Ayyyyyyy, look what I'vveeee gooottt… a new chapter out! :D
My thank you's to my fantabulicious reviewers:
Mr. Alaska: hahaha, yaaayyy, so do I! :D and LMAAOOOO, probablyyyyy! ;) lolz! water fights are always a good time! :) and mmhhhmmmm, the boy's gettin' bold, huh? ;) hahaha, yupp, Cindy be like "WTF? Nigga, say whhaaatt?" lolz. And if Huey keep talkin' he be done wind up with a black eye! lolz! He only said that to get a rise out of Riley to prove that he likes her, but still. Riley gonna hurt him if he keeps playin' too much ;) And of course! I'mma do it again! :D thanks for the review! :) PS: I couldn't squeeze in your suggestion about that song at the end of this chapter but it's at the beginning of next for sure, my dude. thanks for bein' patient :)
bunnybabe247: aww, thank you! I'm glad you like it! :D and oh yes, the conversation is HERE. :D thanks for your review! :)
Paige1292: hahhaa, Granddad know exactly what he's doin'! he's bad ;) aww, thank you, I'm glad you liked that part! :D and yess, I know! I'm gonna try and put more Huey & Jazmine cuteness in the story eventually. haha! and lolz, I love the couple looks too! that's why I had to put it in there! :D thanks so much for the review! :)
Edgar H. Sutter: hahhaaha, right! I remember when it first came out! I love the movie :D and lolz, oh Riley definitely wants some alone time with her. And haha, you're exactly right. Huey was just trying to test Riley and prove that he has feelings for her. And, of course, Riley passed :) and ooooh, are you psychic? ;) ;) ;) you sound like you're onto something! thanks so much for your review! :D
genissis123: hahah, me too! :D and aww, thank you! :) and lolz, of course! the story is not even close to being finished yet, so no worries! :D thanks for your review! :)
EccentricSuperchick: hahahaha, me sorryyyy! read read read! :D and thank you for your review! :D
LovinHueyFreeman: hahahaha, girl you know already know we homies! :D and lmao, I should've checked before I updated. I *meant* to say that I started that chapter that Friday. lolz! anyways, yesshh aren't they sweet girls, wanting to help Uncle Reez? :) hahahaha, the boy want *it* BAD. lmao! and meee toooo! they did an awesome job on the movie. there were so many inside jokes and the music was phenomenal. I still messes with dat movie! :D mmhhhmm, its gonna get interestin' that's for sure. :D and yooouuu arreeee a smarrttttiiieeee :D and lolz, yeah about that conversation, we will now found out. are things all peachy keen orrrr… lolz. thanks for your review! :D
Jazavelli: hahahahha! aww, thank you! i OD'ed when writing out the car wash scene! lolz! :D and haha, Riley is in denial about almost everything. lolz! and yupp yupp you about to find out what the mood is like for the convo right now! :O and lolz, I'm thinkin' about it, don't worry ;) thank you so much for your review! :)
Miss Princeton143: aww, thank you! and hahaha, oh yeaah he was. gettin' real into it, mmhmm! hahah! :D and hmmm, we will find out right now what Jazmine's gonna do. :D thanks for your review! :D
shanane tayllor93: haha, yaaayyy, I love it tooo! :D and hahaha, ohh Huey. he's a mess. thank goodness there was no fight… last chapter anyway… oops, have I said too much? … I think so. ;) thanks so much for your review! :D
Jor-El Smith: aw, thank you! :D and hahah, yes she most certainly does! and awww, I absolutely love uncle-niece type relationships and bonds. I think it's cuz I don't have any brothers or sisters (I HATE it) and I always want that. lol! cutest freakin' thing ever. thank you so much for your review! :D
Dave The Wordsmith: LMAAAOOOO! My brotha from another mother can I just tell you that your reviews always make me LOL? I literally cracked up when I read the beginning of your last review! :D anyways, thank you so much! hahaha, I'm glad you liked Granddad's part! I could really picture him sayin' that! I try to get at least one good line for him in almost every chap. if I can. and lolz, I appreciate you for keepin' 100. the main reason I used this version is because I wanted it to be a kid's song that Jamilah would have from a soundtrack album. I found it and I'm like, "hey, this works." hahaha! ;) oh yes, Huey and Jazmine are back and the sibling rivalry begins immediately (we get more into it this chapter ;)). and yupp, Riley's gotta stick up for his girl, knaa'mean? he might have to throw down, but at he ain't gonna let no one disrespect her :) and hmm, we will see where the convo leads. and hahah, Caesar's gonna keep his nosy, bummy, freeloadin' butt HOME for this chapter! hahahahahah! he literally just left! I think Riley would flip if he showed up again in the same day ;) thanks for your hilarious reviews, as usual :) Deuces.
