Can't stop, won't stop, I don't even know how to stop.
Proper thank you's coming soon to:
Your Hitta, Firegirl19, LovinHueyFreeman, King Kroniiclez, CocoaMoon, N. Chanel, SuadamPanyuthapum, mxsta, QuestionyTheQuestionMark, PippElulu, Swiftly Wumbo, and NarutoPlug.
Yeah, I know what I said. But here's the thing. Crazy motivation for this story right now. Like… what… how—y'know what, scratch that. I'm not even gonna question it. Here y'all go.
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Aaron McGruder's The Boondocks or any of his characters.
"I heard you work for Santa.
I got a message for him.
Tell him Riley said I'll be waiting for his ass next Christmas.
And that nigga better PAY what he owe!"
~Riley Freeman; A Huey Freeman Christmas
Jazmine's POV
She felt herself blink back at him slowly, having no doubt she was wearing the same expression on her face her boyfriend currently had.
What? Jazmine thought to herself, not exactly having the words just yet.
"I'm sorry?" Huey spoke up instead. His right brow was arched high as he stared back at Landon.
"I'm moving in." Landon repeated with an easy smile, as if it was a simple statement. "Cynthia and I have been discussing it kind of recently. I had just assumed that she told you."
Jazmine tried to fix her face, now feeling the heat of Huey's stare. "This is news to me." She told him honestly.
"Oh crap, maybe she wanted to keep it a surprise and tell you in a certain way." Landon said with a slight grimace.
"What other way is there to say it?" Huey deadpanned, his eyebrow still raised. "You're moving in. Pretty self-explanatory."
"True, but still. I didn't mean to share her news before or without her." He shrugged. "Maybe try and keep it to yourselves until she's ready to tell you?"
"No." Huey spoke again before she could.
Jazmine glared at him. "Huey." She scolded.
"I am not about to lie over something like this." He practically snorted.
"It's not a lie, you just don't have to say anything until she brings it up." Landon countered.
"Well, if it comes up, it comes up." Huey shrugged in return, matching his stare.
"Huey."
Landon chuckled slightly with the slight shake of his head. "No problem, Jazmine." He paused to grin at her. "I would expect nothing less from Huey."
Her jaw tightened a bit, feeling the change in demeanor without even looking at him.
"…Meaning what exactly?" Huey's voice was entirely level now. And entirely calm. Too calm. Jazmine knew that undertone and knew that it was not a good thing. Glancing over towards him, it was confirmed by the way his eyes seemed almost darker and locked onto Landon's.
Shit.
"You're a straight-shooter." Landon shrugged with easy nonchalance, either not noticing or caring about the sudden shift in the air. "You say what you mean and mean what you say. It's honorable. I respect it." He told him simply. And while his smile looked kind, the tone in his voice seemed to reflect the opposite.
It sounded condescending. And Huey did not handle that in a reasonable manner.
"Well, we oughta get going." Jazmine spoke up quickly, tugging gently on Huey's hand again to pull him from his staredown. "Please give Cindy a hug from us and have her text me when she wakes up and is feeling better."
"Definitely." He grinned, although his eyes were still locked on Huey's. He wasn't even looking at her. "You both have a great rest of your night."
"Thanks, you too." Jazmine mumbled, glaring slightly at Huey as she turned around, pulling him to turn with her and walk down the hall. She pressed the elevator button and waited, feeling herself slightly tense at the sound of Cindy's door finally closing. She felt Huey's gaze steadily drift down to her and she fought to ignore it for the moment, stepping inside the elevator once it opened to press the button. Huey followed behind her with just two big steps, not even bothering to turn around as the doors closed behind him. Jazmine finally lifted her head toward him, watching him glare angrily at the back of the elevator wall with his arms crossed.
"I will knock his ass out."
"Oh, Huey." Jazmine chided with the roll of her eyes. She could tell he was about to start.
"He doesn't know me." He continued with the shake of his head. "He doesn't know me, he's talking reckless, and he's already not on my good side?" Huey let out a scoff. "Oh, I'll fuck him up."
"Huey Freeman." Jazmine crossed her arms, giving him a look. And he called her overdramatic. "I think that's a little much. Explain to me how he was talking reckless."
He whipped his head towards her. "Nobody's going to fucking patronize me."
"You could've been agreeable for once. You didn't have to act like that." Jazmine grumbled.
"How the hell did I act?"
"Honestly? Kind of like Riley." She shot back. "And there's no need."
"I'm starting to think there is." Huey narrowed his eyes. "I don't believe a word that comes out of that nigga's mouth."
Damn, he was mad. He didn't normally drop that term around unless he really had beef with someone. Now he was going to be in a mood for the rest of the night probably.
"Huey..." Jazmine sighed, gently brushing past him to exit the elevator. He finally followed a step behind her.
"I just don't buy it. You really think Cindy wouldn't tell you prior that he's moving in? Really?"
"Maybe she just didn't get a chance."
"She called you up to tell you the same night he claimed to 'love' her." He didn't react when she paused in the lobby, turning to glare back at him. "I'm just saying, Jazmine. Realistically, when would this have been decided?"
"I don't know." Jazmine told him, crossing her arms. "But it is and it's their decision."
"Allegedly." He muttered under his breath, so low Jazmine could barely hear him.
"What?"
"I don't trust him." Huey spoke clearly this time. "Everything he says don't even sound right." He shook his head while he was the one to pass by her this time. "First Cindy's sick, then he's moving in, then he doesn't want us to tell her that we know. What kind of mess is that?" He went on while Jazmine remained silent, walking slightly behind him now.
