Yoooooo! Back with another update :)
Thank you's to my gorgeous readers as usual:
taydo-the-potato: lmao, Riley's so silly. doesn't know his own friend's house :) and haha, Cindy freaked out as expected XD lmaaoo, I caught you off-guard with them makin' out only seconds after sayin it was a "bad idea"? smh. shame ;) you already know that Huey's guard is always up. he gonna find out sooner or later. glad you liked the chapter! thanks for the review! :D
EquinoxKnight01: … dude! you never told me to come out of the corner! *stomps back over* WELL, I'm glad you liked it even though I interrupted your sleep! thanks for the review and for relieving me of time-out (NOT)! ;) haha, for real though, thanks! glad you liked! :D
Paige1292: lmaaao! I swear, Fanfic always signs you out! XD anyyywaayys, yup only once, thank goodness! it was horrible though. I legit thought I was dying. lol! hahahahahha, after what I just said, they know we ain't talkin' about sex! ;) oh you know they're freaks! they was ready to get back to it again the morning after! it had to be on point! ;) lmao, Riley was ready to freak the hell out when Huey was tellin' him he knew and he saw them and shit. he escaped this time, but you know Huey gonna find out eventually ;) thanks so much for the review, girl! glad you liked! and gaaaahhh, I need an update on All This Love! the last one was CRAZY! :D
thehip-hopprincess: aw, I'm glad you liked it! and haha yes, it was awkward as hell :) smh, look at these silly fools. sayin' it won't happen again and they're right back to it. just sad ;) hahaha, Riley's such a fool! I'm glad you liked that line! :D thanks so much for the review! glad you enjoyed! :)
KODfreak: lmao, it does look that way :) thanks for the review!
Che Black Diamond: lmao, I was crackin' up just because your review just cut off and even you don't know what happened. that's happened to me before too and then I just feel stupid XD lmaaoo, you wanna be Cindy? damn, Reezy must put in work ;) aw, I'm sorry. just bein' precautious, I guess. I just don't wanna do it cuz the moment *I* try to post somethin', I feel mine's gonna be the first to be taken down and then I'm gonna be hella pissed! lol! :P and we'll have to wait and seeee! will Riley and Cindy be able to handle it? O.o thanks for the review! :)
Jazavelli: hahah, Cindy so overdramatic with the screamin'. silly white girl ;) and oh yeah, they were sooo serious about it not happening again, clearly! lol! haha, I love writing for Granddad. he's so funny. definitely one of my favs :) oh you know Huey's gonna find out. nothing escapes him! Riley and Cindy betta be extra careful ;) thanks so much for the review! glad you liked it! and a homie needs an update on yours ay-sap! ;)
janiyahconnor: they both be wantin' it! ;) glad you liked it! thanks for the review! :)
ILoveYou1234567890123: lmao, the talks just get better and better ;) Riley's just blind. he'll realize it soon. and haha, I love writing for Granddad. he's a trip! no! NO! stop tryna sue me! I already got one crazy on my ass! lmaaoo! glad you enjoyed! thanks for the review and don't sue me! :X
anon: haha, glad you liked it! thanks for the review! :D
bunnybabe247: haha, that's so weird about you watchin' The Red Ball before reading this! XD haha, you already know these two are gonna hide their situation to the grave. we'll see how long it takes for them to slip up ;) glad you enjoyed it! thanks for the review! :D
DeLorean Hedgehog: aw thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter :) and yeah, they're both clearly in denial, as the couch scene just proved XD thanks for the review! hope you enjoy this update!
Sodakandy: haha, yup! they got it in a LOT. lol yeah, I guess I'm lucky. I don't ever want it to happen again though *runs to knock on wood* I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! thanks for the review :)
LovinHueyFreeman: you damn right I want that interest on those socks! you know how much money I spent on that pair? do you? DO YOU? yeah I didn't THINK so! XD haha, I wanted to be Cindy to be mad overdramatic about it. screamin' was so unnecessary ;) four condoms=freaks. hahah, don't even talk to me about ridiculous hair. I have the ultimate love/hate relationship with mine -_- I think FWB friendships could work too but to a point. *I* would never be brave enough to be in one though. too afraid to screw it up and ruin a good friendship, y'know? and you damn RIGHT you best get that story back up! that was my shit! :D lmaaaoo, right? I'd be gone he's waitin' that long to look at his car. like bye, fool XD glad you liked it, girl (even though you keep suin' me over BS, but y'know, whateva. wait til I get YO ass during yo next update). thanks for the review! enjoy :)
MaiXii: awwww, thank you so much! I really appreciate it! thanks so much for the compliments and the review! :D
Tsyne-Oblivion: aww, thank you, I'm glad you like it so far! and don't worry, I'll try to work them into the story more soon :) thanks for the review! :D
Alright alright alriiiiiggghhhttt! ;)
For the lovely people who also have read and followed my now completed story Babysitting With Uncle Reezy, I thank you again for your reviews and kind words. Hope you enjoy some more chapters of this story while I work on the sequel! ;)
Here we go, kids :)
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Aaron McGruder's The Boondocks or any of his characters.
"Hey, why y'all leavin' me out here? One of y'all motherfuckers better come out here and get me, I know that! Or you WILL be livin' in a haunted house tonight!"
"Swim, bitch!"
Ed Wuncler III and Gin Rummy; Let's Kidnap Oprah
Cindy's POV
"Uggghhh!" Cindy groaned at the obnoxiously loud blaring of her ringing house phone. "Dammit, I'm coming!" She shouted, momentarily forgetting that whoever was calling didn't hear her, being as though she hadn't picked up the receiver yet. Not that she cared. She had been yelling and cursing at inanimate objects ever since she got home from dropping Riley off. Her head was still killing her and she'd yet to go to sleep since she'd been home. But it was already 10:30 at night, so whoever was calling her would be lucky to get two words out of her before she hung up on them.