Miss Ace Thank You: yaaaayyyy, you're back! and aww, thank you so much! I'm glad you like it! :D thanks for your review! :)
ToxicMKT: awww, really? thank you so much! your review literally made me smile! I'm glad you like my story! thanks again so much for your review! :D
Reesman: awww, thank you so much! I really appreciate it! :D and don't worry, later in the story we're going to discuss Riley's "thug status" as well as hopefully see a little piece of it. :) thanks so much for your review! :D
Special Shout-Out: Ayyyooo, homies, go read Beatin' The Heat by Mr. Alaska. It's a Riley & Cindy based fiction and super good, super cool, and super flirty ;) Gooo! :D
Yaaayyy, last chapter was fuuunn. Glad you guys seemed to like the Car Wash section. And LMAO, I was happy none of you were frontin' and told me that you also were fans of the Shark Tale movie! I'm glad I'm not the only one! That movie's the ish! :D
So yeah, in our last cliffhanger, Huey and Jazmine have just returned to pick up Jamilah and are about to encounter Cindy again for the first time in years! What's gonna go down, y'all?
Read to find out :)
PS: I've recently found out that some of my readers thought that the story was set to end once Huey & Jazmine came to pick up the baby. Rest assured, this is NOT the end, my darling readers! hahahahah! There's much more to come and we will definitely see Jamilah again in the following few chapters. Hakuna Matata ;)
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Aaron McGruder's The Boondocks or any of his characters.
"Well, I don't see what the big deal is with hoes anyway."
"Riley! All women are not hoes…. We're talkin' twenty, twenty-five percent tops."
"Okay. But if they not all hoes, then why I got to pay to take 'em out to eat then? I mean, I'm payin'! That's payment!"
"I-I don't know. 'Cause that's just what you do. You meet a girl, you take her out to dinner, but you're not payin' the girl. You're payin' the restaurant."
"But I'm PAYIN'. Which makes her a HOE! Why don't I just give her the money I was gonna spend on dinner, and that hoe can go grocery shopping?"
"…(Silence)…"
~Huey Freeman and Riley Freeman; Guess Hoe's Coming To Dinner
Riley's POV
Ooh, shit. This is uncomfortable. Riley thought to himself, observing the situation.
Riley paid careful attention to Cindy as she gently let down Jamilah, who eagerly ran across the kitchen to greet her parents. Cindy looked very nervous, obviously due to the fact that she was going to have to explain why she'd been M.I.A for so long without contact.
Riley then turned to Jazmine, no doubt the only person Cindy was truly worried about speaking to. Jazmine squatted down with a smile and hugged her daughter with open arms.
"Hi, baby." She cooed as she held her. "Did you have a good time?"
"Yes, Mommy! I had so much fun with Unca Reezy and Aunt Cindy!" Jamilah exclaimed with enthusiasm. Jazmine and Huey both raised a brow.
Awkward!
Jazmine gave Jamilah a small smile before releasing her, allowing her to go hug her father. Huey lifted his baby into his arms and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He quietly spoke to her as Jazmine rose from the ground, eyes steady on Cindy.
Riley couldn't read Jazmine's expression as she walked across kitchen to stand in front of her. He was kinda surprised, being as though she sounded like everything was good when she was speaking to Cindy on the phone and how she'd even referred to her as her friend only a few minutes ago. But now she looked pretty serious, no trace of a smile on Jazmine's face as she stared at her. Cindy looked extremely sheepish, nervously pushing a strand of hair behind her ear before she spoke.
"Hey, Jazzy." She said quietly.
"Cindy… where have you been?" Riley was surprised at how blunt and direct Jazmine's normally soft voice was. Cindy looked taken aback as well.
"I-Indiana… you know that's where I went to school-"
"That's not what I'm talking about." Jazmine cut her off, her gaze never leaving Cindy's. "I haven't heard from you in years, Cindy. Literally."
Damn, Jazmine be straight to the point with her.
Cindy stared at her, shock written on her face. "I-I know, and I'm sorry, Jazmine. It's just that I-I got caught up, there's been a lot of crap goin' on in my life, I didn't know what-"
"What… does that… have to do… with anything?" Jazmine's eyes narrowed. "We were best friends growing up, Cindy. We talked about everything. It didn't matter what kind of stuff was going on in our lives, we made time for each other. For about a year after you went to college we kept in touch… then all of the sudden it's like you drop off the face of the Earth…. I needed you, Cindy."
Riley saw that Jazmine's eyes no longer contained anger. They were filled with hurt.
