Hi again! :)
Big thanks to my review squad (proper thank you's coming soon!):
hueyisbae143, clockwork'sFinest, Guest, ladyrere1985, Anon 954, NarutoPlug, QuestionyTheQuestionMark, and *Guest 2 (*see PS).
So what had happened was... I was originally planning to update From Uncle Reezy, To Daddy Reezy but figured since I already did a double update on that, a double update on this one was due.
...That anddd my thoughts keep hitting a brick wall for the other XD
I take the motivation as it comes, people.
Let's go.
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Aaron McGruder's The Boondocks or any of his characters.
"I've come up with a name for you. The White Shadow."
"Huh. Well I'm white... I'm shadowing you... It's very clever."
Huey Freeman & The White Shadow; The Real
Cindy's POV
"Girl, get your face right!"
"I'm trying!"
"More like crying."
"Huey!"
"Come on man, can we just get on with this sh-"
Click.
"Got it." Granddad announced, looking down at his camera.
"G, we weren't even ready, the fuck?" Riley complained.
"Speak for yourself, I was." Caesar smirked, nodding in appreciation as he glanced over Granddad's shoulder to see the picture.
"Y'all were taking too long and I got a date in an hour, hell!" Granddad snapped at Riley before marching off, mumbling the whole way.
"It was a genuine picture if anything I bet." Cindy shrugged haphazardly. Then she sighed as she turned to Jazmine, who was still dabbing at her eyes. "Jazz. The university's just slightly over two hours away. It's not really that far."
"Not far enough." Huey muttered as he checked his watch.
"I'm gonna come up there and visit and y'all are gonna come home for the holidays." Cindy ignored him.
"Don't remind me."
"Huey." Jazmine scolded him again with a swat. "And I know. This summer was just really nice."
"I know. But it'll be fine and this year is going to fly by... annddd you're crying again." Cindy suppressed a grin as she allowed Jazmine to lean into her for a hug, her tiny frame trembling as she continued to cry.
"Ohhh pumpkin," Tom began, his own eyes tearing up as she made a move to approach. Sarah held him back by the arm and gave him a stern look.
"No coddling, remember?"
Tom let out a weak groan. "Yes." He admitted in defeat.
Sarah cleared her throat. "Cindy's right, honey. You'll be back home before you know it." She told her, forcing a smile. "How bout one more picture? Just you and Cindy?"
"That'd be perfect." Cindy nodded, handing over her phone. "But you have to actually smile." Cindy smirked, jabbing her sides. Jazmine tried to hold back her giggles but ultimately failed as Cindy tickled her relentlessly, causing them both to laugh wholeheartedly while Sarah snapped several pictures.
"Oh these turned out great, girls." Sarah smiled, handing Cindy back her phone.
"Goals, bitch." Cindy smirked at Jazmine while they scrolled through, making her laugh.
"Send those all to me." She managed to grin, rubbing underneath her eyes. "Especially that one." She added, pointing to the one of them embraced while they were laughing genuinely as they faced each other.
"Do it for the 'Gram." Caesar said from behind them, surprising Jazmine as he wrapped his arms around her in a hug. "Hey, I gotta head out to meet my girl 'fore I'm late. I wanna say goodbye to you guys now."
"Ooooh with Lindsay?" Cindy asked with interest.
"Yes with Lindsay. But you know y'all will always be my number one girls."
"Yeah yeah." Jazmine grinned, turning around to give him a proper hug. "Have a good time."
"Have a safe trip. We'll come up and visit soon."
"Love you, Ceez."
"Love you too, J-"
"BOOOO, y'all gay as hell!" Riley cut in loudly, startling the three out of nowhere. "Can we move this along? Y'all are dragging it."
"Then leave." Cindy and Huey happened to say in unison, sharing a side glance at each other right after.
"...Weird." Jazmine and Caesar commented together.
Riley sucked his teeth, focusing on his brother. "Nigga, you know Granddad made me be here."
"And you're also a grown man." Huey shot back.
"Supposedly." Cindy muttered under her breath.
"If you didn't want to tell us bye, you didn't have to. I'm not losing sleep over it, trust me."
"Burn." Caesar smirked.
"Man, why you always takin' things outta context?" Riley backpedaled, clearly annoyed. "I didn't say all that, but damn, why we always gotta go through all this sad extra shit, Jazmine?" He said, putting the attention on her. "Y'all ain't goin' off to war! Just dap it up, peace out, and go. Y'all ain't even that far."
"Thanks for the feedback." Jazmine rolled her eyes, turning towards her parents. "We're probably gonna go now. I love you both." She said before hugging them. Cindy noticed Huey while he checked his watch again, mouthing the word finally.
"Granddad, we're leaving." He called out towards the hallway.
"Drive safe and don't bring her home pregnant!" Granddad called back from upstairs.
"I'll do my best." Huey quipped, missing the crazy look that Tom gave him while he was hugging Jazmine.
"He's really not gonna come say goodbye?" Caesar asked, referring to Granddad.
