👩🏽‍🦰

Fresh out of Hogwarts, you and Regulus had both scored apprenticeships at the same company; Regulus one in magical research with yourself one in the potions department. It continued the parallel lines that you and Regulus lived on. Always proximal, with class schedules that danced around each other, friend groups that almost never intermingled despite the few friends you had in his house. Too close to say you only knew of him, but acquaintances still had felt like a stretch.

That never quite explained why his eyes often fell on you. Nor that fact that your eyes had been on him first to notice. Nor when things were crazy and the whole world felt like it was turning upside down, you accidentally stumbled upon his insane plan of heroics and managed to drag him from a lake of inferi before they could take him under its murky surface.

Nor what adrenaline had led to directly after…

What Regulus was referring to now was the truth or dare question he’d gotten before the childish game had been interrupted because even though they’re apprenticeship was officially over, Wizard’s Resources would have a field day over the inappropriateness of the drunken question.

Who’s got yer virginity, Reggie, hm? Who was yer first?

Your eyes widened. That… how? That didn’t even seem possible. Let the Slytherin girls’ dorm tell it, Regulus had been adding notches to his bedpost since sixth year.

So when you’d shared that frenzied night under the stars near the cave Regulus almost fucking drowned in, you’d thought you were bringing up the rear in a list.

“There’s… no way. At Hogwarts—.”

He sighed. “Girls liked to hint at being experienced but claim innocence at the same time. Especially Slytherin girls. Pure- and halfbloods with parents that wanted an in. But I wasn’t stupid enough to accidentally compromise any of them. Some mutual masturbation still gave them enough to hint and gossip about and I got my relief and left alone otherwise.”

You pondered how much firewhiskey he’d had to be offering this information up to you freely. The morning after that, you both had been every bit the awkward teenagers you were and gone back to your separate lives, preparing for your exit exams in the midst of increasing war upheaval. Still, this was news that knocked you off-kilter.

“So you were just serial rounding first base with those girls?”

“First base?”

“Nevermind. That’s crazy. So when you were running high on your near-death-experience—.”

“When I was rescued by the only witch I was ever genuinely interested in and reckoned with the fact that I had almost died without talking to her? Without touching her? I absolutely threw myself at you, yes. No hesitation.”

You breathed a laugh, astonished. Then, you took in your current situation, your current surroundings and wondered aloud. “And you bring this up now, after offering to see me home from the bar knowing that Monday morning we won’t be clocking into the same office building…?”

Regulus’ grey eyes slid to you walking beside him down the streets of Diagon Alley. “Angling for a repeat? I can’t say no to that, though I certainly hope I can last longer. Finally getting to know you would be nicer, though.” He shrugged. “But beggars can’t be choosers; if you want me to prove my improved endurance first, I’d be happy to oblige. I’m simply tired of running parallel to you. What would you say to… properly intersecting more often?”

You lift your body up, you lazily grab the pile of papers strolling across the classroom laying out the kids worksheets for Monday’s new unit while occasionally bending down to put away misplaced crayons, markers and pencils back into their respective color coded caddies. 

Everything went faster than you expected. Swapping the line leader cards, changing the month and days on the calendar, even sorting the pile of finished work in the “ turn in “ folder alphabetically was a breeze leaving you nothing but to renew the board.

Gliding the eraser across the whiteboard you watched as all the old information disappeared after each pass leaving the painted steel bare, soon replacing it with Monday's date, the new weekly agenda and a T- chart representing whether the kids will be having hot lunch or one from home. 

As you finished three knocks came from behind the wall a code signal for “ want to talk” from the other classroom a smile stretched across your face looking at the clock it’s arrows telling you that it was three forty-five around the time you and normally got together to talk about your day before officially leaving. 

You Scrabble to put everything away into its rightful place before stopping in front of the small mirror behind your desk trying your best to smooth the frizz of your edges before surrendering and tugging the headband forwards more and walking out of the room straight to the one beside yours.

The door lay wide open making your way through the threshold you spot. Aang his back was turned to you as he put away freshly cleaned paint brushes, tubes of paint and paint pallets back in their labeled baskets from the create a monster project he told you about last week. 

Thankfully he didn’t notice you right away as your eyes shamelessly stared at his moving form. Today he wore a camel turtle neck with the sleeves rolled, cream slacks and a thin brown belt, his hands were slightly covered in the remnants of leftover paint. You had always wondered how many sessions his tattoos took to do, hearing from Toph that they were all over his body. 

You and Aang had been “classroom wall buddies” as per Sokka’s term, for about two years now around the time you first started teaching here and when you found out he was subbing for Mrs.Duncan class before she retired, Aang had decided a month later to put in an application in after bonding so much with the kids claiming that “ their attached to me know it would be too cruel to leave now”. 

Oh how your first meeting felt like it was just yesterday your mind started to drift away from you and Aang’s figure blurred away only to be replaced by the beginning of a past memory. 

It was a sunny Tuesday morning in March. You had been rushing to school forty five minutes late due to the detours that the construction caused in your neighborhood boxes of donuts in hand for the kids they had accomplished their reading goal for the month. And in return for their hard work you had promised them donuts and you refused to disappoint them because of some mildly inconvenient roads.   

Sadly as you walked down the sidewalk towards the school entrance you couldn’t really see where you were going, the boxes obstructing your vision and resulting in you bumping into someone, the boxes wobbled tipping more and more as you tried to study them but were unsuccessful the person hand reached out studding them before they could have a chance to meet their doom.

“ I’m sorry I should really watch where I’m going “ he said, his eyebrows pulled together, apologizing in ernest.

“ No! I’m sorry I should’ve been paying more attention and not rushing down the sidewalk “ you apologize looking up at him, his eyes gray meeting you as you took him in fully soft friendly features and an arrow tattoo in the middle of his forehead. 

“ It's ok, do you need any help with those?" 

“ No it’s okay I’m close to the door now anyway so I think I’ll manage” you say shuffling the boxes in your hand to get a better grip on them. 

While the conversation didn’t move any farther than apologies and kindness between two passing strangers he waved to you saying a friendly “ goodbye”  as he walked past you waved back the best you could with multiple boxes of donuts in your hands and continued on your way to the building assuming you would never see each other again. 

Oh how wrong you were… 

While making your way back from passing out some leftover donuts to some of your colleagues in the teacher lounge you walked down the now vacant first grade hallway. As you approached your classroom you noticed Mrs. Duncan's classroom lights were still on and the door wide open. The substitute should’ve already left all they had to do was follow the folder full of lesson plans so why were the lights still on?

Curious, you popped your head in unprompted surveying the large room before landing on a bald man with a tattoo going down the middle of his forehead just like the one you pumped into on the street?!  You looked a little harder before realizing he was the man you had run into on the street. 

“ It's you! “ words bellowing out your lips moving before you could fully think anything through 

He turned around to face your direction, his soft grey eyes locking with yours, his features as kind and soft as they were this morning when you bumped into him 

“ Oh! Hey It’s you again I supposed it was fated we met again huh?” A smile crossed his lips. He spoke to you as if you were well known acquaintances and not two strangers who collided outside the building this morning. 

“Yeah I guess so!” letting out a small laugh 

“ I hope the donuts got to their destination safely after our run in  ” 

“ They sure did right into the mouths of my grubby little first graders.” a smile forming on your full lips re-encountering the kids excitement when they came back after lunch to donuts at their desks. 

“ Why are you still here? You should’ve gone home at three with all the kids.” 

“ I wanted to hang up the kids' drawings that they completed today. One of the kids told me that Mrs. Duncan always hung up their pieces and I lost track organizing them all .” He explained while walking towards you, his hand rising in the air in greeting  

“ I’m Aang.”

Fully walking into the room you clasped your hand with his introducing yourself as well. 

“ Do you want any help?” you asked looking over at the overflowing piles of children drawing across the room from you  

“ Yeah sure as long as your not too busy” his hand rising up to rub the back of his head a 

“ No I have some free time” 

The rest of the day was spent doing just that, putting up art work on the corkboard one by one until the sun started to set outside the window painting the skies in a mix of oranges, yellows and pinks.

And the rest was history well not really you still couldn’t get yourself to confess your feeling to him afraid to mess up the friendship you had worked so hard to cultivate just in case he l didn’t feel the same so you had to remain nonchalant or as toph like to simply say you were obvious “your feeling for Aang sticking out like a sore thumb” but if that were true he would have said something to you by now especially if he felt the same… right? 

Your daydream was washed away by the echoing of a distant voice blinking your eyes rapidly. The once blurry room came back into clear view. Aang stood closer now waving his hand in your face, his eyebrows furrowed together in concern, repeating your name over and over .

“ Sorry What?” you questioned.

“ Are you ok? You were spacing out.” 

“ Yeah sorry long day is all what were you saying” your voice chirped, masking you in a lie not wanting to embarrass yourself in admitting what you were daydreaming about. 

“ Oh good “ he sighed in relief, his hand touching his chest and his features relieving themselves of concern.” 

“As I was saying, the gaang are all going out after school to the new vegetarian restaurant that opened up and I was wondering if you want to tag along with us?” 

Aang had been talking about this restaurant for months trying to convince everyone to attend the grand opening. In his defense there weren’t that many vegetarian options on other restaurant menus when you guys all went out so of course he would be following this one's development closely. He had even sent you a video of the cooks showing off some of the dishes borderline salivating in the messages he sent. They always made you giggle and you truly wanted to go but you unfortunately had to decline.

 “ I’m sorry Aang! I wish I could but I promised my sister I would babysit for her today so maybe next time.”   

If Aang was disappointed he didn’t let it show his features were as calm as a sea cucumber. As much as it pained you to reject his offer you couldn’t just abandon your obligation to your sister.   

“ that’s ok no worries“ 

 Aang spoke quickly after, changing the subject .   

“Did you hear about the school facility meeting on Monday after school ?" he asked, picking up the last of the stray paints on the tables beside you before walking back to the shelves stuffed with supplies. 

“ Yes I swear it feels like we're having a meeting every other week. What's it about? I never got a chance to read the email” walking and plopping down on top one of the many empty tables next to him. 