"We stopped talking before I had Jamilah," Jazmine paused, gesturing to her child in Huey's arms. She gave Huey a look and he nodded, stepping out of the room by using the side door that lead to the dining room. Riley knew he was being a nosy nigga by not leaving, but he had to hear.
"I had to leave you a voicemail to tell you that I was pregnant, Cindy… a voicemail. I couldn't even reach you to tell you about the most important event in my life." Jazmine's stare was intense, causing Cindy to avoid her eyes and look down sadly. "And I didn't have you to talk to when I was going through it. Through the pain, the weight gain, the mood swings, all of it… I didn't have my best friend to talk about it with…. I really thought that in your eyes our friendship was over… so imagine my surprise when you called me during my last month of pregnancy." Cindy looked up, eyes widening slightly as she stared at Jazmine's unreadable face. "That would be the one phone call I missed. But you left me a voicemail to check up on me and see how I was coming along… that really touched me. Even though I was so hurt and upset with you, it didn't matter anymore. What mattered to me is that you actually showed me that you still cared…. Of course, when I called back I didn't get an answer… bitch." Jazmine cracked the tiniest grin at Cindy's face. When she finally composed herself, Cindy grabbed Jazmine's hand, her eyes looking watery.
"Jazmine, you have to know that I never ever stopped caring about you,"
Oh God, this is ready to be some real gay and sentimental shit!
"When I was at school, I pretty much hit the lowest point of my life. I was really ready to come back home, but I didn't want to give up. Riley knows this story… I don't know why he's still in this room, but whatever."
"This is my house, nigga! I goes where I wanna go!"
"Anyways," Cindy rolled her eyes, turning back to Jazmine. "I basically just distanced myself from everything relating to home, including you, to try and stay focused. I felt like shit everytime I saw your name on my caller ID, Jazz. I know I was dumb as fuck. I know I was selfish as fuck. And I really don't deserve your forgiveness for what I did to you… I was a horrible friend. I'm sorry I didn't answer when you needed me. I'm sorry that I let you go through everything alone. I'm sorry I-"
Cindy was cut off as Jazmine almost tackled her in an embrace. Cindy paused a moment before smiling and wrapping her arms tightly around her.
"I missed you, bestie." Jazmine told her quietly.
Cindy's eyes looked even more watery as she hugged her tighter. "I missed you too, best friend."
Riley smiled slightly at the two… then he realized what he was doing.
Oh hell no, nigga, you don't be showin' none of dat sappy emotional shit! THUG LIFE!
"BOOOOOO! Aye, niggas! Cut all the mushy crap! Dat's gay!"
Cindy and Jazmine rolled their eyes with giggles as they pulled away from each other.
"I'm so glad you're back, Cindy." Jazmine smiled at her.
"Me too. You have no idea how much I-ouch!" Cindy held her right arm after Jazmine had just pinched her hard.
"That was for not hearing from you for so long."
"I deserved that, but I said I was-ow!" Cindy now held her left.
"That was for not picking up the phone after I tried to return the call you left!"
"I'm sorry, I was too nervous to-OUCH!" Cindy put her hand to her forehead that Jazmine had just flicked.
Karma's a bitch. Riley thought while he grinned.
"And that's for not coming home for the summer to meet your goddaughter!"
"Damn, Jazz, I already said like ten times that I was… wait, what?" Cindy looked up to her with a smile. Jazmine shrugged, grinning back.
"Who else was going to be her godmother, Cin? I mean, really."
Cindy paused before she let out a loud scream, this time almost tackling Jazmine to the ground. "YES! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I've always wanted to be one! And you know I love the girl already!" Cindy gushed excitedly as Jazmine laughed.
Riley shook his head at the two right before Huey appeared in the room again, now holding Jamilah's hand.
"Can you tone it down a little, Caucasian? Only five minutes of being back in your presence and you're already giving me a headache." Huey stated boredly.
"Shuddup, Huey! I know you missed me." Cindy couldn't stop smiling as she pulled away from Jazmine and began walking over to him.
"Then you clearly don't know me well at all. And don't even think about-ugh." Huey sighed when Cindy pulled him into a tight hug, wrapping her arms around his waist. Jazmine and Riley laughed at Huey's irritated expression as he made no move to return the gesture, his arms down firmly to his sides.
"Hug me back, Huey."
"You're on crack if you think that's happening." Was the only response she received.
"I'm not lettin' go until you hug me."
Huey scoffed, reaching his arm up to yank her away by the back of her shirt. But his hand froze and his brow furrowed before he actually grabbed it, staring at the shirt. Then he lifted his eyes slowly to meet Riley's.
Riley could tell from his brother's hard stare that he'd noticed that Cindy was wearing his beater.
Shit.
Huey raised an eyebrow at him before grabbing the back of the beater and firmly tugging her back from him.