"First of all, that was his goodbye." Riley snickered.
Huey shrugged. "We said them earlier."
"Wonder where he gets it from." Caesar nodded over towards Riley as if he wasn't there.
He scoffed. "Because he's a real G."
"You're right. He is." Caesar answered dryly.
"The apple must've fallen pretty far from the tree." Cindy commented coolly, smirking as Riley gave her a glare in return.
"Alright my brother. I'm outta here." Caesar told Huey, clasping his hand to do their bro-hug. "Safe travels. Take care. Actually study. Annndd I'll cosign onto what your Granddad told you." He winked after giving him a clap on the back.
"I'll keep that in mind." Huey replied plainly, once again missing Tom's crazy eyes.
"Talk to y'all later." Caesar said to the group as he headed out while the others said their goodbyes.
"Do we have to go, Huey?" Jazmine pouted, walking over to him while linking her arm through Cindy's.
"Yes." He insisted, almost strongly. "Now would be ideal."
"The longer you wait, the harder you're gonna make it, sweetheart." Sarah nodded.
"Fiiiinee." Jazmine relented with a sigh. "Let's go."
"We'll walk you out." Cindy told her, going with them as they made their way to the door. She grinned when she noticed Sarah grab onto Tom's arm again, preventing him from following.
"For God sakes, let them have their moment Tom!" She snapped, ignoring his whine in return.
"Classes start Monday for you guys, right?" Cindy asked once they were outside.
"Yeah." Jazmine nodded. "How bout you?"
"I start back on Tuesday." Cindy said, dreading every word. She couldn't wait to be done with college.
"Why are you even goin' back on a Friday if you don't start til Monday?" Riley asked them in confusion.
"We still need our books, to go over our schedules, get our apartment back in order-"
"Celebratory fuck." Huey cut in.
"Well damn."
"Respect." Riley smirked.
"Maybe that too." Jazmine blushed, giving Huey a light nudge.
"Well on that lovely note," Cindy grinned, stepping forward to give her a big hug. "Have a great semester."
"You too, Cin. I miss you already." Jazmine said, hugging her tighter. Cindy closed her eyes and soaked it in. She definitely didn't want to react in front of her, but the moment was hitting her too.
"When y'all comin' home next?" Riley asked Huey.
"Do you actually care?" Huey asked him instead, raising an eyebrow.
"You can't ever answer nothin', damn." Riley rolled his eyes.
"What does it matter if you never care?"
"I never said I didn't care, I just-"
"Aw, so you do care. That's so sweet, Riley." Jazmine cut him off sweetly, parting from Cindy to wrap her arms around him.
"...Y'all get on my damn nerves." Riley rolled his eyes, trying to suppress his light grin.
"We love you too." Jazmine smiled.
Cindy turned to Huey who glared at her. "No." He told her.
She waited a minute before approaching. "You're not moving out of the way, so..." She said, hugging him anyway.
"Because it's pointless." Huey sighed, making no move to hug her back. "You never listen."
"Nope."
"Bask in that privilege."
"I hate you." Cindy giggled, giving him a light shove as they parted.
"He loves you too." Jazmine grinned, in front of her once again.
"I wouldn't bet on that."
"Tell your brother goodbye." Jazmine told him. Huey gave her a look before glancing at Riley blankly.
"Bye." He spoke indifferently.
"Man, that's all I get? 'Bye?' You can have a whole conversation with Caesar but all I get is one word! No dap, no advice, no nothin-"
"Will you shut the hell up?" Huey rolled his eyes, making a show of stepping towards him and roughly "dapping" his arm, although it was more like a light punch. "Be good while I'm gone and try not to go to prison, alright?" He told him sarcastically, making Cindy and Jazmine laugh.
Riley narrowed his eyes at him and "dapped" him back on the arm, a little harder. "Don't forget to wrap your shit up, nigga."
"Remember to set your alarm." Huey hit him.
"Yeah, don't be a pussy." Riley hit him back.
"Don't be gay." Huey shot back in triumph, knowing it'd cause a reaction.
"Nigga, fuck you!" Riley tried to go for him, but Huey clearly saw it coming as he side-stepped out of the way and put him in a headlock, instantly immobilizing him. The girls kept giggling, knowing them well enough to know it was normal behavior. And their own strange way of expressing themselves towards each other.
Their version of "affection."
"Bye Riley." Huey smirked, lightly ruffling Riley's head and frizzing up more of his braids before releasing him.
"You still such a bitch, dude." Riley told him with a smirk of his own, trying to swipe at him but narrowly missed as Huey walked off the porch and towards the car.
"Bye Cindy." Jazmine said, giving her another quick squeezing hug before she followed behind him.
"Bye girl!" Cindy told her, wrapping her arms around herself as she watched them get into the vehicle. Jazmine had been right, their summer together had been really nice. And she had to admit, she was really bummed it was ending. And that her constant was going to be much further away.
She kept it together and forced a grin as they started the car, Jazmine looking out the window and giving a sad wave. Cindy waved at her until they pulled off, disappearing down the street.