"Hello?" She finally answered loudly, her voice clearly agitated.
"Ow… easy, it's just me." She heard the soft but groggy voice of her friend.
"Oh, my bad. What's up, Jazz?" Cindy rephrased her greeting in a kinder voice.
"Ugh, nothing. My head hurts." She groaned.
"Seriously, J?" Cindy couldn't help but snicker. "How many drinks did you have last night?"
"Weelll, I only had the one at your house. Then later at the club, I begged and begged Huey to buy me one more, which he finally did."
"…So that would be two?" Cindy snorted. "You are the biggest lightweight I've ever seen in my life. That's just sad, girl."
"How many did you have then?"
"I lost count when I reached the double digits."
"Wow."
"Yeah." Cindy rolled her eyes as she walked with the cordless phone to the living room. "I've got the worst migraine."
"Me too."
"Bitch, I don't wanna hear it. You ain't allowed to talk about a hangover til you've reached four drinks."
"Shuddup! I do have one, jerk."
"Cry me a river." Cindy smirked, plopping down onto her couch. "Did Huey take good care of you?"
Jazmine giggled. "I'd say that I took pretty good care of him last night."
"Girl, TMI!" Cindy laughed. "I almost forgot how horny you get when you're drunk."
"I don't get horny! That just sounds terrible!" Jazmine gasped, no doubt blushing.
"Yeah, tell it to Huey." Cindy cracked. "Shit, the nigga probably gave you another drink knowing he'd get lucky!"
"You're awful. I hate you."
"Love ya, sis."
"Whatever. How was the rest of your night… with Riley?" Jazmine's voice sounded strangely smug almost.
"Uh, whatchu think? It was good, why?" Cindy wanted to kick herself. She didn't need to act and sound nervous. Jazmine didn't know anything. And she wasn't gonna find out anything. Cindy just had to stay calm.
"Just curious." Jazmine said casually. "What'd you do?"
"Um, the same thing we had been doin'. We danced, had a few more drinks, then eventually walked back and went to sleep." She summarized vaguely.
"…And that's it? Nothing else happened between you two specifically?"
"Damn, what's with all the questions? What the hell?" Cindy tried not to sound defensive, but feared that's how she came off regardless. Dang, it was like she knew.
"Like I said, just curious." Jazmine chuckled easily. "You and Riley are freakin' perfect for each other. And by the way he was eyeing you last night I just thought something might've happened."
"We are not startin' up with that again, Jazz…. And the fuck you mean he was eyein' me?" That last part had caught her attention.
"Oh, you know. Just the way he was staring at your body and everything… and the way he was dancing extra 'friendly' with you… oh yeah, and the way you guys kissed at the bar." Cindy couldn't help the gasp she emitted into the speaker. Jazmine just made a slight giggle. "Huey told me earlier."
"Girl, tell Huey to calm it down with that shit!" Cindy snipped, her face feeling warm as she shifted around in her seat. "And it wasn't even like that! What had happened was that there was this chick at the bar stalkin' Reezy. We just kissed to get her off our backs… his back! But that was it! There wasn't nothin' else behind that kiss or anything other than-ow!" Cindy jumped and rose from her seat a little at the feeling of something hard and uncomfortable underneath her.
"What happened? Why'd you say 'ow'?" Jazmine sounded concerned.
Cindy didn't answer as she moved back her cushion to find what she had obviously just sat on wrong. She glanced down and recognized the shiny objects immediately.
Riley's Lethal Interjection and Young Reezy chains.
"Hell-LO? What happened, Cin?"
"Oh, sorry." Cindy finally answered Jazmine again as she lifted both silver necklaces. "I'm on the couch and I accidentally sat on Riley's one chain. I guess he forgot them here from last night."
"Why was it on the couch?"
"Must've taken it off while he was sleepin'." Cindy answered smoothly, pulling her cellphone from her pocket before she began composing a message to Riley: U left ur chains at my house in case ur lookin 4 em.
"He slept on the couch?"
"Uh, yeah why, 20 questions?" Cindy answered, not really paying attention as she pressed send.
"…Why did he sleep on the couch when you have two guest bedrooms?"
Dammit!
"Uhh, well he didn't like sleep-sleep here." Cindy tried to back-pedal, putting her phone down. This is what she got for trying to make up a fast lie. "When we got back he kinda laid down on the couch for a while and took a nap. I went to bed but when I woke up he had moved to my bedroom… the guest bedroom I mean! Yeah, so uh, he must've moved in the middle of the night, I guess." Cindy's face definitely felt hot now. Why the fuck did she feel so nervous?
"Hm… alright…."
And why did Jazmine sound so in unconvinced?
"Girl, why is you-" Cindy stopped talking at the sound of her cellphone vibrating on the coffee table in front of her. Riley's face lit up the screen with his picture. He was calling.
Shit.
"Yo look, I'll call you back tomorrow. I'm exhausted and got work in the morning, so I'll holla." Cindy said, lifting her phone from the table.
"Okay. I'll talk to you later."
"Yeah, yeah, later." Cindy mumbled before ending the call and tossing her cordless down. Then she took a deep breath. Riley and Cindy only spoke over the phone occasionally; they were non-stop texters the majority of the time. She could only wonder why he was choosing now to call.
She exhaled slowly before she pressed the talk button on her cellphone. "Hello?" She spoke calmly.
"What's good, girl?" She heard Riley's deep voice say, the epitome of chill. "You got both my chains?"
"That's what I told you, didn't I?"
"Good. I was trippin' for a lil while."
"Poor you."
"Hush up. I'll be by tomorrow to pick 'em up, aiight?"
"That's fine, nigga."
"Coo'…. So whatchu doin'?"
"Uh, nothin' really. Just got off the phone with Jazmine."
"I know you didn't tell her nothin' that happened."
