn’t notice the 30 other men who suddenly forgot how to look away from the way she dipped low to match Pearline’s voice.
“Yo Smoke, you remember Beatrice? Yo why she offered to suck my-” Stack cut himself off when he noticed Smoke hadn’t registered a thing he said, or even the fact that he was standing there. He followed his line of sight and smirked once he saw Annie moving like she ain’t have a care in the world.
He whistled low. “A beauty, ain’t she? Seen her the moment she stepped in.”
Smoke raised an eyebrow, the forgotten cigarette now burning in between his lips. “Mhmmm”
Stack placed an arm around his brother’s shoulder. “You should go talk to her before these other niggas in here try to tear her up.”
“And why should I?” Smoke hadn’t taken his eyes off of her. Not even to bother to look at Stack who had a shit eating grin on his face.
“Cause you looking at her like she damn near God herself. I ain’t never seen your eyes this bright and alert.” Stack chuckled and Smoke shook his head.
“Shut up.” Was the last thing he said before walking away and heading to his office.
-
The next day she was there too. Pearline’s voice rang loud enough to disturb those who didn’t want to be disturbed.
The Juke Joint was alive that night. More people than usual, damn near packed up like sardines. Stack ran around, removing chairs and moving tables to make space for the people to move around. Smoke helped take orders behind the bar.
He barely spoke, just poured the drinks, took the money and moved to someone else.
But then she stepped up. Head full of thick curls shaped into an updo, brown dress that barely kissed her knees and black heels that adorned her feet.
“Good evening, mind if I try one of them Irish beers I keep hearing about?”
Her voice was smooth as butter, tickling his ears and warming parts of him that had long gone cold. “Sure thing.”
Two simple words and yet to him, they held weight. It meant he spoke to her.
“You one of em twins that owns this place?” He grabbed the bottle of beer, opened the cap and hesitated. To any other customer, he’d just hand it off and keep it pushing but he wanted to keep her longer and so he reached for a cup.
“Why? Do I look like it?” She giggled, warm and gentle.
“Sure do. You and the other one are damn near identical but I can tell the difference.” Smoke passed her the cup, fingers lightly brushing hers.
Annie held his stare and let her hands linger longer than need be.
“Oh yeah? Tell me then. What’s the difference?” Smoke leaned forward, closing a bit of the distance that had been set between the two of them. Annie could smell his cologne, the scent of cigarette smoke and dark, heavy liquor.
Her heart skipped a beat, so she took a sip of the beer to gain her composure.
“The other one talk like his mouth and ass don’t know the difference. Wears a smirk on his face like it’s paying rent and makes his presence known everywhere he goes like it’s his God given right…”
Smoke nodded, lips twitching in a way that almost seemed like a smile. “Mhmm and what about me?”
Annie smiled softly, she placed her elbows on the bar and rested her head on her hands. “You somethin else. You a lot heavier than he is. Darker in a way no one should be. You don’t care to be seen but your presence is loud despite how quiet you try to be. You serious. I can see it all in your eyes…”
Smoke’s jaw clenched, he tried to keep his composure and not let it be shown how much her words affected him. But Annie saw right through him.
“You easier to spot than he is. I see you.” Was all she said before she grabbed her cup and walked away.
-
Smoke would lay at night with his head in the clouds, filled with thoughts of a woman who dared to see him bare.
He spent hours thinking of her, dreaming about her and wanting nothing more than to feel her against his skin.
Smoke started looking forward to nights at the Juke, more often than he did before.
He’d volunteer to work at the bar just to get to talk to her. She left him speechless every time.
He didn’t know what was driving him to the point of obsession. Maybe it was the way she didn’t try to be soft and dainty around him or the way she spoke like she’s known him for years.
Or maybe it was the way her thighs parted underneath the dresses she wore or the way her back glistened with heat from her dancing.
Maybe it was the way he kept dreaming of how she’d taste, how she’d sound moaning his name.
Not Smoke. Elijah.
It had gotten to the point where he couldn’t even think straight without Annie curving his thoughts.
He’d never crave anyone as much as he did her. Everyone saw it. Stack, Pearline, Preacher boy and even Cornbread. They saw the way he practically drooled when she walked by.
Saw the way he’d ignore the whole world just to talk to her or the way he wouldn’t say a word to anyone until she spoke to him.
No one teased him for it. They didn’t even mention it. Just let it play out the way it’s supposed to.
-
“You been eyeing me all night, Smoke. You gon come dance with me?” Annie stood by the bar, cup of beer in one hand, the other tapping against her thigh to the beat of the music. Her dark blue silk dress clung to her body in a way that should be deemed sinful.
Smoke hadn’t dared look away from her since the moment she stepped in.
“I don’t dance.” His voice was low, thick with lust and need for the woman who didn’t know the power she held over him.
Or maybe she did.
“So you gon let me go out there and dance by myself?” She turns her head to look at him. Cigarette dangling from between his plush lips and a bottle in his hands.
When he didn’t respond, Annie raised an eyebrow along with a sly smirk. She placed her cup on the bar table and walked to the dance floor. Smoke watched her carefully, zeroing in on every move she made.
Annie’s hands slowly move up her body, her hips move side to side like sensually was written in the dictionary just for her. Her skin glistened against the low lights. The music did everything to compete for the attention of the crowd but she was the clear winner.
Her eyes turn to look at him. His jaw was tight and his knuckles were practically white from the way he gripped the bottle. She could see the bulge in his pants forming by the second.
She let out a small giggle, turning her back to him and letting him catch the way her ass was practically begging to be let out of that dress.
“Mind if I dance with you, gorgeous?” The man stood tall against her frame, not taller than Smoke but still had some height to him. His button down shirt had been opened enough to where she could see his chest and the start of his stomach. His pants were loose and wide.
“I don’t mind at all.” She grabbed his extended hand, lowering it so that it sat low on her waist and then let him pull her closer to him. “You better make it worth it cause I’m sure we won’t be here for long.”
The man chuckled and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. The two swayed side to side, bodies close like they were trying to make themselves fit together. “Why you say that?”
Before Annie could respond, the man was practically ripped from her arms and damn near flung halfway across the room. Stack immediately got up from seat, assessed the situation and dapped Smoke up before grabbing the random man and kicking him out.
Smoke wrapped his arms around Annie’s waist, pulling her flush against him. Her arms went around his neck as she laughed lowly under her breath. “Thought you didn’t dance.”
“I don’t.” Yet their bodies moved in sync to the music that didn’t miss a beat despite the commotion.
-
The silence of Smoke’s office felt heavier than the weight of the loud noise. She sat on top of his desk, thick legs crossed and dark brown eyes piercing at the man who stood far away from her.
“I don’t bite, you know.”
“Never said you did.”
“So why you so far from me?”
“That bothering you?”
“Yes. Makes me feel like you scared of me.” She smiled, sweetly. “Are you scared of me… Elijah?”
His breath stuttered and his slacks suddenly felt tighter. Smoke cleared his throat before shaking his head. “Ain’t scared of you.”
“Oh yeah? Then come here. Prove it to me. Show me you ain’t scared.” Smoke watched her, watched the way her smile hadn’t dropped, the way her eyes darkened in a way that should be dangerous and the way her legs uncrossed, almost like an invitation.
He stepped forward, slowly. Getting close enough to be at arms reach.
“Closer, baby. Come here.” His body followed before he could command it to. He stood in between her separated legs, hands landing on her warm thighs. “Good boy.” Her hands wrapped around his neck, pulling him down so that their lips were a whisper away. “You wanna kiss me?”
Smoke nodded, his heart thumping against his chest and his dick begging to be freed from its confinements.
“Let me hear you say it. Tell me you wanna kiss me.”
“I wanna kiss you.” He moved closer but Annie pulled back, placing a finger to his lips.
“Beg.”
“Please? I want to kiss you.” He’d never been the type to beg for anything or anyone. Smoke would rather be shot dead than to be this vulnerable. But Annie brought out a different side of him, a side he wasn’t afraid to let her see.
Their lips meet in a feverish kiss. All teeth clashing and tongue sucking.
His hands move down to grip her ass causing a moan to slip past Annie’s bruising lips. Smoke moves, his lips now tasting her skin, all the way to the top of her breast.
He pulls the bottom of her dress up like a kid opening a gift on Christmas Day.
His knees touch the floor before his mind could even register what was happening.
“Ah ah.” Annie placed the tip of her bare foot to his forehead. “What you think you doing?”
Smoke lowly groaned, his hands twitched at his sides. “I want to taste you.”
Annie smirked with a tilt of her head. “You think you deserve to taste me?”
“Yes” He answered too quickly. “Yes ma’am.”
“I don’t think so. I haven’t heard you beg yet.”
“Can I taste your pussy, please? I— I need it.” Smoke was slowly breaking. He was letting her do and treat him any kind of way because that’s exactly what he wanted. His mind had long been made up on how he felt towards Annie. The man knew she was gonna be his woman from the moment he laid eyes on her.
He was exactly where he wanted to be.
“You need it, huh?” His eyes stared up at her. “Look at you. On your knees, begging to eat my pussy. You’re so pathetic, Elijah.” Her voice was soft but firm.
“Please?” His chest tightened with a want that was unexplainable. He could feel himself leaking through his pants, his dick rock solid and aching.
Smoke grabbed one of her legs and started placing kisses up her calf and towards her thighs. “Please? I just need to taste you.”
He moved to the other leg, making sure she felt the softness of his lips on her skin. “Please?”
Annie bit her lip, hiding the smile that threatened to let loose. “Just cause you asked so nicely.”
Within a blink of an eye, her thong was ripped from her body and thrown somewhere in the midst of furniture and files. His hands separated her legs further, getting a good look at the wet mound that was waiting just for him.
He moaned at the sight before digging his head in between her heavy thighs. His tongue flattened against her clit before circling around her folds and licking her entrance.
Annie gasped, her hands gripped his hair to try and keep some type of composure.
Smoke looked up at her while his tongue swirled around her enlarged clit. He watched the way her eyes narrowed and her mouth dropped open. Felt the way she gripped his hair tighter at the feel of him licking right where she needed it.
“S—Smoke” Annie’s back arched as her moans filled the air.
“Mm mm. Don’t call me that.” Smoke groaned, lowering his hand and using two fingers to rub her tight hole.
Annie whimpered at the feel of him stretching her. “Fuck!” Her head dropped backwards and her legs trembled. “Don’t stop. You’re doing so good, baby. Yes. Make me cum.”
Smoke thrusted his fingers in and out of her, making sure to dig deep enough to hit that sweet spot. His mouth hadn’t left her clit, kept playing around with it while he watched her squirm on top of him. “Say my name, mama.”
Annie’s eyes squeezed shut at the feel of her orgasm slowly building. “S—Smoke…. Please.”
He smirked, watching her get closer and closer to falling apart. “Try again.” Smoke pulled back, his lips stayed close to her nub, teasing her, while his fingers pressed deeper into her.
Annie cried out, her whole body shook and her stomach tightened. She was right there. Right on the verge.
“Pleaseeeee. Fuck!” Smoke placed a kiss on her thigh, then to her fat lips that were coated in her juice. His fingers were white with her cream and his face was soaked.
“I said try again.”
She gripped his hair and pulled his face back to her needy pussy. His mouth immediately opening up and swallowing her like it was his last meal. “Elijaaahhhhh!” She yelled, body bending from pleasure.
“Mhmm” He moaned against her and that was all it took for Annie to snap. Her juices sprayed out of her like a fountain.
“Elijah, Elijah, Elijah— Oh my God.” She repeated his name like a prayer. He stayed put, helping her ride out her orgasm and drinking every last drop of her essence.
Her body dropped down onto the desk, her legs still shook and her breathing hadn’t calmed down. She felt him kiss up her thighs, towards her neck and the finally planting a wet kiss onto her lips.
She pulled him closer, wanting to feel the weight of him on top of her.
They stayed like that for what felt like ages. Sharing kisses and looks that felt more like love than lust.
“You coming home with me?” He murmured against her lips before pecking them.
Annie giggled and smiled. “I got a choice?”
“No”
-
I know yall waiting on Peaches and One Night Only but im tryna clear out all my drafts yall. Im sorry 😭🥲
Also I’m sorry if I missed anyone in my tag list. Please comment if I missed you or if you want to be added!
AMERICAN DREAM
soldier!smoke x virginteacher!annie
NINE.2: Try A Little Tenderness
previous next
cw: none
summary: the military does a lot to a man. for smoke it gives him dreams. dreams of a woman he’s never met a day in his life. all he knows is the sweet sound of her voice and the outline of her body. it’s like his soul is crying for her, but he doesn’t even know where to start looking.
notes: part 2 of chapter nine!
When Thanksgiving morning came, Annie slipped from the bed and got dressed as quiet as possible. It was incredibly early and it was still dark except for the faint morning light that was creeping through the windows.
Elijah was dead asleep on the couch with one arm thrown over his head as his chest rose and fell steadily. Annie smiled at the sight, walked over, and pulled the blanket up high on him. He stirred a bit, but didn't wake.
She went to the kitchen, and as quickly as possible, she scribbled a note to Elijah letting him know that she left for the day. After that she quickly started gathering the pies, not realizing that in her rush she had miscounted. She grabbed four of the pies and hurried out the door.
She stepped outside and a few minutes later she was driving through Baltimore. It didn't take long for her to pull up back home. She grabbed the pies from the backseat and headed inside. The door opened and the smell of greens and ham hit her in the face.
Annie followed the smell to the kitchen where she found her grandmother, Aunt Clarisse, Rosette, and Olivia. Clarisse was the first to say something to her the moment she noticed her niece standing in the doorway.
"Look at who decided to come back home."
"Goodmorning," Annie laughed as she set the pies down on the table.
"Mornin', baby," her grandmother said from her place by the stove.
Little baby Olivia let out an excited squeal at the sight of Annie. She was practically bouncing from her spot on her blanket on the floor. Annie melted. She crouched down and kissed Olivia's chubby cheek.
Annie straightened and looked around the busy kitchen.
"What y'all doin'? Need help?"
"No. Your cousin done already messed up the greens," Clarisse shook her head.
"I didn't mess up no damn—" Rosette started muttering under her breath. But before she could finish Mama Nette popped her with a kitchen towel.
"Watch your mouth."
"What I get hit for? I'm too old for that," Rosette rubbed her arm. "And why Annie never get hit?"
"'Cause Annie listens," Mama Nette snorted.
"I listen," Rosette looked offended.
"No you don't."
"I do."
Clarisse and Mama Nette exchanged a look.
"Yeah right, Annie mess up all the time, but y'all don't ever get mad at her," Rosette rolled her eyes.
"Annie ain't never messed up nothin' I taught her," Mama Nette looked genuinely confused by the statement. "That's why she the only one that know all my pie receipes."
A smug smile spread across Annie's face as she bent down and scooped Olivia into her arms. The baby immediately settled against her chest. Annie kissed the top of her little head.
"Can't help that I'm the favorite."
Rosette narrowed her eyes at her, but Annie just looked with that same smug smile as she bounced Olivia gently.
"Shut up."
"Don't be jealous, Rosie," Annie laughed.
"You lucky you holdin' my baby."
The room erupted into laughter. Even Olivia giggled though she didn't understand any of it.
When they settled, Clarisse looked over at Annie, giving her a pointed look, "You not gettin' outta where you was at, Miss Thing."
"She was over at that man's house."
Annie stared at her grandmother in disbelief. The older woman kept right on stirring.
Clarisse slowly nodded as she looked at Annie, "Hm. You been shackin' up?"
Before Annie could even answer, Mama Nette spoke again.
"No," Annie sighed in relief, but then her grandmother continued. "But she want to."
The relief disappeared. Annie sat there feeling completely betrayed.
"I don't know why you keep doin' this to me." Annie sputtered. "There ain't no reason for you to tell everybody my business."
"You ain't got no business," Mama Nette finally looked over. "You wasn't doin' nothin' remember?"
Rosette looked entirely too entertained at Annie getting clipped by their grandmother.
Annie opened her mouth then closed it becasue she truly had nothing to say to defend herself.
"She gonna have to repent extra hard this Sunday for all this lyin' she been doin' recently," Mama Nette shook her head. "That man be having her all twisted up and she know she like it."
Annie rolled her eyes dramatically then she buried her face against Olivia's little shoulder. Olivia just patted Annie's cheek.
A few hours later the cooking was finally almost done. Most of the food was finished and packed up.
Annie stood in the dining room helping wrap a few things while Olivia sat on her hip chewing on the sleeve of her dress. The baby had spent most of the morning attached to her. Any time somebody tried to take her, Olivia would fuss until Annie got her back.
Mama Nette was doing one final count, making sure that they had everything they needed. When she got to the pies and noticed that there were only four she eyed Annie.
"Annette, why you only got four pies here?"
Annie looked at the table only to see that her grandmother was right. There were only four pies on the table. Her eyes immediately became wider.
Rosette's face had a smirk on it, "Looks like the favorite messed up just that quick."
"Where they at and are they done?" Mama Nette folded her arms.
"Yes they're done Mama. I just forgot 'em," then she rushed over to the phone.
She dialed Elijah's number. The phone rang three times before Elijah answered.
"Hello?"
"Oh good. You're up," Annie sighed in relief.
"Bunny, I been up," His sleepy chuckle came through the line. "Why you callin'?"
"I forgot two of the pies. Can you bring them? They should still be on the counter."
"Yeah, I got you."
"Thank you, baby."
"It ain't nothing."
"I'll see you soon."
"See you soon."
After hanging up, Annie helped her family load everything up into the cars. Once everything was put up, the two cars hit the road to Ray's house.
There were a line of cars on the street when they pulled up. The front door opened and family members poured out to help take the dishes inside.
Inside the home Ray had moved everyhting around to make space for everyone. He had put some tables together to make one large table in the middle of the living room. There was also a smaller table for the children and room for the food.
The house was loud with conversation and children playing. Food was already on the table and what they brought only added to it. Everything was just what Annie missed about home. Good food and family. The only thing she felt was missing was Elijah.
Suddenly, Victoria appeared beside her.
"So when he gettin' here?"
"Soon," Annie rolled her eyes, an unintentional habit.
A while later, Annie found herself standing near the window peeking out of it every few seconds. Five-year-old Joyce had attached herself to Annie's legs asking her a million questions. It distracted her enough to not look out the window every five minutes. It wasn't like she was waiting on anyone.
But when a knock hit the door, Annie pulled away from the little girl, giving some random excuse. She hurried to the door, pulled it open, and there Elijah stood with the two forgotten pies in his hand.
He was dressed nice in black slacks, a black button down shirt, and a dark blue wool coat. He even had on polished hard bottom shoes. His look made Annie smile. And it wasn't because he never made the effort to look nice, but Annie knows that Elijah could care less about how he looked. But clearly he had decided to put a little extra effort in today.
Elijah looked into her big, soft, brown eyes and felt the hint of nervousness in him disappear.
"Hey, Bunny," Elijah smiled.
"Hi, baby," she said sweetly.
They leaned into each other so naturally. Their lips met in a gentle kiss. And once they pulled apart Annie was smiling. She was so utterly happy.
"Thank you again for bringing the pies."
"You're welcome."
She looked at him for another second. Then leaned forward and kissed him again. This one lasted a touch longer.
She pulled back and grabbed his hand, "Come on let's get you inside."
She led him inside and the warmth of the family atmosphere surrounded him. The house was loud with conversation that floated from every direction. Laughter was mixed in along with the sounds of children running and playing.
Annie kept hold of his hand as she guided him through the house of people. She could tell that her family was looking, but trying to hold in their comments. They walked until they got to the food table.
"Put them right there," he set the strawberry pies down where she told him.
Annie noticed the way Elijah looked around at everyone. She knew how overwhelming her family could be, and for someone like Elijah she knew it could be a bit much. She squeezed his hand to get his attention.
"If it get too much, you tell me."
"I'll be alright," Elijah looked at her, his face not showing any signs of overstimulation.
"You sure?"
"Mhm."
She studied him for another second then nodded.
Unfortunately she never got the chance to start introducing him around.
"Elijah come here," Mama Nette's voice carried easily through the house. "And Annie go help your uncles with the kids in the kitchen."
Both of them looked over to see the older woman sitting comfortably in a chair in the den.
"Mama—"
"Gone on."
Annie huffed as she stared into the older woman's eyes. And Mama Nette stared right back. Neither woman looked away.
Elijah tugged at Annie's hand, "It's okay, Bunny."
"Fine," Annie looked uncertain, but she sighed. "But I'll be back."
She squeezed his hand one last time before disappearing toward the kitchen.
Elijah watched her go then looked at the older woman who was waiting on him. Mama Nette gestured to the empty chair near her as a way to tell him to sit down. And he obeyed, not wanting to go against her.
The second he sat down he understood why Annie was hesitant to leave him. There were four women and a baby staring at him. They were staring so intensely as if they were trying to see straight through his skin to his bones. He sat back in the chair and gulped.
Mama Nette noticed and the corner of her mouth twitched. She knew Elijah was a strong man, but the Richard women could could break down even the toughest of soldiers.
"Let me introduce everybody to you since they just wanna stare at like you a zoo animal," Mama Nette pointed around the circle. "That's Clarisse, Annie's Aunt. Annie's cousin, Rosette and Rosette's daughter, Olivia. That's Esther, William Junior's wife. And Victoria, my oldest granddaughter."
They all still just stared at him not making any moves to say a thing to him.
"Now go on and introduce yourself," Mama Nette folded her hands in her lap.
Elijah cleared his throat. Suddenly he felt like a boy instead of a twenty-seven year old man.
"Nice to meet y'all. My name's Elijah Moore," the words managed to come out easy.
"And that's your real name?" Victoria tilted her head.
"Last time I checked," Elijah looked over at her.
Mama Nette chuckled at Elijah's audacity. She could tell he wasn't a man to back down easily. And she figured he had to be to deal with Annie.
"Oh, you tryna be Mister Funny Man?" Victoria's eyebrows furrowed, completely taken aback.
"Ain't nothin' funny to me," his answer came quick.
"Good. 'Cause ain't nothin' attractive 'bout a man who can't take nothin' serious."
"I'm takin' this very serious."
That earned him a few approving nods.
"Where you from?" Rosette asked as she balanced Olivia in her lap.
"Clarksdale, Mississippi."
"So you a Delta man?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Do you know where we from?" Clarisse asked.
"Yes ma'am," Elijah rubbed his sweating and slightly shaking palms against his thighs. Something about the intensity of these women was making his anxiety act up.
"You ever been there before?"
"A few times."
"So that means you know what we capable of?"