But she quickly became confused when she suddenly felt an arm lightly wrap around her shoulders.
"You aiight?" Riley asked her, his arm still around her warmly.
"I'm fine." Cindy answered calmly, keeping her head straight ahead at the empty road. She was surprised again when he gently brushed the side of her face with his own in a soft nuzzle.
"Hey. I'm sorry... about the other day." He told her quietly, shocking her again into silence.
It had been almost a full week since their last encounter happened, when Riley had pulled that stunt at her apartment. Though she had been initially and rightfully pissed for a few days at him, she had more or less let it go. In her opinion, it wasn't even worth addressing it with him because she was sure he would just end up pissing her off more and making it worse. Today was the first day since the incident that they had seen each other. And while Cindy had let it go for the most part (more or less), she could tell she was still irritated with him deep down as soon as she saw him. Her irritation may have come out slightly, but she didn't see a point in really getting into with him during Huey and Jazmine's send off. She honestly figured they'd stay out of each other's way until they left.
So she was a bit unsure as to why he wanted to suddenly bring it up.
"O...kay?" She replied suspiciously, prompting a sigh from him.
"Come on girl, I mean it. I was stupid. I shouldn't have done that for real. Forgive me?" He continued, looking at her expectantly. Cindy watched him in careful contemplation. His apologies seemed so frequent nowadays, she barely even heard them anymore. They were just words to fill the silence.
"Yeah. It's whatever." She shrugged, over it. And it was apparently enough of an acceptance to Riley.
"Cool. You wanna hang out?" He offered suddenly. "See a movie or something?"
Cindy cleared her throat and slid from beneath his arm as she pulled out her phone. "Can't. I've got plans tonight."
"With London again?" He asked dumbly, purposely mispronouncing his name.
"Goodbye, Reez." Cindy dismissed him, keeping her eyes on her phone as she headed down the porch herself to go towards her car.
"Why I gotta be the only one without a date tonight?" He had the nerve to complain. Cindy couldn't stop herself from glancing back towards him as she opened her door.
"Maybe if you actually got yourself a girl, you could." She shrugged carelessly.
Riley gave her a look at her boldness. "Maybe I will."
Cindy couldn't hold back the grin. "Aw... that's cute." She cooed sweetly.
"What's cute?" Riley asked evenly, starting slowly down the stairs.
"I mean, you just said it so easily. As if it was that simple." Cindy continued to grin, closing her car door shut and leaning against it as he came towards her.
"Why wouldn't it be?" He asked her, seeming a little annoyed that he didn't get the joke.
"Oh Reezy, it would. It really would." She told him with a nod as she turned to face him. Riley gave her a glare as he approached her, propping an elbow on the top of her car while he leaned against it.
"But?" He demanded, waiting for the punchline.
"I mean, there's just one thing that makes your sudden urge to 'get a girl' a little difficult."
"Try me." He challenged.
Cindy smiled at him as she lived for this moment, taking a step closer into his personal space as she reached her hand up, softly caressing his chin just like he had done to her not so long ago.
"The willingness to actually commit to someone." She oozed with false sincerity. Riley pulled his face back as his glare hardened at her. And she loved it. "Oooh. Didn't think you needed that, huh?" She added with a sly grin.
"Trust, when I'm ready to get a girl... I'll get a girl." He told her, his tone a little cold.
"Don't hurt yourself now." Cindy practically snorted, making him tilt his head slightly.
"You don't think I can commit." He said as a statement and not a question.
"Aw honey, it's not about thinking you can't commit," Cindy brushed off, casually checking her phone again as she started to turn her back on him. It was too easy.
"It's knowing that you won't." She clarified, grabbing the handle of her door to start to pull it open.
But she was denied when Riley's hand covered her own, firmly making her close the door shut from behind her. Cindy grinned and didn't fight it, even allowing herself to be turned around as Riley pulled her to face him again. His expression was seemingly calm but she knew better.
She had gotten to him. And he was steaming. Which felt amazingly satisfying.
"You clearly don't know me." Riley told her lowly, his hand still gripped on her waist.
"Oh, but I do." She replied, the smile still on her face. "More than you give me credit for."
"I can do whatever I want. So your little assumption is bullshit." He bit back.
"Look, Reez. I'm not arguing the fact that you can't do whatever you want. Cuz you can. It's not about that. It's about the will to commit. Which you don't have." She told him bluntly. "Which means you're not ready for it. Which means it's not a goal for you. Which means you don't want to."
"Maybe I want to now." He shrugged out of the blue.
"All of the sudden?" Cindy smirked.
"Maybe I've finally seen the light." He replied, just as sarcastic.
"You gotta have someone in mind if you're talkin' big like that." She tested him.
"Do I?" He asked, raising an interested eyebrow. "Who do you think I'm thinkin' about then, C?"
She rolled her eyes, not falling for the bait. "I don't care." She mock-whispered.
"Don't you?" He asked huskily while reaching a hand up to play with her hair, scrunching up a gentle handful before letting it slip lightly through his fingers in one smooth swoop.