It was odd, she had to admit. When did they decide that he was moving in? And why wouldn't Cindy tell her? She could imagine maybe she wanted some privacy. Or maybe she just didn't want them to judge her for how early it seemed for them to live together.
If she had to guess, that was probably why.
"Look, it is what it is." Jazmine spoke up, taking a quick step forward so that she was back walking side-by-side with him. "If they're going to move in together, what we're going to do is be respectful. Cindy will probably fill me in when I talk to her either later today or tomorrow. If she's sick, she just hasn't gotten a chance to do it yet."
"If she's sick." Huey rolled his eyes.
"Another thing we're going to do is lose this attitude." Jazmine narrowed her eyes at him. "It's still Thanksgiving, Huey. I want to go back to Granddad's, enjoy dessert with our family, and then have a good time out tonight without this." She said, gesturing to him. He rolled his eyes in return.
"Can we please let this go now and move on with our day?" She pressed him, giving him a look. He glanced back at her the same way, letting out a breath as they stepped into the crisp air outside.
"I'll just say this and then we can move on." Huey spoke quietly, eyes in front of him now. "Fair warning… he's got one more time to test me like that. He doesn't fucking know me. And his ass will get rocked. That I can promise you."
Jazmine stared up at him in silence, waiting for him to look back at her. Once he did, he gave a half-hearted shrug. "Happy Thanksgiving."
She rolled her eyes in return, marching in front of him towards the car.
Lovely.
Cindy's POV
She heard his footsteps draw nearer from down the hall. She submerged herself a little more subconsciously, not really knowing how the vibe was going to be when he returned. At this point, she couldn't really tell.
She all but held her breath when the doorknob rattled a bit before clicking open, the door pushing ajar to reveal Landon.
Cindy stared back at him, admittedly feeling a little vulnerable from her naked position in the tub.
But otherwise… she was fine.
For the most part.
"It was Huey and Jazmine." Landon said as he entered into the bathroom, pushing the door shut behind him.
"Oh?" Cindy responded, a little surprised. She was halfway tempted to ask if it was just the two of them that came, but thought better of it.
Landon nodded, taking a seat on the ground beside the tub. "They dropped off food for you."
"That was nice." She told him simply.
"Since you weren't feeling up to making it tonight." He continued quietly, reaching up to gently brush over her arm that rested on the side.
She hated that she felt her muscles tense.
"How are you feeling?" He asked her, his voice still low as he made direct eye contact with her.
Still sore. She couldn't help but think to herself, trying not to dwell.
That night on Tuesday, things had escalated… quickly. She hadn't meant to set him off when she walked away from him, when it was just starting to get heated. She didn't know just how much she had pissed him off until it happened. In that split second afterwards, he had yanked her arm back. Hard. So hard she had briefly feared he had yanked it from her socket.
"I'm fine." She murmured, averting her eyes. The word fear lingered in her mind. She wasn't afraid of anything really. And people, forget it. Her nickname was Fearsome, dammit. People needed to fear her.
But… she had to be honest with herself. When Landon acted that way with her… in her face, practically cornering her into the wall as he borderline screamed at her, she felt… unsettled by that. He had never hit her. Never raised a hand like he was even going to try and strike her. The only thing he had done was grip her wrist, tightly.
She stared down at the faint bruise that was still left on her skin, watching the way Landon gently continued to brush his hand down her arm, seeming to go even lighter when he reached her wrist. She finally lifted her eyes to meet his.
"That can't happen again." She told him evenly.
Landon shook his head right away. "It won't, baby."
Cindy continued to eye him. "I mean it. I'm not about that shit."
"I know. I was completely out of pocket and I'm sorry." He told her seriously. He had initially told her this not long after their altercation had happened that night. It hadn't been long after. He seemed to almost snap out of it once he noticed the tears in her eyes as he had her pinned against the wall, still squeezing her wrist. He had released her right away and began profusely uttering apologies to her. And because Cindy was so shaken up herself, she had allowed him to, permitting him to take her into his arms and hold her while she tried to regain her composure. They hadn't talked in depth that night or Wednesday, when Cindy had made the decision to stay home from Thanksgiving (she wasn't about to fake her feelings in front of her friends). But the two of them were damn sure gonna talk about it now.
"What was that even about, Landon?" Cindy asked him. "That was so… not like you. And it came completely out of nowhere."
Landon seemed to hesitate while he traced imaginary patterns on her forearm. "Well, I told you that I do struggle with my anger sometimes. It's something that I am working on managing." He began quietly, looking shamefaced. "But recently honey… I have to admit, I've been struggling because I feel… frustrated."
"But why?"
"I want to be with you all the time, Cynthia." He met her eyes again. "I hate traveling. I hate commuting. When I'm away I just... worry about you."
"For what though?" She was legit confused. "I have a very boring life for the most part. I work and come home. That's it. Sometimes I see my friends when they're around. Friends that I've known since childhood." She added pointedly.
"I get that. And I was wrong for what I said." He told her. "I know that they're your friends. And I know that your guy friends are just that as well. But..." He trailed off a bit, seeming to choose his words carefully.
"What?" Cindy pressed him gently.
"Can you see where I'm coming from... even a little bit?" He asked her. "I mean, say Jazmine and I were a lot closer. And for some reason she came over super late while you weren't here and spent the night. And somehow I forgot to mention it and you find some bra and underwear that don't belong to you in the dryer. How would you feel?"
Well shit.
She eyed him carefully at that. "I mean, if nothing happened..."
"You don't know that prior though." Landon disputed.
"But you should know and trust that nothing happened." Cindy responded smoothly.