"Huey, you still such a hater." Cindy grinned, not noticing the exchange.
"Mm-hmm." Huey responded, his eyes trailing down to the front of the shirt before glancing in Jazmine's direction as if to say, "You seein' this, too?" Jazmine let out a laugh, making Cindy turn to her.
"What?" She asked, clearly confused.
"Nothin'." Riley answered for Jazmine and Huey, daring them to say otherwise. "Did you get all of Mila's stuff yet?" He asked quickly, turning to Huey.
Huey smirked with an eyeroll. "I gathered up her stuff down here, but didn't get anything upstairs yet. But there is something I'm curious about."
"Which is wha-aye!" Riley was suddenly grabbed by his ear and was being dragged out of the room and into the dining room. "Aye, get off me, Huey! OW!" Huey didn't respond until he finally released Riley, gesturing to the corner of the room.
"Would you care to explain the horse?"
Aw damn.
"Uhh, Jamilah's horse broke so I got her another one." Riley told him, trying to remain cool. He was thankful that the horse was turned on the side that didn't reveal the inscription to Jamilah.
"Really… you did? You got her a horse made out of solid gold?" Huey asked, his voice monotone.
"Who said anything about it bein' solid gold? It's just-"
"Jamilah said it was a gift from 'Uncle' Ed and 'Uncle' Gin Rummy." Huey cut him off.
Crap.
"Well you see what had happened was-"
"She also told me she saw Thugnificent."
"Well yeah, but that's not-"
"And Ruckus."
"You know I can't really-"
"And she ate fried chicken for lunch today."
"That was Granddad! He the one that took her to Popeye's! You can't put dat one on me!"
"Maybe not but," Huey paused, glancing back at the doorway before speaking. They both heard the girls talking and laughing loudly, so Huey continued.
"I'm pretty sure 'no sex' was one of the rules." He stated quietly with a glare.
"What the hell, nigga!" Riley snapped, then quickly lowered his voice. "I ain't had sex!"
"Really? Even though Cindy's wearing your shirt and you're walking around shirtless right now?" Huey's eyes were focused on Riley's, trying to judge whether or not he was lying.
"I said no! You need to stop with all the damn assumptions, asshole!" Riley told him angrily, working to keep his voice at a low tone.
Huey raised an eyebrow and looked almost surprised. Then he smirked at Riley. "Wow… you really haven't gotten any from her yet. Shocking." He began to head for the door.
Oh fuck no, this nigga musta lost it!
"You think you such a goddamn know-it-all!" Riley uttered lowly, quickly reaching for a heavy plate on the china cabinet and hurling it at the back of Huey's head. Huey turned around at the last moment, caught it, and threw it back at Riley's face.
"OW!" Riley covered his face that the plate had just smacked as it fell to the floor, shattering.
"I was going to let you off the hook for the visitors you really had no control over. Don't start something you can't finish." Huey told him calmly.
Riley growled and picked up another object without even looking and threw it. "Fuckin' bitch!"
Huey easily deflected the bowl that had just been thrown and then braced himself as Riley crashed into him in an attempt to tackle him. Huey tuck-and-rolled backwards and stopped when he was over him, grabbing Riley by the ends of his braids and yanking him up.
"Alright, I can tell you're in the mood for this." He told him, beginning to drag him out of the dining room and back into the kitchen. Jazmine, Cindy, and Jamilah turned to stare at them as they walked in.
"Don't mind us. We're just going to go outside and have a conversation." Huey said casually, continuing to pull Riley along.
"Yeah, this ain't gonna take long." Riley managed to say, still trying to work his way out his brother's grip.
Their only response was the continuous stares from the girls before the brothers left the kitchen and slammed the door shut.
20 Minutes Later
"You're getting better, I'll give you that." Huey told Riley with a smirk as they began to make their way back up to the house. "Even though that was a cheap shot you got in."
Riley snickered and shrugged. "Real niggas ain't afraid to fight dirty. Wear a cup next time."
Huey shoved his shoulder hard, causing Riley to grin. "You ain't always gonna win, nigga. One of these days you in for it."
Huey scoffed and rolled his eyes as he opened the door. "Let's not get carried away."
"Man, whateva. Hatin' ass." Riley muttered as they walked in. They went to living room to find the girls all sitting on the couch.
"How was your 'conversation'?" Jazmine air-quoted with a grin, staring at the two roughed-up brothers. She was used to this by now.
"Fine." Riley and Huey replied nonchalantly at the same time.
"Some things never change." Cindy smirked.
"Do you already have everything?" Huey asked Jazmine, noticing the two duffels next to her.