Cindy eyed him carefully, already knowing where this was going. "I've gotta go." She told him instead, sliding once again out of his grasp.
"Give my regards to Lebron." He spoke to her back as she got in the car. She ignored him as she started it up and blasted her music, pulling off without a glance back. She rolled her eyes again as she thought about their conversation. He was so full of shit. Ready to commit her ass. He just liked to banter. That's all he ever wanted to do with her.
Well...
Cindy shook herself from those thoughts, annoyed that her brain even went there. Though she couldn't lie to herself and act surprised, as much as she hated it. Whether she was mad or not and whether they were on good terms or not, she couldn't even deny it: their chemistry was always at a high. It was practically palpable. Which was why she knew she needed to walk away when she did. She could feel it rising even then as they faced off. Just the way he looked at her alone, she knew exactly what he was thinking. And what he wanted.
But don't get it twisted. Cindy thought to herself, physically shaking her head from the simple thought as she drove.
He does NOT want to commit to you, bitch. So don't even go there. He just wants to fuck with you. That's all.
That's all it ever will be.
The Next Morning
Cindy's body started to stir and her eyes started to flutter as her nose continued to pick up on something. At first she had thought she was just having a vivid dream until that smell really hit her nostrils, and there was no denying that aroma.
Bacon?
Her eyes finally cracked open to see an empty and wrinkled half of her bed; her room was still dark aside from the light emitting from her window, but she did notice additional light coming from outside of her bedroom and down the hallway.
She lifted her head and faced towards the door at the sound of approaching footsteps, a sleepy smile taking over her face as she watched him appear in the doorway.
"Morning, gorgeous." Landon grinned at her as he entered the room. He was toned and shirtless, dressed only in a pair of dark basketball shorts, as he held a plate of food that smelled increasingly better the closer he got to her.
Yet he was calling her gorgeous?
"Good morning yourself." Cindy blushed lightly, having a hard time meeting his eyes. "How long have you been up?"
He shrugged. "About an hour or so. You were still out and I didn't want to wake you."
"I was exhausted." Cindy admitted.
"I could tell." He commented with a knowing smirk. "My bad." He added suggestively, taking a seat on the empty side of the bed.
Cindy bit her lip gently, feeling her face warm even more. "Don't apologize for that."
"I would never." He murmured before leaning down to give her a soft kiss. "But I would make you breakfast." He grinned, lowering the plate into her view. Cindy felt her stomach growl in response as she saw the glorious strips of bacon, side of eggs, and slices of buttered toast.
"Have I told you how amazing you are?" Cindy said as she quickly began to prop herself up into a sitting position, pulling the covers up over her bare lower half. Her top half was at least partially covered by her lace bralette.
"A couple times last night, but you know." Landon commented as he helped her situate the pillows behind her back.
"And I meant it every time." Cindy gave him another peck on the lips after taking the plate. Landon slid in closer and caressed her waist and upper thigh.
"Did you have fun yesterday?" He asked while brushing his lips against her shoulder.
"Oh my God, so much fun." Cindy told him earnestly. "That was awesome. I've never been on a boat tour before."
"That surprises me. When my family and I lived in Massachusetts, we used to do things like that all the time."
Your family definitely could afford to do things like that all the time. Cindy thought to herself with a wry smile. Not that hers couldn't at a time, but they rarely ever did anything together as a family, especially happily. If they did, it was back before a time that Cindy could even remember.
"Was that your first time in the area we went yesterday?" She asked him, redirecting her thoughts.
"It was my first time in Annapolis, but not my first time out in the Chesapeake Bay." He told her. Landon had surprised her on their date last evening, initially only telling her that he wanted to take her out somewhere new. The only specification he had given was that she'd bring a coat "just in case." It wasn't until near the end their drive to the location that was over a half hour away and they still weren't there that Landon finally told her. Cindy's jaw dropped, especially when they reached the port and she took everything in. Landon had scheduled them to join the last 90-minute cruise of the evening where their fleet sailed over the Bay waters, wine and refreshments were served throughout the narrated tour, and they got to get an up-close view of an actual lighthouse, which was apparently a historical landmark!
Meanwhile this is all taking place during sunset, making everything look all romantic and shit?
Cindy wanted to jump him right there.
"Well, I loved it. Everything was amazing." She told him, extending her last slice of bacon over towards his mouth. "Almost as amazing as this bacon." She teased with a grin.
"Damn, that was the one thing I was trying to top." He chuckled, taking a bite before kissing her cheek.
"You did, I'm just kidding." She giggled. "I really did have a great time."
"You think you'd like to do something like that again?"
"Definitely."
"I thought that maybe we could do it with Jazmine and Huey sometime. Annapolis is a little under an hour from Baltimore on a good day."
Cindy glanced over at him in surprise. "That's so sweet." She said sincerely. "And God, if I loved it, Jazmine won't even know what to do with herself she'd be so excited."
Landon smiled. "You and her seem very close."