"I think so," Elijah didn't quite know what Annie's Aunt meant by that, but he remembered the conversation he had with Mama Nette. He didn't think he wanted to get on the bad side of a bunch of Hoodoo women.
"What you do for work?" Victoria asked.
"I work at Ray's garage."
"That what you really wanna do?" Clarisse asked.
The question made Elijah pause becasue nobody had really asked him that before. At least not recently. Usually people asked what he did, but not if that was what he really wanted to do. He looked down for a second before answering as honestly as he could.
"I don't rightly know. I guess I ain't figured out exactly what I want yet. I know I'm good with my hands, so it works out," he shrugged.
"I bet you are," Rosette smirked as her eyes dropped down to his hands.
Elijah cleared his throat and shifted in his seat at her staring. For a half a second he considered hiding them, but then he realized foing that would probably make it worse..
"Got good workin' hands too," Rosette's smirk just deepened.
"Rosette," Clarisse said in warning.
"Sorry, Mama."
The women laughed as Elijah rubbed the back of his neck.
Thankfully, Esther moved the conversation along.
"How long you been in Baltimore?"
"Since April."
"Ain't been here that long and you already got your eyes set on my niece," Clarisse said.
Before he could answer, Victoria spoke.
"How long you plannin' on stayin' in Baltimore?"
"I—"
"Everything okay?" A familiar voice cut through the conversation.
Everybody turned to see Annie standing next to Elijah's chair. She walked up and rested a hand on his shoulder. She looked from the women to Elijah with concern written all over her face.
"Girl ain't nobody doin' nothin' to this man. He alright," Mama Nette as she turned in her chair. "Go back to the kitchen."
"You okay?" Annie ignored the woman and looked at Elijah.
"I'm alright, Bunny," Elijah lightly grabbed her hand and nodded his head.
She still looked suspicious.
Mama Nette waved her hand, "Take your ass back on in there."
"If we was gon' hurt him we'd already done it," her Aunt Clarisse said.
Annie huffed dramatically, but she listened. Reluctantly she started walking away. But in the process she let her hand slide from Elijah's shoulder then down his arm. Elijah caught the hand before she could fully walk away.
The women all watched as Elijah lifted it and pressed a kiss to the back of it. He did it as if it was second nature. It was the type of affection that made Annie smile when she finally walked away.
He turned beack to see all eyes were on him again.
"What exactly you want with my cousin?" Rosette tilted her head.
Elijah eyes moved between the women, wanting them to understand how serious he was about their Annie.
"I want everything with her."
The women exchanged glances.
Nobody laughed.
Nobody teased.
"Saying everything is a might big statement. You know that?" One of Clarisse's eyebrows rose in question.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Do you know what all that means when it come to Annie? She ain't no simple woman," Clarisse studied him carefully.
"Yes ma'am I do," Elijah confidently nodded. He already knew first hand how difficult Annie could be, but some would say he was just as bad.
"What about her makes you want her so bad?" Victoria asked.
Elijah took a moment to get his thoughts together, and not because he didn't know, but because he wanted to say it right.
"Truthfully, she saved and she don't even know it. When I got back from overseas I wasn't doing well. There were days I'd wake up angry, couldn't sleep, and didn't want to be around nobody. And you wouldn't know it by looking at me. But when I found her, she lit up something in me. It was like she planted herself in my blood and I ain't have a bad day since," his voice was calm as he spoke.
"I don't want nothin' temporary with her. She don't deserve that. She's the woman I wanna wake up beside every mornin'. I wanna take care of her . I wanna spend the rest of my life fmy life hearin' her talk because she can just go on about stuff she gets excited about. And I always want her excited about something. It's my job to keep her happy and that's what I plan to do."
"I love how she takes care of people whether they ask for it or not. She remembers everything and she loves her family. She always has enough love for everybody. I love how determined she is. She works hard and she has dreams and goals. Hell, I even love how stubborn she is," that makes everyone laugh.
Mama Nette takes a moment to just stare at Elijah. She'd never heard him talk this much. He seemed like a man that didn't say more than he had to. But it looks like that when it comes to her granddaughter, he had a whole lot to say and he needed to say it. That man loved Annie and it was written all over him.
"Ain't never heard anybody talk about her like that before. You must really love her?" Esther asked.
"I'm in love with her," Elijah's answer came out so quick as he looked at her.
Nobody said anything because there wasn't really anything to say. The sincerity in his voice was impossible to miss, and they could feel the love practically floating off of him.
"Annie," Mama Nette's voice floated thorughout the house, and within seconds, hurried footsteps were heard.
Annie appeared looking rather worried. She looked at Elijah, but he showed no signs that there was anything to be worried about. So, she turned her eyes to her grandmother.
"Yes, Mama?"
"Everything ready?"
"…Yes?" Annie blinked confused.
"Everybody let's go on to the table."
Everyone in the house started making their way to the living room. Even Annie, who was still trying to figure out what happened. Elijah followed beside her not giving anything away.
Certain foods had been moved from the food table to the table. Everyone gathered around the white tablecloth covered table. Mama Nette took her place at the head of the table and reached for the hands beside her.
"Everybody close ya eyes and bow ya heads," almost everyone obeyed even the small children.
Elijah was the only one still looking around at the full circle.
Annie briefly opened her eyes to see Elijah with his wide open. She tugged his hand that was in hers.
"Close your eyes."
He closed his eyes and lowered his head just before Mama Nette started praying. As soon as she finished everyone said Amen and let their hands go. They moved to find their seats and the children scrambled to their table.
Elijah automatically reached for Annie's chair and pulled it out. Then he waited until she sat to push it in. She smiled up at him.
"Thank you, baby."
He nodded as he took the seat beside her. And as soon as he settled in his seat he had the feeling of being watched. He looked up to see Ray, Marcus, and an older man looking at him from way down at the other end of the table.
Annie lightly tapped Elijah's arm, pulling him away from the three men's stares. He gave his attention to Annie. She was holding the plate that was in his spot in her hand.
"What you want on you plate?" she asked.
"Whatever you think," Elijah glanced over the spread.
Annie rolled her eyes, but did as told. She scooped some mac and cheese, greens, candied yams, and dressing on his plate. Then she got up to put some meat on the plate for him. She knew that she didn't have to do this because Elijah was perfectly fine doing things for himself, but she felt with all this pressure from her family she would ease his mind a little today.
She sat back down and set Elijah's plate down in front of him. He thanked her and she went to grab her own plate to start putting her food together.
"Annette."
Annie looked up to see her Uncle William staring at him from the other end of the table.
"Yes, sir?"
"How long you been with him?"
Annie's eyes flickered to Elijah before returning to her uncle. William hadn't even verbally acknowledged and now he was talking as if the man wasn't sitting at the table next to her.
"We been together a few months now."
"A few months. Ain't that somethin'," William hummed as he stabbed a piece of turkey with his fork. "Must be serious if you lettin' him come to Thanksgiving."
"Yes sir. If you say so," Annie knew how her oldest uncle could get.
"Since you bringing him to Thanksgiving, I'd say so."
Several people around the table exchanged glances. Across the table Uncle Ray was trying not to grin.
"Ray," William looked at his younger brother.
"Yeah brother?" Ray looked up from his food.
"How long he been working at your shop?"
"Since April," a smirk appeared on Ray's face.
"And how'd he get that job?"
Ray looked at Elijah then back to William, "Annie mostly."
Annie breathed out in frustration. She could feel the irritation rolling off of Elijah and she knew if this kept going he would be in his right to say something.
"Uncle Ray, you know that's not true."
"And is," he shrugged. "You always tryna save somebody."
"Girl woulda brought home a stray dog if Mama let her. Guess she kept up the habit."
Annie's face showed clear irritation as she dropped her fork down.
"Okay, y'all gone stop talking about him like he ain't sittin' right here. He's a good man and comparin' him to a stray dog is disrespectful. I know y'all tryna look out for me, but I don't like how y'all going about it. You can't say you protectin' me 'cause this ain't it. These things y'all sayin' is hurtful. Get to know him before y'all try to make assumptions about him," Annie looked between both of her uncles.
"That's right," Mama Nette muttered. Her sons could be a real piece of work at times.
William sighed and Ray looked down at his plate. Neither man liked being corrected by their niece like that, especially in front of the whole family. But neither one would go against her either.
"Ain't mean no disrespect," her Uncle William looked genuinely pained by the admission.
"Me neither," Ray said right after.
This was the closest thing to an apology that Elijah had ever heard from Ray's mouth, but he didn't care too much about that when he was irritated by the older man. He face was stone cold as he stared at the two men. One of the things he wouldn't ever take was disrespect from two grown men, or at least two supposed grown men.
"I understand that y'all protectin' her and all but anything anybody wanna know about me can be asked directly to me. I'm an honest man and ain't one to just sit and pussyfoot around, but y'all makin' it real hard to act civil. I'm a grown man not a dog."
Then, before anybody could say anything else a loud crash echoed from the children's table. Little Jeremy was staring at the floor in horror while a glass of sweet tea spread across the table and dripped into his lap.
The interruption only lasted a few minutes before everybody settled back into eating. Towels had been brought out and Jeremy had been reassured that nobody was upset with him.
Elijah had managed to avoid being the center of attention again. At least until Mama Nette spoke up from her seat. She had been watching him for most of the meal anyway.
"Elijah, you likin' the food?"
"Yes ma'am. Ain't had food like this in a long time," he glanced down at the crowded plate in front of him.
"Why you ain't?" Victoria looked up from where she was helping Joyce cut her ham into smaller pieces.
"I was overseas for a few years. And before that me and my brother was movin' around so much we couldn't really get no good homecooked food like this."
"You was in the military?" William Jr. asked.
"Since fifty-four."
"You Army?" William Sr. set his fork down.
"Yes sir," Elijah kept his face stone cold.
William nodded thoughtfully. Then he took a sip of sweet tea before asking the next question.
"You hunt?"
Annie looked at her uncle and so did some of the other men at the table.
"Only done it once or twice."
"Mississippi boy only hunted twice?" William raised an eyebrow.
"Yes sir. My daddy wasn't teaching us much of nothing."
"Fair enough," William slowly nodded seeming to understand there was more to that story. "If you shoot good you'll be alright. But we'll see 'bout that."
Elijah looked on confused. And he was about to ask what exactly the man meant by that, but the conversation moved on. The entire focus of the table shifted away from the topic completely. When he looked over at Annie she seemed to be just as confused as he was. But her confusion had some understanding to it.
"Bunny, what he said that for?"
Annie cleared her throat and looked at Elijah, "I think he just invited you to go huntin' with them."
"Why he do that? Seem like he don't like me."
"He only invites the men he respects to hunt with him."
The dining table had been cleared. Leftovers had been wrapped and stacked. Somebody had put the radio on. And the card table was out. The children went back to running through the house despite being told at least fifteen times not to.
Annie sat tucked away in the den with Olivia in her lap. The baby had screamed for her the last ten minutes of dinner, so Annie had no choice but to grab her. And the girl was finally in her arms, she refused to leave.
The baby was currently fight sleep with everything she had. Her tiny eyes kept falling closed before snapping back open every time her head started to fall.
"You so tired, huh?" Annie chuckled softly as Olivia blinked up at her.
The baby just shoved two small fingers into her mouth as an answer. A string of drool followed soon after. Annie grabbed a cloth from beside and wiped the baby's chin. Olivia curled herself against Annie's chest, her other hand fisted the woman's dress.
That was when Elijah appeared beside the couch. He had just gotten out of a conversation about cars that he got roped into by Annie's cousins, Percy and Johnathon. Now he looked relieved to have found Annie again.
He sat down beside her. His eyes moved from her face down to the baby attached to her. Olivia had somehow managed to wedge herself directly into Annie's side.
Annie followed his gaze, "What?"
"Nothin'."
It wasn't nothing because Elijah couldn't stop staring. Annie looked so natural holding a baby, even if the baby was family. It was like every move of hers was instinctive. He had noticed since the dinner table.
And it wasn't just the baby that Annie seemed to shine with. The older children were just as attached. They followed her from room to room, calling for her, wanting her attention. And every single time she'd stop what she was doing and answer them.
The sight of it all made he aware of his thoughts. He found himself wondering what Annie would look like with their children. What their babies would look like. He hoped they would have her pretty brown eyes, and her smile, and her laugh.
"What you thinkin' so hard about?"
"Hm?" Elijah came back to reality, blinking the thoughts away.
Annie shook her head and let out a little puff of a laugh. She had noticed the way Elijah had looked at Olivia and wanted to test some waters.
"You wanna hold her?"
His eyebrows immediately lifted, "I don't know about that, Bunny."
"And why not?" Annie laughed.
"I ain't never really held a baby before," he looked at the baby.
"Seriously?" Annie stared at him.
Elijah nodded.
"Well that's a shame."
He looked down at Olivia and she looked back at him.
"I think you'll be fine. Olivia's easy."
"I don't know."
"Elijah."
He sighed, but she was already moving the baby. And when Olivia noticed she was getting moved out of the comfort of her arms, she made a sound of protest. Her tiny face scrunched up as if she was about to start crying. Annie shushed her as she bounced her lightly in the air.
"Oh hush. You're alright,"
Olivia clearly disagreed. Still, Annie carefully transferred her into Elijah's lap. The second the baby settled there, Elijah completely froze up. His hands hovered around her awkwardly unsure where they were supposed to go.
"Baby, don't look so scared," Annie tried so hard to hold her laughter in.
"I ain't scared," he shot her a look. "What if she fall though?"
"She ain't gone fall, just put your arm around her."
Reluctantly he wrapped one arm around Olivia.
The baby stared up at him. And after several seconds, Olivia decided she was okay with being around this strange man. She yawned and reached out to grab the front of his shirt. She pulled herself up a bit on her legs and laid down on his chest. The other tiny hand that wasn't gripping his shirt, reached around to his arm and softly started patting it.
Annie practically melted at the sight. But when she noticed Elijah's confusion on the movement she spoke up.
"She wants you to pat her back."
Elijah nodded his head in understanding and hesitantly started to pat the baby's back as gently as he could. It didn't take long for her eyes to start closing and soon enough she was asleep.
Annie watched the sight quietly, not able to look away. He was being so careful handling something so small and precious. He looked so sweet with her. It truly made Annie wonder how he would be with their kids. Maybe she wouldn't have to wait too long to find out, if they could—
"Auntie Annie!" She looked up to see the children standing in front of her. "Come play with us!"
"What y'all playing?"
"Hide and seek!"
The children immediately started pulling on her arms to make her stand up. She did and was suddenly being dragged away.
Christmas Night, 1958
Inside Elijah's apartment, the lamps cast a warm glow across the living room. The Christmas tree stood in the corner near the window. It wasn't a big tree like the one Annie has at home, but it was good enough for the both of them. They had picked it out a few weeks earlier after Annie said that he couldn't do Christmas right with no tree.
They were currently sitting on the couch, practically under each other. Annie was curled into his side and Elijah had an arm on the back of the couch behind her. They'd spent most of the evening talking about the day, like how Ray had actually gotten Elijah a gift. And now, with the day being settled, Elijah thought it was time for them to give their gifts to each other.
Annie sat up straight, excited for whatever Elijah was going to give her. Elijah reached on the table and grabbed the box. He put it in her hands and she carefully began to open.
Elijah sat back and watched as her fingers worked the ribbon loose. The anticipation on her face alone made everything worth it.
She pulled the paper away and was met with the same coat she'd been stopping to look at every single time they went to the department store downtown. It was a beautiful cream-colored wool coat that cost far too much.
"You bought me the coat?" Annie asked as she lifted it out of the box.
"You kept lookin' at it, so I figured you wanted it but wouldn't buy it for yourself since it was so expensive."
She pouted, willing herself not to be too emotional.
Then she noticed there was a small box inside. She pulled it out and noticed the way Elijah looked away from her. He had suddenly become very interested in the Christmas tree.
"What's this?"
Elijah didn't respond, just nodded to the box. So she opened it.
Inside sat a simple yet elegant gold bypass ring with two small diamonds.
"Elijah," his name came out barely above a whisper.
"It ain't an engagement ring…yet," he rubbed the back of his neck. "I just wanted yo uto have it."
"Why would you spend this much money on me?" She shook her head.
"Who else I'm supposed to spend it on?" He made a confused face as if she asked the dumbest question in the world. "I wanna take care of you, Bunny. And you need to let me without askin' about how much it cost all the time. That ain't your problem, okay?"
The tone of his voice made her body get warm. Instead of verbally answering him, she just nodded her head in fear that if she did say something it would be something that neither one expected.
Eventually she slid the ring onto her ring finger on her right hand and it was a perfect fit. But of course it was. He probably had sneakily gotten her ring size months ago.
She stared at it for several seconds before giving the kind of smile tha treached her eyes. Then she looked at him with twinkling eyes.
"I got your gift too. It's in the car 'cause I can't bring it up by myself. It's heavy."
"What'd you buy me, woman?" He raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
"You gotta go get it."
A few minutes later they were outside in the cold. Annie stood beside him in her new coat while he opened her trunk. Inside was a large gift box.
He carried it back into the apartment upstairs and set it down beside the couch.
Annie sat down on the couch and sighed as she looked at the box.
"I got this because Mama told me you didn't know what you really wanted to do, but you like workin' with your hands and fixin' things. So I'd figured you'd like this."
Elijah opened the lid to see a professional mechanic's toolkit. And it wasn't one of the cheap sets either. It was a Proto set. He ran his fingers over the polished metal while she looked on nervously.
"I picked it out myself. I did have to ask around a little for help, but I think I got the right stuff."
"You did just fine, Bunny. I really like it."
"You do?" Relief immediately washed over her face.
"Yeah."
He laughed softly the reached over and pulled her into his lap. Annie squealed at the movement. Elijah pressed a kiss to the side of her head.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome, baby."
He smiled and gave her a sweet kiss on the lips. When they pulled away Annie stared into his eyes.
"I checked your mail earlier and saw that you got a letter from your brother."
She slid off his lap, walked to the small table in the corner, and grabbed the envelope. She returned back to her spot in his lap.
"You wanna read it?"
"Don't matter," Elijah shrugged.
But Annie knew him well enough by now to know he wanted to hear it.
"I'll take that as a yes."
Carefully, she opened the envelope and pulled out several folded sheets of paper. She dramtically cleared her throat and began reading out loud.
Most of the first page was Stack just talking about anything like the people he'd met and the random arguments he'd gotten into. Though Annie had never met Stack before, she found herself smiling because it felt like she was getting a picture of him through his words. He was clearly different than Elijah. He seemed loud and reckless, but funny and charismatic.
When she got to the next page, she started reading about all the women he'd been with. She slightly lowered the paper and looked at Elijah.
"You got something to say?"
"Nope."
"You judging my brother?"
"I'm not, just seeing if this how you was."
Elijah sucked his teeth, "Woman you know me well enough to know that ain't what I do."
The next page shifted into stories about his gambling ventures and how shook several men for money. He'd become so invested in it, but it seemed to be working out for him.
"I don't think I like your twin too much," Annie shook her head.
"He's fine, just gotta let him settle in and you'll get used to him."
"Don't think I would."
"You would."
She continued reading despite her protests. Halfway through the next page she instinctively took to reading it in her head, but Elijah tried to peek at the words forcing her to go to reading it out loud again.
"How that dream girl doing? You ain't said much beside 'she's real'. If she's so real then tell me something about her. What's her name? What she do? What's she like? If she's worth writing about then you write about her. If she ain't, stop talking about her."
Annie's eyes slowly lifted. Elijah was avoiding looking directly at her, which told her everything.
She finished the rest of the letter which was mostly Stack asking questions about Baltimore and whether Elijah planned on staying there permanently, and work. Then the letter ended.
"Have you been writing about me?" Annie carefully folded the papers together.Elijah finally met her eyes.
"'Course I have. That's my twin. He know everything about me and I know everything about him. This the longest we been apart, and I had to tell him about the woman that's changed my life," the answer came easy for him.
"Can't believe you lasted this long away from him."
"I spent my whole life taking care of him. And I'd do it again. But if being apart from him now meant finding you, then I'd make that trade every time. I love you, Bunny and he should know that."
The emotion hit Annie hard. Her eyes watered as she leaned down a bit to kiss him. When she pulled back, she stayed close enough that their foreheads almost touched. Her eyes searched his and whatever she found there made her smile.
"I love you too."
Annie laughed softly at his expression.
"I'm in love with you."
His eyes lit up and the smile that spread across his face was the most brightest and boyish smile she'd ever seen him have. It was the smile he rarely showed anybody else, besides maybe Stack. Annie realized she'd never seen Elijah look happier than he did right then.
end notes: so question for the people that make it this far...when do y'all think their first time is gonna be? i, of course, know. but i'm curious when y'all think it will be. especially if you've caught all of annie's little hints that maybe's she might be more ready than we think...
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AMERICAN DREAM
soldier!smoke x virginteacher!annie
NINE.1: All You Gotta Do Is Try A Little Tenderness
previous next
cw: none
summary: the military does a lot to a man. for smoke it gives him dreams. dreams of a woman he’s never met a day in his life. all he knows is the sweet sound of her voice and the outline of her body. it’s like his soul is crying for her, but he doesn’t even know where to start looking.
notes: i'm so sorry for taking this long on this update. work was getting me bad. anyways, i went back last chapter so i can remember what age i made annie because for some reason it's not in my notes. so erm when ray said she was 26 last chapter let's just say that it was because he was getting a headstart on saying her age. anyways, on to the story!
September 7th, 1958
The afternoon sun poured through the classroom windows, making everything glow warm and golden.
It was the last lesson of the day and Annie stood at the front of the room with a piece of chalk in her hand, trying her hardest to keep twenty-something restless children focused for just a few more minutes.
It was Friday afternoon. The weekend was only moments away. Their little bodies were practically vibrating with excitement. Every few seconds somebody shifted in their seat.
Annie fought back a smile.
"Y'all can give me five more minutes," she said, tapping the chalk lightly against the board.
A few dramatic groans filled the room.
"Miss Annie," one little girl whined.
"Just a little longer."
And as she continued teaching, she noticed strange things were happening. The children kept exchanging secret little looks and whispers. A few of them kept reaching inside their desks and then quickly pulling their hands back out whenever she looked in their direction.
Her eyebrows pulled together in confusion because something was definitely going on. But before she could investigate, one of the students in the front row suddenly shot their hand into the air.
"Miss Annie!"
Annie stopped writing on the board, "Yes, baby?"
"We got a surprise for you!" The little girl bounced excitedly in her seat.
"A surprise?" she asked.