"Nigga, whatchu think? Obviously not." Cindy rolled her eyes.
"Just checkin'. Slow your roll, ma." He spoke smoothly.
"Annoyin' ass." Cindy muttered.
"You love my annoyin' ass."
"Keep dreamin'."
"…Well… last night was no dream, babe." Cindy blushed, just knowing that he was smirking. Her silence was clearly an answer for him as he continued. "Which reminds me… when we gonna talk more about it, girl?"
Cindy was silent for another short moment as she ran her hand through her hair. "Um… lemme think…."
"I mean, we can talk about it right now if you want." He suggested.
"I'd rather it be in person."
"Me too, actually." He let out a light chuckle, sounding like he was smirking again.
"Whateva, boy. I'm serious."
"And I am too, what? Damn, always hatin' on a nigga."
"Anyways," Cindy rolled her eyes again. "Since I have work, why don't you stop by tomorrow afternoon sometime?"
"I work late at the shop though. I don't get off til after eleven."
"That's fine. You can still stop by… if you want, I mean." Cindy tried to sound cool about it. She reddened at the sound of Riley's little snicker.
"Aiight… so I'mma be done and out somewhere between 11 and 11:30… the shop's about ten minutes from yo place…. That ain't too late for you?"
"Boy, that's hardly late for us. Just bring your ass. We're just gonna talk for a while and then you can go home. That's it." At that, Riley then let out an even softer but deeper chuckle as well. For some reason, the sound of it made Cindy's heart pitter-patter in her chest.
"See you tomorrow night, Cin." He said, almost huskily before the call was disconnected after he'd hung up.
Cindy exhaled as she lowered the phone from her ear, trying to slow down her increased heartbeat. The way Riley had chuckled after what she'd said had gotten under her skin, and she wasn't sure why. Maybe it was the way he was almost laughing at her for telling him that they'd only be talking and nothing else. Or… maybe it was the way he had laughed at how she'd said it, as if she was trying to convince him….
Or convince herself.
Riley's POV
"Yo Tito, I'm clockin' out!" Riley called loudly. Moments after he did, his boss emerged from his side office.
"Alright. Thanks for stayin' to help out with that last car, man." Tito replied, stepping over to clasp his hand.
"No problem, T." Riley grinned, accepting the quick bro-hug and pound on the back from the Puerto Rican man that was twice his size. Riley got along great with his boss; he knew that he was undoubtedly Tito's favorite employee, as much as the man denied it. That was one of the reasons Riley usually had no problem staying later than necessary to help out. Tito's house was only a few blocks away from the shop, so he never cared about staying late. Most nights if Riley wasn't in a rush to get back to his place, he and Tito would hang out at the shop, have a few beers, and just chill.
However… tonight, on Sunday at 11:15 PM, there was an exception...
He had someone he needed to talk to.
To C-Murph: I'm omw in 5 mins
Riley grinned after he sent the text as he headed into the car shop's restroom. He pulled the gray backpack from his shoulder as he entered one of the stalls. He then pulled out the spare clothes he'd brought to change into; his current work clothes were all kinds of grungy and dirty. Riley didn't want to look like a grimy nigga walking into Cindy's house, regardless if they were only going to talk….
"Only" being the operative word.
We'll see.
He glanced at himself in the mirror after he exited the stall, much more satisfied with his current appearance. He had changed from his filthy white shirt, dusty jeans, and muddy Reeboks. He now was wearing a black beater, clean baggy blue jeans, and fresh Vans. The only real complaint Riley had about himself now was his braids, still scruffy from last night. He applied a quick fix for this by placing the red fitted he'd packed on his head. Now he was ready, looking much better in his opinion. He even sprayed himself with some of his Axe cologne that he'd packed.
Riley smirked, thinking about how Cindy would probably be more appreciative, as well as receptive, if he was lucky. He wasn't bragging (maybe a little), but he noticed that he was starting to look a little buff. His chest and shoulders were getting broader, along with the way his biceps were starting to sculpt out more and more after all the labor he put in at his job. It was starting to pay off in more ways than one.
He smirked at the mirror once more before he left the bathroom. Tito, who had been gathering tools to put away, gave him a look as he walked back into the room.
"The hell you doin'? I thought you were goin' home."
"I gotta make a stop to my friend's house 'fore I head back to my crib." Riley briefly explained.
"And you had to change into a completely different outfit for that?" Tito raised an eyebrow.
"The friend's a chick."
"Ohh, it's that sorta friend." His boss gave him a look, causing his neutral expression to crack.
"I guess you could say that."
"Ay, Dios mío." Tito rolled his eyes with a smirk.
"Don't get bilingual on me, nigga." Riley grinned, starting to head for the exit. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Wrap it up, kid."
"You already know!" Riley laughed, pushing the door open and stepping outside into the dark night. The glow of the lone lamp post provided the only light source to the lot as he made his way over to his car. He unlocked the doors and tossed his backpack in the passenger seat before sliding in, locking his doors immediately behind him out of habit. He wasn't scared of shit, but he wasn't in the nicest part of the city. He'd gotten into a few scraps in his time of working at the shop. Wannabe thugs liked to prowl around the streets trying to jack niggas over bullshit. Riley wasn't havin' it. Please. Not his money, not his car, and not tonight.
Naw. He definitely wasn't in the mood for anything to pop off tonight.
Well… maybe just one thing….
Riley wasn't nervous as he pulled to park in Cindy's garage lot. He wasn't nervous as he rode the elevator up to her floor. And he still wasn't nervous as he knocked on her front door. He was chill. Only good things could come out of this night. He was sure of it.
Riley was almost shocked to see the knob jiggling and turning before the door opened to reveal Cindy.
"That's a first." He practically murmured, giving her a speedy glance over. Cindy's hair was flowing down her back, which Riley liked. She was wearing loose black sweatpants that fell low on her hips, showing a little strip of tummy skin, which he also liked. She had on a pink tank top with a lacy neckline, bringing even more attention to her nice cleavage, which Riley really liked.