"She's like my sister."
"...And you and Huey...?" He asked, trying to keep a straight face.
"...Yeah, we're not exactly like siblings." She cracked a grin, making Landon laugh. "I told you our relationship is complicated, don't laugh at me!"
"Are you sure he doesn't hate me?"
"I promise, it's not you. He hates practically everyone, other than Jazmine."
"Well that's a relief." Landon snorted with a grin.
"You sure you'd want to go on a boat with someone that you think hates you?" Cindy smirked, giggling when his laughter stopped.
"Well when you put it like that..." He trailed off with a sheepish smile. "Nah, I believe you. And it's cool. I figured it'd be something we could get together and do with them. Especially since it'd be a little closer to their area."
"I think that's really sweet." She told him again, turning to kiss his lips. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." He replied, giving her another quick peck. "How was their send-off by the way?"
"It was alright." Cindy shrugged a shoulder. "Jazmine cried a lot which was expected. Still though. It just makes everything that much harder."
"Did you cry?"
"Boy." Cindy gave him a smirk that Landon raised a brow to with a smirk of his own.
"You can say if you did. Or you don't have to." He shrugged back at her. Cindy held the stare with him before glancing down to take a bite of her eggs.
"Not in front of her." She mumbled admittedly. "And I didn't cry-cry, I just got a little teary, you know?" She added quickly while Landon nodded. "It's just tough. And it's different when they're both gone. Like a big chunk of the crew is missing."
"I'm sure the both of them keep it grounded." Landon commented, scooting closer to wrap an arm around her.
"Exactly." Cindy let out in a sigh. "Not to mention I'm just not looking forward for school to be starting again."
"Last year though right?"
"Thank God." Cindy muttered. "I'm just so ready to be done. I'm not in the headspace for it. I'm ready to get on with my life. That along with Jazmine not being here to bitch about it with... it's just a lot."
"I know." Landon nodded. "That's kinda why I wanted to get you out on your last weekend of freedom." He admitted, watching her glance over and smile at him. "This last year's going to go by fast. And it won't be so bad. You'll still see Jazmine and Huey frequently, I'm sure. And even when you can't, you still have your other friends to see regularly. Not to mention me." He grinned.
"I certainly hope I get to see you just as regularly, if not more." She told him, stretching up slightly for a kiss.
"Mm, you sure? Your boy Caesar treats you like a princess too." He teased, making Cindy crack up.
"You are so wrong for that." She continued to giggle.
"I mean if I didn't know any better, I would've thought that he wanted you." Landon shrugged with a smirk.
"He doesn't. Seriously, that's just him. He's a big flirt." Cindy rolled her eyes. "Besides, he's seeing someone now and has barely paid me any mind." She shook her head, continuing to eat.
"What about Riley?"
Cindy chewed her food, making sure to keep her face neutral as she glanced over to him. "What about him?"
Landon shrugged a shoulder again, a plain expression on his face as well. "I don't know. Anything. What's his story?"
Cindy forced a chuckle. "Not really much of a story to tell. He works at that car shop I took you to. He's a couple years younger than me. And we've known each other since we were kids."
"And he's your best friend." Landon added for her.
"Another one of them, yeah." Cindy nodded, hating that she felt so uncomfortable talking about him in regular conversation like this.
"Was he able to make it to see Huey and Jazmine off?" Landon asked suddenly, but at least it was an easier question.
"Yeah, he was. And that was good. Him and Huey have never really seen eye to eye on much, but they do show up for each other. And if Riley didn't, his grandfather woulda been on his ass." She chuckled.
"That's good." Landon grinned. "Maybe the next time you and your friends meet up, I could try to come to. If he's there, I could finally meet him." He suggested casually, to which Cindy took her last big bite of eggs. She nodded as she chewed, trying to quickly think of a good response.
"Yeah, we can try." She spoke slowly. "It's just hard because he's literally always working. Yesterday was the first time I've physically seen him in a while." She fibbed, pushing herself to keep talking, although she probably should've stopped. "We can try though. And you'll meet him eventually. Some day."
Yep, definitely should've stopped talking. Cindy thought to herself in annoyance. That sounded fake as hell, even to her. She shoved a bite of toast into her mouth before she nonchalantly tried to glance over at him. He surprisingly didn't look upset or annoyed or even suspicious. Just patient.
Then he smiled. "Don't you think your best friend should meet your boyfriend?"
Cindy was thankful she had swallowed her mouthful prior to his response, otherwise she might've choked.
She licked her lips as she set her plate on her nightstand. "I wasn't aware that I had a boyfriend." She admitted quietly, staring up at him.
"Only if you'll have me." He told her, his gaze unwavering. "Will you be my girlfriend, Cynthia?"
Cindy felt her mouth fall open slightly as she stared at him in speechlessness, her thoughts spontaneously racing. She couldn't believe it. She truly couldn't believe he was officially asking her like this. And the way he asked, as if it was already a given. Holy shit. Not to mention the way he spoke to her. She had always hated the sound of her own name but when Landon said it, it was so damn smooth. He could get a pass with it any day. She didn't give a fuck. They were about to really commit to each other... commit into an actual relationship... officially...