"Yeah, me and Cindy got it all while you and Riley were both out doing… whatever it is you two need to do. We're ready." Jazmine said with a grin, rising from the couch and lifting Jamilah into her arms.
"Awww." The child let out quietly, her cheerful smile quickly falling.
"Don't be sad, Mila. I'mma see you later this week." Riley told her, walking closer to Jazmine. "You guys still need me to babysit Wednesday?"
"Yeah, if you don't mind. My parents won't be home until this weekend."
Riley almost always had the baby every other Wednesday. The way Huey and Jazmine's schedules were set, they both worked late on that day. Riley would pick Jamilah up from daycare and she would usually spend the night unless one of her parents got done early enough to pick her up.
"See there, babe? I'mma see you in only three days." He smiled, rubbing over the top of her head. "Gimme kiss?" Riley leaned his cheek in.
"Mwah!" Jamilah made the noise as she gave her uncle a big kiss on the cheek. "Mine!"
Riley cupped her face and gave her a loud zerbert, causing her to laugh. Jazmine and Cindy giggled at the two.
"Love you, babygirl." Riley told her before giving her a real kiss on the cheek.
"I love you too, Unca Reezy." Jamilah told him, her eyes practically shining with affection.
"Move it!" Cindy came over and nudged Riley out of the way. "It's my turn to say bye to my goddaughter." She smiled widely.
Riley sucked his teeth with a grin. "Oh, here we go already."
"Shuddup!" Cindy stuck her tongue out at him before turning and smiling to Jamilah. "Bye, Mila. I'll see you in a few days, okay?" She leaned down and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Jamilah wrapped an arm around her neck and kissed her back.
"Love you, Aunt Cindy!" She smiled sweetly.
Cindy looked like she was ready to cry. "Oh my gosh, honey, I love you toooo-hey!" She stopped, mid-gush as Riley pulled her back by his beater with a grin.
"Aiight, there ain't gonna be no more tears today, white girl. Calm it down."
Jazmine chuckled at them. "Okay, then. We'll see you guys Wednesday." She turned to give Cindy a one-armed hug, then Riley a passing kiss on the cheek as she walked by him. Huey let Jazmine walk out the door in front of him while he had the car-seat and bags.
"What, Huey, I don't get a hug or kiss goodbye?" Cindy asked him with a smirk, hand on her hip.
Huey gave her a smirk in return. "Now that was almost funny enough to make me laugh. You know… if I did that sort of thing."
"Whateva, hater." She grinned and shook her head, turning to walk down the hall to the kitchen.
Huey was almost out the door before Riley remembered something. "Aye, hol'up!" He hurried to the door and opened it to find Huey still on the porch, an impatient look on his face.
"This stuff is heavy as hell, what?"
"For the past two nights, Jamilah been gettin' out of her crib by herself, man."
"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that to you. It's been her new thing recently." Huey shook his head. "We already ordered her a bed for our house which should be delivered soon. You might want to move my twin into her room for Wednesday."
"Well I would, but uh, Cindy's usin' it." Riley told him, scratching the back of his neck.
Huey raised an eyebrow, disbelief written on his face. "Really? She's sleepin' in my bed though?"
Well technically, she hasn't actually slept in it yet, but….
"Yeah..." Riley trailed off, not feeling the need to explain any further.
Huey just rolled his eyes. "Okay, well when she's no longer sleeping in it, move it."
"Nigga, what the hell! Whatchu mean by that?"
Huey gave him a look. "Riley, we both know you still like her."
"No I don't-"
"Yeah, save the bullshit for someone else." Huey cut him off curtly. "This is me you're talking to."
Riley had almost forgotten that he'd told his brother everything when they were younger… when he'd started getting those feelings. He'd grown so used to shutting everyone out once Cindy had left and stopped talking to him that Riley had instinctively gotten used to covering it up.
But his brother hadn't forgotten. He never forgot.
"Huey, what are you doing? Hurry up."
The men quickly silenced when Jazmine approached them. "What are you guys talking about? I need the car-seat."
"Here, take it." Huey handed it to her. "He was just telling me about how Jamilah's been getting out of her crib."
"Ohhh right." Jazmine nodded and turned to Riley. "Just make sure to move the twin bed."
"Oh, he will." Huey smirked while Riley gave him a glare that Jazmine didn't catch.
"Alright. Well, speed it up. We're hungry." Jazmine told him before walking back down to their car.
"Coming." Huey said over his shoulder before turning back to face his brother. Riley gave him a serious look.
"What should I do, man?" He asked, genuinely wanting some advice.
Huey sighed. "Well, first you have to admit it to yourself and then eventually to Cindy that you do care about her. I mean, it's so obvious." He rolled his eyes. "And then, what you really need to do is, and I'll deny I ever said this…." Huey glanced behind him to make sure Jazmine hadn't snuck up beside him again while Riley turned to make sure Cindy wasn't in hearing range. When they turned back to each other, Huey had a big smirk.