Only gonna talk my ass.
"Shut up. I don't let anyone just walk up into my house after eleven so there." Cindy said childishly, snapping Riley out of his thoughts.
"Guarantee you didn't look through the peep hole though." He grinned.
Cindy blinked at him before turning away. "Nigga, you ain't my daddy." She muttered, moving to walk to her couch. Riley just smirked, noticing the Kiss Me words on the back of her sweats.
Naw, but I can be.
He tried to control his thoughts as he stepped inside and pushed the door closed behind him, locking it because he knew that Cindy wouldn't. Then he approached the couch, watching her watch him.
"Whaddup, C?" He asked casually, easing himself down a reasonable distance away from her.
"Nothin' much, my nig. How was work?"
"Work was work. Nothin' special." He shrugged.
"You went like that?" She asked, eyeing his clothes. Impressed?
"I changed after."
"…Why?"
"Just for you, babydoll." He smirked at the light blush creeping onto her face. "Hah, relax. I just didn't wanna drag my dirty-ass clothes and shoes all up in your crib, feel me?"
"So considerate, Reez." Cindy rolled her eyes, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear.
"Ain't I though?" He grinned, watching her carefully. It was silent for a moment before he spoke again. "Cin."
"Hm?"
"…We gonna skip the small talk and actually discuss the reason I'm here right now?"
Cindy nodded slowly before crossing her legs Indian-style and turning to face Riley all the way. "Let's just lay it all on the table."
"Real talk, let's go." Riley grinned, turning more to give her his full attention.
"Aiight… what exactly is it that you're suggesting, Reezy? Just spell it out for me so we're both completely clear on what's goin' on." She told him seriously.
"Ooh, look at you gettin' down to the business. I like that."
"Reez."
"Dat's sexy, just sayin'." Riley smirked, ignoring her glare. Then he cleared his throat, attempting to get semi-serious. "Aiight, look. Like we already said yesterday: you don't like me that way and I don't like you that way. The way I see it, we're just two good friends in need of a good fuck."
Cindy's cheeks reddened at his bluntness. "So basically… still friends… just with added benefits… nothing more."
"Nothing more but them benefits." Riley grinned. "You my best. I ain't tryna fuck it up with a relationship, C."
"And you know that you're mine too. I just don't want this new relationship to fuck it up either, Riley."
"Aw c'mon with dat. We clearly proven already that shit's good between us." Cindy crossed her arms and looked away from him with a mini-eyeroll. Riley gave her a look, knowing she wasn't paying attention. He knew the girl was nervous about it, but damn he wanted her to be on board. He needed to sell this to her, and there was only one way to do it.
Riley put on his trademark smirk, ready to get to work on her.
"Don't be makin' faces, girl." Cindy turned back and looked almost wary to see the sexy grin on his face along with hearing the way his voice dropped deeper. Her eyes then widened as Riley slid closer to her, suddenly in her personal space. She had nowhere to go being as though her lower back was resting against the side of the armrest of the couch; Riley took advantage of this by slightly cornering her. She gasped lightly as Riley placed his hands on both sides of her waist, his fingers gently brushing over the bare skin that her tank top and sweats exposed. Then he brought his face closer to Cindy's and gently nuzzled his lips against the side of her neck.
"Your body likes my touch." He murmured, enjoying the feeling of her tremble underneath his hands. He smirked when he heard Cindy stifle a moan after Riley planted a soft kiss between the two ridges of her collarbone.
"Like yours doesn't?" Riley was surprised to hear her speak quietly, yet challengingly. He raised his lips from her skin and made eye contact with her. It was then that Cindy smirked at him. He dropped his eyes when he noticed her shifting her position to where she wasn't cross-legged anymore. Instead, she now lifted her free left leg and slid it slowly over Riley's lap.
Aw shit! He was immediately excited as Cindy placed her hands on his shoulders and moved closer to him, scooting herself all the way onto his lap now as she straddled him.
"Oh, it definitely does, girl." Riley all but whispered at her close proximity, gazing at her as he ran his hands down her sides, stopping when he reached her hips to bring her a tad closer. "So is this what we agreein' on…? Friends with benefits…?"
Cindy nodded, not taking her eyes off him as she rubbed her hands down the front of his chest. Riley shifted underneath her and unconsciously bit his bottom lip at the feeling of her brushing her fingers over his pecs like that. What would it feel like when his shirt was off? Damn.
"I didn't hear you. Was that a yes on this?" He murmured, holding her tighter so she'd look at him.
"Mhm." She nodded, her eyes now locked onto his as he continued to scoot her closer.
"…You wanna get started then?" Riley asked in a seductive tone, bringing her even closer to kiss the front of her throat. Cindy arched her neck up and sighed at that as Riley started to slide his hands up the back of her top. "Hm?" He placed another kiss higher now, on her jawline. Then he let his lips hover near hers as he waited for an answer. Cindy's eyelids looked heavy, clearly tempted by the current closeness between them. She seemed to lean closer for a moment, almost near enough to brush her lips against his if she wanted to, but then she slightly pulled back.
"Wait… n-no, not just yet." She stammered, removing her hands from him. "We've gotta talk about some things if we're gonna do this, Reez." Her face was bright red as she started to move off him. Riley let out a big sigh as he allowed his hands to brush down her again before she was all the way off.
"I wouldn't have minded you stayin' on my lap though." He mumbled, watching her move back into her position in the corner of the couch. It was her turn to smirk slightly as she glanced back at him.
"If I did, we wouldn't be talkin' for long."
Riley let out a small snicker. "True."
"Okay… let's be serious for minute." Cindy said, running a hand through her hair, clearly trying to regroup and focus. "I think if we're really gonna do this, we should have an official set of ground rules."