Exclusively...
And just like that, the spinning wheels in her head came to a screeching halt.
"Do you maybe," Landon's sweet voice finally broke her out of her thoughts. "Need some time to think about it? I can understand if you-"
"Yes!" Cindy interrupted him suddenly, covering his hand with her own. "I mean, I don't need time to think about it." She corrected herself, trying to quickly regain her composure. "But yes... I'd love to be your girlfriend, Landon."
"That took a while, are you sure?" He joked, pulling her closer.
"Positive." She smiled. "I want to be yours."
Landon grinned down at her before kissing her slowly, gently maneuvering to lie her down on the bed as he slid on top of her.
"You already are." He murmured.
Landon stayed with her until later into the afternoon. Cindy enjoyed her time with him as they hung out, had lunch together, and fooled around a few more times back in her bedroom. But it was no sooner than he left and she had closed the door that her initial feelings of uneasiness returned, along with the pit at her stomach.
She had composed and sent her text by the time she made it into her kitchen for a drink.
We need to talk. Come over.
She had received an answer before she could even find the wine opener.
K.
Cindy stared at the text in silence for a moment. Then she glanced back to the bottle on the counter and sighed, placing it back in her cabinet.
If she was going to have this talk with Riley, she was going to need a clear head.
Riley's POV
He had a pretty good idea of what the conversation was going to be about as soon as he got the text. So he didn't see any need to rush right over. Instead, he took a long shower. He stuck around to finish a movie playing on television, one that he'd already seen. He put away the dishes he'd been putting off for days, going on weeks. When he eventually did get in his car, he decided the first trip he'd be making would be to McWuncler's. He even went inside. Then, after taking a purposeful extra long time in there until almost five o'clock, Riley finally got back inside his car to slowly begin the route to Cindy's.
He knew what the deal was. He wasn't stupid. Hell, he wasn't even surprised. It was just... expected.
Not to say he was necessarily happy about it but...
Riley shook away his thoughts as he knocked on her front door, glancing down at his shoes. He hadn't even bothered to wear his nicer ones, or nice anything really. Instead he had lazily slid on the cheap sneakers he usually saved for work, dark baggy jeans, and bulky white t-shirt over a red long-sleeve. He felt that his braids looked like trash, so he had worn a backwards fitted over his rows. On any other day, he probably would've asked Cindy to re-do them, but... that probably wasn't about to happen.
He glanced up as the door opened, meeting her eyes right away. He was surprised to see her wearing slightly faded makeup on her face, probably the result of her forgetting to wash it off the night before. Her hair was tousled and wavy down her back for once, not straight like she'd been wearing it the past few times he'd seen her. She had also already changed into her casual clothes for the evening, wearing a plain blue tee and a pair of gray cotton shorts.
"Hey." She greeted simply. There was no real emotion in her voice or face even, as she eyed him steadily.
If the other clues didn't already give it away, that welcome did.
"Fries?" Riley offered in response, holding up his McWuncler's bag. That must've thrown Cindy off as she gave him a questioning look.
"Uh, sure. Come on in." She told him, turning to head to the living room. Riley smirked at her back. At least she wasn't turning down food yet.
It was quiet when they sat down on the couch. The TV wasn't even on for once. It was quieter when Riley handed her the bag of food, the only audible noise coming from the loud crinkling of the paper. Riley watched her munch on the fries silently, trying to keep his cool as he pretended to seem interested on his phone. He wished she'd just get on with it.
"So um," Cindy finally spoke, making him raise his head to meet her gaze, although her eyes weren't even on him. They were straight ahead as she ate. "Landon came over today." She said quietly.
Riley tilted his head slightly. "I thought you were with him last night?"
"Well yeah, but I uh, saw him again today." She tried to brush off quickly, but couldn't brush off that blush.
So he stayed over. Got it. Riley tried not to roll his eyes.
"Anyway," Cindy cleared her throat as she continued. "We were talking today and... he asked me to be his girlfriend..." She trailed off slowly, finally glancing his way.
Riley stared back, keeping a blank expression on his face. "Congrats." He replied dryly, almost breaking his stoic gaze as she gave him an annoyed look. "I mean, what do you want me to say? What am I supposed to say to that?" He asked seriously.
"Something over than 'congrats.'" She glared at him.
"I didn't say it sarcastic."
"You meant it." Cindy pointed out.
"...You caught me." He managed to let out a smirk.
"What is wrong with you?" She rolled her eyes, but couldn't hold back the slight glimpse of a grin.
"Ain't nothin' wrong with me. What's wrong with you? You really agreed to be Lucas's girl?"
"Reezy, I swear to God-"
"Aiight I'm playin', chill." He snickered, not being able to help it. "I'm done for real."
"You stupid, boy." Cindy tossed a fry at him, shaking her head but still slightly smiling. Riley smirked back as he picked the fry off his shirt and ate it.