Landon turned his body to face her directly, both of his elbows now on the side of the tub as he steepled his hands and stared at her. "Cynthia. Babe. I trust you. It has nothing to do with that. I'm saying, take the logic out of it and look at it from an instinct perspective. You're not thinking when you see that shit. You just react. And that doesn't make it right, but I'm just saying. I reacted. And I'm sure if you put yourself in my shoes, you would've reacted too."
Cindy nodded slightly while she listened to him, quietly contemplating that night over again. The more she replayed it, the more like shit she felt. There was so much that he didn't know about that the fight didn't even include. Her practically bathing Riley… putting him to bed in the guestroom… all of the not-so-platonic touching and the way Riley had kissed on her.
She needed to rid her mind of that. She felt like even more of bitch even acknowledging that, and she knew exactly why.
How would she feel if she knew Landon had done even a snippet of that night with another girl?
"I'm sorry, honey." Cindy told him softly. It was the first time she had apologized for that night and she meant it honestly.
She felt the guilt now. And it was strong.
"It's alright love." Landon replied simply, reaching his hand to caress her cheek. "And I'm sorry too. I just want us to be on the same page together."
"Me too." She nodded.
"There's actually... something else I've been thinking about lately."
"What's that?" She asked him, noticing how his tone had changed, almost sounding slightly nervous now. She was surprised when he leaned in to meet her lips instead, giving her a slow and gentle kiss.
He smiled at her warmly when he pulled back slightly. "I love you." He told her quietly, stealing another light peck. "I don't like when we're at odds. I think a lot of it stems from being away from you, honestly. And… I want to take our relationship to the next level." He said calmly, and Cindy felt antsy.
What exactly was he asking?
Landon took a slight breath. "How would you feel if I moved in with you?"
Cindy blinked at him, not expecting this line of conversation at all. "To live?"
"Of course." Landon cracked a grin.
"You really want to?" She asked in surprise.
"Of course I do." He repeated, a wider smile now on his face. "I want you to be the first thing I see when I wake up and the last thing I see before I go to bed. When I get home from work, all I wanna do is have you in my arms. I want to be able to make love to you every night…" Landon paused to lean in and kiss her. "And morning..." He kissed her again. "And random afternoon when we can." He smirked, moving down to kiss her neck.
Cindy was still kind of… speechless about the whole thing. "Won't it be farther from work for you?"
"I'd rather commute every day and be with you every night." He murmured against her. His bare arm was now fully submerged in the water as he held her body, pulling her close as possible.
"I thought you recently moved there though." Cindy continued, her thoughts swarming a bit. "Don't you have a lease?"
"It's month to month, I can cancel whenever." He told her, lifting his head up to look at her. He gave her another kiss, deeper this time before he barely pulled back. "Even tomorrow… if you'll have me...?" He whispered against her lips.
Cindy's brain wasn't able to fully process things as her gaze flickered between his eyes and his lips. "You really want to move in?" She repeated for what felt like the third time.
Landon smiled at her as he not-so-subtly began to unbutton his shirt. "I really do." He repeated again, gazing at her while he slid out of his top. His fingers moved down to his waist to unbutton his pants, seamlessly sliding himself out of both them and his boxers as he moved himself to stand.
"The real question is… do you want me to move in?" He spoke to her quietly as he made his way into the tub, easing his body gently on top of hers.
Riley's POV
Fuck, he was bored.
And oddly, he realized he was starting to notice that more and more, which bothered him. Since when didn't he have a life?
Riley blew out a sigh while he poured some gin into his glass, having already filled it with ice. He reached for the tonic water next, doing an eyeball pour with it while he took another hit from the blunt between his fingers. It was only a lame-ass Wednesday night, but he didn't have work the next day, so why not get a little cross-faded?
There wasn't shit to do anyway. Especially since the temperature seemed to have dropped overnight. Thanksgiving had come and gone and it was already mid-December, which was crazy. Huey and Jazmine weren't on break yet, but they'd get back to Woodcrest by the end of the weekend and be home until the week after New Year's, not that Riley was looking forward to it or anything. Caesar was around, but he seemed to be spending a lot more time with his new girl. Riley actually hadn't really seen him since Black Friday.
Riley lifted the glass to his lips to taste, momentarily forgetting to add the lime as his thoughts moved to that evening. It had been… weird. Huey and Jazmine returned from visiting Cindy, who apparently they didn't even get to see since he had answered the door, but whatever. Huey was in such a stank mood when he got back, but he and Jazmine didn't really talk about why. He just figured they had some dumb fight. But then, they told him what they found out.
That nigga was really moving into Cindy's apartment.
Riley made a face after he took a large swig from his glass. He had gone a little heavy on the gin, but maybe that was a good thing. He dropped in his lime slice and swirled it around a bit before taking another large gulp. His thoughts redirected back in the direction he didn't want them to go.
It had been a minute since he'd seen her. Already over a week and a half. They'd messaged back and forth a little bit. Riley had texted her that afternoon, once he found out she was sick. He hadn't heard back from her until later that night, after he'd already heard the news about her… them.
Riley pulled down his almost empty glass to take another hit. He had pretty much chugged it, so he casually began pouring more gin followed by tonic in the cup again to the brim. He took a slow sip before beginning to walk back into his living room with it. The shit pissed him off. He couldn't even fake it with her, he already knew. Which was one of the reasons why he hadn't seen her. The fuck did he look like, going over to her house with that nigga up in his face the whole time?
Naw. That wasn't about to happen.
They hadn't texted much since then… it was more of that bullshit, but Riley didn't care. Much. It wasn't like he wanted to be around her anyway. Not really.