"Rules? Like instructions and shit?" Riley scoffed. "C, you should know this by now. Real niggas don't follow instructions!" He smirked, crossing his arms defiantly.
Cindy raised an eyebrow at him, crossing her arms as well with a matching smirk. "You gonna follow these ones if you ever wanna taste this cookie again." Riley shifted his jaw in response.
I did like the taste of that cookie.
"…Whateva." Was all he said.
"Dat's what I thought." Cindy cracked a grin before leaning to the coffee table, reaching for her laptop that rested on top of it.
"Girl, what is you doin'?" Riley raised an eyebrow as she opened her Mac.
"What'd I just say? We need to get some rules straight if this is ever gonna happen." She explained, her eyes focused on her screen.
"Daaaammn, you really gonna sit there and type a list?"
"Yup."
"You goin' in on this for real, yo." He snickered. "And why you gotta be the one to type it?" Riley questioned. Cindy raised her eyes from the screen and gave him a look.
"You really expect me to trust you typin' out these rules?"
"Dang, no love." Riley shook his head. "Well, whateva. Maybe I don't trust you. So turn it around so I can see this shit too." He retorted. Cindy rolled her eyes but turned her body so she wasn't in the corner anymore. Riley slid right next to her until their sides were touching so he could see the screen as well.
"Happy, nigga?" Cindy shifted her eyes over to Riley as she pulled up Microsoft Word.
"Much, babygirl." He smirked, casually draping an arm along the back of the couch while he stroked Cindy's shoulder with his thumb.
Cindy rolled her eyes at him with a grin before turning back to the screen. She quickly typed the word Rules in the center of the page before hitting the enter key and clicking on the Numbering format. A one appeared on the left-hand side of the screen, the cursor next to it blinking slowly back at them both.
"Okay… the first rule in this relationship is obvious," Cindy began, turning her head to look at Riley. He nodded in agreement. "We're friends first before anything, Reez."
"Always."
"No relationship," She said, already typing.
"Noooo fuckin' feelings." He added.
"No expectations."
"Strictly casual."
"Just business." Riley snorted at that.
"A partnership, obviously."
"Aiight, partner." Cindy giggled, nudging him. "Okay… next rule?"
"This gotta stay a secret, girl." Riley said immediately.
"Oh hell yeah." Cindy started typing right away. "Can you imagine the shit Jazmine would say?"
"Or Huey?"
"Shit, or Caesar?" Cindy gave Riley the same look he was giving her. "Oh fuck no." They both stated at the same time. Michael Caesar, one of their oldest friends, in a word knew everything, and not in a Huey Freeman way. No, Caesar just knew shit on people. Whatever type of gossip, secret, or juicy bit of information a person had on them, Caesar always knew about it. Hell, he was practically always the first to know. It was weird as fuck. The crew could almost never keep a secret from the dread-head. He always found out what others were hiding.
"Thank God his ass is on vacation right now." Cindy muttered, typing away.
"Word. He's the last person that needs to know about this, cuz you know the first two people he gonna run and tell."
"I know. We just gotta be chill."
"For real." Riley nodded. "Aiight, what's next?"
Cindy thought for a minute. "Whenever one of us wants out of this, it's over and done. No questions asked."
"Makes sense."
"And I also think it needs to stop if one of us starts seeing someone." Cindy added, making another rule.
"Uh, I'm never gettin' married though, sooo…." Riley grinned innocently when Cindy turned to give him a look.
"Well I eventually hope to, so if I start to date someone then it's over."
Riley shrugged. "Do you, boo-boo."
Cindy rolled her eyes as she typed. "Aiight… this can't be a daily thing either."
"Why?" Riley asked as he turned on the television to BET. The old Gangstalicious video still managed to run every once in a while. He bobbed his head to the Thuggin' Love song.
"Pay attention, Reezy." Cindy told him, ignoring his loud complaint when she snatched the remote out his hand and turned the TV off again. "Because, nigga. If you over here daily, you might as well live here." She gave him a look when he pretended to glance around, admiring her impressive home.
"That or be datin' you." He added, glancing back down to her with a shrug. "I ain't ready for that type of commitment, babe."
"Clearly." Cindy scoffed.
"It's not you. It's me." He pressed a hand to his heart.
"Trust, I know it's you and not me." Cindy smirked. She giggled when he gave a light smack to her side.
"Smart-ass."
Cindy stuck her tongue out before turning back to her screen. "Anyways, it can't be every day. Maybe… I dunno, twice a week at most?" She suggested.
"Girl, don't be puttin' a specific number in there." Riley held down her backspace key.
"Hey!" Cindy protested when Riley easily took the laptop from her. Behind the spot where she had written Not daily, he put in parentheses: Flexible.
"Dat seems better. It ain't gonna be every day, but it can't be a precise number. We gotta work with each other and figure out the days that are good for us." Cindy nodded with a shrug.
"Seems reasonable."
"Hell yeah it's reasonable. What if it's late at night and I'm in the mood for real. I ain't callin' you up and you be like, 'Sorry nigga, you used up yo benefits for the week.' The fuck?" He snickered as Cindy laughed and gave him a shove.
"Okay nigga, I get you."
"Yo ass betta." He smirked. "What else?" He asked, making another number.
"Well… this isn't a real relationship. So we can't get mad about stupid shit."
"Oh here we go. I got this category on lock." Riley got a wide grin, starting to type. "We can't be moody about not callin' and shit, Cindy." He pointedly looked at her.
"Aye, that's the last thing you need to worry about. You ain't my boyfriend, Reez. The only reason you need to call me is if you plan on comin' over. Other than that, I don't give a fuck. I don't care where you are, what you're doin', who you're with, what-eva. Just do you, boo-boo." She gave him a sarcastic grin.
"Believe me, I plan to."
"Good. Cuz we can't be clingy and we can't be gettin' jealous, Riley."