“ Funding and budget cuts to specific clubs again” 

“ I will never understand why they have us attend just to tell us news like their cutting funding to the dance club and giving it to the mathematics club so they can afford their trip to the semi finals even though they agreed that the dance club would get new equipment the month prior” you sigh 

“ Yeah Katara told me some kids in her class were very upset when she had to break the news. Some of them even cried but she ended up letting them have a free day to make up for it.” 

“ The district can be so cruel sometimes” shaking your head in disbelief  

Time passed generously. Aang had finished up his tasks and sat next to you both eagerly swapping stories about your students and their cute and funny attics with one another. like how one of his students tried to squeeze the paint out of its tube just for it to explode in his face Luckily none got in his eyes or mouth and they were able to have a laugh about it afterwards so you didn’t feel bad when you let out a hearty laugh. 

His phone rang interrupting him mid story he apologized before picking up from the way Aang replied and talked on the phone you knew it had to have been Sokka regardless you knew your time was about to come to an end.  

“ Yeah I’m on my way” he says before hanging up the device leaving his ear soon after his kind grey eyes meeting yours again you had from your stop next to him on the table standing at your full height next to him. 

“ Sorry to cut our time short but according to Sokka if I don’t get there soon he’ll die from starvation” stepping down from the table, his long legs aiding him in his descent. 

“ That’s Sokka for you always trying to be the first person near the food even though he complained about it being vegetarian in the first place” you laugh thinking about Sokka’s exaggerated presentation on “ Why Meat is the Best.” 

“ But hey if he’s eager to go now something had to have caught his interest “ lifting your shoulders up in a shrug. 

I’ll see you on Monday. I'll lock up for you. I have a couple things to get out of my room before leaving anyway” 

Aang approached his desk opening up the bottom drawer grabbing his satchel and school keys before tossing them to you, almost missing but luckily you caught them before they could hit the ground before passing you and making his way to the open doorway his body turned back towards you.

“Thanks I’ll see you later.”

“ send me pictures of the food I want to live vicariously through you guys”  

“ I will “ 

The sound Aang’s footsteps echoed through the empty hallway before they completely dissipated making the hallways quiet once again. You and Aang had locked up for each other dozens of times, always leaving each other's keys in your school mail boxes down in the office. 

Sometimes he would forget coming straight to you in the mornings  and ask for his keys. unbeknownst to you Aang only did that so could have a reason to say “Hi” to you.

Not needing to stand in the room any longer, you turned off the lights and closed the door, locking it behind you jiggling the nob to make sure it was locked properly, stepping back into your classroom to gather your things for your departure home.

The restaurant was bustling with patrons all having their own conversations, servers walking back and forth to drop off drinks, whole meals and appetizers while others cleaned tables placing down menus as they finished.

Aang didn’t expect this place to be so packed not because it was opening night but rather he underestimated how many people would come out willingly to eat vegetarian food.The bell on the door chimed as he walked through the threshold, the door shutting behind him. 

Making it to the registration desk a small line greeted him. It wasn't very long so Aang patiently waited for his turn, slowly moving forward after every person departed the line . After a while he was greeted by a young lady with blonde hair who couldn’t be older than eighteen years old. 

“ Hi! welcome to The Garden do you have a reservation or will you be a walk -in” her smile bright and welcoming 

“  Reservation it should be under “Aang “ 

“ Oh! your party told me you would be arriving soon their at the table on the left behind me ” she replied quickly pointing to the table were his friends occupied 

“ Thanks“ 

“ You’re welcome “

It wasn’t a long walk from the front to the other side weaving through servers and diners who had finished their meals. The Gaang sat at a table on the left side of the wall Katara, Toph and Sokka on one side while Zuko sat alone at the other side Sokka telling some dramatic story with the way his face and hands were so animated. 

“ Hey guys! “ 

Sokka stopped mid sentence, the story stopping in its entirety, everyone erupted, his name being said in unison Sokka rising to his feet embracing Aang into a huge. Aang made his way towards the empty seat next to Zuko fist pumping him before sitting down a glass of banana juice stationed in front of him. 

“ How did we all get here before you're the one who recommended this place? “ Toph asked her arms folded. 

“ Sorry I lost track of time.” Aang replied rubbing his neck with his hand 

“ Yeah, talking to your wall buddy. ” Sokka interjected, making kissing noises with his mouth before being hit by Katara with a stern look on her face. 

“ Thanks Katara but yes I was expecting her to be able to come here with us so I didn’t say anything.” 

“ What came up?” Zuko questioned taking a sip of his oolong tea.

“ She promised her sister she would babysit tonight so she couldn’t come” Aang sighed softly,hand holding up his head , the with held disappointment now all over his face. 

“ Dude you need to tell her how you feel already “ Sokka pipes in 

“ I’ve attempted multiple times but I end up chickening out at the last minute.” 

“ That’s the problem “ Toph  cut in. “ You've been skating around this for way too long just rip the bandaid off. ” 

“ What if she doesn’t feel the same? and then she never talks to me again.” 

“ She would never do that she values your friendship Aang ” Katara chirped putting her hand on his to comfort him

“ While everyone has fair points, if she does have feelings for you then you should take this chance to make them known. If not, who says she’ll wait forever peoples feelings can depreciate overtime.” Zuko says nonchalantly 

“ Zuko!” Katara scolded.

“ Sorry I was only speaking the truth, Aang can’t bank on her feelings to last forever if they're there” holding his hands up in surrender.

“ When would I even tell her? No time ever feels right”

“ Well you could’ve told her while you guys were chatting it up earlier ALONE but I guess you didn’t think about that now did you twinkle toes” Toph said flatly 

Aang groaned loudly, folding his arms and letting his head lay inside, hiding his face, overwhelmed with everyone's advice and opinions. “ You guys aren’t helping” his voice muffled as he spoke through folded arms. 

“ Ok ok guys that’s enough what I think everyone is trying to say is maybe you should tell her before you lose your chance and sooner is better than later.” Katara says emphatically, putting her hand atop his. 

“ Are you guys ready to order!” A server appears in front of them putting their conversation to a stop, making all of them rush to look at the menus, spending the time they should’ve been looking at them giving Aang “relationship advice.” 

Eyeing the menu everyone ordered their respective dishes, the server diligently writing them down in her note pad asking follow up questions as she went from person to person. A Veggie Burger with everything on it for Sokka, Vegetarian Pho at a level five spice for Zuko ,Potato Gnocchi with red sauce for Katara, Peanut Noodles with extra nuts for Toph and Cauliflower fried rice for Aang.

“ Ok I’ll have that right out once it’s done.”  the server says grabbing the menus before leaving, making her way to another table to take their orders.     

Minutes pass before anyone says anything else, the congregation noise of the other patrons taking over the table like white noise until Aang speaks up his voice adding itself to the sea of voices among them.

“ You guys are right, I should tell her how I feel”. 

“ That’s the spirit Aang the worst she could say is no” Sokka exclaims before getting a look from Katara that screamed “ Now why would you say that” 

“ Anyways Aang I’ve been meaning to ask how's Momo?” Katara asks slowly, looking away from her brother and changing the subject. 

“ He’s doing really well he's gotten accustomed to my apartment.” 

“ Who’s Momo?” Zuko questions curiosity lacing his features. 

“ My new cat I adopted three weeks ago.”

 “ With the amount of time I spend at work I thought that Appa could benefit from having a friend. I think they're getting along well. If you don’t count the mini fights they have before bed every night.”  Aang laughed remembering the fight they had last night only for them to be cuddled up next to each other at the end of the night. 

The food arrived soon after everyone's piping hot dishes were sitting in front of them begging to be demolished, “ Hold on, don't touch your food yet!” he demanded stopping everyone from picking up their utensils or in Sokka’s case his whole burger. 

Rising from his chair, taking his phone out, turning it horizontally quickly, snapping a couple wide shots of everyone's food. Before sitting back down making good on his promise to you. 

“ What's that for?” Katara questioned. 

“ I promised I would take pictures and send them to her.” 

“ Well in that case we should send a group photo too.” 

“ I don’t see why not.” 

Aang turned around retrieving his phone one again, extending his arm into the air to get the best shot possible as everyone else squeezed their way together to make sure they all fit into the camera’s frame, striking poses and smiles as he snapped the picture.  

It had been an hour since your sister picked up your niece from your house, music playing softly out of your laptops speakers as the time turned to ten-thirty at the bottom of your screen. As you sat in bed freshly showered pajamas on, face washed, skin lotioned and bonnet secured tightly your braids safe from your evil pillow cases. The lamps cast a cozy amber light through the room as you typed away finishing up the last of the lesson plans.

Your phone pinged the screen coming to life in your peripheral  showcasing a message notification. Grabbing the device you open it, seeing that the message was from your group chat specifically sent from Aang. A photo of a table filled with food and drinks pop up on your screen with a message underneath “ Your feast as promised”. 

Before your fingers could type a reply another photo came through accompanied by another message “ Everyone says Hello” The Gaang was huddled together in the frame smiling as they looked into the camera's lens. A smile crossed your lips as you looked at everyone's happy faces as your fingers danced over the smooth surface typing out a quick response. 

“ Hiii guys, Uuugh I’m so jealous everything looks so good! ”  " I hope everyone had a good time!"

The group chat exploded with messages from everyone, Sokka sending a picture of his empty plate with a text telling you how flabbergasted he was that it tasted so close to the real thing. With a response from Toph stating that he inhaled it immediately after receiving it wondering how he knew what it tasted like. With him jokingly replying with “ instinct”. While Katara and Zuko were telling you about the different teas they saw on the menu that they thought you would like.

The chat quieted down minutes later, with everyone saying their “goodnights” and “see you on laters”. Your phone pinged again with a private message from Aang this time. 

“ Can we talk Monday Morning ”  “ What about? Is everything ok?” “ Yeah, Just Something I’ve been needing to get off my chest”  “ Ok how was the restaurant, was it everything you dreamed it would be!”

Aang didn’t respond after that the three dots disappeared with only the “ read” icon left in its wake, a small sign released from your lips as you tossed the rectangle on the bed, focusing back on your lesson plans trying your best to not let what Aang said consume you. 

But even by the time you turned off the lights and were comfortable underneath the covers for the night thoughts and questions swirled around creating scenario after scenario until slumber pulled you in, lulling your brain to sleep for the night.