Especially since…
Riley put his glass down on the coffee table hastily, ignoring the coaster that was right beside him, to turn on the new stereo system he'd treated himself to. The pounding bass from the speakers filled his ears right away. He used his phone to turn up the volume more and to drown out his thoughts, or at least try. The chorus of Childish Gambino's old song Heartbeat played loudly, and Riley settled down onto his couch to smoke and forget.
I wanted you to know
Whenever you are around, can't speak
I can't speak
I wanted you to know
That I am ready to go, heartbeat
My heartbeat
Riley puffed out a cloud of smoke after holding it in for a few moments. The "forgetting" thing wasn't working much, and Riley couldn't keep his mind off it as he stirred slightly in his seat. He still managed to think about it, even though it had happened several days ago now….
That dream.
Damn, it fucked with him. Which was stupid. It was just a dream. He had taken that fucking Vicodin before he went to bed. His mind was all over the place from being in so much pain that night. And she was all in his face the whole time, helping and taking care of him. She was the last damn thing he saw before his ass passed out anyway, it didn't mean anything.
He knew that. He believed that. Really. He told himself this again as he drank from his glass, staring off into space.
The only problem was that the dream caused him to think of other things, particularly things they did in their past times together. For instance, last night he laid in bed thinking about the way he used to eat her out. The way her hips and her entire body squirmed at his touch. The way her voice went up a whole octave as she moaned and panted breathily. Not to mention the addicting way she begged for him.
Which was completely unnecessary.
Especially when he had a whole girlfriend. Shit.
Speaking of Tish… he glanced at his phone, rolling his eyes at her slight attitude through text. He could tell he kind of pissed her off, but couldn't really be bothered enough to care too much. He had mentioned to her that he didn't really have anything to do tonight and she had surprisingly offered him to come over to her place. And while in normal circumstances he probably would've, he just wasn't feeling it tonight. One, it was cold. He didn't really feel like leaving the comfort of his house to drive all the way up there. And two, even though it sounded bad even to him, he just didn't want to be bothered. Yeah, he was bored. Yeah, he wanted something to do. But at the same time, the more he thought about it, the more he just felt like being alone and by himself… which was conflicting.
So yeah, she was mad. But whatever. She'd get over it. He'd see her eventually.
When his phone buzzed again, he picked it up to respond to another one of her smart-ass texts, but was surprised to see that it wasn't from her.
I'm coming over in 5. Be home.
Riley stared at the text from Cindy in confusion. Was that supposed to be meant for him? Because they definitely hadn't been having any prior conversation about a visit. He glanced around his living room quickly. It looked like trash as usual. And he wasn't even looking even halfway decent, just in his beater and sweatpants. His hair was also way overdue for a fresh braiding. Plus, he was already starting to feel a buzz. And that buzz was definitely going to increase by the time he finished his blunt and his second drink.
He began to feel agitated off-rip. What the hell? And why? Why the hell did she always feel like popping in on him as if she hadn't ghosted on him prior? He was honestly getting fed up with it.
Ayo, fuck this
Are we dating?
Are we fucking?
Are we best friends?
Are we something? In between that?
I wish we never fucked, and I mean that
…But not really.
Riley sucked his teeth before he started texting her back, taking another large gulp of his drink as he did so.
Aiight.
It seemed a lot sooner than five minutes when he heard the knock at his door. He had actually tried to toss some of his dirty and discarded clothes back into his room before she came. He closed his bedroom door shut before he headed to his front door. He brushed his hand over his rows quickly before he pulled it open.
"Hey." She mumbled, barely making eye contact with him while she came right in without hesitation. Riley's eyes focused on the medium-sized box she held in both hands. It was covered with a lid, but looked a little heavy from the way she carried it. He was about to offer her help, even though she was already to the middle of the room by this point, when he noticed something else.
"Where the hell's your coat?" He peered at her racerback tank and leggings after she passed.
"I was working." She answered, her back still turned while she set the box down.
"So what girl, it's cold." He responded, his eyes admittedly drifting south as soon as she bent over. "Your ass is gonna catch pneumonia." He murmured, forcing himself to turn around to shut and lock the door. When he glanced back, Cindy was still standing near the other side of the room, her back still turned as she leaned against the wall.
"So what's up?" He asked, heading over slowly. When she turned to him, he was surprised to find the anger in her eyes. But he did notice the sadness as well.
"I can't go home right now." She told him bluntly. "I hit her."
"Wait, what?" Riley had no idea what she was talking about.
"I fucking lost it and hit her." She repeated, crossing her arms with a quick shrug.
"Who?"
"Gwen. The step-bitch." She finally explained, more anger showing on her face as she looked away from him.
"The fuck happened?"
Cindy shrugged again, shaking her head. "My dad texted me during work to say he found a box of old photo albums. From before my parents split up, back when we were an actual family." She let out a brief scoff. "But somehow, thanks to my dad's trifling wife, she let them sit in the basement on purpose and they got all this water damage on them."
Damn. "I'm sorry, C." Riley told her, leaning against the wall in front of her. "You really think she did it on purpose?"
"100%." Cindy didn't miss a beat. "I actually think she did something to them. Like poured a bucket of water on them or some shit. They're completely unsalvageable."
Riley winced slightly. That was fucked up. "Why'd you hit the step-bitch instead of her ass then?"
"Because the trifling wife was conveniently out. My dad wasn't even home, he had just told me I could stop by to pick them up. And I had the pleasure of receiving the box from the step-bitch."
"What'd she say?"
"She laughed. Her bitch-ass really laughed about how it was a waste of time to even get 'this shit' because it was 'pretty much garbage.'" Her blue eyes glowered, finally turning them back towards Riley. "And she kept on laughing and snickering about it, when wasn't shit funny. So I hit the bitch."