"… Hit that."
"WHAT!"
"And after you do, move the twin to Jamilah's room. Thanks." And with that, Huey turned on his heel and walked down the driveway with his bags.
Riley's mouth was still hanging open as he stepped backwards into the house and slowly closed the door.
He didn't even know how to process what had just come out of his brother's mouth.
Cindy's POV
"Ugghh!" Cindy groaned as soon as she hung up her phone.
She began to bite at her nail as she looked over the notes she'd just taken down from her new boss. Ed the III had thankfully left her with the supervisor's contact information, so she was able to get ahold of him and discuss what she would do tomorrow. Her boss had informed Cindy that there was already a group planned to be trained tomorrow, a group of boys. Four to be exact. Her boss had simply told her to organize a routine and be ready to deliver to them the next day. He'd also let her know that the group was at an intermediate level and advised her to make it challenging.
Cindy ran her hand through her hair, pulling out her ponytail in the process and shaking her hair loose. She had to admit, she was nervous. Her boss wasn't exactly starting her out easy. She had to think of a good workout plan for a pack of trained men in one night and execute it out the next morning. No pressure or anything.
Dammit, late night snack here I come.
Cindy grabbed her notes and rose from her spot on the twin bed, starting to walk out of Riley's room. It was now around ten at night and the house was very quiet. Granddad had gone to bed and Cindy assumed that Riley was downstairs watching TV. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she heard the noise from the television, but didn't see him when she peeked in the doorway. She continued her way to the kitchen but slowed down as she saw Riley, his back to her, as he sat at the kitchen table eating.
She grinned and tiptoed slowly into the kitchen. Her grin got wider as she got closer, now right behind him.
"Don't even think about it, white girl." Riley stated in a calm voice without even turning.
"What the fuck?" Cindy said, completely thrown. "You didn't turn your head to side or nothin'! How did you know?" She tossed her small notebook on the table before sitting down in the chair next to him.
Riley grinned, not looking up from the sports magazine in front of him. "Call it 'uncle's ear.' It apparently kicks in once you gotta be responsible for a kid all the time."
"Boooo!" Cindy stuck her tongue out at him. Then she noticed that he was eating a large slice of chocolate cake. "Ooh, can I have a little?"
"Uh-uh." Riley shook his head as he lifted the slice to his mouth and took a bite, eyes still on his magazine.
"Aw come on, Reez. Tiny bite? Please?" She used The Smile when he finally looked at her.
Riley sighed and rolled his eyes. "One tiny bite, girl. I mean it." He held the slice out to her, probably expecting her to take it. Cindy just leaned in forward and took a huge bite off the part that Riley had.
"That was the biggest bite I've ever seen in my life, hoe!" Riley complained, pulling the slice back. Cindy shrugged and gave a tiny grin, her mouth full of cake.
"Freeloader." Riley scoffed with a smirk.
"I'm your favorite one though." She replied after she finally swallowed. "Whatchu doin'?"
"Nothin'. Bored, but I ain't tired yet." He shrugged. "Whatchu doin' up? I thought you were sleep up there."
Cindy rolled her eyes. "I wish. I've gotta make a routine for tomorrow."
"You already got people lined up to get trained on your first day?" Cindy nodded. "Damn. No pressure."
"Right?" Cindy sighed. "I'm freakin' out."
"Why? You just gave me a workout like you was tryna kill me. What's the difference now?" Riley raised an eyebrow, taking another bite of his cake.
"It's different with you and Caesar, Reez. I know you guys and I know that I can pretty much do whatever I want. Tomorrow I have to train four guys that are already at an above-average level-"
"Excuse you, but I'm above-average too-"
"And make it tough enough for them to really get a workout-"
"I can do anything any other nigga can do-"
"And make it good enough to impress my new boss who sounds like a hard-ass-"
"All day err'day, boy!"
"Reezy!" Cindy whacked him in the arm. "I'm bein' serious! I'm really nervous about this." Riley gave her a look.
"Aiight, I get that you stressed and all, but I don't get why you nervous. You never nervous bout anything." He said before popping the last bite of cake into his mouth.
"I know, but this is important. Boys are always harder to train than girls." Riley sighed with an eyeroll as he wiped his hands on his napkin. Then his eyes fell back on his magazine. Cindy continued on, mainly venting to herself as she looked over her notes.
"Reez, what if the routine I make is too simple for them?"
"It won't be." She heard him comment.
"What if they don't take me seriously?"
"They will."
"What if I suck at this?"
"C."