"So you told him yeah?" He asked, watching her nod. "Okay." He shrugged.
Cindy gave him a different look this time, carefully. "You realize what that means?" She tested him.
"Obviously I remember the rules, Cindy." He stated calmly, fighting the urge to roll his eyes again. He was surprised to see her glance away from him, almost as if embarrassed.
"I don't want to be intimate with two guys at the same time, Reez." She muttered quietly, setting the bag on her coffee table.
Riley shrugged his shoulder. "It is what it is." He said more or less to himself. "I do think you could do better though." He admitted, causing Cindy to snap her head over to him.
"What?" She asked immediately. "Why would you say that?" She demanded with a glare.
"Relax." Riley rolled his eyes. "I'm just sayin'. You can do better than that nigga if anybody."
"Okay, Drake." Cindy rolled her eyes right back, crossing her legs and arms at the same time. "You don't even know him."
"First off, I ain't bein' Drake, I'm bein' Reezy. So let's get that straight." Riley told her, unbothered by her attitude. "And second, I'm keepin' it one-hunnid to you like always and lookin' out for you as a friend first. But that's beside the point. You do whatever you want. It's your decision." He almost let out a grin at her expression, clearly surprised by his response. She must've been expecting him to pick a fight.
Was it even worth it at this point though?
"...Thanks." Cindy finally let out after a beat, a trace of confusion in her voice. Riley watched her as she glanced away from him, playing with a lock of her hair as she stared ahead, clearly looking for something to say.
"I ain't gonna lie though. I'mma miss this." Riley spoke, not really thinking of the words before he said them. He was almost thrown off when Cindy met his eyes with a gentle expression instead of an irritated one.
"Me too." She said quietly. "We had a good run though."
"Real good." Riley agreed.
"But now things can go back to normal. We don't have anything to hide or deal with anymore."
"Right." Riley nodded again. "...Sooo, this is officially the end then?" He asked, receiving a raised eyebrow in return.
"Uh, yeah?"
"...Sooo we gonna get it in for the last time orrrr-"
"Boy, NO!" Cindy raised her voice at him.
"What!" Riley exclaimed back. "Why?"
"The fuck you mean why? No!"
"Well damn!" Riley pretended to huff. "If I woulda known the last time was really gonna be the last time... I would've given it to you good... real good..."
Cindy blinked at him deadpanned. "Riley, I see you. You are not slick and you are not foolin' me. Don't even try it." She smirked when Riley started to snicker. "Yeah, exactly."
"I fucked that last line up, that's why I laughed." He admitted, still chuckling. "I always gave it to you good." He told her boldly, flashing her a smile.
Cindy rolled her eyes and shook her head, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "No comment." She said simply, but Riley could still make out the faint blush. And he took pride in that.
Whether she was with Brandon or not, he still had that effect on her.
"So we're good then?" She asked after a beat. "I've gotta take care of some things before it gets too late."
Riley shrugged. "I guess." He followed Cindy's lead as she stood from the couch, slowly walking him to the door.
"Thanks for coming out tonight, Reez. I appreciate it." She told as they approached the door.
"Oh you're welcome, Cindy. We just must do it again sometime." Riley said with grandeur in an uppity accent. He smirked when she grinned at him in clear confusion. "That's what you sound like. Did his black-white ass rub off on you or what? Why you talkin' like we're fuckin' acquaintances havin' tea or some shit?"
"You are so ridiculous, not even!" Cindy laughed.
"Is that how you talk to each other or is it just me from now on? Now that we're 'just friends' and all?"
Cindy's laughter died off slightly as she gave him a look. "We've always been just friends."
Riley barely knew what to say as he damn-near stumped himself. The fuck?
"You know what I meant, girl. Stop playin'." He brushed her off with an eyeroll.
"Mhm." Cindy hummed, still slightly giving him a look. "Get home safe, okay?"
"Why, you care or somethin'?" He tried to flip it back on her, not really knowing why.
"I always care." Cindy told him patiently.
"Not if you hated me though."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Cindy asked with a chuckle. "I could never hate you and even if I did, I would still always care."
"That don't make no sense." Riley stated, knowing he was talking nonsense but just wanted to rile her up. "Why?"
"Because I love you, dumbass."
She had said it so simply, the glimmer of a smirk on her face as she pursed her lips smartly and rolled her eyes at him. And damn it all, friend or not, she was fuckin' cute. The sight alone made Riley grin and he didn't even realize or know why.
"Now that that's out of the way," Cindy said, the smirk still on her face as she opened the door a little wider. "Buh-bye." She dismissed him, that playful attitude still intact.
Riley gave her a slow eyeroll in return, shaking his head at her as he started for the door. But when he came into the frame of the doorway, he paused. He recognized the brief thought that passed through his mind, and on one-hand he wanted to disregard it and resist...
But then he glanced back at her. She was leaning against her wall, still slightly grinning as she looked up at him.
Fuck it.