"Good, she deserved it then." Riley said with approval. "Where'd you hit her?"
"Her fake nose."
Riley snickered, not hesitating to pull her right arm from it's crossed position to glance down at her hand. "You aiight?" He asked, noticing how bright red her knuckles were.
"It was worth it." She told him, watching him gently brush his thumb over the backs of her fingers.
"Good. Rub some dirt on that shit and you'll be gucci." He replied before letting go of her hand.
Cindy let out a sigh, pulling her hand back to run it through her long ponytail. "I'll be fine. I just can't go home like this. I need some time to cool off." She said, moving herself from the wall to head towards the couch.
"Whatchu mean?" He asked, not moving from his position yet. Cindy didn't answer him, lifting his phone off the coffee table to switch the song on his Spotify. "Aye!" He protested.
"I need something more chill, this is too much right now." She muttered, carelessly browsing other music selections. Riley stomped over and snatched his phone back right before she switched the station.
"Who the fuck is Bazzi?" He asked, looking at the radio choice.
"It's not Bryson Tiller, because God forbid, so calm down." Cindy rolled her eyes, plopping down on the couch. "What'd you make?" She asked, lifting his almost empty glass from the table to her lips.
"Damn girl, all in my shit!" Riley complained, moving to sit next to her. He gave her a look at her gagging overreaction right after she swallowed her sip.
"Ugh, I don't know how you drink gin and tonic like that." She made a face, flicking out her tongue a few times in disgust. "And that's way too much gin."
"Then don't drink it." Riley glared, pulling the glass away from her. "And you think you slick, tryna change the subject. Whatchu mean, you can't go home?"
Cindy gave him a little glare back, but he didn't care. "I told you, I just need some time to chill for a bit."
"Why though?" He pressed. "Why can't you cool off at home?"
"Landon's there, aiight?"
That's interesting. Riley thought to himself, but played it cool. "So?" He shrugged a shoulder, before downing the small bit left in his glass.
"So I'd rather not make it a big thing and for him to see me like this, Reez." Cindy rolled her eyes a bit.
"See you like what though? This is you." He snorted.
"It's complicated."
"Seems pretty simple to me."
"And you've got me all figured out, don't you?" She muttered.
"Uh, you're my best friend so yeah, pretty much." Riley raised an eyebrow at her. "Your boy should probably get on my level honestly."
Cindy's head rotated more towards him at that statement. "Meaning…?" Her voice was low.
He had meant for that afterthought to stay a thought, but hell, he had both drink and weed in his system now. Fuck it.
"Meaning you don't seem comfortable enough to open up and be yourself around him." Riley continued with another shrug, not holding back. "I feel you act completely different with me versus with him."
"That ain't true." Cindy shot back immediately.
"Oh that ain't true? Then what the hell is this?" He scoffed, gesturing between them. "You literally said he can't see you 'like this.' Girl, I see you like this all the time. Shouldn't yo man?" He challenged.
She cut her eyes at him hard. "If you don't want me here, I'll go."
Riley sighed. He knew she was about to start. "That's not what I said."
"You may as well have." She huffed, pushing herself to her feet. Riley didn't let her get far, reaching out for her arm as he rose quickly as well. He missed her hand and grabbed her wrist instead, which surprisingly made her flinch as she turned back towards him.
Riley gave her a look at that as he took a step closer, carefully letting her go as he stared at her. "I didn't say that shit and you know it." He said to her again, crossing his arms. "You gettin' mad defensive for no reason. So chill. Smoke with me." He told her with a light shrug.
Cindy stared back at him with that defiant look on her face as usual. Riley blinked back at her, unbothered. She was so damn stubborn. But honestly, if people really knew her the way Riley did, she wasn't that hard to figure out. Especially when she was all pissed and worked up the way she was. When she gets like this, all she wants to do is vent, keep her wall up, act tough, and be defensive before she's actually willing to talk. The shit didn't even phase Riley anymore. He knew her process, she just needed to have time to work it out.
"I ain't smokin' no blunt nigga, you know I work." Cindy propped a hand on her hip while Riley leisurely reached for it in the ashtray.
"Like I don't already know." He rolled his eyes, reaching into his pants pocket. The only reason she didn't smoke weed anymore was because of her work and training at the gym. "Obviously I was talking bout these." He said, pulling out his pack of Blacks before holding them out towards her.
Cindy eyed them disdainfully. "You know I don't like that shit."
"You also know I'm right and that you need this shit right now." He countered, popping open the lid for her to take one. "Lighter's on the table." He nodded down towards it.
"Nigga, I see it." She rolled her eyes, pulling a cigarette from the pack before scooping up the lighter. Riley tossed down his pack on the table in case she needed a second, which was very possible.
"So you gonna show me or what?" He asked her.
"Hm?" She asked, mid-light.
"The stuff you brought." Riley said, walking back over towards it.
"What's there to show?" He heard her mumbled reply.
"You brought it all the way here and into the house. Must be something." He said, lifting the box to bring it over to the couch. Cindy shrugged, letting out a cloud of smoke as he approached. Riley regained his spot next to her while he pulled the box in front of them. He lifted the lid to see four big photo albums, but just based on the binding and covers, he could tell they weren't in good shape at all.
"Grab the red one." Cindy said quietly, gesturing down towards it.
Riley listened and pulled it out, making a face at how bad the sound was just trying to open it. Multiple pages were stuck together hard and he felt like he was ripping things just by handling the pages.
"Shit man." He said, finally coming to page that opened all the way. There were four pictures on the left page and four pictures on the right that were all washed out and indistinguishable. "Damn."