"I'm serious, what if I'm really bad at this and no one wants me to train them?"
"Cindy."
"Then my hard-ass-sounding boss is going to fire me, I'll have no job, no money, Mr. Freeman's gonna want to kick me out for lack of rent and-"
Cindy stopped mid-ramble as she suddenly felt Riley's gentle hand slightly massaging the back of her neck. She darted her eyes over to see him not even look up from his magazine as he continued to stretch his arm out to slowly rub her neck.
"Cindy. Shut… up. First of all, you're starting to freak out like Jazmine and I don't need another one of those. Second, you're gonna do fine. This is definitely in your element. I already know you're gonna kill at this. Third, even if you did get fired, which you won't, Ed would just hook you up with another job! And lastly, if by some miracle Ed were to go bankrupt tomorrow and you had no job and no money… you really think I'd ever let you get kicked out of here?" He finally looked at her with a light grin. "Come on now, girl."
Cindy found it hard to even think of a response with him continuing to rub her neck like that. He didn't even look like he was trying and it felt great.
Riley's grin widened a tiny bit before he stood up, his hand still on the base of her neck. Then he walked behind her chair and began to use both of his hands to gently massage her shoulders.
Oh… my… God…. Was the only thing that Cindy could form in her head as she felt her eyes close.
"Baby, you are so tense. Relax." She heard his voice softly say.
Did he just… call me 'baby' again? Cindy thought cloudily, even though she felt her heart rate increase at that. There was just something about the way he said it….
"You ain't got nothin' to worry about. You're gonna do perfect as usual." Riley told Cindy quietly, surprising her as he gently gathered her hair with one hand before he swept it over her right shoulder, out of his way.
Cindy leaned her head back slightly and relaxed her shoulders down as Riley's firm but gentle hands applied light squeezing pressure to her shoulders. Her eyes opened a bit as she noticed that Riley's head was suddenly close to her face… her neck in particular.
"Damn, girl, you smell so good." He murmured, his face still very close to hers as he continued to rub. "Whatchu wearin'? Some of that sexy Victoria's Secret?"
Where did this sudden bass in voice come from? He's soundin' all types of sexy right now.
"Mm-hm." Cindy barely got out, definitely not trusting her voice.
"Mmm. Smells nice as fuck on you. What's it called?" He asked innocently, making no move to pull his face away from their close proximity.
"It's called… ooh… it's called, um…" What the hell is it called again? She was having trouble thinking. "L-Love Spell." She finally managed to speak somewhat coherently.
"Ain't that ironic?" Riley let out one low chuckle. "I know you had a lot of niggas under some type of spell today at the gym. Niggas couldn't keep their eyes off you."
Cindy felt her face heat up and she prayed she wasn't blushing. "No they weren't."
"Baby, I'm bein' serious." Cindy's heart seemed to flutter again. "They was starin' at your fine-ass body. And that sexy-ass tattoo." He told her, his voice deep and quiet. Cindy thought she was going to pass out if he was gonna keep talking to her like that while touchin' her the way he continued to do.
"Wanna know what else?" Riley asked her, leaning his head closer to hers.
Cindy could only nod slowly, definitely too chicken to try and speak now. Her heartbeat sped up as she felt Riley right at her ear, his lips feeling so close as his breath tickled her lobe, causing her to shiver slightly. Then he whispered into her ear, slowly and deliberately.
"I… just… charmed… you…."
… Oh holy fucking shit….
Cindy's next reaction was to slowly cover up her completely red face and kick herself over and over again in her head. She could not believe she fell for that... well… now she could. The boy was smooth as hell. He had his mack game on lock, talkin' to her in that voice, touchin' her with those gentle hands…. Any girl would be a hook, line, and sinker for that.
"Aww, is somebody blushing, C?" She heard his smug voice ask, his face still close to hers. He reached around and pulled her hands down, grinning when he saw her face. "Oh yeah, you definitely a little red, babygirl."
"Nigga, fuck you!" She was trying so hard not to smile, but failed when she saw Riley's beaming face as he snickered. He was still behind her, but wrapped his arms over her shoulders and around her collarbone as if he was hugging her head. Cindy pulled on his arms and tried to get out his grip as he rocked her. "The fuck outta here, nigga! I hate you so much right now!"
Riley just laughed harder, then nuzzled his face into her cheek in an attempt to be cute… in which he succeeded. "Gotcha, bay."
"Boy, if you don't quit it! Oooh, you make me sick." She couldn't help but let out a small snicker at him. He was so damn… ugh!
"You know you can't stay mad at me." Riley grinned as he let her head go, practically reading her thoughts. "And look how relaxed you are now. I got rid of all that stress, huh?"