Monday had arrived in a blink of an eye. They usually went by as fast as waiting your turn at the DMV but this morning had surprisingly passed into noon quicker than expected . Your brain had been on overdrive all weekend and today was no expedition overwhelming you with worst-case scenarios refusing to let you fully focus. A groan leaves your lips as you lean back in your desk chair, your brain replaying this morning's events back like a cruel reminder. 

Dropping the pointer during the kids weekly sight words, calling the wrong students names during class helper assignment even messing up the lyrics to the money matters song during math. It's good to say that the kids could tell you were having an off day no matter how hard you tried to hide it from them, giving you hugs and words of encouragement. It sends a warm feeling into your chest just thinking about it.  

It was now lunchtime your leftover Pot Roast sat untouched atop your desk beside your pack of  Babybels as you moved to lay your head on the cold surface hiding your face within your folded arms, your braids cascading over them like vines on a tree. You always had lunch together on mondays, it being the only day where you're not having to stop kids Batman and Robin style from trading their cartons of milk like small countries participating in international trade and Aang was nowhere to be found. You even somehow missed him when he dropped your students off at the lunchroom earlier. His students assigned a table vacant when you and your kids arrived.   

Before you could continue to theorise about Aang's whereabouts any further a knock came from across the room a smile formed across your face in a mix of relief and excitement Aang was here and your brain could finally give up on its four day long charade.  Lifting your head from the safety of your arm pillows your eyes slowly adjusting to the rapid change in lighting. Expecting to see Aang silhouette finally standing tall across the room, words leaving before you can see.

“ Aang! Your la —

You halted your eyes fully adjusting to the light revealing Katara standing in between the doors frame instead the smile on your face falling before you could catch it.

“ Expecting someone else”

“ Oh sorry  Katara it’s really nice to see you come in ” 

It was rare that you got to see Katara during your lunch period with her room being on the second floor. She walked through the door making her way across the room to you with a soft smile on her face.

“ Are you ok? You’ve barely touched your Babybels and if I learned anything from last year's school trip to the art museum is that you love babybels” she joked, leaning her weight on the desk.

You let out a weak laugh with a thin smile at her joke remembering the time you single handedly devoured a twenty six pack of Babybels in one sitting. 

“ Yes but…. not really Friday night Aang texted me saying he wanted to talk today in the morning saying he just needed to get something off his chest and he didn’t show up. Leading me to think about every single bad case scenario all day and I’m starting to feel like everything isn’t as ok as he’s saying it is.” your words spilling out of your mouth with a single breath. 

Before you knew it a soft laugh released itself from Katara's body. It shocked you how someone as resilient and observant as Katara couldn’t see the disaster looming over you in this current moment. for all you knew your friendship with Aang could be on the borderline of combusting into smithereens and she thought it was funny!?! 

“ I can’t believe you're laughing at this Katara this is serious” you boast crossing your arms under your chest full lips pouting.   

“ Sorry” she says while clear her throat “ This is very serious but as your friend who loves you dearly I have to tell you that this one hundred percent is all in your head you know Aang as well as I do and he would never mislead you intentionally ”

“ I know but what if something really is wrong”

“If that were the case don’t you think you should go try and find him?

Katara was right, if something was really wrong nothing was stopping you from going to try and find Aang yourself and getting to the bottom of whatever was going on with him and his odd behavior. Your body lifted up before you could think, the wheels of your desk chair rolling back as you stood to your full height. grabbing your phone and made your way towards the door your feet stooping  before fully getting there turning back to face Katara. 

“ Do you by any chance know where Aang is right now?”

“ Unfortunately I don’t. “ Katara apologized making her way towards the door as well 

“ Well that means I have twenty minutes left of lunch to find him, talk things out and get my students from the lunchroom but I can’t let that stop me."

Whoever invented Mondays Aang hoped that they stubbed their toe so hard that it shattered into a million tiny pieces. While he wasn’t really one for unnecessary violence but the statement felt necessary right now as he sat in a sixth grade classroom watching said sixth graders silently read to themselves. 

This morning had been so unlucky that he was starting to believe Sokka’s Conspiracy that hexes were real and that someone had decided that Friday night was the best time to foreshadow its existence. 

If only he could see into the past and warn himself about this very day and its successful efforts to keep him from confessing his feelings. hiding his head into his arms Aang sighed deeply into the silence room not caring if the kids stared at him his potential love left was in crisis as memories came flooding back like a movie rewinding back to the very beginning.  

It all started Friday after Dinner.

Aang Unlocked the door to his apartment it was quiet as he walked through its threshold flicking on the light a golden glow illuminated the living room as he strolled through his furry companions were nowhere to be seen, not even a distant meow coming from the bedroom down the hall leading Aang to Assume they had turned in for the night.

Setting his keys in the bowl at top the side table, littered with pictures of him and his family and friends, Aang slipped off his shoes, tossing them onto the first shelf of his shoe rack overflowing with shoes.

By the looks of them he really would have to organize his shoes soon before it got to the point of no return he already accidentally tripped over Appa and Momo almost everyday he didn’t need to trip over his own shoes too. 

He placed his satchel on the tall hat rack before walking down the short hallway into the bedroom turning the lamp on his nightstand. Its warm light brightened up the room gathering his dirty laundry, not seeing Momo or Appa on the bed snugged up like usual. They must’ve decided to sleep in one of their hiding spots again tonight. 

Making it out of the room he opened up the storage closet revealing the wash and dryer in all their glory dropping in the load of clothes into the washing machine pouring in some detergent and fabric softener before setting the machine to heavy duty mode and let it work his magic. 

Lifting up his wrist  ten- twenty stared back at him regardless of the day of the week Aang was an early riser. If it wasn’t for tonight’s outing he would have been asleep by now he could feel the tiredness settling in his body. He had to get a bath before he passed out here and now shaking his arms like limp noodles the tiredness inside him disappeared for the time being. Hopefully it was enough so he wouldn’t fall asleep in the bath. 

The bathroom presents itself to him as he flicks on the lights and pats his way through the door Aang lifts his arm to pull back the curtain leaning forward turning the knob all the way to the left releasing the hot water into the fiberglass reinforced tub. Taking his leave to gather his under garments and pajamas consisting of a pair of pants with sleeping cats and nothing else as he flopped on the bed and scrolled through some news articles waiting for the tub to fill. 

When he arrived back fifteen minutes later the water had made it to the halfway mark sitting his small pile of clothes down Aang turned the knob the opposite direction making the water come to a stop, excess water droplets dripping into the crystalline surface making it ripple. Sitting his phone on the counter of the tub he checked his slacks for any other miscellaneous items undoing his belt, quickly stripped himself off his clothes and fell to the floor with a quiet “thud” revealing the full extent of his body into the mirror in front of him.

Stepping forward towards the tub, Aang lifted his feet into the hot water one after the other, kneeling his body down to fully submerge himself, closing his eyes and breathing out deeply as the water slowly drifted over his chest and unknowingly aching limbs.

Before drifting away into the full relaxation of the water Aang grabbed his phone, the rectangle fading to life. The wallpaper of him and The Gaang squished together in a photo booth making funny faces on display. Swiping up he made his way to the group chat sending the photos of the food as promised and then the group photo katara requested they take.

You responded fairly quickly with a message saying “hi”  to everyone and how good the food looked and how jealous you were. The chat soon erupted with messages of a conversation going back and forth between you and everyone else. A hearty laugh escapes from his lips as he observes the chat catching the photo of Sokka’s empty plate watching as bubble after bubble pops up on screen.

Before long the bubbles settle the conversations ending everyone typing their goodnights and goodbyes before settling in for the night. lifting his thumb to the top of the screen Aang tabs the arrow exiting the chat before tapping on your picture entering your private thread. 

“ You can do this, this is the easy part. If you can do this you can finally tell her how you feel” His thumbs tapped over the keyboard rapidly pressing send before he could second guess himself. 

“ Can we talk Monday morning” 

he waited patiently as your dots faded in and out for second a bubble popping up soon after 

“ What about? Is everything ok?”

“ Yeah, Just Something I’ve been needing to get off my chest” 

“ Ok how was the restaurant, was it everything you dreamed it would be!”

Aang's thumbs hovered the screen typing another message to continue the conversation but before he could press the blue arrow Momo burst out from the cabinet under the sink the abrupt loud sound scared him causing a yell to escape his body along with his phone splashing into the water and slowly sinking to the bottom. 

“ Oh you have to be kidding me Momo we talked about this you can’t sleep in there ” scolding Momo as if he could really understand him Momo stared at him unfazed before he sauntered away out the door as if he didn’t do anything of note. 

Aang let out a groan slightly annoyed as he picked his phone up out of the water. The screen was black no sign of life even when he pressed the power button. It wasn't like he was super attached to it or anything; he viewed it as an extension of modern life and used it for its original purpose. to communicate with his loved ones, take pictures if he chose and read news articles in the morning. He didn't have social media like his friends so he could well enough live without it but it didn’t hurt any less to see the device void of life.

Setting the phone aside, his relaxing moment ruined he stretched his arm out grabbing the fluffy puff from above him along with the body wash the strong scent of vanilla and shea butter stuck to his nose as he lathered up soap gently moving the puff across his body.

Freshly cleaned and dried Aang quickly slipped his pants over his waist, let out the water and picked up the clothes scattering the floor before flicking the light off and leaving the room dead phone in hand. Discarding his dirty clothes into the laundry basket he left outside the closet to make his way down the hallway into the kitchen. 

Grabbing a plastic bag and an unopened bag of rice from the pantry, he poured some rice in, careful not to spill it all over the counter, placing his phone inside and pouring in some more rice on top for good measure. Unfortunately all he could do now was hope that the cellar device was brought back to life by a plastic bag full of white rice if not it was straight to the electronic store.  

Frustrated and tired, Aang made sure to hide the bag so Momo wouldn’t inflict any more damage. He knew that Momo didn’t mean it, he was just being himself exploring his surroundings like any new cat would. Turning off the lights he walked down the hall once more, opening the closet again, changing his clothes around, throwing in a few dryer balls before starting the machine leaving the door slightly open so the heat had somewhere to escape and leaving the laundry basket for his future self to deal with.

Opening the bedroom door Aang flopped on the bed without hesitation leaving the door kept open just in case his furry companions wanted to come in. Slipping under the blankets the soft fiber eloped his body as he got comfortable. Turning off the lamp beside him the amber light dissipated leaving the room in total darkness moments after his head hit the pillow Aang was fast asleep. 