"I'm so mad." Cindy spoke again quietly. "Of course this is the main album I vaguely remember." She shook her head, leaning slightly into him as she attempted to turn the page. Riley leaned back some and put his arm along the top of the couch so she could look more with him. She turned pages in silence for awhile as they stared at the album, hovering longer on certain pages to try and make out any details that came through. She seemed to tense a little bit as she came to one page in particular, staring down at the picture in the upper right-hand corner.
"This is the one. The main one I remember." She told him, pointing to the picture. "And of course, it's ruined."
Riley leaned a little closer to study it better. It was washed out horribly, and this one actually had a few smudges and fades on it, like runny ink had damaged it too. And there was a small portion that was missing someone's face in the picture, due to the other side of the page peeling off some of the photo as they got stuck together.
Despite all of the things wrong with the photo, Riley could tell: it was a picture of Cindy's mom and her from when she was a baby.
"I remember seeing this picture before." Cindy's voice was soft. "It's one of, if not the only good one I remember of me and mom, when I was three. We were both smiling in this one for once. She was actually laughing." She told him, letting out a sigh while focusing on the spot where her mom's face had gotten damaged in the photo. Which sucked, because it would've been a good picture since toddler-Cindy seemed to be beaming up towards her.
Damn.
"You were a cute-ass baby though, I ain't gonna lie." Riley cracked a grin towards her, hoping to get a response. It didn't work as she kept staring down sadly at the picture. "Look, there's three more albums in the box, there might be some pictures that came out—"
"I can barely get the pages of the other ones open." Cindy cut him off gently. "Those ones are pretty much useless. This is the only album that I can actually look at, even though 99% of the pictures are… garbage." She muttered, taking another drag off her cigarette.
"They ain't garbage, C." He told her, still keeping his eyes on her profile. Her plump lips pursed after she blew out another breath of smoke. She kept her eyes focused on the photo as she used the end of cigarette bud to blot out the hole that left her mother's face blank and uncovered. Riley didn't stop her, keeping his eyes on hers instead. They seemed focused. And intense. Slightly angry.
But mostly, just sad.
Riley moved his arm down to gently rub his hand in a circular motion on her back. It was enough for her to stop smudging the photo, keeping the remains in her hand for a few moments before she brushed them off into the ashtray. Then she stared ahead in silence, finally taking her eyes off the picture.
Riley puffed out another cloud of smoke, not breaking his gaze from her as he continued to rub, a little more pressure now with longer strokes up and down her back. He bit his lip inadvertently as he watched her. Lowkey, he wanted to keep rubbing on her. In all honesty, he wanted to give her a full massage. Anything to get her mind off things and stop her from hurting.
Right when he was seriously contemplating putting down his blunt to use both of his hands, Cindy moved suddenly, glancing down briefly at the album to close the cover.
"Reezy?" She asked, turning to look at him with a blank look on her face.
"Yeah?" He stopped rubbing her back, but kept his hand there.
"You mind if I grab one more?" She gestured to the pack on the table.
Riley cracked a smirk. Called it. "Go 'head."
"Can we walk for a bit though? I'm starting to feel claustrophobic with all the smoke in here." She asked, rising from the couch as she reached for the box.
Riley shrugged, following her lead as he stood to deposit his remains in the ashtray and set the album on the table.
"Long as you bring a coat."
She rolled her eyes at him, but obliged anyway. It wasn't long before the two were casually strolling the neighborhood, now each smoking cigarettes. Riley had thrown on a black pullover hoodie and was still occasionally glaring at Cindy for walking out of the house with one of Riley's zip-ups tied around her waist, claiming she felt warm and wasn't cold.
That white people shit.
"So…" Riley spoke after letting out a breath of smoke into the night air. "How's it been?"
"How's what been?" Cindy asked.
"Girl, you know damn well what." He rolled his eyes. "Living together."
"Oh." She turned away from him to look ahead in front of her again. "It's fine."
"Sounds amazin'." He replied dryly. "You like having him there?"
"Yeah, I do. It's just… different." She admitted. "No one's ever lived with me before."
"Shouldn't it be easy though?"
"Clearly you've never lived with anyone either." Cindy snorted.
"Other than a hatin'-ass brother and hard-ass Granddad? Nah."
"Well, there you go then."
"Y'all two good though?" Riley asked, bringing it back to her.
Cindy cast another look at him. "Yeah." She said simply before taking another drag.
Riley raised a brow slightly. "Why—"
"How's your girl?" Cindy cut him off, flipping the conversation. Not surprising.
"She's fine." He answered shortly.
"Oh, that's all I get?" She actually cracked a smirk, making Riley do the same.
"Yeah, considerin' you don't give a shit."
"Shut up." Cindy pushed his arm lightly. "And yes I do."
"Girl, please."
"I care about you, don't I?" Cindy shot back.
"I dunno, do you?" Riley retorted, ignoring her look at him for that.
"Shut up." She repeated, rolling her eyes at him.
"Yeah, whateva. She's good. Trippin' a lil right now, but shit happens." He shrugged.
"What'd you do?"
"Why I gotta be the one to do something?"
"Because if she's trippin' then you had to have done something to make her trip."
"Man, that's some ole bullshit."
Cindy rolled her eyes. "But true."
"Whateva. She just mad I didn't come over tonight cuz I didn't feel like it." Riley told her.
"Why not?"
He shrugged. "Wanted to be left alone."
Cindy was silent for a beat. "I get that."
Riley glanced down at her. "Yeah?"
"Everyone needs their space." She said, taking another puff. Riley did the same as he watched her.
"So where does he think you are right now?" Riley changed the subject back.