The child nodded so hard her braids bounced.
Annie looked around the room to see all the children were smiling at her. She was truly confused
"What kinda surprise?" she asked.
The children looked around at each other like they were making sure everyone was ready. Then all at once little hands dove into the openings of their desks. After grabbing what they were reaching for, they stood up. And the room exploded in noise as they all shouted happy birthday.
Annie gasped. Her hand flew to her chest so fast she almost dropped her chalk.
The children held up paper hearts. Some were cut perfectly, others looked like circles more than hearts. A few had glitter and crayon scribbles on. But every single one had something written on it.
"Oh my goodness..." Her voice cracked as she looked around, a little laugh coming out. Her eyes were starting to sting.
Her heart was entirely too full as she took in every little face. This particualr first grade class had only been with her for a month, yet somehow these babies had warmed up to her quickly.
She knew who needed help tying their shoes, who hated number and reading, the ones who always forgot their materials. And apparently they knew her too.
"You surprised me alright," she admitted.
A little girl in the back practically vibrated with excitement, "You really was surprised?!"
"I was very surprised."
The entire room erupted into cheers.
Annie's eyes were soft and full of love as she said, "I love y'all so much."
At that statement it was like she opened the floodgates. The children jumped up from their spots and rushed her. Tiny arms wrapped around any place they could touch. Some of them squeezed so hard Annie nearly lost her balance.
Annie laughed helplessly while trying to hug all of them back.
The kids started screaming about how much they loved her, how they didn't want her to get old, and saying happy birthday over and over.
In the middle of all the chaos, Lillian appeared in the doorway. Apparently, the noise from Annie's classroom had traveled down the hallway.
"Everything okay in here?" she asked.
Annie looked up from the sea of children attached to her. She was holding several of them while others continued waving their paper hearts in the air.
"They just surprised me, that's all."
One little girl turned around proudly.
"We made Miss Annie happy birthday hearts."
Lillian looked on at the most adorable sight in front of her and smiled.
"Alright now, y'all don't squeeze her too hard. She gotta make it to her actual birthday tomorrow," she said finally.
The children took that and started shouting about birthdays, cakes, presents, and ice cream. Lillian shook her head affectionately before stepping back into the hallway.
It took Annie a good while to get her classroom back under control. Every time she managed to get one child back in their seat, another one was popping up to give her one last hug or wave one of their paper hearts at her.
Eventually, after enough promises that she loved every single one of them and that she would absolutely remember their surprise forever, the children finally settled back into their desks.
The room buzzed with leftover excitement as Annie sat on the edge of her desk watching them pack up.
One of the kids stopped packing and turned to her with narrowed eyes, "Miss Annie?"
"Yes?"
"Does being twenty-six mean you're old?" the little boy tilted his head.
Several children gasped and a few looked at her concerned.
"Now why would you ask me something like that?" Annie bit her lip to keep herself from laughing.
"My mama say twenty-five is almost thirty and when you're thirty you get bad knees," the boy shrugged.
"Twenty-six ain't old," she managed to say.
The children seemed relieved.
"So you still young?"
Annie nodded, "Yes. Very young."
Thankfully, the final bell chose that exact moment to ring throughout the building. As they filed toward the door, many of them stopped beside her to give her a goodbye.
The room slowly emptied until the last child finally disappeared through the doorway.
Annie smiled softly before walking back toward her desk.
Usually she'd throw everything into a bag and grade it at home, but not today. Since tomorrow was her birthday, she had no intention of spending any part of the weekend hunched over papers. So, she settled into her chair and got to work.
The next hour passed and the school gradually emptied around her. When she finished, she stretched her arms above her head and groaned softly. She packed everything away, making sure to take extra care of the little paper hearts.
After checking her classroom one last time, Annie switched off the lights and headed outside. The late afternoon air felt warm against her skin. She walked across the parking lot toward her car. The bright yelowl paint practically glowed in the sunlight.
She unlocked the door and loaded her things into the back seat. Then she slid in behind the steering wheel. A moment later she pulled out of the parking lot and headed home.
The entire ride home was a bit shorter than usual but it put Annie in an even better mood.
When she pulled onto her street, the late afternoon sun was beginning to soften into evening. The neighborhood was alive. Children were still playing outside, people sat on their front stoops, and music was playing from an open window.
Annie eased her yellow car into her usual parking spot along the curb in front of the house. She gathered her purse, her grading bag, her lunch container, and her students' paper hearts before climbing out.
"Hey, Little Annie!"
She looked over and saw Mr. Jenkins and his wife sitting on their stoop across the street.
"Hey, Mr. Jenkins."
"How was work?"
"It was good."
"You ready for your birthday tomorrow?"
Annie smiled wide at the couple, "It seems like everybody's ready."
Mr. Jenkins laughed, " That's 'cause Annette been reminding people about it all week."
Annie rolled her eyes.
Mrs. Jenkins smiled.
"Happy birthday, baby."
"Thank you."
After another minute of chatting, Annie finally headed inside the house. She pushed the front door open, the familiar smell of food greeted her.
"Mama?" Annie called.
"In the kitchen."
Annie followed the sound of her grandmother's voice and sure enough, Mama Nette stood at the stove with an apron tied around her waist. Annie dropped her things on a nearby chair before leaning over and pressing a kiss against her grandmother's cheek.
"Hey, baby."
"Hey."
"How was work?" her grandmother patted
Annie's face lit up.
"The kids did the cutest thing ever," She started digging through her bag. "They made me birthday paper hearts."
She pulled out several of them and spread them across the kitchen table.
Mama Nette turned from the stove long enough to look. A soft smile graced her face. The hearts were covered in drawings and messages.
"Well ain't that just sweet? This class must really love you."
Annie nodded her head as she sat down at the kitchen table. She kicked off one heel th the table and stretched her legs, "I guess they really do. They're really an interesting group. One of them asked me if turning twenty-six meant I was old."
Mama Nette let out a laugh that echoed through the kitchen, "What'd you tell 'em?"
"I told them twenty-six ain't old."
"'Cause it ain't. But it is grown."
"I guess," Annie hummed.
Despite turning twenty-six tomorrow, there were still moments where she felt seventeen or twelve…or seven. There were still times she wanted somebody else to make decisions for her.
The conversation faded and the kitchen grew quiet for a few moments. The only sounds came from the food cooking and the occasional clink of utensils.
Annie leaned back in her chair while Mama Nette stirred a pot. Then, without turning around, she spoke.
"You been spending a lot of time with Elijah lately."
Annie already knew where this conversation was headed. Still, she answered casually.
"Well, we're together now. So…" She trailed off.
"Mhm."
"You know that."
"I know."
Annie eyed the back of her grandmother's head suspiciously, but Mama Nette kept cooking.
"You two together just about every day."
Now that they had finally gotten past their argument and officially started courting, it felt natural. If she wasn't at work, there was a good chance she was with Elijah. If she wasn't with Elijah, she was probably thinking about him. And she knew he was the same way.
Annie shrugged, "I just like seeing him. Is that hard to believe?"
"Mhm."
The hum was getting on Annie's nerves now.
Mama Nette stirred something again.
"You been spending a lot of time at his apartment too."
Annie narrowed her eyes.
Her grandmother never brought up something unless she was headed somewhere with it. Over the past few weeks Annie had splent plenty of time there. She'd be there after work and on weekends. Some Saturdays she'd stay almost the entire day. They would watch television, cook together, talk, listen to records, read, and sometimes she'd fall asleep on his couch. But every single time, she'd always gone home and her grandmother knew that. Which meant she was fishing.
Annie sighed loudly, "For your information, we don't be doing anything."
"I ain't say y'all did."
"You was trying to."
"I wasn't trying to do nothing."
Mama Nette finally glanced over her shoulder with a tiny smile tugging at her lips.
"Well you saying it like I'm doing something."
"Are you?"
"You know I'm not!"
"Mhm," Mama Nette turned back toward the stove.
The sound only made Annie more irritated.
"I'm not doing this with you," Annie immediately started gathering her things. "I'm going upstairs."
Before her grandmother could say anything else, Annie grabbed her bag and headed toward the stairs. She could hear Mama Nette chuckling behind her as she climbed each step.
A grumble came out as she disappeared into her room and shut the door behind her.
The next morning, Annie was pulled from sleep by the sound of a gentle knock against her bedroom door.
She groaned softly and buried her face deeper into her pillow. For a few seconds she debated pretending she hadn't heard it, but then another knock came.
"Come in," she called sleepily.
The door opened slowly and Mama Nette stepped inside carrying a plate in one hand. She had a smile on her face and was humming as soon as she entered the room.
The familiar tune instantly wrapped around Annie. It was a song she'd heard her entire life and it always proved that she was loved.
Annie sat up slowly against her pillows as her grandmother approached the bed.
On the plate sat a large homemade cinnamon roll covered in icing with a single lit candle right in the center. The flame danced softly in the morning light.
Mama Nette sat carefully on the edge of the bed and finished the last few lines of the song.
"Happy birthday, baby."
"Thank you."
Mama Nette held the plate toward her.
"Make a wish."
Annie looked down at the candle.
Somehow she was twenty-six now. It felt strange.
She remembered being a little girl wishing she could hurry up and become grown. Now she was grown. She had a job she loved, friends who loved her, and a man that she was actually falling in love with. Her life wasn't perfect, but it was hers.
Annie closed her eyes and made her wish. Then she leaned forward and blew the candle out. The tiny flame disappeared and Mama smiled at her.
Her grandmother set the plate on the bedside table before standing. Then a mischievous smile appeared on her face and she folded her arms.
"I got a surprise downstairs."
"What kind?"
"If I tell you it ain't a surprise," Her grandmother laughed. "So get decent and take your time."
Mama Nette headed toward the door and disappeared down the hall.
The second the door closed Annie reached for the cinnamon roll. The icing was still warm and that first bite made her groan. No bakery had ever made one that tasted better.
She ate it quickly while trying to guess what the surprise could possibly be. When she finished, her curiosityy was eating her alive. She threw on her robe, slipped her feet into house shoes, and hurried out of her room. The smell of breakfast drifted up from downstairs.
Annie gripped the banister and quickly descended the stairs. She followed the faint sounds coming from the dining room.
The second she stepped through the doorway she stopped. Elijah was in the middle of the dining room holding a huge bouquet of flowers in one arm and a beautifully wrapped box in the other. He looked up at the exact moment she entered.
Annie let out the loudest squeal of excitement and before he could even react she was moving across the floor. He had to hold the flowers out so they wouldn't get crushed as she practically launched herself at him.
"Good morning to you too, Bunny."
She wrapped both arms around his neck and squeezed him tightly. So tightly he had to adjust the gifts in his hands.
"You're here! You weren't supposed to be here yet!"
"I know."
Annie hugged him even tighter. Her excitement was impossible to contain.
"I thought I wasn't seeing you until later."
Elijah finally shifted the flowers enough to wrap one arm around her waist. His hand settled against her back.
"There was no way I was lettin' your birthday start without seeing you."
Annie's smile grew. Her heart felt so full she thought she might float away.
Elijah looked at her. Despite how she looked with her robe, still rolled hair, and a just woke up face, he thought she looked absolutely beautiful. He pressed a gentle kiss against her cheek before lowering his mouth close to her ear.
"Happy birthday, Bunny." His voice was low, warm, and just for her.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Annie loosened her grip around Elijah's neck and stepped back. She really took a look at the flowers in his hand. The giant bouquet was full of flowers in warm shades of cream, pink, and yellow.
"They're beautiful."
"Even more than you."
Annie sucked her teeth and lightly pushed his arm.
Elijah set the bouquet carefully in the center of the dining room table before placing the gift box directly in front of Annie. Her eyes dropped to it.
"Open it."
Annie looked up, "Right now?"
"You think I wrapped it up for tomorrow?" Elijah raised an eyebrow.
"Okay," she laughed.
Sliding into one of the dining room chairs, Annie carefully pulled the box closer. She untied the ribbon and lifted the lid. Inside there were two smaller boxes.
Elijah stood beside her chair with one hand resting against the back of it while the other settled on the edge of the table. He watched her with the kind of attention that made her feel like she was the only person in the room.
Annie reached for the smaller box and carefully opened it. Nestled against the soft velvet fabric was a beautiful pearl necklace. These weren't imitation pearls of costume jewelry, this was the real thing. The creamy white pearls glowed softly in the morning sunlight coming through the dining room windows.
Elijah watched Annie's face as she lifted the necklace up. The wonder in her eyes made the money spent well worth it.
She gently touched it with her fingertips then slowly looked up at him.
"You really bought this for me?"
"Bunny, who else would I buy it for?"
She shook her head in disbelief and looked back down at the necklace. It was far too beautiful and probably far too expensive. She placed the necklace back into the box before setting it down and reaching for the second one.
The second gift was a gorgeous pair of red heels. The color was rich and the leather was smooth. The heel wasn't too high, but it was just high enough.
She turned them around in her hands to admire every angle. They were exactly the kind of shoes she'd stop and admire in a store window but would never actually buy for herself.
Annie looked between the necklace and the shoes then back at him.
"You spent way too much money on me."
"It's your birthday and you're worth it," Elijah shrugged. "Do you like them?"
The warmth in her eyes answered before she could. Annie instantly nodded.
"I love them. Thank you," her voice came out way softer than she intended.
"You're welcome, Bunny."
He leaned down and his lips brushed against hers in a soft, sweet kiss. It made her smile before they even pulled away from each other.
When he did pull back, Annie frowned up at him.
"What?" he looked at her with slightly suspicious eyes.
"That's it? That's the only kiss I get on my birthday?"
His eyebrows rose up as he apologized, "I'm sorry. You want another one."
She nodded very seriously, "I do."
Elija leaned down again, but this kiss lasted a little longer than the last. The kiss still being very surface level, not wanting to go too far in the presence of her grandmother. It was more like a drawn out peck than anything.
When they pulled back for the second time, Annie smiled wide. Then, Elijah pulled out the chair beside Annie and sat down. Mama Nette came in from the kitchen carrying plates, the smell alone made Annie's stomach growl. That cinnamon roll had done little to help her hunger.
The plates were stacked with bacon, eggs, biscuits, grits, and fruit. It was more than enough food to feed three people. Elijah even helped to bring some of the plates into the dining room. Together they set everything on the table, then sat down.
For a while they simply ate with easy conversation flowing every now and then. Mama Nette would ask Elijah about work or Elijah asked Annie about the school. Mama Nette caught them up on the latest news she got from her older friends from all over the block.
After breakfast finally came to an end, Annie gathered up everyone's plates before either of them could stop her.
"Birthday girl ain't supposed to be cleaning," Elijah told her as she stacked dishes in her arms.
"And birthday girl don't want dishes sitting around all morning," Annie shot back.
Mama Nette waved her hand, "Let her do it. She hardheaded."
Annie rolled her eyes but couldn't stop grinning as she disappeared into the kitchen. A few minutes later she returned to the dining room with her hands freshly washed. The smile on her face faded away when she noticed Elijah standing up looking as if he was going to leave.
His jacket was in his hand and he looked suspiciously like a man preparing to leave.
"What you doing?"
Elijah looked over at her, "Going to work."
"What?" Annie stopped walking.
"I gotta go in for a little while."
Her face scrunched up and a pout appeared so quick, "But it's my birthday."
The words came out so dramatic that even Mama Nette rolled her eyes from her chair.
Elijah opened his mouth then immediately closed it because Annie's pout somehow got worse.
"Bunny."
"It's my birthday and you're leavin'." She walked across the room and grabbed his hand.
"I'm coming back. I'm only going in for a few hours. A car been givin' one of the boys trouble for some days now."
"So?" Annie let out a huff and narrowed her eyes.
"So I told him I'd help."
"But it's my birthday."
"You done said that four times," Elijah shook his head at how dramatic his woman could be.
He truly loved this woman. The longer they spent together the more she showed him parts of herself she kept hidden ffrom other people. Most people saw the sweet, patient, kind side of Annie. And she was still all of that, but he also got to see the stubborn, dramatic, and spoiled side of Annie. And he loved it.
"'Cause you keep ignorin' the important part of it being my birthday."
He stepped closer and gently squeezed her hand.
"I'll be back before your party."
"You promise?"
"I promise."
Annie looked unconvinced.
"Bunny."
She sighed dramatically, "Fine. But I'm still upset."
"I'll make it up to you."
"You better."
He leaned down and kissed her forehead, then her cheek, then finally her lips. The kisses were so gentle they made Annie forget what she was complaining about in the first place.
Finally, Annie walked him to the front door.
When they got outside, she grabbed his arm.
"You're really leaving me now?"
"Annette."
The use of her first name and not her nickname made Annie concede to him.
"This wasn't long enough."
"I'll see you later, baby. Calm down, okay?"
She sighed and let go of his arm. They stared at each other long enough for Annie to nod and step back.
Annie stood on the stoop and watched as he got in his car and drove away. Only then did she head back inside.
The moment she stepped into the living room Mama Nette looked up from her position on the couch.
"I'm bout sick of you and that man. Glad he had to leave for work or else y'all woulda been annoying me all damn day."
Annie frowned, "Mama, you always being mean to me. It's my birthday, leave us alone."
"Girl gone on."
Annie shook her head and headed upstairs. Once inside her room, she officially started getting ready for the day.
If she was being honest, she wasn't planning on sitting in the house until her party.
She opened her closet and looked through her dresses. After several minutes she finally settled on her favorite yellow one. The bright sunny color made her smile every time she wore it. The dress cinched perfectly at her waist before flaring out around her knees when she moved. The fitted bodice highlighted her lush curves beautifully, especially her chest, while the skirt gave her room to move comfortably.
It was feminine, bright, and fun. Which was exactly how she wanted to feel for the day.
She carefully did her hair, applied a little makeup, and added some perfume. Then stepped back from her mirror only to see that she was practically glowing.
Feeling pleased with herself, she headed downstairs to the phone. She wasn't spending the few hours she had before the party alone, especially after Elijah left her. So she called Monica first.
"Monica?"
"Hey birthday girl."
"Are you dressed?"
"Yes, but for what? The party's not till later."
"Not really thinkin' too mucha bout the party right now. I want to be out, so come get me."
"Fine, but you better be ready since you callin' tryin' to make all kinds of demands and things."
"I'm ready. You just come on."
After hanging up with Monica she called the rest of the group to inform them of her spontaneous plans for the day.
Since she had a little time before they arrived, she spent it putting on jewelry and fixing the tiny details.
Every few minutes she checked the clock, then the window, then the clock again. Eventually she heard a car horn outside and she nearly tripped herself by quickly stepping downstairs. She hurried out the front door to the familiar blue car that sat parked along the curb.
Monica was behind the wheel, Michelle sat in the passenger seat, and Lillian was in the back.
The second they spotted Annie coming down the walkway, all three women started hollering. Lillian even whistled out of the window.
Monica leaned halfway out the window.
"Oh you cute girl."
"Real cute," Michelle nodded approvingly.
Annie climbed into the car, and the second the door shut, Monica pulled away from the curb taking them to the direction of Annie's favorite dress shop.
They drove down to Pennsylvania Avenue. The city moving in streaks of color through the car windows as Monica navigated through traffic. The storefronts were getting more clustered and lively.
Eventually, Monica found a parking spot near a row of boutiques and eased the car to a stop. The dress shop was nestled between a salon and a small jewelry store. The windows of the shop were wide, displaying mannequins dressed in everything from elegant evening wear to casual day to day.
All four ladies got out at once, the sound of the car doors slamming blanding into the busy city noise around them. Annie smoothed her dress down as they walked up to the entrance.
The bell above the door chimed when they stepped inside. Cool air hit them, along with the faint smell of fabric, perfume, and polished wood floors.
Instantly, they all split up, taking different areas of the store to cover plenty of ground. Annie slowly wandered between racks of dresses, fingers brushing fabric as she passed. She was just lifting a pale blue dress off the rack when Monica’s voice cut through the aisle.
“So Annie, what you doing after the party?”
Annie’s eyebrows pulled together. “The party probably gone be going on late. I was just gonna go up to sleep after.”
Monica hummed like she didn’t believe her. She continued flipping through dresses without looking up.
“So you really don't have nothing planned,” she asked.
“No. Should I?” Annie frowned.
Monica finally glanced up for half a second, then went right back to the rack.
“I figured you and Elijah was gonna want some alone time.”
Annie blinked, “We saw each other this morning.”
“I’m already tired of talking in circles. You giving it up tonight?” Monica made a small sound, unimpressed.
Annie let out a breath that sounded half disbelief, half embarrassment. She turned away, grabbing another dress off the rack like she suddenly needed something to do with her hands.
“No, I'm still not doing any of that tonight,” she said finally.
Monica’s head tilted slightly. “And why not?”
"Because I don't want to," Annie's grip tightened on the hanger.
“But y'all have been together for a long while now,” Lillian slid in.
Annie shook her head quickly, “It ain't been that long. It's barely been a month since we made it official.”
“Y'all leave her alone. If she says she ain't ready, she ain't ready,” Michelle stepped in calmly.
Monica exhaled through her nose like she was holding back something more blunt. “I’m just saying, Annie been saying she not ready for years.”
“Some people waiting ain't a crime. I waited till I married Tommy,” Michelle cut her eyes at Monica.
“That’s different. You and Tommy been together since y'all were sixteen and got married a few years later. Annie over here almost thirty and still ain’t even rub one out go—”
“Monica,” Annie said sharply. She looked around, lowering her voice even more, “Can we stop talking about this?”
Monica held her gaze for a second, then nodded once, “Alright, I’ll let it go.”
Annie exhaled. “Thank you.”
“Mhm.”
The tension eased just slightly as they all went back to browsing, the moment settling into awkward quiet. Annie tried to focus on the dresses again, brushing through fabrics with slower hands now, her earlier excitement dulled by the conversation.
Across the aisle, Michelle’s voice suddenly lifted.
“Look at what I found.”
All three turned to look at her to see Michelle was holding up a dress from the rack, stepping back so they could see it better.
The dress was gorgeous. It was a rich deep red that caught the eye without being overly flashy. The sleeves stopped just above the elbows, while the skirt flowed outward in a soft swing shape that would move beautifully whenever she walked or danced. The hem hit a few inches above the knee.
But what really caught Annie's attention was the neckline. The curve dipped lower than anything she normally wore. It was just enough to highlight her chest and collarbone.
Michelle grinned at her, "What you think?"
"I think I know exactly what to wear with this," Annie reached out and touched the fabric.
A short while later the dress was purchased, neatly folded into a large shopping bag, and the four women were heading back toward Monica's car. Once everyone climbed inside, Monica started the engine.