꒰ Monday Morning꒱

 Aang stirred, opening his eyes to the pitch black room the fan creaking softly above as it spun on the highest setting. Lazily lifting up Aang laid his back against the headboard using the back of his hands to rub the sleep out of his eyes. Before stretching over to turn the lamp on, basking the room in its warm light. Looking at the left corner of the bed he spotted Appa and Momo sleeping cuddled up like they were the best of friends. 

A few minutes passed as he sat in bed slowly but surely waking up. Tossing the covers off his body swinging his legs over the side of the bed, feet touching the cold wood floors as they touched the ground. Glancing over to the night stand, the clock that he purchased yesterday flashed five-thirty. His phone still hadn’t awakened after sitting in the bag of rice all weekend long so he thought it best to get a manual clock while he waited. 

Rising to his feet and lifting his arms, stretching thoroughly before patting over to his desk underneath the one of his bedroom windows. Where the pile of clothes he prepared the night before sat: a gray sweater with horizontal stripes of different unique patterns of red,mustard yellow and white with a pair of light brown pants. Heading to the bathroom, brushing his teeth, washing his face and putting on a bit of moisturizer he refused to be as dry on a day such as today.

 Everything had to be perfect. 

In the kitchen the light over the stove omitted white light guiding him through the otherwise dark room  halfway. Don't get him wrong, he loves the sun and chooses to spend most of his days outside letting the sunshine ray upon his skin but when it’s five - thirty five in the morning any big light was his mortal enemy. 

Everything seemed normal as usual. He had eaten breakfast, prepared his lunch, laid out food and water bowls and opened the living room curtains so Appa could sunbathe during his many naps.

Checking his watch he was making good time. You normally got to work before everyone else so if he wanted to make it to the school to confess without an audience of first graders like he planned he’d have to leave now. Slipping into his shoes, grabbing his satchel and keys, Aang made out the door, locking it behind himself before walking down the long flights of stairs to the parking lot.

Opening the car door he plopped into the driver seat tossing all his belongings into the passenger. Everything was turning in his favor. He woke up on time at breakfast and put on a nice outfit and he even rehearsed what he wanted to say. What could possibly go wrong? 

Aang slid the key into the turning it only for the engine to make a clicking sound before beeping the cars engine  confused he tried it again only for to do the same thing Aang groaned a long frown formed on his face as his head flopped over on the steering wheel the plush cover meeting his forehead 

“ You have got to be kidding me first my phone and now this!“

His car's battery was dead, how? He sure didn’t know it had been working just fine and it wasn't like his battery was old or anything so why today of all days did it decide to magically die. Aang tired one more time desperately believing it had to be some fluke. His car had to be playing some funny trick on him. 

Nope.  

Definitely dead. 

He had to think of something quickly. It was already five- fifty five. The window to get to work early was dwindling fast.as the second passed and it wasn’t like he could  call an Uber or his friends for help.  The same with Uber His phone was trapped in a bag of rice fighting for its life 

At this point he was doomed to sit here, his car battery dead and his day ruined before it even got started.  

A knock on the window startled him, making Aang hit his head on the back of his seat, turning to look through the window. Standing on the other side was his neighbor Kevin, a smile brimming on his face. Oh, was he happy to see Kevin. Him and Kevin have been friends for a few years now, while their jobs kept them pretty separated, Kevin working at night and him during the day they tried their best to see each other regularly even if it’s at the local gym down the street. 

Opening the door Kevin backed up some so he could slip out of the car now being able to see Kevin in his entirety. He was wearing his pajamas still and his golden retriever Topaz sat beside him patiently wagging her tail at the sight of a familiar face.

“ Hey! Dude are you okay? you’re normally gone when I come out to give Topaz out for her morning walk.” 

“ To be honest before you got here I left like I was doomed with no way out in sight but now that you're here I’m doing much better. I need your help!” Aang burst out putting his hands on his shoulders, almost falling dramatically to his knees. “ My Car’s battery died out nowhere and I need a jump.” 

“ Sure! I‘ll just need to grab my jump cables out the house really quick” Kevin responded giving Aang topaz’s lead before jogging towards and back up the flight of stairs.

Topaz barked to get Aang’s attention leaning forward silently demanding head pats. Lowering down to topaz level he stretched out his arm moving his hand back and forth ruffling her light yellow fur fulfilling her request. Kevin arrived back a few moments later, jumping cables in hand, handing them over. 

“ Here attach the red one to the positive side of your battery and the other to the bare metal” he shouted, running all the way down the sidewalk to his car.

quickly following his instructions Aang popped open the hood of his car and attached the red capable and black capable as instructed. Kevin pulled into the empty parking spot on his left Turning off the engine, getting out and popping his hood clasping both red and black cables to his battery.

“ Alright, we're all set! Just wait for my signal before starting your car” 

Kevin stepped in his car leaving the car open and he followed suit even though he’d never had to help jump someone else’s car before he remembered when Sokka had to go help his dad stranded on the side of the highway in his old truck. Now he might not have paid much attention, tired from rounds of intense pickle ball at the park an hour prior but he remembered the sequences. Sokka  turned his key, his dad following soon after. That exact moment played out minutes later as Aang slipped into the driver seat in the same position, Topaz sitting patently in the car's open doorway. Kevin’s car roared to life two to three minutes pass before Aang hears  “ Go for it! ” Being shouted out he immediately twisted his wrist turning the key in the ignition.  

The car’s engine revved up the dashboard display activating the number on the speedometer lighting up even the radio was softly playing music. A breath of relief passed his lips as he got out the vehicle guiding Topaz out the way before closing the door making the short way up back to the sidewalk, Kevin joined his a few minutes later after unplugging the cables in backwards order starting from his car first to and throwing them in his back seat. 

“ Thank you so much, you're a lifesaver.” stretching his fist out to Kevin. 

“ No problem man, I'll see you later.” completing the fist pump. 

Passing Topaz's leash back to Kevin making sure to give her some head pat goodbye. She barked as if trying to tell him “ see you later”. Closing himself in the car Aang’s gaze glanced over to the clock above the radio, the time displaying six-o'clock. While he didn't live that far from the school with morning traffic he definitely wouldn’t make it in time before class started. 

Swiftly putting on his seat belt and pulling the gear shift down backing out of the spot before putting it in drive. Looking out of the rearview, Kevin and Topaz had started their way down the sidewalk finally starting their walk, Kevin on the phone as Topaz trailed ahead, tail wagging, their forms getting smaller and smaller as he drove out the parking lot towards the gates.

Aang had successfully gotten through the morning despite him arriving horrendously late. Lunch was finally here and he would finally have the time to talk to you. a whole thirty minutes to be exact without any interruptions. Thankfully for him his students were too excited about today’s lunch to try and keep him in the lunchroom longer than he needed to be.

He could barely keep his composure; he had just missed you, your kids sitting at their table when his kids walked in. Strolling away from the room full of chatting first graders, their voices muffled by the closed doors.

Turning into the first grade hallway he spotted Andrew, a sixth grade teacher who was normally on the second floor at this hour. They didn’t get to talk often but they were friendly, sprinting down the long corridor from the stairwell at the end of the hallway. As he rapidly got closer he saw his face turn from overwhelming concern to solace at his presence.

“ Aang oh my god! I am so  glad to see you. I'm so sorry to ask but are you busy right now” he asks frantically, holding onto his knees trying to catch his breath. 

He could’ve been selfish said no, apologized and went on his merry way down the hall to your classroom never to know what came of Andrew’s time of need but with Andrew’s obvious distress Aang couldn’t bring himself to do it Andrew needed his help and who was he if not a helper to the people around him. 

“ No, I’m free right now. What do you need? ”

Andrew’s head shot up his body straightening at his reply, his features softening more even at at  his answer.

“ My daughter collapsed outside during recess at school today and is at the hospital. My wife says she’s ok but I would feel better if I was there too. Could you watch my class until a sub can arrive? You won’t have to do much of anything as silent reading right now.” He explained.

While he didn’t have children himself he understood the feeling nonetheless the voice in your head that creeped in despite being told that everything was fine and that everything would be ok. 

“ I’ll watch them no problem! You go one ahead.”

“Thank you so much!” 

Andrew took his leave shoes patting rapidly on the tile, their sound getting quieter and quieter as he got further away and he continued down the hallway and up the stairwell to the classroom of sixth graders. 

That's how he got here with only twenty minutes left of his lunch break still waiting for the substitute to show as the time slowly ticked away twenty minutes ticking to nineteen minutes his time to talk to you slowly disappearing before his eyes. 

Aang didn’t regret helping his colleague, however that didn’t quell the frustration he had been continually feeling. Everything was going wrong; it was like the day was trying to personally get in between you silently trying to get in the way of your meeting and objecting to the potential transition of your relationship like a bitter ex partner that somehow got an invitation to the wedding. 

A knock came from the other side of the door standing; he made his way towards it with a bit of pep in his step but quickly masking it before twisting the knob. He couldn't let the substitute know he was eager to leave; he had to play it cool. a short woman with bleach blonde hair and a gentle smile was revealed on the other side of the door. 

“ Hi, I’m there to fill in for Mr.Miller.” she said walking into the room Aang moving out of the way to make room for her. 

“ Hi, that's great they’re doing silent reading right now until lunchtime and then whatever lesson plans for after lunch will be in the binder on the desk. If you need anything Mr. Smith across the hallway will be able to help you or you can call the office.” he explained moving backwards stopping in the doorway. 

“ Ok, Thank you! ” 

Leaving the door open he quickly turned and headed down the hall towards the stairwell looking down at his watch. He still had time to try and get to your room before lunch was officially ended and he would have to pick up his students from lunch.  His feet started to move faster with every step forward transitioning into a full on sprint as his desperation began to push him with each step he took. He wouldn’t miss this opportunity, not this time.

Leaving your classroom you wave back to Katara going the other direction, the distance between you getting farther and farther until you could no longer see her figure disappearing around the corner down another hallway. 

You turn and make your way down the long corridor, your body brimming with resolve. Even if you didn’t know where Aang was at this very moment , it couldn’t be that hard to find a six foot seven twenty four year old man with blue arrow tattoos. It's not like you could mistake him for anyone else among the school staff. 