"I mean, I told him my dad wanted me to stop by and that I'd be home later."
"So he doesn't know you're with me." Riley confirmed. He had figured.
"It's not even a big deal, Reez." Cindy's voice was quiet. Riley didn't even bother dignifying that with a response. They both knew that was a damn lie.
As they turned the corner, Riley's eyes focused onto a group of hood-looking niggas hanging out beneath a bus stop shelter. As soon as one of them turned to look their way, his eyes focused on Cindy, which made Riley's eyes narrow.
"Hol'up." Riley muttered lowly, stopping a bit behind Cindy as he pulled out his phone.
"What?" Cindy stopped a step or two in front of him, looking back in question. Riley noticed the rest of the group now had their eyes on them, specifically at Cindy's turned back.
Riley pretended to hit a few buttons on his phone before he shook his head. "Had to check something real quick." He told her, purposefully taking a step around her on the opposite side before casually wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
Cindy gave him a look at his change in position, but didn't shrug him off as they started to walk again. Riley kept his eyes ahead but felt alert as they began to walk by the group, him now a barrier between them and Cindy. He noticed their eyes on them from his peripheral vision, but thankfully they didn't say or try to do anything as they passed.
Cuz Riley wasn't in the mood.
"Did you know them?" Cindy spoke up once they got far enough away and out of range.
"I recognize em." He told her. They always seemed to be lurking around the neighborhood.
"They part of a gang or something?" She asked, dropping the end of her cigarette into a public ash disposal they were passing.
"Probably." Riley shrugged, his arm still around her shoulder. "I ain't down with the bullshit tonight. I don't even got my strap wit me, knaa'mean?"
"Oh totally." Cindy rolled her eyes with a smirk, thinking that he was joking. Which was good.
She didn't need to know and be all on his ass about it.
"You ever find out who was responsible for the shit the other week?"
Riley shook his head. He had some leads, but none of the connections made sense. At all.
"You know Caesar's car was keyed the day before on Monday?" Cindy told him.
That was news. "Real shit?"
She nodded. "I dunno if it was by the same people, but yeah. It happened overnight while he was home."
"What the fuck? Niggas be wylin'." Riley muttered, lifting his Black to his lips again. Cindy shook her head, glancing over to the large municipal park they were starting to pass. Cindy surprised him by reaching up to hold Riley's arm over her shoulder, tugging him slightly into the grass. Riley didn't mind as he guided them in, not really knowing where they were going. They were basically just wandering at this point.
"You must really not wanna go home." He spoke his thoughts aloud, glancing around the park illuminated by streetlamps.
"I told you, I just need to chill." She replied easily, seeming to head for the big fountain near the middle.
"You still ain't chilled, girl?" Riley smirked, glancing down at her.
"After this we can head back." She said, dropping her hand down as she wrapped her arms around herself. "I just wanna get some fresh air for a little while longer."
Riley thought about telling her that she could do that from her balcony, but decided against it as they started to slow down. There was a black gate that surrounded the perimeter of the fountain plaza that was closed at night for some reason. Cindy moved from beside Riley to step forward and rest her forearms along the top of the railing, not even bothering to try if the gate was locked. Riley remained in his place, dropping the end of his cigarette on the ground and stepping out the embers.
Cindy glanced casually over her shoulder at him. "Alright… last one and I'll be good."
"Another one?" Riley raised an eyebrow at her nod. He sucked his teeth, reaching into his back pocket. "You owe me a new pack."
"I don't owe you shit, boy." She rolled her eyes, taking the cigarette and lighter from him. She turned back away from him, leaning against the gate as she cupped her hand around the end to try and light it. Riley stared at her back, noticing the slight goosebumps on her shoulder and upper arm that was accented from the street light.
She was so hard-headed.
Riley took a step right behind her, feeling her body stiffen as he wrapped his arms around her waist to untie his hoodie from her. He pulled it away from her hips, shaking it out slightly before tossing it around her shoulders.
"You're gonna catch pneumonia." He told her for the second time, meeting her eyes as she looked back at him again. She blinked at him in silence, cracking a small smile before turning her head back towards the fountain. Riley studied her profile for another moment before taking a step closer, caging his arms on both sides of her to rest his hands on the rail. He wasn't pressed against her at all, just close. Close enough to smell her shampoo even.
"So you aiight?" He asked quietly over her shoulder.
She nodded as she blew out some smoke. "Yeah. I just needed some time."
With me. Riley thought to himself.
"Can you do me a favor though?" Cindy asked, still staring ahead. Riley nodded, knowing she'd continue anyway. "Can you… get rid of those albums for me?"
"Get rid of them?" He echoed, crinkling his brow.
"I don't wanna take them home." Cindy shook her head. "I just can't look at that stuff anymore."
"I mean, I get that but are you sure you want me to get rid of them?"
"Unless you wanna hang up a bunch of messed up pictures in your crib, then knock yourself out." She said flippantly. "But I'm sure. I don't want them."
"…If you say so." He told her quietly, moving his right hand to gently rest against her waist. He stroked her side gently with his thumb while Cindy shifted, resting her elbow on the railing and putting her cheek into the palm of her hand while she blew out a big sigh along with her smoke. She just looked so down. And her shifting had caused her lower half to brush against his slightly now. And she still looked cold.
Riley couldn't stop himself from resting his left hand down onto her other hip, finding himself leaning to put his face into her neck, which he now had easy access to. She let out a surprised noise as he gave a gentle kiss to the area right above her collarbone. Just doing that alone had him tempted. He wanted to brush her neck up with kisses. He wanted to suck, lick, and bite all over her. He wanted to do it all, right now. But the brakes finally kicked in and brought him out of his trance when he felt Cindy's hand covering his own, the one that was gradually beginning to grip on her waist.