"No, you added more, dick!" She snipped, rising from the table. She was about to grab her notebook when Riley snatched it first. "Reez, give it!"
"Nah, girl, I know I removed dat stress." He ignored her and walked with the book to the counter where the cake was resting. "Releasin' all that tension, you closin' those eyes… shit, I think I was about to put you to sleep."
"False, bitch. I'm just tired. Tired of workin' on this damn routine, tired of stayin' awake much longer, and tired of one bitch-ass nigga that I gotta deal with on a daily!" Her eyes narrowed as Riley just laughed as he cut a big slice of cake and put it on a plate.
"I really hate you tonight."
"Don't lie to me, girl." Riley smirked. "Cuz you know that I always love you." He then held out the plate with the slice of cake to her, her notebook under it.
Smooth-ass nigga.
She rolled her eyes, trying to fight the grin, and took it from him before turning around to leave the room.
"Aye, Cinddyyy." He heard his smug voice call her.
"Nigga, what?" She turned around, giving him a look.
"If it makes you feel any better, princess," He grinned at her, leaning against the counter. "For the record, when I charm women… I never lie."
Cindy blinked at him once before grinning with a quick eyeroll. Then she lifted her hand to her mouth as if she was about to blow him a kiss, but when she released it she was flipped him off, a smirk on her face.
Riley cracked up. "Woooww, did you just blow me a 'fuck-you' kiss?"
Cindy just shrugged with a grin as she left the room into the hallway.
"You gettin' into dat dirty, kinky shit again, ain't you?" She heard him call out to her.
"Fuck you, nigga!" Cindy called back, walking up the stairs.
"Love you more!"
Cindy rolled her eyes and smiled. That boy.
2 Hours Later
This… sucks….
Cindy was currently tossing and turning in the twin bed, which was annoying anyway considering how narrow it was. It's like her brain wouldn't shut off. She kept thinking about everything she included in her routine plan and if it was good enough, what was going to happen the next day, how the boss was going to be, how the clients were going to be, what she'd have for lunch… everything!
She stopped her turning as she heard a certain nigga let out an annoyed sigh.
"White… girl…." He broke the silence.
"Black… boy…." Cindy shot back, grinning in the darkness.
She heard a light snicker from the other side of the room. "Smart-ass."
"I wonder where I get it from."
"Seriously, C. What the hell are you doin' over there?"
"I'm sorry." Cindy said truthfully. "I can't sleep."
There was a pause before more rustling. "… You wanna come over?"
Cindy furrowed her brow. "Why?" She asked suspiciously.
"Girl, don't be askin' crazy questions when I'm offerin' to let you sleep in my bed. Damn! I know Huey's bed ain't comfortable, he likes them hard beds. I can't sleep for shit on 'em. Maybe that's your problem."
Cindy hesitated. "Well, yeah, that's half of it. But I think the main reason I can't sleep is just cuz I'm still nervous."
She heard Riley sigh before another short pause. "Girl, just bring yo ass."
Cindy rolled her eyes, grabbing her pillow as she stood. She made her way over in the darkness and plopped down in Riley's bed on her stomach, her head turned to face him. It took her eyes another minute to adjust, but she could make out that his eyes were open too, staring back at her.
"You good, now?" He asked her.
Cindy nodded. "Thanks, Reezy."
"Whatever helps you sleep better at night… literally."
She giggled and closed her eyes. "Whateva."
Almost moments after she said that, she felt Riley's hand rubbing in a slow circle on her back.
Cindy opened her eyes again and gave him a look. "What are you doin'?"
"You ain't tossin' and turnin' all night in my bed, keepin' me up, white girl. I got work tomorrow too." He told her, his eyes closed. "No more questions. Go to sleep." He continued to rub her back.
Well… this feels… nice.
"But…." Cindy trailed off as she let out a loud yawn.
"Goodnight, Cindy." She could practically hear the smirk in his voice.
She just grinned and slowly began to shut her eyes. "Night, Reezy…."
Awwwwwweee… look at Riley puttin' his girl to sleep. :D
Well, this finally ends the YSMB & ISY parts. lolz. But his ain't the end of the story so don't start wylin' out! hahahahah! There is much more to come, promise ;)
First day of work for Cindy tomorrow as a personal trainer! How she gonna do? They'll definitely be more Riley & Cindy bonding next chapter. Also, sorry there wasn't any Granddad this chapter. Y'all probably like, "where'd dat old nigga go?" lolz! idk. He stepped out for a while:) He'll be back with comments and lines next chapter hopefully :)
Welll, I think that wraps it up for this chapter. Hopefully be back with next chapter sometime next week. :D
Reviews are always appreciated and always make me smile! Thank you's to everyone that does :)
Until next time, my dears! :)
~Schweeetie