Your phone pinged a message notification. You tapped it silently hoping that it was Aang but unfortunately you it was from Zuko deciding not to ignore it and open it anyway he had sent you a video specifically one of  someone’s adorable Cat doing some kind of activity.  

This was something that you guys sent each other often videos of cats doing cute things to be frank it was what your messages were full off half the time aside from the small straightforward conversation about other stuff. You play the video with your eyes now focused on an orange cat being swapped into different sweaters kitted by their owner, filling your body with aggression you could melt. 

Before you could register what was happening your body collided with someone’s solid chest causing you to almost lose your balance, your phone almost falling out of your hand. “ I am so sorry I should have been looking —  you apologized. Immediately lifting your head up the person's eyes caught yours  warm, cloudy and unmistakable.

“ Oh my God Aang!  it’s you we really need to talk about.” 

Aang didn’t speak he looked behind you then behind himself before grabbing your wrist pulling you back the way you came.

“ Hey! Wait.”

 If you were wearing heels right now you would have definitely tripped over your own feet trying to keep up with him, his long strides quickening as you got closer and closer to his classroom door.

“ Aang can you slow down please! ” 

Your request fell on deaf ears as you walked through the open art room door. The warmth of his hand disappeared as he let go, closing the door behind him, his body leaning against the door's surface accompanied with a sigh.

“ What is going on? I haven't seen you all day, haven't heard from you all weekend. When I finally do, the first thing you do is drag me into your classroom without a single greeting . What's next locking me in the janitor’s closet ” hands folded over your chest. 

“ I know and I'm sorry but  I had to make sure that no one could interrupt us. I promise I’ll explain everything ” he says apologetically walking towards you closing the distance between you. 

“ I’m listening ” 

“ Ok here it goes….  I want to start by saying I haven’t been ignoring your messages Momo scared me Friday night and my phone fell into the bathtub so it’s been in a bag of rice since and I have no idea if it’s even alive or dead at this point and I did plan to be here early this morning to talk like we planned y but my car battery decided that it wanted to give up on me despite it working perfectly fine before.” 

Aang says rambling only to start pacing in front of you, his hands waving around and his face animated 

“ Fast forward to now I ran into Andrew and he needed someone to watch his class until a substitute came because a family emergency came up and I couldn’t just sit there and let him freak out especially since I was right there and everything has turned into this big mess on today of all days when I finally got the courage to risk everything and potentially ruin our friendship and tell you that I’ve had a crush on you for the past two years in all honestly it was like love at first sight and I want to be more than just friend possibly get to know you better and —— 

He stops abruptly covering his mouth realizing what he’d accidentally said, his eyes lifting to meet your gaze, fear tangled inside of them.  Your mind froze, flooding everything into silence around you all your mind could only focus on  was the echo of his confession repeated over and over again.

Never did you imagine Aang reciprocating the very feelings you held so close to your heart out of protection but right here and how he was willing to risk it all, take that chance so if he was so would you . Before you knew it the ticking of the clock came flooding back into your ears and the very words that you were keeping locked away broke free.

“ I… I like you too Aang ” you spoke shyly the words foreign on your tongue. 

“ Wait hold on say that again” blinking multiple times 

A laugh escaped your lips at his bewildered state It was adorable to be honest.

“ I like you Aang! ” you say more confidently walking towards him closing the remaining distance between you 

“ Oh thank the spirits that’s what I thought you said” he laughed, his shoulders slumped with a sigh of relief, his body leaning forward his forehead laying on your shoulder.  

“ I’m sorry” 

“ Why are you apologizing all of a sudden?"

“ Because I rehearsed a whole speech for this. It was perfect, and had everything that I wanted to say. I even wore a nice outfit but when it came down to it I just blurted it out and you deserve better than that " he says standing up straight with his eyes looking away from you. 

Without pause you put your right hand on his face caressing his cheek forcing him to look you in the eye catching the small bits of shame swirling in them.    

“ You say I deserve better because your confession wasn’t “perfect” but I  think you're being too hard on yourself. It wouldn't have mattered to me if I got a perfect crisp speech full of romance that you've been practicing or one that was blurted out in the moment and clumsy. I would have said yes because it would have been from here regardless.”  you say sincerely placing your hand to his chest.  

Aang placed his hands on top of yours and looked as if he was soaked in every word, the shame slowly disappearing from his eyes being replaced by ones you never really noticed before… love maybe. 

“ But I do expect a nice date and flowers that’s my only request “ you slide in trying to  lighten the mood.  

“ I think I can make that happen.” he laughed 

Before you could bask in any of the comfortable silence the bell rings over the intercom slicing through it completely. 

“ I guess It's finally time to go get our kids before they start a riot in the lunchroom.”

“ You mean before your kids start a riot in the lunchroom again because my students are angels ” he says smugly laughing his body moving to learn against the table behind him.

“ Oh come on that was one time” you retorted back “ And my kids are your students too! so you’re just as responsible as I am.” You say looking back towards him as you make your way across the room towards the door. 

“ You got me there” he replied, holding his hand up in mock defense following close behind you, holding it open for you to walk through. The halls were still empty, not a single other teacher in sight as you walked through.

Aang placed his hand in yours, locking his figure tight, a smile spread across your lips as you walked hand in hand. While it was definitely against school rules to be doing this right now , who could say you were breaking any rules if no one was here to witness. 

Hours later you’re classroom was empty chairs pushed in floors , worksheets laid on all the desk the date on the board was changed as you sat in at your desk braids in a ponytail looking over today’s finish work filled with lopsided circles labeled penny,nickel quarter and dimes with their value scribbled on the side adding gold stars to each. 

As you placed the last paper in the pile three soft knocks came through the wall as you looked up at the round ticking clock overhead three forty-five one the dot. You quickly tapped the papers on the table before clipping them together, shoving them into one of your top drawers quietly hoping that you remembered they were in there tomorrow morning before leaving your room for the one Next Door. 

“So what do you think about dinner Friday night.?”

“ I think I can squeeze you in.” 

A/N : I’m sorry if the ending was buns. I wanted to say thank you!  for all the support on my recent works. it means a lot to me that you guys enjoy my writing. I plan to take a small break so I don’t risk burning myself out and actually work on some smaller works as these last two were pretty long so there won’t be a post towards the end of July. I love you I’ll see you in august!

♡ Sharing my work is the best you can do. consider liking, rebloging and leaving a comment or two I would really appreciated! <3 it helps keep me motivated! ୨୧

© explosive- caramel, 2026. Do not repost, feed into any ai platforms, alter, plagiarize, or claim as your own. I do not permit my writing to be shared on any external platform without my permission.

Sammy Bryant has always had his eyes on you. I mean, who wouldn’t look at you? You’re an absolute stunner is what he’d say if anyone ever asked. You’d been his and Tammi’s neighbor for about two years before the divorce.

Each morning, when you both were heading to your respective jobs, you’d still be polite enough to yell out a “Mornin’ neighbor!” All while waving your pretty manicured nails at him. 

He’d blush each time, but he’d still offer up his own “Good morning” to you. Sammy liked having you as a neighbor. You were always polite and helpful. 

Whenever you’d have a cookout with your friends and family, you'd invite him and Tammi over. Of course, Tammi never came, but Sammy never let that stop him from going to eat good food. 

“Make yourself at home, Sammy. Come on, I’ll make your plate,” you said, tugging him along with you to the kitchen. As you passed by different members of your family, you would introduce them. 

“Say mane, you ain’t gone arrest us or nothin’ right?” Your uncle asked him. 

“No, sir, m’just here to enjoy some good food and company,” Sammy answers. 

“Uncle Leroy, leave my neighbor alone,” you said, laughing slightly as you pulled Sammy into the kitchen. The man watches quietly as you move around the kitchen and grab one of the long plates. 

You look up at him, “Do you eat potato salad?” 

Sammy nods, “Yeah, I do. Honestly, it all looks great, so load me up with it all.”

You chuckle, “I’ll hook you up. My dad makes the best ribs this side of town.” You navigate around the table as you pack Sammy’s plate with various foods. His mouth waters the more that you put on the plate.

But truly, he’d be lying to himself if he didn’t admit that his mouth was watering from the food. In actuality, the man can’t keep his eyes from trailing over your body. He can’t help the way that he notices the way that the shorts cling to your body, or how they rise each time you lean over the table. 

He’s a cop. He’s supposed to pay attention to the details that other people would miss, such as the fact that when your shirt lifts, he can see the faint glint from your belly button piercing. 

Or even the fact that he can tell that you just shaved your legs–as evidenced by the bandage on the side of your leg.

“You hurt yourself?”

“Huh?” 

When you turn to look at him, Sammy points to the bandage on the back of your leg. You look down at it and hum as though you forgot it was there. 

“Yeah, I nicked myself shaving this morning. You know how it is, playing host. You never really get time to yourself,” you explain, before sticking a fork in his plate. 

You pass the plate over to him, and he ignores the way that his skin tingles at the feel of your fingers brushing against his. Sammy follows you back into the party, where you both sit together at one of the tables. He takes the first bite of potato salad and nearly moans. 

The ribs are even better. 

“This is some of the best food I’ve had in a while,” He states, taking another bite of the ribs. 

You smirk, “Your wife not cooking many home meals?”

Sammy wipes his mouth and swallows down the food, “Not really. She does her best, but she’s not much of a cook. But I knew that when I married her.” He winces once the sentence is out and tries to save face, “She makes a great casserole.”

He cringes even harder at that sentence.

You laugh softly, “M’just teasing you, Sammy. Since you like the food so much, I’ll make you some to-go plates.”

Sammy takes his time to stare into your eyes. He analyzes the different shades of color present there and how your eyelashes perfectly complement your eyes. 

“I’d really like that. Thank you.”

“S’no problem.” 

You hold eye contact with him for a beat before breaking it once one of your cousins calls your name. You’re polite enough to include Sammy in the conversation. Actually, you’re great at reassuring him throughout the entire evening. 

Even when you’re teaching him to play Spades, you’re patient and calm with him. He finds himself laughing along with your family as they joke about you bringing a white boy around. 

You laugh loudly, “Y’all are gonna put some respect on my neighbor’s name. I’m not about to let y’all come for him like this.”

“Right, niece! Y’all ain’t coming for my friend. He said he's going to help me get rid of these parking tickets,” your uncle, Delmont, said, all while winking at Sammy. 