Everyone had reached the point where shopping had turned into hunger.
They pulled away from the curb and headed down the street. They'd only been driving a few minutes when Annie spotted realized they were heading down the same street that her uncle's garage was on.
"Can we stop up here for a while?"
All the ladies followed her finger that was pointing up the street to Ray's garage. When they realized where and why she was pointing, Lillian groaned.
"You're gonna see that man in a few hours."
"And it's my birthday," Annie said.
Lillian shook her head, but eventually the women gave in. Mostly because they knew Annie would be insufferable otherwise.
Monica turned into the lot and parked near the front of the garage. Annie got out of the car and was instantly greeted with the sounds of tools clanking and men talking. The smell of oil and grease was prominent in the air. The large doors were wide open, and a few cars filled the different bays.
When she actually stepped inside and people spotted her they greeted her happily. A whistle from somewhere deeper in the garage sounded out as they all wished her happy birthday.
She kept going until she spotted Ray near one of the lifts.
"Uncle Ray!"
Ray looked up and the second he saw her his face lit up, "Well look at my birthday girl."
Annie smiled and walked over. Once she reached him, Ray wrapped her up in a tight hug.
"Happy birthday, Sweet Pea."
"Thank you, Uncle Ray."
When he pulled away he looked her over and his eyebrows rose.
"You look beautiful today."
"Thank you," Then she tilted her head. "You still coming tonight?"
"Of course I'm coming," Ray looked offended.
"I was just asking," she laughed
"I'm getting there right when it starts. I gotta make sure the shop gets closed up right. Clara should already be over at the house helping you grandmother and them set everything up."
Annie nodded as her eyes drifted around without meaning too. After several seconds Annie casually asked, "So...where's Elijah?"
Ray's face went stoic at the mention of his employee, "He in the back taking a break.
She tried to keep her face neutral, "Okay, I'll go talk to him for a little while. I'll see you later."
"Alright, Sweet Pea."
She turned and headed toward the back of the garage where the small break room was tucked away behind the amin work area. The further she walked, the quieter it became. She reached the doorway then carefully peeked inside.
Elijah was sitting at a small table against the wall, leaning back in his chair while eating a sandwich and drinking from a bottle of soda. His work shirt sleeves were rolled up to his forearms and there were faint grease stains across his shirt from the day. He looked tired from working since leaving her house earlier that morning.
He looked up to see her standing in the doorway. His entire face changed and his eyebrows shot up.
"Bunny?"
"Hi."
For a moment he just stared at her because he genuinely hadn't expected to see her until later that night. A slight slow smile spread across his face.
"Now what you doin' here?" He set his sandwich down and wiped his hands with a rag before holding one hand out toward her. "C'mere."
Annie didn't need to be told twice. She walked across the room and slipped her hand into his. His fingers immediately closed around hers.
"I thought you would be out having some birthday fun before your party."
"I am."
"Mm," He squeezed her hand. "Then why you down here botherin' hardworking people?"
Annie laughed.
"Me and the girls were just passing by. They're out there waitin' in the car."
Elijah's eyes slowly traveled over her, lingering on the way the dress perfectly cinched her waist before flowing over the curve of her hips. The skirt of it flared out around her knees, and his gaze found its way back to her face.
"You look absolutely gorgeous."
"Thank you."
Elijah kept holding her hand. Neither one seemed particularly interested in letting go. And for a few moments they simply looked at each other in a comfortable silence.
Then Annie glanced down to the chair, and more specifically Elijah's lap. Her eyes flicked back up to him then down again.
Elijah followed her gaze and quickly understood what she wanting.
Annie smoothed her hands over the front of her dress almost like she was prepapring herself to sit.
"Hold on. I don't want to ruin your pretty birthday dress."
Before she could argue, he leaned over and grabbed an old clean towel from the table beside him. He unfolded and spread it across his lap.
"Alright, come on."
Annie's smile brightened.
It was such a little thing, but it was exactly the kind of thing Elijah always did. He was always trying to take care of her even in situations where she didn't think it mattered.
She smoothed her dress one more time before easing down on his lap.
Elijah adjusted himself to make sure she was comfortable. His arm hovered behind her to keep her steady while trying not to touch her.
But Annie noticed and she didn't quite like it.
"You know you can touch me, right?"
"Can't. My hands too dirty."
Annie rolled her eyes and settled against him anyway.
"What were y'all doin' on this side of town anyway?" He finally asked.
"We were goin' shopping."
"Y'all always shoppin'. What you was lookin' for?"
"The dress for my party."
"You ain't wearing this one?" His eyebrows lifted.
"This ain't no party dress, Elijah."
"Could've fooled me."
"Well it ain't"
He hummed.
His eyes slowly moved over her for the third time. He was taking her all in, from the weight of her body in his lap to the way her chest rose and fell with each breath. Elijah slightly shifted his legs as he tried to think about anything other than what it would feel like to have her sit on him in other ways.
Annie felt herself getting warm from his stare.
"Stop looking at me like that."
He cleared his throat as he looked away.
"So what dress you get?"
"A pretty red one that I can wear with my new birthday gifts."
Annie reached over and unconciously straightened the collar of his work shirt.
Elijah watched her do it. His heart doing funny flips in his chest.
"I can't wait to see it."
Annie felt her cheeks warm as butterflies exploded in her stomach. After another few minutes she glanced toward the door.
"I should probably go. My friends are waitin' for me."
Elijah sighed.
"Elijah."
"Bunny."
Eventually she stood and he stood right after her. They walked back through the garage together with Elijah staying close behind her.
The closer they got to the front, her smile grew. When they reached Monica's car, Annie felt refreshed and happy. She was practically glowing.
Elijah opened the car door for her. Annie smiled up at him before climbing inside.
The other three women looked at him with smirks on their faces.
"Hey Elijah," they practically called at the same time.
"Afternoon ladies," He looked back at Annie. "I'll see you tonight."
She nodded.
Then Elijah leaned into the car, only planning to give her one quick kiss as a goodbye. heir lips met softly, but when he started pulling away, Annie grabbed his shirt. She leaned forward and kissed him again, holding it a little longer this time.
Elijah let out the tiniest chuckle against her lips before returning the kiss. Annie looked entirely too pleased with herself when they separated.
"See you tonight, Bunny," Elijah shook his head, then shut he door.
Monica cranked the engine and the second the car started moving she looked at Annie in the mirror, "Ain't ready yet my ass."
After leaving the garage, the four women went and got lunch. They spent nearly two hours sitting in a little restaurant laughing and talking. Once they were finished eating, they headed back to Annie's neighborhood for the party.
People were moving around everywhere when they pulled up in front of the house. Her uncle Marcus was carrying a table with Christian helping him. Marcus's girlfriend was arranging decorations on one of the tables. People moved in and out of the house carrying things.
Ever since she was a little girl every year was the same. Her birthday had always been some type of celebration. Sometimes it would only be family, sometimes, family and friends, and even a few times, like this year, the whole neighborhood would come together.
The second Annie climbed out of the car, she heard the calls from several people.
"The birthday girl finally decided to come help?"
Annie laughed as she moved to help someone with a box of things.
For the next couple of hours she worked right alongside everybody else, helping to put things together. She carried things back and forth until her feet started hurting. Eventually her grandmother sent her on to get ready for the night.
She spent time getting ready. She first ran herself a bath, the warm water helped soothe her aching feet after she had been running around all afternoon and morning. Afterward, she dried off and got dressed.
The red dress fit her perfectly. It hugged her waist before flaring outward. The color made her skin glow.
Once she finished getting dressed she proceeded to do her makeup lightly. Then she touched up her hair, making sure her curls fell just right. She put on her new pearl necklace and the matching earrings. Then she slipped into the newly gifted red heels.
She looked absolutely radiant.
The party had just started, so she could hear the sound of music drifted through her bedroom window.
As she headed down the stairs she found Mama Nette standing in the hallway waiting.
The older woman turned and looked her up and down. She put her hands on her hips and shook her head.
"Now look at you little Miss hot thing."
Annie chuckled and wrapped her arms around the older woman. Her grandmother hugged her back tightly. They pulled back and headed for the front door, where the music was louder.
When Annie stepped outside, the street exploded with dozens of cheers and voices screaming happy birthday. The entire street was packed from corner to corner with family, friends, neighbors, church members, and even people she didn't quite know that well.
Annie was just smiling at all of the praise. She waved, thanking everyone as she started down the stoop stairs.
And waiting at he bottom of the stairs was her man. His hand extended out to her, eyes locked on her. Annie bit her lip to hold back the even larger smile that was threatening to take over her face.
"Thank you, baby."
She placed her hand in his and he helped her down, making sure her heels didn't catch on anything. He held on even as her feet touched the sidewalk.
His eyes traveled over the pearls, the dress, the heels, then back to her face.
"Good Lord woman. You are the most beautiful woman I ever seen in my life."
Her face softened.
"You like it?"
"Woman don't you ever ask me nothing like that," he genuinely looked offended.
Before she could respond, Elijah leaned in and their lips met. When they pulled back from each other, Annie squeezed his hand.
"I gotta go speak to people."
He nodded so she started to walk away, but he followed.
Annie spent half an hour making her way through the crowd. Every few feet somebody stopped her to talk. When she was finished with one conversation, someone else wanted to start another.
The entire time Elijah stayed close by with one hand tucked into his pocket while the other occasionally rested against the small of her back whenever things got a little too crowded.
Annie introduced him to so many people she couldn't even keep track. Each introduction did something to Elijah. They made his chest puff up in pride. Even though his face didn't show it, his body language proved that he loved every part of it.
At one point they stopped by a group from church and the ladies were fussing over Annie's dress. Then they started fussing over Elijah and the two of them. They started talking about how they hadn't seen much of the two in the last few weeks. Elijah let Annie do most of the talking, not wanting to say the wrong thing to the older women. He never cared about what the peopl of the church said when it concerned him and Annie, but Annie always had the right words to settle anything that did come up.
Just like how she managed to smoothly change the topic when one of the women brough up marriage and children. The women had no boundaries. Eventually they escaped before the ladies could get any more ideas.
As they went back to wandering through the crowd, Annie spotted her grandmother sitting in a shaded area underneath a big tree. Several older men and women from the neighborhood sat around her in chairs.
Elijah followed her toward the table. As they approached the area, Mama Nette calmed her laughing and waved them closer.
"Good, y'all made y'all way over here. Come here Annie."
That tone made Annie instantly suspicious.
The older woman reached beside her chair and grabbed a cup. It was filled a little over halfway with a clear liquid. And by the way the smell hit her, Annie knew wha it was.
"Mama, I don't want that." Annie's face scrunched up.
"You better take this cup 'cause I ain't raise you to be no pussy cat."
Annie reluctantly accepted the cup and with the ligquid being so close the smell got even stronger. Her head jerked back as the scent practically smacked her in the face.
"It stinks."
The old folks laughed hard.
"Well, it ain't supposed to smell pretty. That's how you know it's that good shine," The older woman turned toward Elijah. "You make sure she drinks all that."
Elijah looked down at the cup then back at Annie. His eyebrows slowly lifted as he realized how strong it probably was. At that moment, he understood Annie's reaction.
Mama Nette lifted her own cup.
"You want some?" Mama Nette lifted her cup.
Elijah shook his head, "No ma'am."
"You sure?"
"Yes ma'am."
The entire table laughed at the look on his face. He looked like a man that wanted no parts of whatever she had given Annie.
Annie took the tiniest sip imaginable, and her entire face twisted up at the taste. She stuck her tongue out in disgust. She looked absolutely horrified.
"How y'all even drinking this mess?"
Mama Nette waved her hand.
"How 'bout you just keep on drinking."
Annie stared at her grandmother for a bit, then turned to Elijah. She grabbed his arm and pulled him away knowing that if they stayed any longer she would be two cups deep.
The party went on as the sun disappeared, leaving the street lit only by porch lights, strings of hanging bulbs, and the occasional headlights from cars parked along the curb.
Any children that were there had been rounded up and sent home. Now it was just the adults. People were dancing and laughing joyfully in the middle of the street.
At some point her friends had managed to corner her near the food tables during one of the moments where her and Elijah were separated. Their conversation quickly turned into a drinking competition. They forced her to finish the cup of mooshine, and then gave another cup of something else.
And now, hours later, Annie was definitely feeling it. Her body was warm and everything seemed funnier than normal. She felt absolutely wonderful.
Elijah noticed this change in her a while ago and hadn't left her side. One of his hands remained firmly planted against the middle of her back as they moved through the crowd. He wanted to make sure she was steady in those pretty new heels of hers.
Annie took a sip from another cup of liquor and Elijah looked over at her.
"Bunny."
She looked at him so innocently, "Hm?"
"You need to slow down."
"What for? I'm fine."
"I'm serious. That stuff's strong," Elijah didn't look too convinced.
"I promise that I'm alright."
But before he could say anything else, the song ended and rolled over into the next one. The crowd cheered as the singer started performing My Babe by Little Walter.
Annie's face lit up and before Elijah knew what was happening, she grabbed his hand and was pulling him toward the middle of the street.
"Bunny—"
"I wanna dance, Elijah."
The crowd parted enough to let them through. Annie stopped them right in the middle of the moving crowd. She wrapped her arms around Elijah's neck pulling him close to her.
The movement caught Elijah slightly off guard. He knew she'd had a good amount to drink but he didn't think she'd had enough to make her this loose. So instead of wrapping his arms around her, he hesitated. And of course Annie noticed.
Her eyes narrowed as she grabbed both of his hands and pulled back from him.
"You don't wanna dance with me?"
The confusion in her voice made Elijah's eyebrows rise.
"I ain't say that," He genuinely looked surprised. "I wanna do whatever you wanna do."
"Then why ain't you touchin' me?" She tilted her head. "You scared or somethin'?"
"Naw, I ain't scared," Elijah grumbled.
"Then what is it?"
"Tonight just a little different is all," Elijah glanced down at the cup in her hand then back up at her. "You been drinkin' a lot and you not actin' like yourself."
Annie stared at him for a second, then lifted her cup in the air for emphasis, "All 'cause of this?"
Elijah looked at her and nodded.
Without warning she tipped her head back and finished the rest. She made a face as the good bit of the liquid that was left burned on it's way down. She handed the now empty cup off to a random man that was walking past.
Annie turned back to Elijah with her arms out, "See, no more drink. I'm just fine."
Then she stepped forward and reached for his hands. She guided them to her waist, and pressed them firmly against her. She moved close until there was no space left between them. She smiled triumphantly at their position.
The singer's voice drifted through the air and the crowd moved around them. People were dancing smoothly to the music. But all Elijah saw was her. Happiness was written all over her face and stamped into her body.
He finally relaxed and wrapped his arms around her properly. One hand settled against the middle of her back and the other rested at her waist. A slight smile graced his face as they started to sway to the beat of the song.
The music rolled from one song to the next as they stayed in each other's embrace. And for a while Annie had been dancing and singing along normally to the songs. She laughed whenever Elijah spun her around, waved at people passing by, and stopped every now and then to hug somebody who wanted to tell her happy birthday. But as the night wore on, Elijah could see the moonshine catching up to her.
Her movements became slower, her words became fewer, and every time Elijah looked into her eyes they were glassier than before. She was more affectionate and clingy. Whenever they danced she seemed determined to stay as close to him as possible. Every time he tried to give her some space she'd somehow end up right back against him.
She would giggle at things that weren't particularly funny. Then she started staring at him for long stretches of time.
Elijah rubbed his hand up and down her back, "Bunny?"
"Hm?" she had the happiest little smile on her face.
"You wanna sit down for a while?"
Annie blinked at him clearly trying to process the question.
"What?"
"I asked if you wanna sit down for a little?"
She tilted her head, "...Maybe."
Before he could convince her to take a break, a familiar voice called out. Elijah turned to see Michelle, Tommy, and Lillian approaching them. Michelle had two small plastic cups in her hand.
"We about to take some shots. You want one?"
Annie nodded immediately. Her head going a little too enthusiastically, "Mmhm."
Elijah's eyes narrowed as he watched the exchange. The look on his face practically screamed 'hell no'. Before Annie could grab it, Elijah reached over took the cup himself.
"She don't need anymore."
Annie frowned.
"I can drink it."
"Bunny."
"I can."
Tommy shook his head as he watched Annie sway where she stood.
Annie reached around Elijah and managed to grab the cup from his hands. And to her surprise no one stopped her.
Elijah was still eyeing her, "I don't think you should drink anymore, tonight."
"I think I should."
The stubbornness in her voice sounded exactly like sober Annie. The difference was sober Annie usually stood upright while arguing. Drunk Annie was currently leaning halfway into him.
Elijah sighed.
Michelle handed another cup to Lillian and the women gathered together. All three of them lifted their cups. They cheersed as they clinked their cups together. Then they drank them. Annie squeezed her eyes shut at the taste.
Elijah rubbed a hand down his face. At least she hadn't gotten another full cup.
A few seconds later Tommy checked his watch, then wrapped an arm around Michelle's shoulders.
"We finna head out."
Michelle nodded.
Elijah looked over and nodded his head at Lillian, "How they getting home?"
"CJ driving her and Monica in Monica's car."
Elijah nodded, "Alright."
Everybody said their goodbyes and last happy birthdays. Then they headed toward their cars.
The party continued on around them. Someone had started another card game near one of the tables. A group of older women were singing loudly from their folding chairs.
But Annie was officially beyond drunk now. And that was emphasized by the way she was standing there staring directly at his face for no reason.
"Bunny, why you looking at me like that?"
"You just so pretty," Annie smiled dreamily. "You got real pretty eyes."
"See that's enough we sitting down," she didn't argue when he grabbed her hand which worried him just a bit because Annie always argued. Instead she just smiled and followed him willingly while he guided her toward the outer edges of the party.
Elijah led them back over to the large tree that her grandmother was sitting under. He helped her down into an empty chair next to the older woman.
The party was starting to thin out considerably. A few people were still dancing, sitting around, talking, and playing cards, but most of the people were gone for the night.
Annie practically melted into Elijah the second she sat down. Her head leaned against his side and one of her hands gripped tightly onto the fabric of his shirt. Elijah put an arm around her shoulders to steady her. Annie hummed happily.
Mama Nette watched the pair over the rim of her cup. She shook her head at how drunk the younger woman was.
"It'd probably be best if she head on upstairs," she stated after taking a sip from her cup.
Elijah looked down at Annie to see she was struggling to stay awake. Every few seconds she would blink slower and slower. Then she'd catch herself. He gently pushed some fallen hair back from her face.
"Bunny, I'm gonna take you upstairs so you can get in bed."
Annie stared at him.
"Okay."
The response came so easily Elijah knew she was exhausted. She let him help her up., and he steadied her when she wobbled on her feet.
She giggled at herself just then, "I almost fell."
"I see."
He put an arm around her waist and she clung to him instantly. He led her toward the house which was luckily only a few feet away.
Some people nearby called out variations of goodnight and happy birthday as they passed by. Annie waved and thanked them lazily as she gripped Elijah's shirt.
They traveled up the stoop stairs one at a time. Which was a challenge in itself. Once inside the house was far more quiet than outside, and for that Elijah was grateful. The trip upstairs took even longer than the one to get into the house. She stumbled every few steps and would grab his arms to stablize herself.
By the time they reached her bedroom she was yawning and dragging her feet. Elijah opened the door and led her inside. He helped her sit on the edge of the bed and steadied her shoulders as she swayed. Elijah crouched in front of her, keeping a hand on her thigh.
"Where your pajamas at?"
Annie pointed vaguely toward her dresser, "In there."
"Which drawer?"
"The middle one."
He opened it and was welcomed with the sight of several neatly folded nightgowns. He didn't linger too long and grabbed one. When he turned back around Annie was rubbing her eyes.
"Bunny, is it okay if I help you?"
She nodded, "Yes."
He crouched in front of her and carefully unbuckled her heels. He set them neatly beside the bed. Then he removed her pearl necklace and earrings, setting them onto her dresser so she wouldn't miss them.
Elijah stood awkwardly.
"Can I unzip your dress?"
Annie nodded, "You can, but close your eyes."
"Alright."
Annie seemed satisifed as he shut his eyes.
Using only touch, he carefully found the zipper and lowered it.
Annie concentrated very hard on helping herself get out of the dress. Which mostly consisted of getting tangled for a minute.
When they got her party dress off, he helped her get the nightgown over her head. The process took longer than it should have because Annie kept getting distracted.
"You can open 'em now."
Elijah opened his eyes.
Annie was sitting there in her nightgown looking entirely pleased with herself.
He shook his head.
Then helped her get onto the bed properly and underneath the covers. Within seconds, she looked halfway asleep. She let out a sigh as he pulled the blanket even farther up on her.
"Did you have fun today?"
"It was the best. Especially with you here."
Elijah sat beside the bed, "I'm glad."
"Thank you," she smiled sleepily.
"You ain't gotta thank me."
"I do."
Elijah chuckled, "Even drunk you so hardheaded. "
Annie smiled proudly.
A few seconds passed. Then she opened one eye.
"Baby?"
"Yeah?"
"Can I have a kiss?"
He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss against her lips. When he pulled away she looked absolutely content. Within seconds her eyes drifted closed again.
"Goodnight, Bunny."
"Mhm."
It was barely a response because she was already asleep.
Elijah stood quietly, looked at her one last time, then slipped from the room.
October 31st, 1958
The group of children hurried down the sidewalk with their candy bags bouncing against their legs.
"Thank you, Miss Annie!"
"Happy Halloween, y'all! Be careful going down these streets!"
Annie waved at them until they were out of sight.
The whole neighborhood was alive tonight. Children ran up and down the sidewalks and jack-o'-lanterns glowed from stoops. Somewhere down the street somebody had a radio playing old blues music.
While outside was lively, inside was just as loud. Every few seconds Elijah and Annie heard laughter drift through the open window. It was one of Mama Nette's many card game nights, and everyone was ready to gamble their money. Annie could hear her grandmother cursing someone as the sounds of smacks hit the table.
Elijah sat beside her on the stoop with his elbows rested on his knees as he watched her. Which was something he had been doing all night. And every time Annie turned around she found him looking at her.
"What?"
"Nothin'."
"You keep starin' at me."
"'Cause you pretty," he shrugged.
"Boy," Annie rolled her eyes.
"I'm serious."
Heat crept onto her cheeks anyway. She turned away before he could see how much she liked hearing it.
The candy bowl sat in her lap and she absentmindedly sorted through it while they waited for the next group of trick-or-treaters.
After a few moments Elijah spoke again.
"You really good with kids, you know that?"