"Who you talkin' to, girl?" He scoffed. "I ain't the jealous type." He glared when Cindy let out a short laugh.
"Oh-kay, Reez." She continued to snicker.
"I ain't."
"Oh sure." She agreed condescendingly. For some reason, Riley had the feeling that she doubted him. "Anyways, bottom line is that we ain't together, which means we don't have a reason to act like we are." Riley nodded as he continued to type. "So no clinginess, no jealousy, no romantic gestures… definitely none of that in public. No hand-holding, no kissing, no pet names-"
"Aye, slow down!" Riley stopped her.
"Need me to repeat somethin'?"
"Not really, I've got it." He smirked. Cindy glanced at the screen and looked up at him when she noticed that he had typed Open for debate in parentheses after No pet names. "What?" He asked innocently. "I'm ready to have too much fun with that one."
"No."
"We'll see."
"Anyways," Cindy rolled her eyes. "As I was saying, we can't be lookin' emotionally attached. So we shouldn't be hugging, no cuddling, no bein' too close-"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, rewind." Riley told her as he stopped typing.
"What?"
"That's one of the biggest mistakes the movies make, girl."
"What movies?"
"Almost every damn movie imaginable where two people are tryna hide a relationship." Riley rolled his eyes. "When they try to act 'normal,' they act the complete opposite and make it a dead giveaway. We have to still act like we used to or someone's gonna find out about this, C." He explained to her.
"But what's 'normal' for us, Reez?" Cindy asked. Riley scratched the back of his neck.
Hell if he knew.
"I dunno, girl! I never really think about it."
"Well I don't know either. But we better figure it the hell out if we want this to work." Cindy told him. Riley thought about it before he sat the laptop on the coffee table and stood from the couch. "What are you doing?" Cindy asked.
"Stand up." He said before grabbing her hand and pulling her up. Then he took a couple of steps away from the couch.
"What are you doing?" She repeated, giving him a look. Riley released her hand before walking back to the couch and plopping down in the corner.
"Pretend Huey, Jazz, and Caesar are here. Sit down beside me." He explained, draping his arms along the back of the couch. Cindy raised an eyebrow.
"Um, okay?" She said, clearly confused as she made her way over. Her eyes were on Riley the whole time as she stepped over to the couch almost cautiously and sat directly in the middle, a considerable distance away from him.
Riley blinked at her. "Do you see what you just did? You just made that awkward as hell."
"I did not!"
"Yes you did. That wasn't natural at all, girl. You thinkin' about it too much."
Cindy groaned, jumping up from the couch and walking away from it. "Again."
Riley snickered, making himself comfortable in his seat. "Go for it."
Cindy exhaled before she started to make her way back over. She did better this time, her steps more casual before she sat down next to Riley, closer this time so that they were less than a foot away.
"You gettin' there." Riley nodded with a shrug. Cindy looked at him, that answer not being good enough for her.
"How the hell do we not know what's normal for us?" She muttered.
"Cuz we don't think about it." He answered.
Cindy stared at him for another moment before she shifted herself, turning slightly to toss a leg over Riley's.
"Oh-kay girl, I see you." Riley grinned when Cindy tossed her other leg on his lap as well before leaning back in her seat more, using Riley's arm behind her head as a cushion. "Now that feels right."
"Hell yeah." Cindy grinned, satisfied. "Aiight, you get up. You show me how you'd sit next to me."
"No problem." He said, lifting her legs from his lap as he stood from the couch. When he was a little away from it, he turned back around and put on a smirk. Cindy giggled as Riley started putting a swagger in his step as he walked over. Riley let out an overdramatic yawn before he plopped down onto the couch a good distance away from Cindy, but then surprised her by easing down on his back and placing his head into her lap easily.
"Oh this feels familiar." Cindy grinned down at him, resting her forearm on his chest.
"I do this all the time. More than I think about it actually." Riley agreed, taking the hat off his head and tossing it on the table.
"I never realized how much either." She said, automatically going to his braids to stroke between his rows. "Are we seriously this close to each other all the time?" She mused.
"I guess." Riley murmured, closing his eyes at the soothing feeling of her hands going through his hair. "It's just normal for us, girl."
"Apparently." He heard her say. "…Aiight, boy. You ain't about to go to sleep on me. We need to finish these rules."
"Scratch my head for five more minutes."
"No!"
"A nigga had a long day at work, girl! Show me some damn hospitality!"
"How bout I give you 60 seconds of 'hospitality', then you can get the hell up?"
"Fine!" He crossed his arms with a pout, but didn't say anything else as he savored the remaining moments of his indulgence.
"Done. Up." Cindy announced, after what seemed like much too early for Riley.
He sucked his teeth. "Dat was hardly 60 seconds, girl."
"Focus, Reez." She replied, picking her laptop off the table again. "Okay, so the last thing we have was about actin' normal. What else…?" She said, thinking. "Ooh! Honesty."
"Real talk. Keep it one hunnid no matter what." Riley nodded.
"No matter how bad it is, I don't care. Just be real."
"Definitely." Riley watched her type it and make another number. "You got anything else?"
Cindy shrugged. "Not that I can really think of. You?" Riley thought for a minute before smirking over at her.
"Don't fall in love with me, girl."
Cindy giggled before writing that in all caps. "Likewise, nigga."
"Shake on it." Riley held out his hand. Cindy scoffed.
"Hell naw, we're pinky-swearin' on this bitch." She held out her tiny pinky finger.
"You serious right now?" He snickered when she gave him a blank face. "So immature." He muttered before taking her pinky with his.
"Kiss it."
"No, nigga! The fuck I look like kissin' my hand?"
"Kiss it!" She demanded before pressing her lips to her thumb. Riley growled in annoyance before quickly doing the same.
"Damn, I hate you." He rolled his eyes.
"You loooove me." She got in his face.
"Watch your mouth, girl." He smirked. Cindy giggled, nudging him and backing away.