Sammy can’t help but admire how joyful and carefree you are when you’re with your family. It only makes him more attracted to you, especially with how welcoming you are. 

He stops the thoughts before they can even begin to manifest into a montage of images. If there’s one thing that Sammy Bryant doesn’t do is cheat. 

He knew his fair share of guys at the station who were messing around on their wives and girlfriends, but that had never been Sammy’s scene. 

He took the sanctity of marriage seriously. When he said those vows to Tammi, he meant every single word. So as much as he liked you, he’d never cross that line and hurt his wife. 

Because his parents raised him to be a lot of things, but a cheater wasn’t one of them. 

Even though he has his suspicions of Tammi, he still wouldn’t allow himself to ever cross that line. 

By the end of the night, as things are winding down, Sammy stands across from you in your yard with his to-go plates stacked together in a plastic bag. 

“Thank you again for inviting me and for the food,” He said, smiling shyly at you. 

“You’re welcome. Thanks for coming. You know it was really nice having you here, Sammy. You’re welcome to come to any future cookouts.”

He smiles, “Good, because I don’t think I ever want to miss out on your dad’s ribs.” Before he knows it, you’re stepping closer to him. He can practically feel the warmth of your body with how close you are. 

“Have a good night, Sammy.” He expects that to be the end of the conversation. What he doesn’t expect is for you to pull him into a hug. He can feel the increasing thumping of his heart beating against his chest at the feel of your body pressed to his. 

He tries to take a deep breath to calm his nerves, but that only worsens the situation because then he gets a big waft of your perfume. He circles his arm around your waist and pulls you more to him. 

You happen to move your head back to stare at him, and for a moment, he’s trapped within your gaze. He clears his throat and moves back. For a second, he allowed himself to visualize what it’d be like to have your lips pressed against his. 

He swallows roughly as the guilt starts to creep up into his body. He smiles awkwardly at you, “G’night.” 

You spare him one last smile before turning to walk back inside your house. Sammy follows suit and walks back to his house. When he gets inside, he spots Tammi sitting on the couch, watching TV and texting on her phone. 

“You’ve been gone all day. Thought I might have to file a missing person’s report,” She said, eyes flickering over his form and the bag in his hand. 

“No need for that. The neighbor and her family invited me to stay and eat with them. They were really nice,” Sammy responds.

Tammi hums. She’s not blind. She can see how pretty you are and the occasional glances that you spare Sammy’s way. Even just the fact that he was so excited to go to your house has her raising her eyebrows.

Sure, she’s already having an affair of her own, but something about the thought of you and Sammy together just makes her stomach queasy. However, it would absolve her of some guilt about her affair if Sammy were sleeping with you. 

Maybe he’d even be willing to look past what she’s doing in favor of his affair with you. 

The next day, Sammy’s on edge. 

He suspects more and more that Tammi is cheating on him. But it’s fully confirmed for him in that moment when he checks his to-go plates and sees that someone had eaten his ribs. 

Tammi doesn’t even like ribs. 

So who did she have in his house?

You’d noticed the change in Sammy since his divorce. At first, he was more withdrawn and isolated. You’d grown worried when you started to notice the usual softness and joy present in his face fading away. 

You were there for Sammy even when he started to push you away. You’d send over meals to his house, and he’d give you a soft smile, but you could always tell that the light had left his eyes.

It only got worse when he found out that the baby that he was so excited for wasn’t his. 

In that moment, Sammy Bryant decides to become a brand new man. As he looks in the mirror, he takes in his chubby cheeks and the slight curve of his stomach. He figures that he’ll start there.

He starts going to the gym more and being more mindful about what he eats. Soon, the weight practically falls off, and his face becomes slimmer. His jawline’s sharper, and the man that stares at him in the mirror is him…but not him at the same time. 

He likes it. And he’s not the only one. Sammy starts to garner a lot more attention from women on the regular patrols. They’d usually keep their eyes on Nate and disregard Sammy. 

But now, they flash heated looks and sugary smiles in his direction. It puts a certain pep in his step. Even as he goes to the bar with the guys, more women are pulling him to the side and suggesting that they come back to his place. 

He smiles politely and declines. 

He sips from his beer after he’d rejected yet another woman. Ben turns to him, “Jeez, Bryant, she was a real smoke show. I bet she would’ve been open to showing you a good time.” 

Sammy shrugs, “Nah, not my type.” 

Nate scoffs, “Not your type? What’s your type then? Oh, let me guess, your fine ass neighbor next door?” 

Sammy shoots him a warning look. Nate chuckles, “So, I’m right. Why don’t you just ask her out, man? She seems like she’s into you.”

“I don’t know. I just haven’t gotten around to it yet.”

“Well, you’d better get a move on it. Pretty girl like that. Some guy’s bound to scoop her up soon.”

Sammy knows that he’s right. You’re a beautiful woman, and not too many men would miss their opportunity to have you on their arm. Since the divorce, he’s been watching you a lot more. 

He finally feels like it’s not a sin to look at you and imagine what it’d be like to be with you. 

Which just happens to be the case now as he watches you head out to your car. You glance up, feeling his eyes on you, “Mornin’ neighbor.”

“Morning,” Sammy replies before he starts to walk over in your direction. 

You lean against your car and give him another one of those dazzling smiles, “Long time no see, Sammy. You get a brand new look and dump me.” 

You don’t hide the fact that you’re checking him out, which he really likes. 

“I’m sorry, it wasn’t you, I swear. It’s just been a lot with the divorce and then the baby…” He trails off at the end of the sentence and swallows roughly. 

It still hurts him to talk about the fact that the baby isn’t his. A cute, chubby-faced baby that Sammy was prepared to give the world to. Even after the DNA test came back negative, he tried to make it work. It was always his dream to be a father. But as all things are with Tammi, they eventually become complicated. Her affair partner was still a constant in her life, and he obviously wanted to be a part of the kid’s life. 

So Sammy did the mature thing. 

He bowed out and left. There was no point in fighting for something that would only hurt him in the end. 

“Yeah, I know. I’m sorry that you had to go through all of that, Sammy. Really. You’re a great guy,” You said, your expression softening. 

“Thanks, and thanks for being there. Those home-cooked meals meant more than you know.”

“You’re welcome. You know you’re always welcome over anytime,” You said.

Sammy smiles shyly. Even with his new look, he still found himself nervous around you. 

“I should go, but I’ll see you around, Sammy. Be careful.” With one last parting smile, you get into your car and drive away. Sammy watches you drive away and mentally scolds himself for not being brave enough to ask you out. 

It’s a random Friday night, and Sammy finds himself on patrol with Nate and Ben. There’s nothing too crazy besides them having to get a few sloppy drunks in line. Sammy’s eyes scan to the entrance of the club, and he stops once he spots you walking out with your friends. He lets his eye run down your figure in the way that the front of the dress dips dangerously to show the outline of your breasts. 

You look beautiful, and you’re practically glowing as you laugh loudly at something that one of your friends says. Your eyes scan your surroundings, and they automatically land on Sammy leaning against the patrol car. 

Sammy sees you say something to your friends before you start to walk in his direction. By this point, Nate and Ben have noticed you approaching them. Nate nudges Sammy, “Aye, Bryant, there goes your lady.”

Sammy rolls his eyes, but can’t stop the smile that covers his face. 

“Evening officers. Hi, neighbor,” You say, looking in Sammy’s direction. 

“Hi, uh..you look really nice. Girls’ night out?”

“Bachelorette Party, actually. My best friend’s getting married next week,” You reply, briefly glancing back at the group of women, who wave at you before making obscene gestures. Sammy chuckles at their antics. Your friends use his laughter as an excuse to come over and antagonize you finally. 

A woman with long faux locs and a sasha labelled “Bride” smirks while looking between you and Sammy. “Oh, so you must be the sexy neighbor that she won’t stop talking about.”

Your eyes widen, “Kamari!”

“Ooops, my bad. I’m a little tipsy officer, forget I said anything,” Kamari states before turning her gaze to Ben and Nate. “Hey, is it possible for you guys to handcuff me and put me in the back of the cop car?”

Your other friends laugh at Kamari’s suggestion, but truthfully, Ben and Nate are down to make her wish come true. You watch in amusement as Ben puts the cuffs around her wrists loosely as your other friend, Shay, takes pictures and videos of the moment.

You find that Sammy’s already looking at you, “Aren’t you gonna frisk me, Officer?”

Sammy smirks at the insinuation, “I don’t know, ma’am. Have you been a good girl or a bad girl tonight? I have to have reasonable cause for a search.”

You step closer and pretend to think it over, “I don’t know, Officer Bryant. I think I’ve been pretty bad tonight. I think you should cuff me and make sure that I’m not in possession of anything. You know, for the safety of the public and all?” You peer at him from beneath your lashes as you flash one of those dazzling smiles in his direction. 

“How much have you had to drink tonight, sweetheart?” He figures that it must be some sort of liquid courage if you’re openly flirting with him like this. 

“Not a lot. I’m playing designated driver tonight, so that means that I’m completely sober and in my right mind to flirt with you,” You mutter as you reach out to lightly touch his shirt. Your fingers play with the buttons of his shirt, and Sammy feels flush at having your hands on him.

From the side, Kamari stumbles, and you take a step back from Sammy. “I should get her home. It was nice seeing you, Sammy. Stay safe tonight.”

“Drive safely, sweetheart.” 

He watches you walk away, the dress clinging to each curve of your body. You throw a fleeting glance over your shoulder and wink at him before turning around. 

“She’s so into you, man. You gotta get in on that,” Ben suggests. 

For the first time in a while, Sammy figures that it’s time to make his move.

12:20 AM. 

That’s the precise time that Sammy makes it to his house. He briefly glances over to your house and clocks the fact that the lights are still on. 

He walks into his house, which is silent except for the sounds of his dog, Cooper, snoring from the couch. 

As Sammy showers, he’s suddenly hyper aware of his body and all of the different changes there. The slight pudge that used to sit over his pants is nonexistent. Even as he stands in the mirror and observes his jaw, which one lady stated “could cut through glass,” he just stares.

He starts to wonder if maybe Tammi wouldn’t have cheated on him if he looked like this. Was she turned off by his chubby cheeks or the feel of his stomach against hers when they had sex? 