"I just really like 'em," Annie looked over and smiled at him.
"I can tell. That's probably what make you such a good teacher, huh?"
Annie looked down at the candy bowl for a moment to think, "Maybe."
"Why'd you wanna become a teacher anyway?"
"I don't know. I think I always liked helping people," she leaned back a bit while fiddling with the candy pieces. "When I was little I thought about being a nurse. But then I thought about all the blood I would have to see."
She immediately made a face while Elijah let out a soft smile.
"I can handle scraped knees and little cuts. But anything else I'd rather not. No, thank you," her eyes passed over the busy street. "Besides, everybody always told me I was good with kids. I guess teaching just made sense. I like watchin' 'em learn things."
"Yeah?"
She nodded, "When they finally understand somethin' they been struggling with, it makes me happy."
Elijah found himself smiling a bit more too. That sounded exactly like Annie. She always found joy in helping somebody else, wanting everyone around to be happy, and giving pieces of herself away. After a few moments he nodded.
"I get it," his eyes drifted to the street with a far away look in his eye. "I always felt like I needed to take of somebody. Growing up it was really just me and Stack. And Stack was always gettin' into somethin'. There wasn't nobody that was gone take care of us. My mama died after she had us and my pops wasn't worth a damn. He did a lotta messed up shit to us. More Stack than me. He drank too much, gambled, and was a mean son of a bitch."
Annie immediately grew quiet. She hadn't known any of this. She knew bits and pieces about Elijah's life, but there were still huge parts of his life that she'd never heard. Like the things that happened before he joined the military.
"He'd always tell us we wasn't men. Which was some funny thing to say to a couple of boys. There were times we ain't know where our next meal was coming from. We were doin' whatever we could to survive. And as we got older it got worse. That's part of why we joined the army. We thought if we learned how to survive nobody could ever make us feel helpless again."
Elijah looked at her. Like really looked at her. The streetlamp illuminated her face, her large round brown eyes glowed with softness. She had compassion and understanding all over her face. Nobody had ever looked at him the way Annie did. Most people were either scared or full of pity knowing their background. But she looked at him as just Elijah.
Then Annie quietly asked, "Did it work?"
Elijah stared at her. The question caught him slightly off guard.
He thought about the nightmares, the injuries, the men he'd lost, and the years he'd spent feeling empty. But the more he thought the more it led him to the present of sitting on this stoop, feeling more at peace than he had in years.
A slow smile appeared, "A little."
Annie smiled back. Then another group of children appeared. She passed out the candy and told the children how cute they looked.
Another group of trick-or-treaters came and went before the conversation picked back up.
Annie settled back into her spot on the stoop, pulling her cardigan a little tighter around herself against the cool October air.
Elijah glanced over at her.
"I know we mentioned it, but you really do want kids?"
"Of course I do."
"I don't know. Some women say they want kids then end up changin' they mind."
Annie shook her head, "No. I defintely want babies. I always thought about being somebody's mama someday."
"And only three?"
"Yes," She huffed dramatically. "My grandmother had six children. I don't think I got six babies in me. Carrying a baby is a lot on the body. Your feet swell, back aches, and you just uncomfortable all the time. Then you gotta push the little sucka out."
"Well, you know twins run in my family," Elijah said it so casually.
Annie slowly turned her head to him, "And what's that supposed to mean?"
"I'm just sayin'."
"Sayin' what?"
"What if you have twins," He continued. "What if we have kids and the first time you pop out two babies at once?"
Annie looked at the street like she was genuinely considering it.
"I guess I'd cry."
"Why?"
"Because that's just too much," Annie thought for a second. "But I think I would still want to have another, so maybe four."
"Good."
Annie furrowed her brows and tilted her head.
"You awfully invested in this 'what-if' family."
"'Cause it's my family."
One of Annie's eyebrows slowly lifted.
"And what makes you so sure I'm havin' kids with you?"
Elijah turned to look at her with the driest most unimpressed look on his face. It was so serious it made her laugh. He was looking at her as if she had just asked the dumbest question he'd ever heard.
"Stop playin' with me, Annette."
Annie let out a few more chuckles then leaned her head against his shoulder.
"Okay, okay. I'm sorry, baby."
He narrowed his eyes, "You should be."
She laughed again.
A comfortable silence settled between them. The sounds of Halloween filled the silence.
Annie looked out at the glowing jack-o'-lanterns across the street. Then softly said, "I guess we'll just have to wait and see."
Elijah looked down at her to see a small smile on her face. And despite himself, he smiled too, "Yeah, we will."
The next group of trick-or-treaters came up the walkway before either of them could say anything else. It was a little boy with his younger sister who was too shy to do anything other than hide behind his leg.
"Well look at y'all!"
The boy grinned up at Annie while holding out both of their bags. Annie crouched down and handed them each a handful of candy.
"Y'all be safe now."
The little ghost nodded seriously, "Yes ma'am!"
Annie nearly melted right there on the stoop.
The children hurried away, their parents calling after them from the sidewalk. Once they disappeared down the street, Annie sat back down beside Elijah.
The candy bowl was getting noticeably lighter and the night was growing colder too. Most of the younger kids had started to head home. Soon it would just be teenagers trying to squeeze out a few extra pieces of candy.
"Thanksgiving coming up. You got any plans?"
Elijah glanced over. He thought about it for a moment, then shrugged.
"Never really had a reason to. I usually work or stay home."
"On Thanksgiving?" Annie frowned. "You can't do that."
"Why not? Been doing it for years."
"Well not this year. 'Cause you got plans now."
"Oh I do?"
"Yes sir. I'm invitin' you over for Thanksgiving," she looked at him with such seriousness. "We usually go back home, but this year everybody's comin' here."
Elijah was quiet at the statement. He didn't know how to take it. He wasn't necessarily nervous to meet the rest of Annie's family, he just didn't know what to expect.
Annie noticed Elijah's silence, and even though she was used to the quiet from him there seemed to be something else in it. She instantly recgonized what it was.
"You'll be fine, baby. I promise. My family can be a bit opinionated and ask too many questions, but they're good people. And think about it this way, Mama likes you. So they got no choice but to respect that."
"Yeah, we'll see."
Elijah looked back out to the street while trying not to think about all the reasons why Annie's family wouldn't like him.
The Week of Thanksgiving, 1958
Annie had spent the entirety of Tuesday morning being passed between family members. The second she'd walked into Ray's house she'd been grabbed into three different hugs before she'd even gotten through the front door good.
Now she was tucked away in the den with all of her girl cousins.
The television was on low in the background, a baby blanket was spread over one couch, shopping bags in the corner, and half-finished cups of tea on side tables. The room smelled faintly like baby powder and perfume.
Annie sat curled into the corner of one of the larger couches with eight-month-old Olivia balanced happily in her lap.
Olivia tried to reach for Annie's necklace, but she gently caught the baby's hand. Olivia giggled at the face Annie made. The sound made everyone smile.
Rosette, Annie's youngest girl cousin and Olivia's mother, shook her head from her spot across the room, "All these babies love Annie so much, they forget they got a mama."
Olivia immediately proved the point by stretching both arms toward Annie's face and squealed.
Victoria, Annie's oldest girl cousin, looked over from where she was stretched across an armchair, "It's 'cause she spoil 'em."
"I do not," Annie gasped.
"You absolutely do."
Annie rolled her eyes.
Olivia had somehow managed to grab a fistful of her curls. Annie carefully untangled the tiny fingers.
"Y'all are mean."
"No. You just hate us being honest," Victoria smirked.
Annie stuck her tongue out.
Victoria looked at her and shook her head, "Twenty-six years old and still act eight."
Victoria had always been this way with Annie. Being almost five years older than her, Victoria spent most of their childhood watching out for her younger cousin. She always joked about how Annie was her first baby long before she even had jeremy.
Annie learned so many things because of Victoria. She learned how to braid hair, learned how to do her makeup, learned how to drive, and learned what she did know about boys because of her.
Most of the things Annie knew about being a grown woman had come from sitting at Victoria's feet growing up. Which was exactly why she always listened when Victoria spoke.
"Anyways, I heard some things about you, Annette," Rosette's voice was teasing. "Mama Nette told Mama that you seeing somebody. When exactly were you plannin' on tellin' us?"
Annie sighed so dramatically before saying, "I was waiting."
"Waiting for what?" Victoria spoke up.
Annie opened her mouth then immediately closed it because she didn't actually know.
The women laughed at her facial expression. Even Olivia started laughing despite having absolutely no idea what was happening. Annie kissed the baby's chubby cheek.
"So when we meeting him?" Rosette asked.
"Thursday," Annie absentmindedly bounced Olivia.
The room got quieter as every woman exchanged a look.
"On Thanksgiving?" Esther, her cousin William Jr's wife, asked.
Annie nodded.
"Sounds like it's getting pretty serious," Thelma, her cousin Johnathon's fiancée, said in agreement.
"I guess," Annie shrugged her shoudlers.
"What does 'I guess' mean?" Victoria stared at her.
Annie sighed.
For the next twenty minutes she found herself answering question after question. Like how old was he, what did he do, was. henice, and was he handsome. The women were like sharks who smelled spilled blood.
Eventually Esther tilted her head, ready to ask the question that nobody else seemed to want to ask, "So, have you lost your virginity yet?"
It was quiet except for the sounds of Annie choking. The quietness lingered until Annie finally mumbled, "No."
Victoria spoke in a soft voice, "That's perfectly fine. You do that when you ready, ain't no rush."
Annie relaxed slightly as she stared down at Olivia, "I think...I think I want to."
That surprised even her. The words had come out before she'd really thought about them.
Annie rubbed Olivia's tiny back.
"I don't know," she laughed nervously. "It's weird."
"How?" Rosette asked gently.
"It's like…" Annie searched for the words. "I feel a way I never felt before. I'm comfortable now, but I still don't know how ready I am."
Rosette smiled.
"Then don't worry about it. When we meet him we'll let you know," Rosette smiled. "We'll figure him out."
Olivia yawned against Annie's chest. She smiled and kissed her forehead.
The rest of the afernoon went on with them all talking and laughing like they normally do when they all got together. Every now and then, one of the children would run into the room to ask a question or because they needed something.
After hours of family time, Annie felt worn out and ready to head home. They all said their brief goodbyes and headed their separate ways.
When Annie got back home, the noise of family didn't settle. In fact it only stayed with her.
Her Aunt Clarisse, Rosette, Olivia, and Rosette's husband Lance, were staying at her home. Though it wasn't that many extra people, Annie and Mama Nette were used to it being just the two of them. Now, the house was filled with constant noise of footsteps and a baby.
Annie stood in the foyer for a second as everyone moved around her. It was then that she decided that she didn't want to be there.
She headed up the stairs to her room. It seemed to be the only place that hadn't been overtaken by family. The silence that followed with the door closing made Annie sigh. She loved her family, but she needed a little break.
Annie walked over to her dresser and started pulling things out like a nightgown, three dresses, her hair scarf, a toothbrush, and a few other things. It was just enough for the night, and maybe another. She shoved it all into a small bag.
She went back downstairs, trying to speed past her nosey family members. But it was just her luck that she ran right into her grandmother. The older woman got one good look at the bag and made a humming sound.
"You not gone be late are you?"
"No ma'am. I promise," Annie kissed her grandmother's cheek.
She gripped her bag tight and headed out the door before anyone else could stop her.
By the time she pulled up to Elijah's apartment building, the sun was starting to set. She headed to the door and knocked only twice. A few seconds later the door opened, and Elijah stood there looking genuinely confused.
"Bunny? What you doing here?"
Annie held up the bag.
"It's too many people at my house and I figured you wouldn't mind me stayin' for a while."
Annie stepped inside as soon as he moved aside.
"No I don't," he said as he shut the door behind her.
Elijah took the bag from her shoulder and carried to the bedroom.
Annie felt herself relax at how quiet the apartment was.
When he came back, she was stretched across his couch with her shoes kicked off and head rested against the cushion. He sat beside her with one arm stretched across the back of the couch. She sat up and scooted as close as possible.
"How's your family doing Bunny? I'm sure you missed them."
Annie started telling him everything about her family. All the old things and the new ones. Like how big the children have gotten, or the new jobs and houses her cousins have, or how her Aunt Clarisse's shop is doing back home.
Every few minutes Elijah would hum, nod, or ask a question, but mostly he listened. Which was one of Annie's favorite things about him. He always listened, and hours later he could repeat the entire conversation back to her.
Eventually Annie's voice softened, and the nonstop faded away. The exhaustion of the day finally caught up to her. He wrapped an arm around her, thumb gently rubbing her arm.
The rest of the evening passed with the television taking place of their conversation. The apartment had beco e warm and quiet as the hours passed by.
Eventually Annie glanced toward the clock, and realized how late it had gotten.
"It's so late. I need to get ready for bed," Annie stood and smoothed down her skirt. "I'll be right back."
Elijah nodded, "Okay."
She grabbed her bag and disappeared into the bathroom.
The second the door shut she leaned against it and sighed. Her nerves were slowly starting to catch up with her. This was just Elijah. Yet somehow she still felt shy.
Annie took her shower and the warm water helped to ease her mind. After her shower she went through the rest of her routine, brushing her teeth, wrapping her hair, putting on lotion, then changing into her nightgown.
When she left the bathroom, Elijah was standing near the bedroom door digging through his dresser. He looked up when he heard the door open.
His eyes traveled over her for only a second before settling back on her face. Annie looked away as he stared at her. The floor suddenly seemed very interesting.
"You're gorgeous, you know that?"
The compliment sent heat rushing to her cheeks.
"Thank you," her voice came out much smaller than intended.
Elijah crossed the room, reaching her in a few strides. His hands settled against her waist and he shook his head.
"You ain't gotta thank me for tellin' the truth."
The blush on her face only deepened.
"I'm gonna get cleaned up," he kissed her forehead then stepped away.
"O-Okay," Annie nodded.
He disappeared into the bathroom. And a few moments later she heard the shower start.
Annie wandered her way back out to the couch. There was a certain feeling in the apartment now, and she didn't know what to make of it. Her head was spinning with so many things, so when the phone rang, she jumped.
Her eyebrows furrowed trying to place who would be calling Elijah this late. The ringing continued as she glanced toward the bathroom. Finally, she walked over and picked it up.
"Hello?"
There was a brief pause.
"Annie."
Annie blinked, completely taken aback, "Mama?"
Annette Richard's voice came through clear as day.
"Who else gon' be callin' this man's house this time of night?"
"What you doin' callin' over here?"
"I forgot to remind you not to forget about the pies. And you better off makin' 'em over there since the kitchen gon' be packed the next few days. I think two of each should be good enough."
"Yes ma'am."
The bathroom door opened behind her. Annie looked up and immediately forgot whatever her grandmother had been talking about. Every thought in her head completely disappeared.
Elijah had stepped out while brushing his teeth. He had on a pair of dark pajama pants that hung low on his hips, and no shirt, just bare skin.
Despite noticing her staring, Elijah said nothing. Instead he nodded his head toward the phone in question.
"Who that?"
Annie said nothing, just stared.
Elijah frowned, "Bunny?"
Still nothing.
Her grandmother's voice came through the receiver.
"Annette?"
Annie snapped back to reality.
"Huh?"
"You heard me?"
"Yes ma'am."
She absolutely had not been listening.
"You be careful. And come back the same way you left. Understand me?"
"Mama!"
"I love you. Goodnight."
Then the line went dead.
Elijah still stood by the bathroom doorway waiting on an answer.
"Who was on the phone?"
Annie's eyes darted everywhere except toward him.
"Stop lookin' at me," the words came out much harsher than she really wanted them to. t
Elijah's eyebrows shot up in slight shock, "Sorry."
The apology was so quick that Annie instantly felt bad. She rubbed her forehead.
"No, it ain't you, baby," she rubbed her forehead. "It was just my grandmother on the phone. SHe was reminding me about making the pies for Thanksgiving."
Elijah nodded slowly. He was still trying to figure out what had her acting so strange all of a sudden.
Annie looked away again. Her heart was beating entirely too fast. The image of Elijah right in fornt of her was doing nothing good to her mind. She chose to fold her arms.
"I'm just tired, that's all," she took a pause. "I think I'm ready for bed."
Elijah studied her for a long moment. It was long enough that Annie started feeling nervous.
"I don't want you uncomfortable, so you can have the bedroom and I'll just sleep on the couch."
Annie's shoulders relaxed. She was a mix of relieved and guilty.
"You don't gotta do that."
"I don't mind. I want you comfortable."
Annie looked down at her bare feet, focusing on the way the soft cotton of her nightgown brushed against her calves.
"Okay, thank you," she nodded once.
"You're welcome," Elijah simply dipped his head.
Annie faced toward the bedroom ready to escape. She needed space to feel all these feelings she had. She only made it a few steps when fingers lightly wrapped around her arm. She turned around only to find herself standing much closer to Elijah than she had been previously.
A tiny sound escaped her as her eyes widened.
"You was just gonna go to bed? You ain't forgettin' somethin'?" Elijah looked amused.
She swallowed hard.
The man was so close she could smell the soap he used. She could feel the warmth coming off him. Her thoughts were becoming less and less useful by the second.
"I—"
Elijah patiently waited with one eyebrow raised.
Annie finally managed a weak, "Goodnight, Elijah."
A 'tsk' sound quickly left out of his mouth, "Bunny. That ain't a real goodnight."
Her face heated up all over again.
He looked at her like she was the most precious thing in the world. As if she was something worth being careful with. And in his eyes she always would be.
Before she could say anything, Elijah's hand slowly came up. His fingers found her chin with a gentle touch as he tilted her face up so she couldn't look at anything but him.
Annie's breath caught in her throat.
He leaned down. His lips met hers softly at first, testing to see how far he could go. The kiss was warm and slow, lips barely pressing. When he realized that she wasn't pulling away, Elijah pressed in deeper. His tongue reached out in question.
Annie hesitated for a split second. Her heart was beating so loud so could've sworn he could hear it. Once she pulled herself together, her lips parted just enough for. his tongue to slid in against hers.
The kiss quickened after that. What had started as something gentle and soft had turned into something that could be named as hunger. Their mouths moved together in a way that made her knees weak.
Elijah's hands went to her waist, then slid slightly lower to the thickness of her hips and pulled her flush against him. She could feel his body heat through the thin fabric of her nightgown.
Annie accidentally moaned into his mouth. The sound was swallowed up by the way he kissed her so completely. Her hands came up to grip the back of his head and pulled him closer. She was desperate to taste more of him, and to feel him.
Elijah grunted in answer. His grip tghtening on her body before his hands roamed her softness like her was trying to memorize every dip and curve.
Eventually he pulled back just enough to break the kiss. His forehead rested against hers for a moment. Then he tilted his head and pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek, then another just beneath her jaw, then another against the side of her neck.
Annie couldn't help the shiver that ran through her body at the feeling.
Elijah's voice came out rough when he finally spoke against her throat, "I love you, Annie."
Her eyes went wide. This wasn't exactly shocking. She'd known this for a while. The way he looked at her, the way he touched her, they way he talked to her. The way he professed himself in front of the schoolhouse. Annie just knew. But still, hearing the words out loud was different. Her chest tightened and her fingers twitched against his scalp.
He gave her one more soft and sweet peck on the lips, then stepped back to give her air.
"Goodnight, Annie," his voice came out low and rough.
Before she could think to say it back, he pressed a brief kiss to her forehead then stepped away.
Annie stood there trying to collect herself.
"Get some sleep," Elijah nodded toward the bedroom. "Get some sleep."
"O-Okay," she nodded.
Annie turned and hurried into the bedroom before she embarrassed herself any further. The door clicked shut behind her, leaving an overwhelming silence.
She climbed beneath the blankets and pulled them all the way up to her chin. Then stared at the ceiling, willing for her eyes to close. Five minutes passed. Then ten. Then twenty. Yet sleep never came. She rolled onto one side, the other, and then onto her back again.
The room wasn't unfamiliar. She'd spent plenty of time in Elijah's apartment. But tonight everything was different.
Maybe because this was the first time she was spending the night. Maybe because Thanksgiving was so soon and her entire family was waiting to meet him. Or maybe it was the way he felt, shirtless pressed against—
Annie buried her face in a pillow, wishing for the thoughts of had happened only moments before fogged up her head.
Because for all her years of saying she wasn't ready, and the confusion, and worrying, and overthinking, she was beginning to realize that she was very very much in love with Elijah Moore.
Annie woke up a tad bit earlier than she normally did. And for a moment she forgot where she was. She stared up at the the unfamiliar ceiling until it all came back to her. She was in Elijah's apartment.
The fact that she had barely slept because her mind would not stop replaying everything from the night before. And thinking about it made her stomach flutter.
After another minute of hiding beneath the covers, she forced herself out of bed. The apartment was quiet as she padded into the bathroom and got ready for the day.
When she finished, she had on one of the dresses she brought and took down her hair. It was a bit chilly, but she didn't mind it.
She moved to the kitchen and immediately go to work. After digging through Elijah's cabinets and refrigerator, she managed to piece something together for breakfast.
Annie hummed under her breath while she worked. She was standing over the stove when she heard heavy footsteps and a yawn behind her.
"Mornin'," his voice was rough with sleep.
Before she could turn around, strong arms wrapped around her waist. A smile spread across her face as Elijah buried his face against the side of her head. His chest was warm against her back. And for every reason, Annie found it all so very distracting.
"Good mornin'," Annie bit her lip.
She turned her head slightly, looking at him over her shoulder clearly waiting.
"You waitin' on somethin'?" A smirk tugged at his mouth.
Annie just quickly lifted her eyebrows up.
He chuckled then leaned down and gave her a good, somewhat quick, peck on the lips. It wasn't quite enough to satisfy her, but it would do for the time being. Especially since Elijah hadn't gotten ready for the day yet.
"What got you up this early?"
Annie turned back toward the stove.
"I don't quite know," Annie turned back to the stove. "I do have to make the pies today."
"Sounds like a lot of work."
"Not really," Annie shrugged.
As she spoke she glanced over her shoulder at him. Her eyes landed on his hair and her brows furrowed. Annie tilted her head.
"When the last time you got your hair done?"
"What's wrong with it?" His hand immediately went to his head.
"Ain't nothin' wrong with it," she laughed.
"You makin' it sound like it is."
"It just needs a little attention is all," Annie smiled at him sweetly. "Maybe you'll let me practice on you. I think it'll look nice."
"I guess I'll let you long as you don't have me out here lookin' crazy."
They talked more while breakfast finished cooking. A few minutes later they were sitting across from each other at the small kitchen table.