"So that's it for the rules, then?" She asked, pressing the save button.
"For the rules. But I think we need to talk about the stuff that's allowed." Riley said, taking the laptop off her and setting it down on the table.
"What do you mean?" Cindy asked, turning to face him more.
"Well, what is allowed? Like when we alone? Just so I know." He clarified.
Cindy shrugged as she rubbed her arm, seeming surprised by this question. "When we're by ourselves alone? Um, kissing's okay, obviously. Spooning's fine. Uh, I won't get mad or mind if you feel like cuddling in bed."
"Whatchu mean if I feel like cuddling? What about you?" Riley smirked, enjoyed her discomfort. "You seem like a girl who'd like that kinda shit."
Cindy scoffed. "Please."
"Oh, you definitely are." He grinned wider. "Look, I'm just asking you as a friend. Do you like to be spooned and-or cuddled with while in bed? Honesty policy now, C."
She gave him a glare before speaking. "…Sometimes…." She replied grudgingly.
"Now see. That's all you had to say, baby." He snickered at the way she narrowed her eyes at him. "I mean, it's not like we never cuddled before. Right… snow bunny…?" He smirked, referring to the situation that had happened almost half a year ago during the winter.
It had been early December when the big storm came. Maryland had gotten many false alarms about a big snowstorm passing through, but after weeks and weeks of delay and only light snow showers, the warning was forgotten. The storm took everyone by surprise that Sunday evening. Riley and Cindy had been hanging out that day at the Woodcrest mall, Riley ready to drive Cindy home when it hit right as they were leaving. It wasn't just a storm but a blizzard, putting Riley in the mind of some of the Chicago blizzards he'd witnessed. Without a second thought, he had driven them straight to his place, not about to take the chance of driving all the way into the city to take Cindy home. Even though they made it to his building safely when the storm was already bad enough, it seemed to get progressively worse moments after they entered his apartment. Because it was only 5 PM when they got there, they camped out in the living room, deciding to wait to see if it slowed up for him to take her home. Long story short, it didn't. Riley and Cindy had fallen asleep sharing a heavy blanket on the couch.
When they'd waken up, the news seemed to go from bad to worse. Not only was it still snowing, but everything was completely covered by the snow. All the cars in the lot were buried, the streets were horrible, and not to mention it was now Monday. Both of them, presumably along with almost everyone else in the city, had to call off work. But that was only a minor thing compared to an even bigger issue.
Riley's heater had broken.
"FUCK!" Riley shouted, fed up with his stupid unit. How was it that he could fix cars but not get this ancient piece of shit to start up?
"Reezy, chill…. Hah, I wasn't even tryna be funny with that." Cindy said with a grin from beside him, her arms crossed. Riley turned to her with a half-smirk.
"How are you even able to joke about this shit?" He asked, tossing his screwdriver down onto the ground. She shrugged, the blanket that covered them from last night around her shoulders. Riley gave her a look before stepping over to her and touching her arm.
"Shit, white girl! You cold as fuck, why didn't you say nothin'?" He snapped, quickly rubbing his hands up and down her arms in her thin pink sweater.
"I'm good, Reez. I got the blanket-"
"Hush! Come with me." He glared, ignoring her sigh as he dragged her into his bedroom. He went immediately to his closet and dug around for a heavy hoodie for her.
"Really… I'm good."
"Didn't I say hush?" He told her, emerging from the closet with a thick black hoodie.
"Somebody's grumpy when he's cold." She smirked as Riley tossed it over her head. She began to slide it all the way on, causing Riley to smirk at the way she slightly snuggled into the oversize sweatshirt. "Aye!" She complained when he pulled the hood over her head and tugged hard at the drawstrings, making the hood bunch up around her face.
"Necessary, nigga?" She said, her voice muffled. Only her eyes were showing, making Riley snicker.
"Yup. You ain't gettin' sick on my watch." He glanced out his bedroom window and groaned to see the snow still falling. "I'mma go try to fix this fuckin' piece of-"
"Reezy, just take a break. You know you can't fix shit when you're mad." Cindy reasoned with him, loosening the strings and lifting her hair to go around her shoulders, coming out of the hood. "Just relax for a bit. I know you can do it, but just take a breather for a while."
After a few minutes of resisting, Riley finally listened to her. Because they were already in his room, they got on his bed and turned on his TV. It managed to broadcast channels even though the signal kept going in and out. They were under his covers and had the extra blanket around both of their shoulders for extra warmth, but it still wasn't good enough. He couldn't keep his gaze off Cindy, noticing her still trying to hide her shivers. With a sigh, he surprised her by wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close into him. She let out a surprised noise as he practically rolled her until she was then lying on top of him, Riley rubbing down her back and arms to keep her warm. He heard Cindy sigh as she rested her head on his chest, wrapping her arms around him as well.
He felt so damn bad.
"I'm sorry, babe." He apologized sincerely. Cindy lifted her head after a moment and gave him a look.
"Riley. What the hell are you sorry for? Last time I checked, one of the things Young Reezy can't do is control the weather." She had smirked, causing him to crack a slight grin. "So what you haven't fixed your damn heater yet… you know it's gonna work without a problem as soon as the storm's over though, right?"
"I swear to God, I'll take a hammer to it." Riley deadpanned.
"Cuz that will make things better." She giggled. "But other than that, things aren't that bad. You took me straight here so we wouldn't be out in the storm, we had dinner and breakfast, you gave me this very cozy hoodie that I'm stealing, and on top of that, you even let me watch Elf!" Riley snickered and rolled his eyes at her.
"Yeah whateva. No big deal."
"Not whatever. Thank you. And thank you for being such a teddybear and keepin' me warm, Reez." She cooed, cutely snuggling her face into his chest and neck again.
"I know you betta hush, girl." He chuckled, wrapping his arms around her. "I ain't no teddybear. Dat ain't gangsta."