He watched her brow wrinkle in confusion when he suddenly turned back. Her eyes widened when he placed his hands on her waist and pulled her to him. Her mouth parted slightly in surprise, as she was either about to gasp or tell him off. Whatever it was, it was quickly silenced as Riley captured her lips with his own.
His initial plan, not that he really had one, was to go all in on it. If this was going to be the last time they kissed, she was damn well going to remember it. But somewhere between that initial thought and the moment his lips touched hers, his thought process altered. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to do a lot more than just kiss her. But if he went down that road and did what he really wanted to do, kissing and touching her as he'd done so many times before, he knew... one thing was going to lead to the other. And Riley, as much as he wanted it again already, didn't want to risk that. Not out of respect for what's-his-name, because fuck that nigga... but out of respect for Cindy.
He pulled back gradually, making immediate eye contact once he reopened his eyes, still in her close proximity. Her eyes were still wide as she stared back at him, and Riley couldn't tell if she had closed them or not. The kiss hadn't been long at all, only lasting a few short seconds. He had done it softly, going no further than a slow and intimate kiss. He couldn't even tell if she kissed him back, not that he would've expected it. He just wanted to do it. For the last time.
"Bye, Cindy." He spoke lowly, beating her to it. Her mouth had been parted again, her expression still frozen as she stared up at him, clearly ready to ask for an explanation. She paused after his response though, looking surprised again as he removed his hands from her waist and took a step back from her. Finally, a look of clarity washed over her face as he slid his hands into his own pockets, giving her a meager half-smile as he started to slowly turn back towards the doorway. It wasn't until he trudged through it and into the hallway that he heard her voice again.
"Bye, Riley." It was barely there, but he heard it. And by the way she spoke, she understood the emphasis on his goodbye.
He let out a sigh as the elevator doors closed and he began his descent down to the main floor. It was really finished. And they were really done. And now she had a new man. Riley couldn't wrap his head around it, and honestly didn't want to. He couldn't picture it not being weird. Was he for real now going to be in the picture from here on out? Was he going to be in attendance when the group wanted to hang out? Was that really necessary? It was just weird to him. Cindy had an actual boyfriend. She was basically tying herself down like Jazmine did... like Caesar was doing...
Riley's forehead creased as he stepped out of the elevator. Because holy shit, what was happening? Was this what his circle of friends was becoming? A fucking dating brigade? Since when did everyone get boo'd up and serious all of the sudden, aside from Jazmine and Huey? What was the point?
It's about the will to commit. Which you don't have.
He felt himself tense when he heard Cindy's earlier comment playback through his mind in an instant. He tried to derail those thoughts as he walked to the parking garage. That shit wasn't even true when she said it. And it didn't even mean anything other than-
Which means you're not ready for it. Which means it's not a goal for you. Which means you don't want to.
By the time he reached his car, he felt triggered. It wasn't about not being able to commit. He could do that shit. He knew he could do that shit. It just had never been the right time. Or the right person. And now... who was available that was even an option?
Regardless, Riley felt challenged, slightly motivated even. Maybe now was the time to test the waters. See what was out there. Try his hand at committing and shit. Especially since some people didn't think he could do it.
Please. His haters were his motivators.
So by the time he was inside his car and driving through the city by about 6:00pm, he dialed a number as he turned off onto a side street. He cleared his throat as he heard the call connect.
"Hey handsome." She answered, her voice silky smooth as always.
"Hey Tish," He replied with a smirk. "I know it's kinda last minute, but I was wonderin' if you were up for dinner tonight. My treat."
THAT'S THE WAY, UH-HUH UH-HUH, I LIKE IT! UH-HUH UH-HUH!
...Bet y'all didn't necessarily like that though ;)
But it is updated! Finally! And finally a double for this story ^_^ What do you guys think? Things are definitely starting to change. But are they good or bad? And what's going to be good and what's going to be bad? ...Most likely a little of both :)
Disclaimers: No thank you. I own nothing.
Shoutout to QuestionyTheQuestionMark (previously known as Cartoonlover187) for the HILARIOUS review where she trolled TF out of Landon's name and called him everything but! You know I had to incorporate that all in this chapter, using all of her roast names, including London (GENIUS), Lebron, and Lucas! I literally couldn't stop laughing at your review! XD Thanks again!
And thank you all my amazing readers for your continued support! You make. My. DAY. Every single time. Please know that :)
A new chapter update will be as soon as I possibly can! My sequel to BWUR is due for an update next, but this is closely followed behind! I missed this story :)
Thanks a million for reading! I'll be back at it soon! Love you guys!
~Schweetie
PS: And to the adorably misguided Guest reviewer who demanded to know why I "stopped" this story... Honey... I'm not going anywhere. This story is far from over, don't worry. We've got at LEAST 10 more chapters in, probably even 15. I will never abruptly end these stories. If I start this ish, I'm gonna finish this ish. And if for some horrible reason I couldn't (which I don't foresee), I would give you guys the respect of letting you know. But nah, there will be no unexpected terminations for any of my stories, rest assured :)