Morning sunlight filtered through the windows. The apartment felt cozy and comfortable like they'd been doing this for years.
"We need to do more for that bedroom. It's sad in there."
"Well, it's enough for me," Elijah looked up from his food.
"It ain't for me," Annie pointed her fork at him. "It's only a bed, a dresser, and one picture. That ain't enough. It should feel like more. Don't you like what I did in the living room?"
"I do Bunny."
"So let me do I wat I do. I'll get some nice curtains, a rug, maybe even a chair. It'll look so good when I'm finished."
Elijah shook his head before spooning more food into his mouth, "You can do whatever you want."
A dangerous smile slowly spread across her face.
Breakfast went on with the conversation going from decorations to church to school to Christmas. They had an easy rhythm going that never let up.
When hey finished, Annie stood up ready to get the day going. She had a productive day ahead of her and needed to get an early start.
Elijah disappeared to get dressed while Annie cleaned up the kitchen. It didn't take him long. A few minutes later he reappeared dressed for the day. They gathered their things and headed downstairs.
The morning air was cool. It made Annie tuck her hands into her dress pockets while she waited for Elijah to unlock the car.
Once he got it, he opened the passenger door for her and she got in the car with a smile. He shut the door behind her and headed to the driver's side. The engine was started and the radio played softly.
He drove them to the grocery store, so Annie would be able to pick up the things that she needed. The store was already a bit busy by the time they arrived. The parking lot was half full when Elijah pulled in.
Annie looked around and sighed, "All this last minute shoppin' people doin'."
"And you one of 'em," Elijah grabbed a cart from the front of the store.
"Well, I have a reason."
"Bunny, you coulda brought what you needed over," he pushed the cart toward her.
"Oh, you just shut up."
Elijah simply chuckled at his woman.
The second they stepped inside, Annie moved with a purpose leading them around. The first stop was produce, then dairy, then baking supplies. They eventually had to go back to the produce area because Annie forgot something. The entire trip consisted of Annie bouncing from one aisle to the next while Elijah pushed the growing cart behind her.
Annie not only got the supplies for the pies, she also got some simple things just to have in Elijah's kitchen. She had ingredients for soups, sandwiches, and breakfast items. It was all things she knew were simple enough for him to make.
Eventually they found themselves in the beauty aisle. Annie examined every bottle and jar, deciding to just stick with her tried and true Murray's pomade and Madam C.J. Walker's vegetable shampoo. She also grabbed a comb and some clips.
The trip ended up taking nearly forty-five minutes. By the time they reached the checkout line, the cart was completely full.
Annie reached into her purse for her money as the cashier began totaling everything up on the register. Elijah saw that and became instantly annoyed.
"Bunny."
She ignored him and started to count the bills she pulled out.
Elijah's hand seemed to appear out of nowhere, taking the money out of her hand.
"Give me my money, Elijah."
"No," Elijah pulled his hand away as Annie tried to reach for it. "Bunny, you know you ain't paying for nothin' while I'm standin' right here."
Annie crossed her arms, a slight pout on her face.
Elijah handed her back her money and pulled out his wallet, "Put that damn money away, woman."
The deep warning in his voice left Annie no room to argue. She just sighed dramatically and did as told.
Elijah paid for the items and loaded the bags back into the cart. They headed to the car, put everything in, and headed back to Elijah's.
When they got back to his place, they both carried everything upstairs. The kitchen counters quickly filled with groceries. Annie immediately got to work with organizing it all. She left the pie ingredients and hair care on the counter, but put everything else away in its proper spots.
After everything was properly put away, Annie gathered up the hair products and turned to face Elijah. She had a little smirk on her face.
"Can you go get me a towel please?"
Elijah narrowed his eyes but did as he was told. A few seconds later he came back holding a clean towel over his shoulder.
"Thank you. Now take your shirt off so it doesn't get wet," one of his eyebrows lifted.
The look she gave him afterward made a grin slowly spread across his face.
"Elijah…" Annie immediately rolled her eyes.
"I ain't say nothin'."
Still smiling, Elijah grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head.
The years of army life and physical labor had done his body good. Even despite the scars that she could see. He was solid with broad shoulders and strong arms. And, sure, he didn't necessarily have to take his shirt off for her to wash his hair, but it seemed after the view last night Annie wanted more.
"Come here," Annie quickly reached for the towel.
She ignored his growing grin, wrapping the towel around his bare shoulders and pushed him toward he sink. The kitchen quickly filled with the sound of running water.
"Bend down for me."
"Yes ma'am," The teasing in his voice made her shake her head.
Elijah bent over the sink while Annie carefully wet his hair. Her fingers moved through the thick curls, making sure every section was soaked.
Annie glanced down when she noticed that Elijah's eyes were closed, "You alright?"
"Yeah, this just feels good."
A smile tugged at her lips. She poured shampoo into her hand and began working it through his hair. Her fingers scratched lightly against his scalp.
Elijah let out a low hum.
Annie continued scrubbing and eventually it was time to rinse the soap away. She wrapped the towel around his head and gently rubbed away the excess water.
"Alright, go sit in. the living room."
"Yes ma'am."
He stood and walked away.
A few minutes later Annie entered the living room carrying the comb, pomade, and clips. He had urned the television on and it was playing with the volume lowered.
Elijah sat on the floor in front of the couch.
Annie settled behind him and pulled him back until he was fit comfortably between her legs. She began combing through his damp hair. The process would take some time and patience because it looked like Elijah did't care to take good care of his hair for awhile.
Annie carefully parted the first section, using a little pomade to help. Then she began braiding. She went slow and steady to get used to it. The first braid came out slightly crooked and thick. It made her frown.
She got back to work and the next braid came out a bit straighter. Her hands were starting to find a rhythm and all the braids were getting better as time went on.
The repetitive motions were gradually lulling Elijah to sleep. Every few minutes his head would dip forward and Annie would gently catch it. Eventually he keptdoing it, so she guided it sideways until it rested against her thigh.
While Annie continued braiding, every so often Elijah absentmindly rubbed her calf where it rested beside him. He even pressed a quick kiss to her leg.
The afternoon slipped by. And before either of them knew it, all eight braids were finished.
Annie sat back to inspect her work.
They weren't perfect by far. A few parts weren't exactly straight. One braid was slightly thicker than the rest. Still she thinks she's proud.
Still, she felt proud.
She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the side of his head. The movement startled him awake.
"You're done baby," she smiled.
Elijah blinked several times before slowly standing. He stretched his arms over his head and headed toward the bathroom.
Annie followed behind him nervously.
He stood in front of the mirror examining the braids from every angle. Turning his head left to right.
"What do you think?" Annie folded her arms.
He kept looking. And the longer he stayed silent, the more worried she became.
"It's not good? I can take i down," she sighed.
Elijah looked at her through the mirror. A light smile hit her face.
"Bunny, you did good."
"Really? You ain't just saying that?"
"No I mean it."
He turned his head again and a laugh escaped him this time.
"You know what?" he stared at himself in the mirror. "I really do look like my brother now."
"Not like it's a bad thing, y'all are twins," Annie giggled.
"Naw, it ain't."
He reached for her hand and pulled her closer.
The reflection looking back at them made something warm settle in his chest. Elijah squeezed her hand then lifted it to kiss it.
"I just might have to keep you around, Ms. Richard," he said quietly.
Annie rolled her eyes despite the smile on her face.
"I got work to do," she told him softly.
He leaned down and stole one more quick kiss, "Go on then."
Annie laughed and lightly pushed at his chest. Then turned and headed to the kitchen while Elijah remained standing there watching her go. And truth be told, he liked seeing her take over his space. Whenever she was over, the place always felt less empty.
He leaned against the doorway while Annie got to work. The ingredients covered the counters. She had subtly started to rearragne the kitchen to her liking. She was moving around the area like it was hers alone.
She went from pulling bowls down, to peeling sweet potatoes, to mixing different ingredients together. Elijah stood beside the counter watching her work.
"You need somethin'?" Annie asked without looking up as she rolled out the pie crust.
He watched her hands work and concentration settled across her face. She started to hum as she poured ingredients into the bowl. The apartment was starting to smell better with every minute that went by.
At one point Elijah wandered back into the living room and turned on the television. But ten minutes later he was back in the kitchen.
"Why you come back in here botherin' me?" Annie looked over at him.
"It smell good in here."
"Don't be gettin' in my way, Elijah," she rolled her eyes.
Time went by and the sun had started to set. The apartment was growing darker so Annie switched on the kitchen and continued working.
Annie poured up the pie fillings for all six pies then put three of them into the oven.
It took a few hours, but eventually the pies were finished. She carefully placed all six pies on the counter and stepped back looking on in satisfaction.
Suddenly, a yawn escaped her. The long day was catching up to her and she was noticeably tired now.
Luckily, she had cleaned while she worked so there was nothing she needed to do. She made her way to the bedroom to get ready for bed. She brushed her teeth while Elijah checked the locks on the door.
When she finished, she met back up with him in the small little hallway that led to the bedroom. Elijah leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss against her forehead.
"Goodnight, Bunny."
"Goodnight, Elijah," Annie smiled softly.
"Sleep good tonight," He brushed his knuckles against her cheek.
"You too."
end notes: ugh i feel like this is nothing but filler, but you know what we're moving along. this chapter is actually two parts. second part coming tomorrow and i mean that fr!
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"WILLIE GET UP!" You screamed out while Eddie and Celie held you back.
"Y/N no! You promised not to jump in!" Eddie yelled at you.
"But he's not fightin' fair! Willie get up!" You cried out.
You're probably wondering what's happening right now and why Willie is on the ground unconscious. Well, let's rewind to two days ago.
"Willie, man, just tell her." Eddie supported Willie as the 16 year old Willie laid on his bed fiddling with his thumbs. Willie bit his lip nervously while the image of you and your radiated smile appeared in his mind.
Eddie then throws a pillow at Willie.
"Willie, you've been likin' Y/N for years..." Eddie points out. "Since we were kids." He adds. "Don't ya think it's time you tell her you want her to be your girl?"
"Thing is, it feels like we skippin' the datin' part 'n diving straight into the relationship." Willie points out. "My ma always say that there's a difference 'tween dating 'n a relationship."
"Y'all been holdin' hands, huggin', 'n y'all even shared a kiss 'n you almost was 'bout to get a job 'cause you thought she was pregnant." Eddie listed. "At that point, y'all are already datin' without realizin' it."
Willie laughed, remembering when he freaked out over the thought of you being pregnant.
"Oh, I was a cryin' mess back then but I can laugh 'bout that now." Willie sighed out.
"But you made it clear that you'd be there for Y/N." Eddie stated. "'N I know she was the same for you." He adds. "Remember when we were kids 'n she stuck up for you against me?" Eddie remembers.
"Yeah 'n that's how we first met too." Willie sighs out. "But what I really love about Y/N was that she had no problem stickin' up for what's right."
Eddie flubbed his lips.
"Yeah, I still remember the day she saved me 'n my mama from my daddy." Eddie remembered. "I still feel like to this day, I wouldn't even be alive 'f it wasn't for her."
Willie smiles at Eddie while Eddie returns the same smile.
"Willie, just tell her tomorrow at free time." Eddie encouraged. "The worst she could say is no."
Anxiety enters Willie's mind again as he thought,
"That's the point."
Willie watched from afar to see you sitting on the bench with Celie and Betty. He could hear the joy in your laughter, he could see the wind blowing through your long, coily hair, and he could feel the warm nature within your heart.
Willie stood there, fiddling with his pudgy and sweaty thumbs.
"Just tell her, "Hey I wanna be your man"." Willie thought to himself. "It's not that hard...you got this William."
However, whenever Willie tried to move, his legs felt like they were stuck to the ground. Willie then jumped when he felt a hand slap onto his shoulder.
"Mother-! Eddie!" Willie yelled out, holding his chest.
"Sorry, but I saw ya standin' here like you's a damn statue." Eddie chuckled out. "Based on that, you haven't told her yet?" He asked.
"I'm workin' on it." Willie defends. "Surprised you ain't asked Celie yet since you always thought that she was pretty." He adds in.
Eddie's face heated up.
"M-man, it was just an opinion." He stammered out. "'Sides this ain't about me, this 'bout you." Eddie adds in.
"I'm just sayin', how you gon' expect me to take advice from you when you ain't did the same?" Willie pointed out.
Eddie sucked in his teeth.
"Shut up 'n go tell Y/N 'cause it looks like trouble is comin'." Eddie tells Willie while pointing.
"What 'chu mean-"
Willie turned around to see Bernie 'n a few other white boys walking up to you, Celie, and Betty. He and Eddie frowned.
"What the hell are you doin' here?" Celie asked Bernie. "You not allowed on this side."
"Eh, we allowed to do what we want." Bernie chuckled out. "So, how's y'all doin'?"
You all tried to ignore him but Bernie grabbed your chin. You immediately snatched your face away from him.
"Don't touch me!" You yelled at him.
"Why? You like that shit." Bernie chuckled out like it was a joke.
"She is a cute lil' nigra." One of the boys commented.
"I kinda like the lil' one with the glasses." Another one commented.
Betty made a face in disgust.
"Ew! Digustin'!" She squealed out.
"Don't talk to my sister like that!" Celie scolded.
Bernie makes another attempt to grab your face only for you to reject it again. This angered Willie as it gave him the motivation to storm up to the bench.
"She said don't touch her." Willie spokes in a stern voice.
Bernie and the boys turned their attention towards Willie.
"Who told you to walk up to here fatass?" Bernie insults. "This ain't ya business."
"Yeah!"
"Mind your business, piggy!"
Willie didn't back down.
"When I see a boy harassin' a woman, it becomes my business." Willie fires at Bernie.
Bernie then storms up to Willie, inches away from his face.
"The hell you gon' do then?" Bernie challenged through gritted teeth.
Willie didn't say a word before he muttered out.
"I'll tell the teacher." He finally spoke.
It was silent for a second before Bernie and his crew burst out in laughter at Willie's empty threat.
"'N what the teacher gon' do?" Bernie asked. "'F they tried to do anythin' to us, we'll have 'em lynched by my daddy 'n great uncle." He threatened.
Bernie then grabs Willie by the shirt.
"Since I now know that you ain't a fighter, I can just roughen you up a bit." He spoke, voice filled with malice.
Bernie was then met with a shove to the ground by Eddie.
"Don't put ya hands on my cousin!" Eddie barked out.
You, Celie, and Betty were just sitting there watching. You then got up to tend to Willie.
"Willie, are you alrigh'?" You asked.
Willie couldn't help but soften at your caring nature.
"I'm fine now that I see you." He chuckled out, making you smile.
Bernie watched this then got up, both amused and pissed.
"Well, well, well, looks like fat nigger was only showin' out for some cooze huh?" He chuckled out.
You turned your attention towards Bernie.
"Leave 'im alone." You growled out. "You the one who came over here 'n started messin' with us."
"Yeah." Eddie agreed. "Why don't you get the hell outta here?"
"Make me." Bernie challenged.
You rolled your eyes.
"What are we? 8?" You scoffed. "'N this wouldn't be my first time fightin' a boy." You tell Bernie. "Ask Eddie."
"Yeah, she-hey!" Eddie exclaimed.
Bernie grabs your arm tight, making you wince.
"I ain't above hurtin' someone like you, so don't you-"
Before Bernie could finish his threat, Willie punched him in the stomach out of an instinct. Bernie fell to the floor, holding his stomach.
Willie immediately regretted his actions as Bernie slowly got up, face filled with rage.
"Alrigh' boy...since you wanna throw hands, how 'bout you 'n I figh' at the end of the week." Bernie challenged.
His crew went, "Ohhhhhhh!"
Before Willie could answer, Eddie jumped in.
"Oh, he'll fight you." He tells Bernie. "'N when he fucks you up, you better stay the hell away from this side of the school." Eddie adds in.
"You sayin' that like it's a guarantee." Bernie states with an evil smirk.
"It...is..." Eddie growled out.
"Alrigh', fine." Bernie agreed. "But 'f I win, I get to kill 'im...'n take his woman here." Bernie bets referring to you and Willie.
You gave a look of disgust while Willie looked like he was gonna shit bricks.
"Deal." Eddie agreed.
When Bernie and his crew walked off, Willie whirled his head at Eddie.
"Nigga, is you crazy?" Willie asked Eddie. "You basically just sent me to my death!" He yelled out.
Eddie wraps an arm around Willie and walks him away from you, Celie, and Betty.
"Listen, you gon' be fine." Eddie reassures Willie. "You big 'n strong enough to take 'im down."
"And?" Willie begins. "I ain't got into a fight befo'." He points out.
"What 'chu talkin' about?" Eddie questioned. "You've always wrestled with me."
"But did I win any of 'em?" Willie recalled.
Eddie grew silent before finally realizing his blunder.
"Oh..." Was all he could say.
"Look, I'm gon' go over to Bernie 'n tell 'im I ain't gon' do it." Willie declared as he began to walk off but Eddie stopped him.
"Or...or..." Eddie begins. "You can see this as an opportunity to prove how tough you are to Y/N." He stated while looking at you over his shoulder.
"Nope, it ain't worth my life." Willie declined. "I can't do it."
When Willie walked off, Eddie shook his head.
"That peckerwood gon' kill that boy." He thought to himself.
Later at night, Willie was tossing and turning in his bed, trying to catch some sleep when a nightmare began in his head.
"Y/N, there's sumthin' I wanna ask you?" Willie begins as he stood in front of you.
"Yes Willie?" You asked.
Willie gulped before asking,
"Will you be my girlfriend?"
You were silent for a second then let out a chuckle. The chuckle became a laugh and then the laughter grew louder and louder while Willie stood there dumbfounded.
"W-why's you laughin'?" Willie asked.
"Nigga, is you dumb?" You insulted. "Why would I want to be a girlfriend to a boy who can't even figh'"
Willie then looked around to see Eddie, Celie, and Betty all joining in with you on laughing and ridiculing him. Willie felt his face heat up with embarrassment.
Willie then noticed Bernie approaching you and wrapping an arm around you in a loving manner.
"Told you I'd take her from you." Bernie laughed out.
Willie reached out to you only to feel something wrap around his neck. Willie registered it as rope in the form of a noose as it began to pull him away from you. The more Willie tried to reach out to you, the more the noose grew tighter around his chubby neck to a point where he was suffocating within seconds.
"No...Y/N..." Willie choked out.
"Boy wake up!"
Willie felt something soft slap across his face then shot up to see Eddie at the side of the bed, holding a pillow.
"Eddie, wha?" Willie rasped out.
"You sounded like you were chokin' in your sleep." Eddie replied. "Almost had me thinkin' that you were havin' that dream when you were drowinin' again." He adds in.
"No...it's worse." Willie sighed out while placing his head in his hands. "I feel like such a punk."
"Is this about earlier?" Eddie asked.
Willie nods his head. Eddie sighs.
"Hey, I'm sorry I got you into this." Eddie apologized. "I'll tell Bernie that you don't wanna figh'."
"But what are the odds of 'im still plottin' to kill me even if I do back out?" Willie points out.
Eddie grew silent, not knowing how to answer that.
"I'm fucked either way." Willie groaned as he flopped back down on the bed.
Willie stared at the ceiling as if he was looking for a solution to his potentially deadly dilemma. However, a solution did cross Willie's mind as he shot back up.
"Wait! I think I know someone who'll help!" Willie exclaimed.
Eddie cocked an eyebrow at him.
"Really? Who?"
Smoke and Stack were in the house counting up the money of their weekly toll from Club Juke when Smoke heard a light knock on the door. Confused, Smoke got up in three strides and opened the door to see Willie and Eddie at the door, much to his subtle surprise.
"Boys? What y'all doin' here?" Smoke asked. "Y/N is with her mama 'n aunties, so she can't play today but I'll tell her that y'all stopped by." He informs the boys.
Eddie then realized what Willie was talking about the other night.
"Wait, wait, wait, you gon' have Y/N's papa fight your battle for you?" Eddie asked.
Smoke's eyebrows furrowed confused.
"Battle?" He asked. "What battle."
Willie responded to Eddie,
"No, I'm gon' ask him to teach me how to fight."
This got into the ears of Stack as he ran up to the door with a giddy smile on his face.
"So, you wanna learn how to fuck a nigga up, huh?" Stack chuckled out, flashing his gold tooth.
Willie nods his head.
"Please Mr. Moore 'n Mr. Moore." Willie begged. "My life's on the line for this."
"His actual life 'n his love li-"
Willie elbows Eddie in the arm.
"Ow!" Eddie exclaimed.
Smoke and Stack exchanged a look then looks back at Willie.
"What's goin' on?" Smoke asked. "'Cause why you comin' to us for help on this?"
"Some white boy challenged Willie to a figh', which is happenin' tomorrow 'n this boy here's about as soft as a stuffed bear." Eddie explained while pointing at Willie.
"Yeah he's-wait! Hey!" Willie scolded while snapping his head at Eddie.
"Am I wrong?" Eddie asked.
"No." Willie muttered out.
Smoke shook his head.
"Figured as much." He thought to himself. "'N what makes you think that we could help?" Smoke wondered.
"Well, you 'n Mr. Stack are the most feared men in the Delta." Willie pointed out. "Plus, ain't y'all soldiers 'n gangstas?"
"Kid's got a point." Stack agrees.
Smoke and Stack finally steps out of the house, accepting to help Willie. Smoke takes a good look at Willie.
"Well, I'll admit, you look like you have the strength to fight." Smoke analyzed. "Show me your punch." He orders Willie.
Willie raises a shaky fist while Smoke stands there, cool and waiting for the punch to happen. However, Smoke noticed Willie's nervous nature.
"Stop." Smoke spoke out, making Willie lower his fist. "You's too scared."
"C'mon man, you can't be scared." Stack tells Willie. "You gotta be tough, unbothered, 'n throw in some insults as well." He advised Willie.
"Yeah, throw in an insult." Eddie encouraged.
Willie looks at Smoke then stammers out,
"Y-you's goin' down punk."
Eddie facepalms.
"That's all you got?" He asked Willie. "You gotta be more creative than that."
"Ya cousin's right." Stack agrees. "When you insultin' someone, you gotta get personal, like talk about they mama."
"Ohh, now that's a classic." Eddie chuckled out. "Like say sumthin' like ya mama so white, she makes 2% milk jealous." He suggested.
"Or ya mama so fat that nobody was laughin' but the ground was crackin' up." Stack adds in as both of them laugh. Smoke just shook his head.
"Nah, I can't do that." Willie vetoes. "It ain't righ' to involve a woman into sumthin' she has no part in."