"Whateva you say… Esco-Bear…." She cracked up when she glanced up to see Riley's crazy look. "Oh come on, you KNOW that's awesome!"
"You such a corny-ass nigga!" He couldn't help but laugh at his best friend.
"You know you love me!"
"Yeah, yeah, you lucky." He snickered, ruffling her covered head and continuing to hold her tight. They stayed cuddled that way for a while, continuing to talk and keep each other warm. Eventually, they fell asleep like that in comfort. Luckily when they woke up, the storm had temporarily subsided. Riley had quickly dug out his car and had cautiously made his way to Cindy's place, just so she would be home safe. They had given each other big hugs when they parted, Cindy also giving him a big kiss on the cheek and telling him to get back safely. At that point in time, Riley hadn't really thought about the warmness he felt on his cheek and nodded, texting his friend when he reached his house again to let her know he was back.
Oh yeah, and the heater had started working right away the next time Riley tried it.
The only reason he hadn't taken a hammer to it is because he'd have to pay his landlord for the damages.
"Well, that's not like the first time we cuddled." Cindy said, twirling a lock around her hair at the memory.
"I know that, but it's the most recent… and the longest. We were cuddled up all day… and you liked it." Riley grinned.
"Get outta here." She brushed off.
"Oh please. You love snugglin' up with Reezy." He smirked, sliding closer next to her.
"Hold the hell up." Cindy tried not to smile, her cheeks reddening as she pushed him back. "Let's focus, aiight? What's okay for you?" She turned the attention back to him.
"You mean in terms of what's allowed? Oh anything… seriously." He added when Cindy gave him a look at his vagueness. "If you wanna cuddle, that's okay. If you wanna roleplay, that's okay. If you ever wanna suck my dick, that's definitely okay…. Just bein' honest." He smiled easily.
"Whatever." Cindy rolled her eyes. "Anything else?"
"Uh, question. Is there ever a time when I need to bounce? Like as soon as the smash is over, do you want me gone or what?"
Cindy giggled. "I'm never gonna kick you out if that's what you're asking. You've spent the night at my house a bunch of times. You can leave when you want. If you wanna leave when we're done, cool. If you wanna stay the night until the morning, that's fine too. Just don't make me breakfast. That's boyfriend-girlfriend shit." She grinned.
"Please girl, I'll make myself breakfast if I'm hungry." He snickered when she shoved him. "I'll save you some, but I ain't makin' you a plate and bringin' it to the bed… you ain't no princess."
"And you ain't no Prince Charming." Cindy stuck her tongue out, which Riley mirrored immaturely. "Okay, nigga. Is there anything else?"
Riley thought for a minute before shaking his head. "Nothin' else that I can think of. We talked about err'thang."
"True dat." Cindy chuckled. "I guess we're good then…."
"Yup." Riley popped the 'p' as he glanced down at her with a smirk. She looked slightly nervous. It was almost cute.
Showtime?
"So…." He began casually as he rose from the couch and stretched. Then he glanced down at her. "…Wanna get started?"
"Whatchu mean, boy?" Cindy questioned, looking up at him.
"Dat's what I thought we were doin' after the rules were done. I mean, you invited me here, it's late, and besides… practice makes perfect." He cracked a grin.
"…I thought it was pretty close to perfect last night." She spoke tentatively, a light blush on her face.
"Exactly. And that's when we were wasted. How much better is it gonna be now that we're both sober and will remember everything?" He pointed out, bringing her to her feet by taking her hands and pulling her up. Cindy removed her hands from Riley's and ran one through her hair.
"Okay…." She said quietly. Riley nodded and moved a little closer to her. "Um, how do we start this, Reez? Should we begin in here or go straight to the bedroom? I just don't want this to be fuckin' weird and for this all to be a huge mis-" Her nervous questions were silenced when Riley cut her off by placing his mouth over hers. He pulled back for a moment to say one thing.
"Turn your brain off… and shut… up." He whispered with a smirk.
"Mm, okay." She murmured before Riley's lips were on hers again. The kiss they shared now began very soft, reminding Riley of the fuzzy memory of them kissing at the club. Riley took his time as he slowly slid his tongue into her mouth, earning a slight moan from Cindy. They began to gently explore, both familiarizing themselves in the new territory for each other. Last night had been an incredible experience for them: hot, wild, and filled with lust. But now in the contrast to their fast rush, Riley wanted to go slow with Cindy. He wanted to discover the things he may have missed during their first night of drunken sex.
Like how would she react if he kissed her like this…?
Ooh, she likes that.
What about if he touched her here…?
She definitely be likin' that the way she moanin'.
And what about if he moved his hand to go-
"Aah… Reezy…." She breathed out between their kisses. Her arms were now wrapped around his neck, his arms looped around her waist while one hand started to trail down and into her pants.
"Mm," Riley moaned, enjoying the way Cindy kissed him back. He let her know by giving her another nice squeeze on the behind. Cindy sighed into it, her knees almost weakening while Riley held her up. He grinned before moving his hands to her hips to easily hike her up into his arms, her legs encircling around his waist almost immediately. Riley didn't even ask as his own legs began to move, slowly leading the way to her bedroom.
It was time to experiment for real.
Ahhh, gotta love them rules! Let's see who starts bendin' and breakin' first XD
Disclaimers: I don't own Reeboks, Vans, Mac computers, Microsoft Word, BET, Thuggin' Love song, Elf movie, and any other person, place, nationality, language, month, season, word, letter, sound, punctuation that I do not own… just a cover statement :) Also, the part about "real niggas don't follow instructions" is from It's A Black President, Huey Freeman episode.
Lemme know how you feel about this chapter wit them revieewwws! You know I love them :)
More soon hopefully! Stay patient, my dears! I'm multi-taskin' between this and a certain sequel I'm workin' on! ;)
~Schweetie