Then he thinks about you. 

Never once during the times when he’d talked with you did you ever make him feel like he was disgusting. In fact, the only time that he ever felt wanted was when he was with you. 

The realization is what gives him the confidence to finally walk across the pathway as he stands in front of your door nervously. 

He readjusts his grip on the wine bottle as he raises his hand to knock. 

He lowers his hand, “What are you doing, Bryant? She’s probably asleep. What? You bring wine and then what?”

He jumps as the door opens. You stand in front of him with a wide grin on your face, “Are my eyes deceiving me, or are you talking to yourself at my front door, Sammy?”

Sammy blushes under your gaze. He awkwardly rubs his hand through his hair, “How’d you know I was at your door?” 

You take a small step forward and point to the side of the door, where a ring camera sits. 

“I saw you on my camera. The motion detector went off, and then I just kind of watched you psych yourself up at the door,” You respond, laughing. 

Sammy laughs right along with you. 

“I’m sorry. That was weird. I should probably go.” 

“Don’t be. It’s cute. Plus, you walked all this way, you might as well come in,” you states, leaning on the door. Frankly, it’s not like he walked far. Your house is literally only a few steps away, but implication is just far too sexy to resist. 

Sammy follows behind you into your house, and he takes the chance to look around. You’ve changed things around since the last time that he’s been here. It’s warm, cozy, and completely you. 

You navigate him towards the kitchen where you go to the cabinet to grab two glasses. 

He removes the cork from the wine glass, and you blatantly stare at the flex of his muscles. 

“Sorry if it’s not the good stuff,” He said, as he pours you both a glass. 

“It’s fine. I’ve become all too familiar with cheap wine, and truthfully, I kind of like it,” you reply. You usher him into the living with as you both sit side by side. You pull your feet up to rest on the couch as you stare at Sammy. 

“What brings you by this time of night, Officer Bryant?” You ask teasingly.

“ I wanted to see you.”

You smile, “I wanted to see you, too. I was hoping that you’d stop by.”

“You looked really beautiful tonight,” Sammy announces, eyes briefly flickering down to your bare legs.

“Thank you. You looked pretty hot in your uniform.”

He smiles bashfully, “Yeah? That’s seems to be the consensus among everyone these days. Guess they didn’t really like the way that I looked in the uniform back then. Nobody likes a chubby guy, you know?”

He tries to laugh at the end of the joke to take the sting away, but it still hurts. The insecurity of it all stillhurts. 

You set your glass down the table before turning to look at him. He wants to smooth the frown out of your pretty face. 

“Is that really what you think of yourself, Sammy? Don’t get me wrong, you’re hot like this, but I liked you when you had a little weight on you, too. You were fluffy.” 

Sammy chuckles, “Fluffy? Like a bunny?”

“Yeah, like a bunny. You always looked like you were good at cuddling and like you could keep a girl warm on a cold night,” you explain, your expression darkening. 

You scoot closer to him on the couch until your legs are touching his. You trail yours eyes across his form and suddenly, he just feels so naked under your gaze. 

He finds himself leaning in closer to your face, but you stop him. You stand from the couch and hold your hand out to him, “Come on, I wanna try something.” 

Sammy’s like a little puppy with how he willingly lets you lead him throughout your house. He eyes the various pictures frames that have you and your family in them. His heart is hammering against his chest as you both get closer to what he presumes is your bedroom. 

It also doesn’t help that he can feel himself hardening in the grey sweatpants. You push the door open lightly as he finally catches a full view of your room. 

The big bed sits neatly in the middle of the room, but what catches his eye more is the huge mirror that sits in front of the bed. Sammy’s mind goes to less innocent scenarios, such as you pleasuring yourself in front of the mirror. 

You turn to face his as you both stand in front of the bed. “Is it okay if I touch you, Sammy?”

He nods, wide eyes seeking your approval.

You click your tongue, “No, baby, you’re an officer, you know how important consent is.”

He swallows the saliva that fills his mouth, “Yes, you can touch me. You can do whatever you want to me, doll.”

“Good because I wanna make you feel good tonight.” Your fingers reach out to lightly squeeze the bulge that peeks through the sweatpants. He jumps in anticipation. 

Your hands grasp the edge of his shirt before you lift it above his head. The fabric falls carelessly to the floor. Sammy suddenly feels very shy under your gaze. 

You pull his body to yours with the drawstring of his sweats. You peer up at him, “I want you to kiss me, Sammy.”

He doesn’t need much else after that as he lips descend upon yours. Sammy’s lips move across yours, and it feels like he’d devouring you. But truthfully, you don’t know how much, he’s been waiting to finally touch you. 

You moan softly at the feel of his tongue sliding into your mouth. You can taste the faint hint of mint on Sammy’s tastebuds. You move your hands up to cup his face, “You know how many hours I spent thinking about this face? Sammy, I’d literally cum to the thought of sitting on your face.” 

You move your lips to the side and press a kiss to his cheek, “I was always happy whenever I’d get to see your sweet face in the morning.” 

As expected, he blushes. You slide your hands from his face down to his stomach, which is now lean with abs and a visible v-line running down. Your hands grasp the side of his waist.

“I really liked your stomach.” Sammy’s mouth goes dry as he watches you to come to stand behind him. You turn his face to the mirror, “Eyes on the mirror, baby. I want you to watch every single thing I’m doing to you.”

He watches you bite your lip through the mirror, “You wanna know what I fantasized about when it came to your stomach?”

“Tell me,” Sammy orders gruffly. 

 Your manicured hands slide down the length of his body before you dig your nails into his stomach. 

“I used to think about you and me together. I thought about you laying your body atop of mine, and you thrusting away. But you wanna know what really turned me on? I couldn’t stop thinking about your belly rubbing up against mine. It didn’t turn me off at all. Means that you’re eating good. Can I make you feel good?”

“Please,” he whimpers, as he leans back in your hold. 

You gently usher him to sit in the middle of the bed. Grasping the sides of his sweatpants, you pull them down as his dick slaps against his stomach. 

You kneeling between Sammy’s legs, staring up at him all pretty. 

“I wanna see you too,” Sammy said, softly. 

You lean back to toss your shirt over your head. Sammy’s greeted with the sight of your beautiful breasts as the air starts to harden your nipples.

“You look beautiful,” Sammy states. 

“Thank you, baby. So do you. Now let me make you feel good,” you tell him, to which he nods.

You take his length in your hands and slide your tongue across his tip to collect the precum dripping there. 

Sammy shudders in your hold. Licking up the underside of his dick, you allow your glossed lips to cover his tip. Lifting up, you swirl your tongue around like you’re licking a lollipop. 

“You taste so good, baby. Just like I knew you would.” Sammy jumps and moans loudly at the feel of you enveloping his full length into your mouth. He pulls your curly hair out of your face so that he can stare at you. 

You look at the Sammy the entire time as you move your head up and down. When you move up again, you allow a large amount of saliva to trail over Sammy’s tip before slurping it back into your mouth.

“Baby…fuck…that feels so good,” Sammy moans, his face scrunching up in pleasure. 

You moan around him at the praise and Sammy finds his hips lifting each time to meet your mouth. Quite frankly, you’re happy to see him prioritizing his own pleasure and wants. You know he deserves it after everything that Tammi put him through. 

Sammy feels the creeping of the orgasm rising in his body before he can fully comprehend it. His mind feels frazzled as he moans unabashedly in the room. He tries to push you back a little, “Baby…”

But you already know what that means, and you’re not letting your man miss out having his pleasure. Hallowing your cheeks more, Sammy moans increase as you fully submerge yourself to the base of his length, pushing your nose into the ginger hairs at the base of his dick. 

Stars burst beneath his eyes as his orgasm starts. He moans and whimpers as the ropes of cum leave him. You obediently drink him down and move up at the sheer amount of cum that floods your mouth. 

With him now out of your mouth, you point his leaking dick at your chest as the white liquid paints your breasts like a canvas. 

The last bit of Sammy’s white release trails lazily down the side of his dick. You catch the liquid before it can drop on the bed and bring it to your mouth. Sammy’s dick jumps at the sight of your wet mouth, along with your bare chest painted with him cum. 

“Come here, sweetheart,” He orders. 

You stand in front of him, bare and waiting. Sammy surprises you when he moves his face closer to your body and his tongue flicks out to swipe the cum away from your nipple. The ginger-haired man fully wraps his lips around your nipples as he sucks gently. Sammy repeats the action on your other breast before moving to lick the remaining remnants of his cum from your chest.

Once you’re cleaned up to his satisfaction, he connects his mouth to yours. You both kiss messily as the faint trace of him remains on your tongues. 

Gently laying you down on the bed, Sammy hovers above you. He presses light kisses down the length of your body. He grabs your hips in his hands as he slides your sleep shorts down your legs and discard them on your floor. 

“M’gonna make you feel good too, baby. For the next couple of days, all I want is the taste of you in my mouth,” He explains, laying down between your legs. 

Kissing up your thighs, Sammy nips at your thighs before soothing the bites over with his tongue. Truthfully, he wants to mark you. He wants to leave this bedroom knowing that some part of him is still imprinted on your body. 

Sammy pushes your legs back and is greeted with the sight of your glistening folds. Leaning down, he collects the slick that gathers at your entrance on his tongue and licks a long stripe towards your clit. 

It seems like just from that small taste, it incites Sammy to fully bury his face into your pussy. You lean up on your elbows as you watch his head move back and forth. 

Stuffing your hand into his curls, your jaw drops at the feel of the man eating you out like you were his last meal on Earth. 

“Sammy…”You moan, eyes rolling to the back of your head. How could Tammi be this stupid and give an eater like Sammy up? 

Admittedly, this is the first time that a man’s been able to bring you the edge so quickly just off of head alone. Sammy’s Bryant a dangerous man, and you’d definitely be willing to fight anyone before you gave up your best eater. 

With one last suck to your clit, you’re exploding on Sammy’s tongue. He watches as your back arches from the bed. It brings a huge sense of pride to his chest at the fact that he’s making you feel so good. 

You breathe heavily and laugh, “If I knew you were this good, I would have came to your house sooner.” 

Sammy licks his lips, tasting the remaining juices on his face. “I think we both have a lot to make up for baby.”