"That's sorta the point." Eddie stated.
"But what 'f I like his mama?" Willie asked, hypothetically.
"'F that was the case then you wouldn't be havin' to fight her son." Eddie pointed out.
"Plus, we know who his mama, papa, 'n great uncle is 'n they is not some nice people." Stack adds in.
"But what 'f his mama was dead?" Willie asked. "That would've made me an even bigger ass."
All three of the men sighed.
Smoke then motions Stack over to talk.
When the twins huddled up, Smoke spoke up first.
"I ain't gon' lie, this boy has no killer instincts." He admits.
"'N it makes me wonder what Y/N sees in that boy." Stack admits while looking over his shoulder at Willie then turning his attention back to Smoke. "What 'f he won't be able to protect Y/N?"
"She ain't gotta worry 'bout protection since we've been teachin' her how to shoot." Smoke rebuts.
"It's the chivalry behind it Smoke." Stack points out.
"What 'chu know about chivalry?" Smoke asked. "You was the same nigga who used to sell ass out in Lil' Rock."
"That was befo' I settled down with Mary." Stack hissed out. "But that's besides the point."
Smoke then huffs out.
A light bulb then pops up into Stack's mind.
"You sumthin', I may have an idea but I'm gon' have to call up the other fellas for this." Stack tells Smoke.
Smoke looked at his younger twin with furrowed eyebrows.
"What we need 'em for?"
You, Annie, and Mary were just coming back from a successful shopping day at the fabric arts store.
"These fabrics are so beautiful mama." You commented as you rubbed your fingers against a wine colored velvet fabric.
"Glad we had a good sale today too." Mary adds in. Annie smiles at the beaming look on your face.
"Can't wait to learn how to make a new dress." You thought to yourself. "Maybe wear it for Willie one of these da-"
"Ah! No! Get away!" You heard a male voice cry out coming from your house.
You all frowned, confused, as you thought,
"Wait, that sounded like Willie."
You hurried over to your front yard to see Smoke in his truck with Stack while Cornbread and Bo shot at Willie. Willie was doing his damnest to duck and dodge every single bullet that was zipping past him.
"Keep runnin' boy!" Stack yelled out. "We gotta get that stamina up!" He adds as Cornbread continues to shoot at Willie.
Eddie was just sitting on the porch watching the whole madness happening.
"Eddie what the hell y'all two doin' at my place?" You asked.
"Willie came to ya pops 'n uncle to teach 'im how to be tough 'n win a fight." Eddie explained.
The interaction from yesterday then dawned upon you as you let out a heavy sigh.
Smoke then noticed Annie standing there with her hands on her hips while shooting him an angry scowl.
"Stack, stop the truck." Smoke tells Stack.
Once Stack stopped the truck, Willie slowed down then stopped to catch his breath.
"That was...the most...exercise that I've gotten in my life..." Willie wheezed out before collapsing to the ground.
"Smoke what the hell y'all doin' chasing this po' boy around the damn house with guns?" Annie asks.
"Yeah Stack, why's y'all chasin' Y/N's friend?" Mary adds in.
"It's to build up his agility." Bo replied as he got out of the truck.
Willie was staring at the sun while his heart continued to beat rapidly from the adrenaline. His vision was going blurry when you hovered above him.
"Willie, are you okay?" You asked.
Willie smiled as he spoke,
"It's true...there are angels in Heaven."
Annie then kneels down in front of Willie.
"Willie, are you okay?" Annie asked as she helps Willie up.
"Willie, is this about what Bernie said yesterday?" You questioned.
Willie grew quiet, confirming your question.
"Willie, you don't have to figh' him if you don't want to." You reassured him.
"No, I got to." Willie declined, determination filling his body, as he got up.
"Well, baby, why don't you come inside to get you some juice?" Annie offered. "You've been runnin' for a good spell."
"Thank you Mrs. Moore." Willie thanked as he followed her inside.
When Willie sat down at the table, Annie sat across from him.
"Alrigh' Willie, what's the real reason you wanna figh'?" She immediately asked him.
Willie was stunned.
"W-what?" He stammered out.
"C'mon now, I know you ain't the fightin' type." Annie points out. "Me 'n Y/N both know that."
Willie didn't say a word as Annie raised an eyebrow.
"Is it about Y/N?" Annie guessed.
Willie slouched down in the chair, confirming that Annie's guess was correct. Willie then finally speaks.
"I...I wanted to figh' to prove that I'm tough...so that Y/N will be my girlfriend." He explained. "I feel like 'f I ain't tough or if I lose the fight, Y/N wouldn't like me."
Annie then chuckles, which made Willie feel embarrassed.
"I know it's dumb but-"
"No, no, sweetie I ain't laughin' at you." Annie assured him. "It's just...Y/N's daddy was the same when he 'n I were young adults." She recalls.
Willie's eyes grew wide a bit in subtle shock.
"Really?" He asked.
Annie looked around to see if Smoke was nearby then leaned in closer.
"Don't tell 'im I told you this but her daddy was in a similar scenario to you 'n he ended up losin' because the guy he was fightin' was a more skilled fighter." Annie whispered.
Willie couldn't believe that the stoic and strong willed Smoke got into a fight and lost.
"Was he embarrassed?" Willie asked.
Annie nods her head.
"He was beatin' himself up over it, thinkin' that I would've fallen outta love with him." She replied. "But, it only made me love 'im more 'cause in a way it showed that he cared about me."
"So, you still became his woman after that?" Willie asked.
"The point is...win or lose, I know my daughter." Annie concludes. "She'll still like you either way 'n I know 'cause you would always be the first thing to come out of her mouth when she comes home from school."
Willie bit his lip to fight the smile that was about to form on his face.
Annie then places her hands onto Willie's shoulders.
"And..." She begins. "If y'all do become a couple in the future...you have my blessin'." Annie tells Willie.
"T-thank you Mrs. Moore." Willie stammered out.
When Willie stepped out of the house, he was beaming with confidence, which caught everyone's attention.
"What's he all smiley fo'?" Cornbread asked.
"Either he's ready or that's a dead man walkin'." Stack replied.
"FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!" All the kids chanted as Willie took a deep breath.
"Willie, are you sure you wanna do this?" Eddie asked him.
Willie nods his head.
"'F I die today...I'll ask the Lord to take my soul." Willie thought to himself.
You placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Just...be careful Willie." You tell him. "I have a bad feelin' about this."
"I'll be fine." Willie assured you while gripping your hand in a loving manner. "Just promise me no matter what, you wouldn't jump in."
You nodded your head but your heart was racing with nerves.
When Willie got into the center of the crowd, Bernie was standing there with his arms crossed.
"Huh, ya actually showed up huh?" He asked. "Thought you would've ran off shittin' your pants."
Willie balled up his fists.
"Let's do this." Willie spoke out.
Before Willie could throw the first punch, he felt someone punch him in the back of his head, knocking him to the ground.
Willie looked up to see two of Bernie's henchmen towering over him. It didn't take Willie long to realize that they were going to help Bernie.
"Cletus, Albert, get 'im!" Bernie shouts out.
His henchmen, Cletus and Albert, wasted no time throwing punches and kicks at Willie's body while everyone yelled and cheered.
Willie rolled over to avoid the blows then got up and clocks Cletus to the ground. He then grabs Albert by the shoulders to bring him down to the ground.
"Yeah Willie!" Eddie yelled out.
Willie felt his confidence rise as he continued to push and punch at Cletus and Albert, which made Bernie grow nervous. Bernie then decided to play dirty as he scoops up some dirt and chucks it at Willie's face. Willie yells out as the dirt blinded his vision. You grew angry.
"Hey! No dirt throwin'!" You called out.
"Says who?" Bernie asked.
Willie, in a literal blind rage, tried to charge at Bernie only for Bernie to side step, causing Willie to fall. Bernie then kicks Willie in the nose, making blood gush out immediately.
"Fuck! That hurts!" Willie grunted out.
Cletus then grabs Willie's shirt as Albert comes up to them. Bernie and Albert then took turns punching Willie in the stomach and face, which upsetted you and your friends.
"That's not fair! There's 3 of 'em!" Celie shrieked out.
"Willie's already at an disadvantage!" Betty adds in.
You were fighting the urge to jump in but you couldn't due to the promise you made to Willie, so all you had to do was watch helplessly as Willie continued to get beaten up. Bernie then felt his bloodlust rage fill his heart as he wrapped his hands around Willie's chubby neck.
"I'm already winnin', so might as well do what I wanted to do two days ago." Bernie growled out as he squeezed Willie's throat.
Willie couldn't pry him off due to Cletus and Albert holding his arms back. Willie was gasping for air as Bernie continued to strangle him. He then looks over his shoulder to see the worried and sad look on your face. That was the last thing Willie saw before things went to black.
When you heard Willie's body hit the ground, that set you off completely.
"Uh uh!" You exclaimed as you attempted to charge at Bernie but Celie and Eddie held you back.
"Told you! Told you I'd kill ya boy!" Bernie laughs out loud.
"WILLIE GET UP!" You screamed out while Eddie and Celie held you back.
"Y/N no! You promised not to jump in!" Eddie yelled at you.
"But he's not fightin' fair! Willie get up!" You cried out.
Willie began to stir awake while Bernie had his back turned, celebrating his win. He could hear you screaming and begging for him to get up. This began to motivate him as Willie began to slowly get up then cracked his jaw. He was seeing red.
Willie yells out while charging at Bernie, knocking him to the ground. Willie then grips Bernie's hair and begins to slam his head down repeatedly, filled with nothing but heated and raw rage.
Cletus and Albert were about to intervene only for you and Eddie to push them down to the ground.
"No! The! Fuck! You! Don't!" Eddie roared out between punches.
You screamed as you clawed at Cletus' face.
It was now an equal match with you clawing at Cletus, Eddie punching Albert, and Willie slamming Bernie down on the ground.
You and Eddie were done but Willie wasn't as he continued.
Eddie noticed blood coming onto the ground.
"Hey, Willie...that's enough." Eddie tells Willie, trying to get him to stop but Willie's anger was growing at an alarming rate as he continued.
"I'm not stoppin' until this bastard is dead!" Willie thought to himself.
"Willie, he's done!" Eddie called out a bit louder.
Willie ignored him.
That was when you stepped in and grabbed Willie's shoulders.
"WILLIE THAT'S ENOUGH!" You screamed out. "HE'S DONE!"
Willie quickly whirled out, making you fall to the ground. You laid there frozen in fear as Willie towered over you with eyes black as coal and face covered in bruises and blood. However, Willie's red seeing rage evaporated once he saw the fear in your eyes.
"Y-Y/N..." He stammered out. "I'm so sorry." Willie quickly apologized as he helped you up. "Are you alrigh'?"
You nodded your head then you turned your attention to Bernie, who was still on the ground unconscious.
The crowd began to murmur.
"Is he dead?"
"Did he kill 'im?"
"Big boy went crazy."
Betty stepped up and flipped Bernie over. You winced at the sight of Bernie's face covered in blood and his nose completely bent to the side. You were pretty sure that it was broken. Betty placed her fingers onto the side of Bernie's neck to check a pulse. Willie grew worried, thinking that he committed murder.
"He's still alive." Betty confirmed, which put Willie at ease.
"Okay, he's still alive..." Willie sighed out.
Eddie then grabs Willie's wrist and raise in the air, announcing Willie's victory.
"We have a winner!" Eddie yelled out as the crowd cheered.
Willie stood there in shock, trying to process if he really won the fight.
"W-what?" He stammered out.
"You won!" You squealed out as you hugged Willie tight while laughing.
"I-I won?" Willie stuttered out while looking at the unconscious Bernie, finally registering his victory.
"YOU WON MAN!" Eddie laughed out loud. "YOU THE MAN!"
"I...I'm the man..." Willie chuckled out.
"Ow!" Willie hissed out as you continued to dab at his bloody nose.
"Hold still, I almost got all the blood." You tell him.
"Thank you for cleanin' me up." Willie thanked you.
"Y'know I'll always do this for you." You replied with a small smile.
It was silent for a second before Willie spoke again.
"Hey, Y/N?"
You hummed in response.
"Would...you find it stupid that I went with that figh' for you?" Willie asked.
You raised an eyebrow.
"What 'chu mean?" You asked.
"Well, I was...nervous about askin' you to be my girlfriend 'cause I thought you wouldn't want me since I ain't the fightin' type." Willie nervously explained. "So, I went to your papa 'n uncle for help 'cause I wanted to prove to you that I'm not soft 'n that you'd want to be my girlfriend." He continued.
You sighed.
"Willie, I've been knowin' you since we were kids." You began. "You've always been the sweetest boy ever to me."
"'N you've always been the most helpful 'n heroic." Willie commented.
"Willie, you ain't have to fight in order to get me to like you." You told him. "You already did that."
"I...did?" Willie asked.
You sucked in your teeth.
"Willie, we held hands, shared a kiss, 'n you almost got a job at 12 'cause you thought I was pregnant from that kiss." You recalled.
"Yeah...that was stupid." Willie chuckled out.
"'N you worried that I'd reject you after all that?" You asked.
Willie nods his head.
"I...just...I like you Y/N 'n I want to show you that I wanna be there for you every time." Willie confesses. "Y-you just make me feel like I can be myself 'n I always enjoyed having you around from when we were kids 'n-mmmph!"
Willie's monologue was cut short as you pressed your lips against his. Willie's eyes grew wide while he sat there frozen in shock. Willie then melts into the kiss as he cups your face, returning the kiss back. You then pulled away.
"Y'know you ramble too much righ'?" You teased.
Willie then gives you a sly smirk.
"Mind shuttin' me up like that again then?" He asked as he slowly got up. You chuckled as you leaned in for another kiss.
When y'all pulled away, Willie cupped your face into his large palms.
"So, is that a yes to bein' my girlfriend?" Willie asked.
"Yes Willie, it is." You replied while placing your hands on his chest.
Willie then pressed his forehead against yours while letting out a happy hum.
"I'm the man...I'm the man indeed." He thought to himself.
AMERICAN DREAM
soldier!smoke x virginteacher!annie
NINE.2: Try A Little Tenderness
previous next
cw: none
summary: the military does a lot to a man. for smoke it gives him dreams. dreams of a woman he’s never met a day in his life. all he knows is the sweet sound of her voice and the outline of her body. it’s like his soul is crying for her, but he doesn’t even know where to start looking.
notes: part 2 of chapter nine!
When Thanksgiving morning came, Annie slipped from the bed and got dressed as quiet as possible. It was incredibly early and it was still dark except for the faint morning light that was creeping through the windows.
Elijah was dead asleep on the couch with one arm thrown over his head as his chest rose and fell steadily. Annie smiled at the sight, walked over, and pulled the blanket up high on him. He stirred a bit, but didn't wake.
She went to the kitchen, and as quickly as possible, she scribbled a note to Elijah letting him know that she left for the day. After that she quickly started gathering the pies, not realizing that in her rush she had miscounted. She grabbed four of the pies and hurried out the door.
She stepped outside and a few minutes later she was driving through Baltimore. It didn't take long for her to pull up back home. She grabbed the pies from the backseat and headed inside. The door opened and the smell of greens and ham hit her in the face.
Annie followed the smell to the kitchen where she found her grandmother, Aunt Clarisse, Rosette, and Olivia. Clarisse was the first to say something to her the moment she noticed her niece standing in the doorway.
"Look at who decided to come back home."
"Goodmorning," Annie laughed as she set the pies down on the table.
"Mornin', baby," her grandmother said from her place by the stove.
Little baby Olivia let out an excited squeal at the sight of Annie. She was practically bouncing from her spot on her blanket on the floor. Annie melted. She crouched down and kissed Olivia's chubby cheek.
Annie straightened and looked around the busy kitchen.
"What y'all doin'? Need help?"
"No. Your cousin done already messed up the greens," Clarisse shook her head.
"I didn't mess up no damn—" Rosette started muttering under her breath. But before she could finish Mama Nette popped her with a kitchen towel.
"Watch your mouth."
"What I get hit for? I'm too old for that," Rosette rubbed her arm. "And why Annie never get hit?"
"'Cause Annie listens," Mama Nette snorted.
"I listen," Rosette looked offended.
"No you don't."
"I do."
Clarisse and Mama Nette exchanged a look.
"Yeah right, Annie mess up all the time, but y'all don't ever get mad at her," Rosette rolled her eyes.
"Annie ain't never messed up nothin' I taught her," Mama Nette looked genuinely confused by the statement. "That's why she the only one that know all my pie receipes."
A smug smile spread across Annie's face as she bent down and scooped Olivia into her arms. The baby immediately settled against her chest. Annie kissed the top of her little head.
"Can't help that I'm the favorite."
Rosette narrowed her eyes at her, but Annie just looked with that same smug smile as she bounced Olivia gently.
"Shut up."
"Don't be jealous, Rosie," Annie laughed.
"You lucky you holdin' my baby."
The room erupted into laughter. Even Olivia giggled though she didn't understand any of it.
When they settled, Clarisse looked over at Annie, giving her a pointed look, "You not gettin' outta where you was at, Miss Thing."
"She was over at that man's house."
Annie stared at her grandmother in disbelief. The older woman kept right on stirring.
Clarisse slowly nodded as she looked at Annie, "Hm. You been shackin' up?"
Before Annie could even answer, Mama Nette spoke again.
"No," Annie sighed in relief, but then her grandmother continued. "But she want to."
The relief disappeared. Annie sat there feeling completely betrayed.
"I don't know why you keep doin' this to me." Annie sputtered. "There ain't no reason for you to tell everybody my business."
"You ain't got no business," Mama Nette finally looked over. "You wasn't doin' nothin' remember?"
Rosette looked entirely too entertained at Annie getting clipped by their grandmother.
Annie opened her mouth then closed it becasue she truly had nothing to say to defend herself.
"She gonna have to repent extra hard this Sunday for all this lyin' she been doin' recently," Mama Nette shook her head. "That man be having her all twisted up and she know she like it."
Annie rolled her eyes dramatically then she buried her face against Olivia's little shoulder. Olivia just patted Annie's cheek.
A few hours later the cooking was finally almost done. Most of the food was finished and packed up.
Annie stood in the dining room helping wrap a few things while Olivia sat on her hip chewing on the sleeve of her dress. The baby had spent most of the morning attached to her. Any time somebody tried to take her, Olivia would fuss until Annie got her back.
Mama Nette was doing one final count, making sure that they had everything they needed. When she got to the pies and noticed that there were only four she eyed Annie.
"Annette, why you only got four pies here?"
Annie looked at the table only to see that her grandmother was right. There were only four pies on the table. Her eyes immediately became wider.
Rosette's face had a smirk on it, "Looks like the favorite messed up just that quick."
"Where they at and are they done?" Mama Nette folded her arms.
"Yes they're done Mama. I just forgot 'em," then she rushed over to the phone.
She dialed Elijah's number. The phone rang three times before Elijah answered.
"Hello?"
"Oh good. You're up," Annie sighed in relief.
"Bunny, I been up," His sleepy chuckle came through the line. "Why you callin'?"
"I forgot two of the pies. Can you bring them? They should still be on the counter."
"Yeah, I got you."
"Thank you, baby."
"It ain't nothing."
"I'll see you soon."
"See you soon."
After hanging up, Annie helped her family load everything up into the cars. Once everything was put up, the two cars hit the road to Ray's house.
There were a line of cars on the street when they pulled up. The front door opened and family members poured out to help take the dishes inside.
Inside the home Ray had moved everyhting around to make space for everyone. He had put some tables together to make one large table in the middle of the living room. There was also a smaller table for the children and room for the food.
The house was loud with conversation and children playing. Food was already on the table and what they brought only added to it. Everything was just what Annie missed about home. Good food and family. The only thing she felt was missing was Elijah.
Suddenly, Victoria appeared beside her.
"So when he gettin' here?"
"Soon," Annie rolled her eyes, an unintentional habit.
A while later, Annie found herself standing near the window peeking out of it every few seconds. Five-year-old Joyce had attached herself to Annie's legs asking her a million questions. It distracted her enough to not look out the window every five minutes. It wasn't like she was waiting on anyone.
But when a knock hit the door, Annie pulled away from the little girl, giving some random excuse. She hurried to the door, pulled it open, and there Elijah stood with the two forgotten pies in his hand.
He was dressed nice in black slacks, a black button down shirt, and a dark blue wool coat. He even had on polished hard bottom shoes. His look made Annie smile. And it wasn't because he never made the effort to look nice, but Annie knows that Elijah could care less about how he looked. But clearly he had decided to put a little extra effort in today.
Elijah looked into her big, soft, brown eyes and felt the hint of nervousness in him disappear.
"Hey, Bunny," Elijah smiled.
"Hi, baby," she said sweetly.
They leaned into each other so naturally. Their lips met in a gentle kiss. And once they pulled apart Annie was smiling. She was so utterly happy.
"Thank you again for bringing the pies."
"You're welcome."
She looked at him for another second. Then leaned forward and kissed him again. This one lasted a touch longer.
She pulled back and grabbed his hand, "Come on let's get you inside."
She led him inside and the warmth of the family atmosphere surrounded him. The house was loud with conversation that floated from every direction. Laughter was mixed in along with the sounds of children running and playing.
Annie kept hold of his hand as she guided him through the house of people. She could tell that her family was looking, but trying to hold in their comments. They walked until they got to the food table.
"Put them right there," he set the strawberry pies down where she told him.
Annie noticed the way Elijah looked around at everyone. She knew how overwhelming her family could be, and for someone like Elijah she knew it could be a bit much. She squeezed his hand to get his attention.
"If it get too much, you tell me."
"I'll be alright," Elijah looked at her, his face not showing any signs of overstimulation.
"You sure?"
"Mhm."
She studied him for another second then nodded.
Unfortunately she never got the chance to start introducing him around.
"Elijah come here," Mama Nette's voice carried easily through the house. "And Annie go help your uncles with the kids in the kitchen."
Both of them looked over to see the older woman sitting comfortably in a chair in the den.
"Mama—"
"Gone on."
Annie huffed as she stared into the older woman's eyes. And Mama Nette stared right back. Neither woman looked away.
Elijah tugged at Annie's hand, "It's okay, Bunny."
"Fine," Annie looked uncertain, but she sighed. "But I'll be back."
She squeezed his hand one last time before disappearing toward the kitchen.
Elijah watched her go then looked at the older woman who was waiting on him. Mama Nette gestured to the empty chair near her as a way to tell him to sit down. And he obeyed, not wanting to go against her.
The second he sat down he understood why Annie was hesitant to leave him. There were four women and a baby staring at him. They were staring so intensely as if they were trying to see straight through his skin to his bones. He sat back in the chair and gulped.
Mama Nette noticed and the corner of her mouth twitched. She knew Elijah was a strong man, but the Richard women could could break down even the toughest of soldiers.
"Let me introduce everybody to you since they just wanna stare at like you a zoo animal," Mama Nette pointed around the circle. "That's Clarisse, Annie's Aunt. Annie's cousin, Rosette and Rosette's daughter, Olivia. That's Esther, William Junior's wife. And Victoria, my oldest granddaughter."
They all still just stared at him not making any moves to say a thing to him.
"Now go on and introduce yourself," Mama Nette folded her hands in her lap.
Elijah cleared his throat. Suddenly he felt like a boy instead of a twenty-seven year old man.
"Nice to meet y'all. My name's Elijah Moore," the words managed to come out easy.
"And that's your real name?" Victoria tilted her head.
"Last time I checked," Elijah looked over at her.
Mama Nette chuckled at Elijah's audacity. She could tell he wasn't a man to back down easily. And she figured he had to be to deal with Annie.
"Oh, you tryna be Mister Funny Man?" Victoria's eyebrows furrowed, completely taken aback.
"Ain't nothin' funny to me," his answer came quick.
"Good. 'Cause ain't nothin' attractive 'bout a man who can't take nothin' serious."
"I'm takin' this very serious."
That earned him a few approving nods.
"Where you from?" Rosette asked as she balanced Olivia in her lap.
"Clarksdale, Mississippi."
"So you a Delta man?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Do you know where we from?" Clarisse asked.
"Yes ma'am," Elijah rubbed his sweating and slightly shaking palms against his thighs. Something about the intensity of these women was making his anxiety act up.
"You ever been there before?"
"A few times."
"So that means you know what we capable of?"
"I think so," Elijah didn't quite know what Annie's Aunt meant by that, but he remembered the conversation he had with Mama Nette. He didn't think he wanted to get on the bad side of a bunch of Hoodoo women.
"What you do for work?" Victoria asked.
"I work at Ray's garage."
"That what you really wanna do?" Clarisse asked.
The question made Elijah pause becasue nobody had really asked him that before. At least not recently. Usually people asked what he did, but not if that was what he really wanted to do. He looked down for a second before answering as honestly as he could.
"I don't rightly know. I guess I ain't figured out exactly what I want yet. I know I'm good with my hands, so it works out," he shrugged.
"I bet you are," Rosette smirked as her eyes dropped down to his hands.
Elijah cleared his throat and shifted in his seat at her staring. For a half a second he considered hiding them, but then he realized foing that would probably make it worse..
"Got good workin' hands too," Rosette's smirk just deepened.
"Rosette," Clarisse said in warning.
"Sorry, Mama."
The women laughed as Elijah rubbed the back of his neck.
Thankfully, Esther moved the conversation along.
"How long you been in Baltimore?"
"Since April."
"Ain't been here that long and you already got your eyes set on my niece," Clarisse said.
Before he could answer, Victoria spoke.
"How long you plannin' on stayin' in Baltimore?"
"I—"
"Everything okay?" A familiar voice cut through the conversation.
Everybody turned to see Annie standing next to Elijah's chair. She walked up and rested a hand on his shoulder. She looked from the women to Elijah with concern written all over her face.
"Girl ain't nobody doin' nothin' to this man. He alright," Mama Nette as she turned in her chair. "Go back to the kitchen."
"You okay?" Annie ignored the woman and looked at Elijah.
"I'm alright, Bunny," Elijah lightly grabbed her hand and nodded his head.
She still looked suspicious.
Mama Nette waved her hand, "Take your ass back on in there."
"If we was gon' hurt him we'd already done it," her Aunt Clarisse said.
Annie huffed dramatically, but she listened. Reluctantly she started walking away. But in the process she let her hand slide from Elijah's shoulder then down his arm. Elijah caught the hand before she could fully walk away.
The women all watched as Elijah lifted it and pressed a kiss to the back of it. He did it as if it was second nature. It was the type of affection that made Annie smile when she finally walked away.
He turned beack to see all eyes were on him again.
"What exactly you want with my cousin?" Rosette tilted her head.
Elijah eyes moved between the women, wanting them to understand how serious he was about their Annie.
"I want everything with her."
The women exchanged glances.
Nobody laughed.
Nobody teased.
"Saying everything is a might big statement. You know that?" One of Clarisse's eyebrows rose in question.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Do you know what all that means when it come to Annie? She ain't no simple woman," Clarisse studied him carefully.
"Yes ma'am I do," Elijah confidently nodded. He already knew first hand how difficult Annie could be, but some would say he was just as bad.
"What about her makes you want her so bad?" Victoria asked.
Elijah took a moment to get his thoughts together, and not because he didn't know, but because he wanted to say it right.
"Truthfully, she saved and she don't even know it. When I got back from overseas I wasn't doing well. There were days I'd wake up angry, couldn't sleep, and didn't want to be around nobody. And you wouldn't know it by looking at me. But when I found her, she lit up something in me. It was like she planted herself in my blood and I ain't have a bad day since," his voice was calm as he spoke.
"I don't want nothin' temporary with her. She don't deserve that. She's the woman I wanna wake up beside every mornin'. I wanna take care of her . I wanna spend the rest of my life fmy life hearin' her talk because she can just go on about stuff she gets excited about. And I always want her excited about something. It's my job to keep her happy and that's what I plan to do."
"I love how she takes care of people whether they ask for it or not. She remembers everything and she loves her family. She always has enough love for everybody. I love how determined she is. She works hard and she has dreams and goals. Hell, I even love how stubborn she is," that makes everyone laugh.
Mama Nette takes a moment to just stare at Elijah. She'd never heard him talk this much. He seemed like a man that didn't say more than he had to. But it looks like that when it comes to her granddaughter, he had a whole lot to say and he needed to say it. That man loved Annie and it was written all over him.
"Ain't never heard anybody talk about her like that before. You must really love her?" Esther asked.
"I'm in love with her," Elijah's answer came out so quick as he looked at her.
Nobody said anything because there wasn't really anything to say. The sincerity in his voice was impossible to miss, and they could feel the love practically floating off of him.
"Annie," Mama Nette's voice floated thorughout the house, and within seconds, hurried footsteps were heard.
Annie appeared looking rather worried. She looked at Elijah, but he showed no signs that there was anything to be worried about. So, she turned her eyes to her grandmother.
"Yes, Mama?"
"Everything ready?"
"…Yes?" Annie blinked confused.
"Everybody let's go on to the table."
Everyone in the house started making their way to the living room. Even Annie, who was still trying to figure out what happened. Elijah followed beside her not giving anything away.
Certain foods had been moved from the food table to the table. Everyone gathered around the white tablecloth covered table. Mama Nette took her place at the head of the table and reached for the hands beside her.
"Everybody close ya eyes and bow ya heads," almost everyone obeyed even the small children.
Elijah was the only one still looking around at the full circle.
Annie briefly opened her eyes to see Elijah with his wide open. She tugged his hand that was in hers.
"Close your eyes."
He closed his eyes and lowered his head just before Mama Nette started praying. As soon as she finished everyone said Amen and let their hands go. They moved to find their seats and the children scrambled to their table.
Elijah automatically reached for Annie's chair and pulled it out. Then he waited until she sat to push it in. She smiled up at him.
"Thank you, baby."
He nodded as he took the seat beside her. And as soon as he settled in his seat he had the feeling of being watched. He looked up to see Ray, Marcus, and an older man looking at him from way down at the other end of the table.
Annie lightly tapped Elijah's arm, pulling him away from the three men's stares. He gave his attention to Annie. She was holding the plate that was in his spot in her hand.
"What you want on you plate?" she asked.
"Whatever you think," Elijah glanced over the spread.
Annie rolled her eyes, but did as told. She scooped some mac and cheese, greens, candied yams, and dressing on his plate. Then she got up to put some meat on the plate for him. She knew that she didn't have to do this because Elijah was perfectly fine doing things for himself, but she felt with all this pressure from her family she would ease his mind a little today.
She sat back down and set Elijah's plate down in front of him. He thanked her and she went to grab her own plate to start putting her food together.
"Annette."
Annie looked up to see her Uncle William staring at him from the other end of the table.
"Yes, sir?"
"How long you been with him?"
Annie's eyes flickered to Elijah before returning to her uncle. William hadn't even verbally acknowledged and now he was talking as if the man wasn't sitting at the table next to her.
"We been together a few months now."
"A few months. Ain't that somethin'," William hummed as he stabbed a piece of turkey with his fork. "Must be serious if you lettin' him come to Thanksgiving."
"Yes sir. If you say so," Annie knew how her oldest uncle could get.
"Since you bringing him to Thanksgiving, I'd say so."
Several people around the table exchanged glances. Across the table Uncle Ray was trying not to grin.
"Ray," William looked at his younger brother.
"Yeah brother?" Ray looked up from his food.
"How long he been working at your shop?"
"Since April," a smirk appeared on Ray's face.
"And how'd he get that job?"
Ray looked at Elijah then back to William, "Annie mostly."
Annie breathed out in frustration. She could feel the irritation rolling off of Elijah and she knew if this kept going he would be in his right to say something.
"Uncle Ray, you know that's not true."
"And is," he shrugged. "You always tryna save somebody."
"Girl woulda brought home a stray dog if Mama let her. Guess she kept up the habit."
Annie's face showed clear irritation as she dropped her fork down.
"Okay, y'all gone stop talking about him like he ain't sittin' right here. He's a good man and comparin' him to a stray dog is disrespectful. I know y'all tryna look out for me, but I don't like how y'all going about it. You can't say you protectin' me 'cause this ain't it. These things y'all sayin' is hurtful. Get to know him before y'all try to make assumptions about him," Annie looked between both of her uncles.
"That's right," Mama Nette muttered. Her sons could be a real piece of work at times.
William sighed and Ray looked down at his plate. Neither man liked being corrected by their niece like that, especially in front of the whole family. But neither one would go against her either.
"Ain't mean no disrespect," her Uncle William looked genuinely pained by the admission.
"Me neither," Ray said right after.
This was the closest thing to an apology that Elijah had ever heard from Ray's mouth, but he didn't care too much about that when he was irritated by the older man. He face was stone cold as he stared at the two men. One of the things he wouldn't ever take was disrespect from two grown men, or at least two supposed grown men.
"I understand that y'all protectin' her and all but anything anybody wanna know about me can be asked directly to me. I'm an honest man and ain't one to just sit and pussyfoot around, but y'all makin' it real hard to act civil. I'm a grown man not a dog."
Then, before anybody could say anything else a loud crash echoed from the children's table. Little Jeremy was staring at the floor in horror while a glass of sweet tea spread across the table and dripped into his lap.
The interruption only lasted a few minutes before everybody settled back into eating. Towels had been brought out and Jeremy had been reassured that nobody was upset with him.
Elijah had managed to avoid being the center of attention again. At least until Mama Nette spoke up from her seat. She had been watching him for most of the meal anyway.
"Elijah, you likin' the food?"
"Yes ma'am. Ain't had food like this in a long time," he glanced down at the crowded plate in front of him.
"Why you ain't?" Victoria looked up from where she was helping Joyce cut her ham into smaller pieces.
"I was overseas for a few years. And before that me and my brother was movin' around so much we couldn't really get no good homecooked food like this."
"You was in the military?" William Jr. asked.
"Since fifty-four."
"You Army?" William Sr. set his fork down.
"Yes sir," Elijah kept his face stone cold.
William nodded thoughtfully. Then he took a sip of sweet tea before asking the next question.
"You hunt?"
Annie looked at her uncle and so did some of the other men at the table.
"Only done it once or twice."
"Mississippi boy only hunted twice?" William raised an eyebrow.
"Yes sir. My daddy wasn't teaching us much of nothing."
"Fair enough," William slowly nodded seeming to understand there was more to that story. "If you shoot good you'll be alright. But we'll see 'bout that."
Elijah looked on confused. And he was about to ask what exactly the man meant by that, but the conversation moved on. The entire focus of the table shifted away from the topic completely. When he looked over at Annie she seemed to be just as confused as he was. But her confusion had some understanding to it.
"Bunny, what he said that for?"
Annie cleared her throat and looked at Elijah, "I think he just invited you to go huntin' with them."
"Why he do that? Seem like he don't like me."
"He only invites the men he respects to hunt with him."
The dining table had been cleared. Leftovers had been wrapped and stacked. Somebody had put the radio on. And the card table was out. The children went back to running through the house despite being told at least fifteen times not to.
Annie sat tucked away in the den with Olivia in her lap. The baby had screamed for her the last ten minutes of dinner, so Annie had no choice but to grab her. And the girl was finally in her arms, she refused to leave.
The baby was currently fight sleep with everything she had. Her tiny eyes kept falling closed before snapping back open every time her head started to fall.
"You so tired, huh?" Annie chuckled softly as Olivia blinked up at her.
The baby just shoved two small fingers into her mouth as an answer. A string of drool followed soon after. Annie grabbed a cloth from beside and wiped the baby's chin. Olivia curled herself against Annie's chest, her other hand fisted the woman's dress.
That was when Elijah appeared beside the couch. He had just gotten out of a conversation about cars that he got roped into by Annie's cousins, Percy and Johnathon. Now he looked relieved to have found Annie again.
He sat down beside her. His eyes moved from her face down to the baby attached to her. Olivia had somehow managed to wedge herself directly into Annie's side.
Annie followed his gaze, "What?"
"Nothin'."
It wasn't nothing because Elijah couldn't stop staring. Annie looked so natural holding a baby, even if the baby was family. It was like every move of hers was instinctive. He had noticed since the dinner table.
And it wasn't just the baby that Annie seemed to shine with. The older children were just as attached. They followed her from room to room, calling for her, wanting her attention. And every single time she'd stop what she was doing and answer them.
The sight of it all made he aware of his thoughts. He found himself wondering what Annie would look like with their children. What their babies would look like. He hoped they would have her pretty brown eyes, and her smile, and her laugh.
"What you thinkin' so hard about?"
"Hm?" Elijah came back to reality, blinking the thoughts away.
Annie shook her head and let out a little puff of a laugh. She had noticed the way Elijah had looked at Olivia and wanted to test some waters.
"You wanna hold her?"
His eyebrows immediately lifted, "I don't know about that, Bunny."
"And why not?" Annie laughed.
"I ain't never really held a baby before," he looked at the baby.
"Seriously?" Annie stared at him.
Elijah nodded.
"Well that's a shame."
He looked down at Olivia and she looked back at him.
"I think you'll be fine. Olivia's easy."
"I don't know."
"Elijah."
He sighed, but she was already moving the baby. And when Olivia noticed she was getting moved out of the comfort of her arms, she made a sound of protest. Her tiny face scrunched up as if she was about to start crying. Annie shushed her as she bounced her lightly in the air.
"Oh hush. You're alright,"
Olivia clearly disagreed. Still, Annie carefully transferred her into Elijah's lap. The second the baby settled there, Elijah completely froze up. His hands hovered around her awkwardly unsure where they were supposed to go.
"Baby, don't look so scared," Annie tried so hard to hold her laughter in.
"I ain't scared," he shot her a look. "What if she fall though?"
"She ain't gone fall, just put your arm around her."
Reluctantly he wrapped one arm around Olivia.
The baby stared up at him. And after several seconds, Olivia decided she was okay with being around this strange man. She yawned and reached out to grab the front of his shirt. She pulled herself up a bit on her legs and laid down on his chest. The other tiny hand that wasn't gripping his shirt, reached around to his arm and softly started patting it.
Annie practically melted at the sight. But when she noticed Elijah's confusion on the movement she spoke up.
"She wants you to pat her back."
Elijah nodded his head in understanding and hesitantly started to pat the baby's back as gently as he could. It didn't take long for her eyes to start closing and soon enough she was asleep.
Annie watched the sight quietly, not able to look away. He was being so careful handling something so small and precious. He looked so sweet with her. It truly made Annie wonder how he would be with their kids. Maybe she wouldn't have to wait too long to find out, if they could—
"Auntie Annie!" She looked up to see the children standing in front of her. "Come play with us!"
"What y'all playing?"
"Hide and seek!"
The children immediately started pulling on her arms to make her stand up. She did and was suddenly being dragged away.
Christmas Night, 1958
Inside Elijah's apartment, the lamps cast a warm glow across the living room. The Christmas tree stood in the corner near the window. It wasn't a big tree like the one Annie has at home, but it was good enough for the both of them. They had picked it out a few weeks earlier after Annie said that he couldn't do Christmas right with no tree.
They were currently sitting on the couch, practically under each other. Annie was curled into his side and Elijah had an arm on the back of the couch behind her. They'd spent most of the evening talking about the day, like how Ray had actually gotten Elijah a gift. And now, with the day being settled, Elijah thought it was time for them to give their gifts to each other.
Annie sat up straight, excited for whatever Elijah was going to give her. Elijah reached on the table and grabbed the box. He put it in her hands and she carefully began to open.
Elijah sat back and watched as her fingers worked the ribbon loose. The anticipation on her face alone made everything worth it.
She pulled the paper away and was met with the same coat she'd been stopping to look at every single time they went to the department store downtown. It was a beautiful cream-colored wool coat that cost far too much.
"You bought me the coat?" Annie asked as she lifted it out of the box.
"You kept lookin' at it, so I figured you wanted it but wouldn't buy it for yourself since it was so expensive."
She pouted, willing herself not to be too emotional.
Then she noticed there was a small box inside. She pulled it out and noticed the way Elijah looked away from her. He had suddenly become very interested in the Christmas tree.
"What's this?"
Elijah didn't respond, just nodded to the box. So she opened it.
Inside sat a simple yet elegant gold bypass ring with two small diamonds.
"Elijah," his name came out barely above a whisper.
"It ain't an engagement ring…yet," he rubbed the back of his neck. "I just wanted yo uto have it."
"Why would you spend this much money on me?" She shook her head.
"Who else I'm supposed to spend it on?" He made a confused face as if she asked the dumbest question in the world. "I wanna take care of you, Bunny. And you need to let me without askin' about how much it cost all the time. That ain't your problem, okay?"
The tone of his voice made her body get warm. Instead of verbally answering him, she just nodded her head in fear that if she did say something it would be something that neither one expected.
Eventually she slid the ring onto her ring finger on her right hand and it was a perfect fit. But of course it was. He probably had sneakily gotten her ring size months ago.
She stared at it for several seconds before giving the kind of smile tha treached her eyes. Then she looked at him with twinkling eyes.
"I got your gift too. It's in the car 'cause I can't bring it up by myself. It's heavy."
"What'd you buy me, woman?" He raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
"You gotta go get it."
A few minutes later they were outside in the cold. Annie stood beside him in her new coat while he opened her trunk. Inside was a large gift box.
He carried it back into the apartment upstairs and set it down beside the couch.
Annie sat down on the couch and sighed as she looked at the box.
"I got this because Mama told me you didn't know what you really wanted to do, but you like workin' with your hands and fixin' things. So I'd figured you'd like this."
Elijah opened the lid to see a professional mechanic's toolkit. And it wasn't one of the cheap sets either. It was a Proto set. He ran his fingers over the polished metal while she looked on nervously.
"I picked it out myself. I did have to ask around a little for help, but I think I got the right stuff."
"You did just fine, Bunny. I really like it."
"You do?" Relief immediately washed over her face.
"Yeah."
He laughed softly the reached over and pulled her into his lap. Annie squealed at the movement. Elijah pressed a kiss to the side of her head.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome, baby."
He smiled and gave her a sweet kiss on the lips. When they pulled away Annie stared into his eyes.
"I checked your mail earlier and saw that you got a letter from your brother."
She slid off his lap, walked to the small table in the corner, and grabbed the envelope. She returned back to her spot in his lap.
"You wanna read it?"
"Don't matter," Elijah shrugged.
But Annie knew him well enough by now to know he wanted to hear it.
"I'll take that as a yes."
Carefully, she opened the envelope and pulled out several folded sheets of paper. She dramtically cleared her throat and began reading out loud.
Most of the first page was Stack just talking about anything like the people he'd met and the random arguments he'd gotten into. Though Annie had never met Stack before, she found herself smiling because it felt like she was getting a picture of him through his words. He was clearly different than Elijah. He seemed loud and reckless, but funny and charismatic.
When she got to the next page, she started reading about all the women he'd been with. She slightly lowered the paper and looked at Elijah.
"You got something to say?"
"Nope."
"You judging my brother?"
"I'm not, just seeing if this how you was."
Elijah sucked his teeth, "Woman you know me well enough to know that ain't what I do."
The next page shifted into stories about his gambling ventures and how shook several men for money. He'd become so invested in it, but it seemed to be working out for him.
"I don't think I like your twin too much," Annie shook her head.
"He's fine, just gotta let him settle in and you'll get used to him."
"Don't think I would."
"You would."
She continued reading despite her protests. Halfway through the next page she instinctively took to reading it in her head, but Elijah tried to peek at the words forcing her to go to reading it out loud again.
"How that dream girl doing? You ain't said much beside 'she's real'. If she's so real then tell me something about her. What's her name? What she do? What's she like? If she's worth writing about then you write about her. If she ain't, stop talking about her."
Annie's eyes slowly lifted. Elijah was avoiding looking directly at her, which told her everything.
She finished the rest of the letter which was mostly Stack asking questions about Baltimore and whether Elijah planned on staying there permanently, and work. Then the letter ended.
"Have you been writing about me?" Annie carefully folded the papers together.Elijah finally met her eyes.
"'Course I have. That's my twin. He know everything about me and I know everything about him. This the longest we been apart, and I had to tell him about the woman that's changed my life," the answer came easy for him.
"Can't believe you lasted this long away from him."
"I spent my whole life taking care of him. And I'd do it again. But if being apart from him now meant finding you, then I'd make that trade every time. I love you, Bunny and he should know that."
The emotion hit Annie hard. Her eyes watered as she leaned down a bit to kiss him. When she pulled back, she stayed close enough that their foreheads almost touched. Her eyes searched his and whatever she found there made her smile.
"I love you too."
Annie laughed softly at his expression.
"I'm in love with you."
His eyes lit up and the smile that spread across his face was the most brightest and boyish smile she'd ever seen him have. It was the smile he rarely showed anybody else, besides maybe Stack. Annie realized she'd never seen Elijah look happier than he did right then.
end notes: so question for the people that make it this far...when do y'all think their first time is gonna be? i, of course, know. but i'm curious when y'all think it will be. especially if you've caught all of annie's little hints that maybe's she might be more ready than we think...
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