Leaning up, you pull his lips to yours, “Well, we can start now.” You grasp his hardened dick in his hand, “I’d love to feel you inside me.”

Reaching over to the bedside drawer, Sammy pulls out a condom and slides it over his length. 

“Yeah, baby, we got a lot to make up for.”

From that moment, you instantly become Sammy’s girl and there isn’t a thing that he won’t do for you. Sammy feels good about his relationship with you. For the first time in a while, he feels valued and less like a burden. 

Knowing that you found him attractive in every single state sent a wave of flutters throughout his chest each time. 

Naturally, the guys at the station teased him for getting a woman as beautiful as you. He’d heard his fair share of “You sure you can handle all that, Bryant?” But truthfully, Sammy had excelled at proving that he could handle you. 

The man was practically manhandling you all throughout his house. He got off on seeing just how much he could make you cum. He always kept a perceptive eye on you as he liked watching you cum, and seeing how overwhelmed you got by the orgasm. 

He liked knowing that he was the only one making you feel good. 

Even the first time that you’d let him go raw inside you, Sammy Bryant had literally turned you every way but loose. 

You still didn’t see how Tammi could ever cheat on the man when he was putting it down like this. 

Speaking of Sammy’s ex-wife, she’d started to become a rather bothersome nuisance. She’d heard around town that Sammy had started seeing a new woman. So imagine her surprise when she spots you and Sammy walking hand-in-hand in the grocery store with love sick smiles on your faces.

It’s also not lost on Tammi how good he looks. This wasn’t the same Sammy Bryant who’d divorced her months ago. 

No, he actually looked happy with you. 

She swallows down the sting of bitterness. As the saying goes, you never know what you have until it’s gone. And Tammi was surely recognizing that now. 

Sammy gets off on Friday and heads home to take off his uniform. He’d already since logged his body cam back in at the station. He parks in front of his house and walks in, just as he smells food wafting through the home. 

He smiles at the realization that you’re here and you’re cooking for him. He’d given you a key to his house pretty early on the relationship, and he didn’t regret it. As far as Sammy was concerned, he was serious about his relationship with you. 

Sure, the sex was great, but there wasn’t a moment that he didn’t enjoy spending with you. He loved the fact that he was able to get to know you on a more deeper and intimate level. 

He spots you stirring away at the stove. His eyes zero in on the pretty dress your wearing and how it rides up when you move. 

Gently walking up behind you, Sammy wraps his arms around your waist. 

“Evenin’ ma’am. I’m Officer Bryant with the LAPD. I’m here to discuss something serious with you, you might if I search your person for anything?” Sammy questions.

You smirk, you already know this is about to end with you cumming around Sammy. You turn the stove off as you turn your head slightly to the side, “Of course, Officer. May I ask what’s this about?”

“Well, ma’am, I have reasonable cause to suspect that you’re harboring something deadly on you. Now, do I have your consent to frisk you?”

You laugh lowly, which Sammy catches as he chuckles.

“I don’t know, Officer Bryant. Do you have a search warrant.?”

Sammy raises his eyebrows in amusement, “M’afraid I don’t ma’am. But I could take you down to the station and it’d be a lot longer. I think it’d be easier if you just consented here.” He trails his fingers down to the edges of your dress. 

“Okay, Officer Bryant, you have my permission,” you respond. 

Sammy navigates you away from the stove and to the the nearby counter. “Hands in front of you where I can see them, ma’am. Spread your legs for me.” 

You follow Sammy’s orders as you spread your legs more. You can already feel the panties between your legs becoming wet with freakiness of it all. 

Starting at your chest, Sammy gently pats his hands along your body. He gets to your breasts and cups them in his hands. You lean into his touch. Patting along your waist, Sammy moves his mouth close to your ear, “Have you been a good girl, sweetheart?”

“Mhmm..I’m always a good girl for you, Officer.” Sammy hums before kneeling behind you. 

He trails his hands up your legs as he reaches the hem of your dress. He pushes the fabric over your hips and whistles at the sight of your panties clinging to your wet pussy. 

“Now what do we have here, sweetheart? Is this getting you all hot and bothered?” Sammy asks, as he swipes his fingers along the damp center of your panties. 

“Tell you what, sweetheart. I’ll make a deal with you. I got a little situation going on if you catch my drift. You help me out and I’ll let you go scot free,” Sammy suggests. 

“Okay, Officer Bryant. We can do that,” You state, subtly waving your hips in his face. In response, Sammy pulls the wet material down your legs as he stuff it in the back of his pocket. 

He practically salivates at seeing how wet you are. 

Standing up behind you, Sammy unbuttons his pants and pulls them down just enough before guiding his tip to your entrance. 

You bend over more as you arch your back. You and Sammy moan in unison as he slides into you. 

“God baby, you feel so good,” he mutters against your shoulder. He has to pause due to how your warm walls encircle around him. 

Pulling back lightly, Sammy thrusts forward, which makes you let out a soft moan. He starts a steady pace as he rocks in and out of you. The man looks down at his your pussy stretches around him, and at the white creaminess that coats the base of his dick. 

You know Sammy’s watching. He’s always been a fan of looking at your bodies being connected. You start to thrust back as your ass bounces against his thrusts.

Sammy reaches around to close his hand around your throat as his movements increase. The loud sound of skin slapping fills the kitchen space. You and Sammy are so utterly lost in the moment that neither of you pays attention to the woman, who stands gobsmacked in the kitchen. 

Tammi doesn’t know what she expected to find when she came back to her former house. All day, she’d talked herself up to come back to the house. She had said that she would tell Sammy that she’d forgotten something, then being the nice guy that he is, he’d let her in. 

She expected that they talk, reminisce on the good old days before they’d talk about how much they missed each other. Them missing each other would lead to them kissing and then they’d go at each other like rabbits.

At least, that’s the scenario that Tammi planned in her head. However her plan was severely flawed from the jump. As soon as she had gotten to the house, she’d knocked and knocked. Not that you and Sammy would be able to hear over the sounds of your lovemaking. 

So Tammi got desperate and used her old key, which has led her to the current moment. Having to watch her ex-husband fuck you like it’s the last thing he’ll ever get to do. Her eyes zero in on Sammy’s hand wrapped around your throat, and how much pleasure you seem to be in. 

Tammi has to admit it to herself, Sammy’s always been a phenomenal lay and even better when it came to giving head. But as she watches him here with you, a large flare of envy creeps into her mind. 

Here you were reaping all of the good benefits of Sammy. The parts of him that she had neglected.

With one last thrust, you and Sammy moan loudly as your mutual climaxes erupt. Sammy holds your body flush to his as you can feel the white spurts of cum shooting against your womb. 

You laugh softly, “You keep cumming in me like this, Sammy, we’re gonna be picking out baby names.”

“Wouldn’t bother me, one bit, honey.”

You’re both startled at the sound of keys hitting the floor. You both look at the former Mrs. Bryant as she stands awkwardly in the doorway. 

Sammy pulls his pants up as he smooths your dress down, “Tammi, what are you doing here? How’d you even get in?”

The blonde woman blushes in embarrassment, “I was coming by to talk and I knocked, but you weren’t answering.” 

Her eyes flicker over to you, “I can see why now. You know, I always knew that you liked him. You’d look at him whenever he came out of the house. I guess you were just waiting on your chance to swoop in and steal him from me.” 

Sammy scoffs, “Oh, come off of it, Tammi. Last I checked, you cheated on me, and we’re divorced so you can stop with the whole ‘woe is me’ bullshit.”

“I just wanted to talk, Sammy. You remember when we used to do that?”

“Yeah, I do. I always remember that you used to not cheat on me either, or maybe the fact that you got pregnant with his kid. God, Tammi, nothing that I ever did was ever gonna be enough for you,” Sammy states, running a hand through his hair. You place a reassuring hand on his back. 

Tammi sees it. She also sees the way that Sammy’s body visibly relaxes in your hold. She isn’t dumb. She sees what’s going on here, and she swallows down the acidity as it crawls up her throat. 

Sammy is in love with you. 

It’s just as clear cut as it needs to be. There’s no chance of reconciliation for her and Sammy because she’d already lost his love to you. 

Even with the way that she can see Sammy grasping your fingers between his, it solidifies the moment.

“I shouldn’t have came. I’m sorry, Sammy.” 

She turns to leave the house until Sammy calls her name. She’s honestly expecting him to make some grand speech in front of you about how he would always love her and how he wants them to be friend. 

But that doesn’t come. 

Sammy holds his hand out, “I need my key back to my house.” Tammi’s eyes widen as she fishes the key from the key chain. She slides into Sammy’s hand and watches as he hands it over to you. 

“Aren’t you at least gonna walk me out, Sammy?”

You roll your eyes as Sammy huffs in annoyance. He’s about to take a step forward until you stop him, “I’ll walk her out, baby.” 

Sammy watches as you usher Tammi to the door. You both disappear around the corner. She turns to face you, “It won’t last with you two. Sammy and I have history together. He isn’t gonna throw it all away for some fling.”

You laugh, like actually downright laugh in her face. “Honey, was that for you or me? I seem to recall you threw all of your history with Sammy away for some fling. You even let him knock you up. You never deserved Sammy. He’s a great man, who you took for granted. But hey, I should be thanking you. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have him. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m about to go fuck my man again.” 

Before she can respond, you close the door in her face. You walk back into the kitchen where Sammy is standing. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t even know she still had a key. And for the record, you’re not just a fling to me. I’ve never been happier than when I’m with you.” He takes a second to pause, “I love you, sweetheart. I know it may be too soon to say this but I’d like to spend the rest of my life with you.”

That pretty smile that made Sammy fall for you covers your face. You step forward to cup his face in your hands, “I love you too, Sammy. And for the record, I like the idea of spending the rest of my life with you.” 

Sammy leans down to press his lips against yours. When he pulls back, he keeps his forehead pressed to yours, “Thank you for being here and loving me at every stage. There hasn’t been a moment where I had to wonder if I was worthy enough to be with you.”

Your eyes soften, “Sammy, I’ll always spend every moment reminding you of why you deserve the world.”

He smiles, “And I’ll make sure that I spend every moment making sure that I’m giving it to you.” 

“Good. Now, are we eating or going for another round?”

Sammy laughs loudly, “Let’s eat, then I can show you all the ways that I love you.”

“I like the sound of that.”

End.

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