"Riley." Her voice sounded so loud in the silence of the park. He pulled his head back right away as he met her eyes, staring at him widely.
Fuck.
"Look... I'm sorry about what happened with your pictures." He said, meaning it. Really it was the only thing he could mean, because he wasn't about to apologize for what just happened. "I just want you to be aiight."
"...I will be." She continued to stare at him, her cheeks looking a little flushed. "I am."
"No you ain't." Riley told her gently, his hands still at her waist. "But you got me. Whenever or whatever you need... you know I'm here for you."
Cindy kept her eyes on his, giving him such a surveying look as she remained still. Finally, after a pause that seemed much too long, her eyes softened as the corner of her mouth upturned slightly.
"Yeah… even when you high as fuck." She said with a mild smirk.
Riley grinned, shrugging by way of response. Cindy rolled her eyes while she quietly cleared her throat, starting to gently pull from his embrace and away from the fence.
"Let's head back." She told him quietly.
They walked back for the most part in peaceful silence, Riley's hands now in his pockets while Cindy was doing the same. She had finally put his jacket all the way on, and was actually looking more comfortable now since she'd done so.
"You comin' back in for a bit?" Riley asked as they came up on the block of his apartment. He tried not to frown as she shook her head.
"I should probably head out. It's getting late."
"And you're sure you don't want your albums?" Riley raised his eyebrow at her. "You're positive?"
"Yeah." Cindy nodded, not really making eye contact as she headed to her car. "You can pitch 'em."
Riley gave her a look at her back as she went to her trunk, pulling out her car fob from her zipped leggings pocket. Once she opened it, she went inside her purse and pulled out her phone, making a face once her screen lit up.
"Dammit." She mumbled.
"What?"
Cindy shook her head as she tapped away on her phone, obviously texting someone back. Probably her nigga. "Just didn't know how long I've been gone."
"It's only a little after nine." Riley stated after checking his own phone. Cindy didn't respond while she tossed her phone back in her purse, reaching for something else.
"Gum?" She asked, pulling a stick out for herself and extending one towards him. Riley nodded and took it, discarding the wrapper before popping it in his mouth. He watched her as she shrugged out of his hoodie and set it aside, right before pulling a small tube out of her bag. She took a few steps back before she began spritzing herself with it.
"Whatchu doin'?" He raised an eyebrow at her.
"Boy, what's it look like?" She asked, continuing to spray herself. "I smell like cigarettes, weed, and y—" She seemed to stop herself, closing her mouth while she sprayed her neck.
"And what else?" Riley's brow remained arched as he waited.
She seemed to pause as she fluffed out her hair, dropping the spray back in her purse. "And I had some of that nasty gin and tonic."
Definitely not what you were about to say. Riley thought to himself with a grin. Because it definitely sounded like she was about to say you.
"Cuz I'm sure you smell like a sip of a drink." Riley kept the grin on his face as he watched her. She rolled her eyes at him as she collected her purse from the back. Then she tossed his hoodie to him before closing the trunk.
"Yeah whateva." She said, going around to open her driver's side door. She set her purse into the passenger side before turning back towards Riley. "Thanks for letting me hang for a while."
"No problem." He gave her an easy shrug. "Get back home safe, aiight?"
"I will." She nodded. She seemed to hesitate slightly as she took a small step forward, reaching her arms out. Riley pulled her to him right away, not knowing why she was acting shy all of the sudden.
Well… he did… but still.
"I'll see you soon." She told him quietly. "We'll definitely be there for Christmas dinner."
"Hopefully I'll see you before that." Riley tried not to overemphasize, but it sounded like it came out anyway. "Need my braids redone, feel me?"
"I wasn't gonna say anything, buuuttt they are lookin' a lil nappy." She replied cheekily, pulling back slightly to glance up at him.
"Man whateva." Riley rolled his eyes with a smirk. "It's the least your ass can do after stealin' three of my cigs."
"I didn't steal shit, so excuse you." She told him sassily. Riley stared down at her with the same look on his face. She was so annoying. Even if she did smell good and try to act cute or whatever.
"Getcha ass home, girl." He told her, slowly un-looping his arms from around her. "And schedule me in, dammit. And bring your ass and your supplies to me."
"With that attitude, we'll see." Cindy smirked at him with a wink, spinning on her heel away from him. The scent of her perfume wafted into Riley's face at that, slightly driving him crazy. He crossed his arms to distract his hands, watching as she climbed into the passenger seat and closed her door before starting the car.
She kept a hand on the wheel as she lowered down the window, turning back to look at him.
"Thanks again, Reezy." She gave him a little smile.
"I gotchu, girl." He told her, returning the grin. "Text me."
She nodded at him, giving him a slight wave before she pulled off to drive down the street. Riley's eyes followed her car until she turned the bend, then he let out a sigh to head back in.
Once he returned into the house, he kicked off his shoes and shed his hoodie, immediately warm again from the change in temperature. His mind was already on making another drink as he headed to the coffee table to grab his glass. He was ready to pick it up when he paused, glancing at the red album lying next to it.
What the hell am I gonna do with these?
He reached for the album instead, picking it up to flip back to that one page. He didn't want to throw these out. Even if the pictures were unsalvageable. He just didn't feel that was right, even though Cindy was saying that she was fine with it.
Riley came back to the picture and stared at it again, sitting down on the couch to look. It may have been distinguishable at least, had that piece not ripped off over the face. But Cindy's side of the picture wasn't too bad, just super faded. He wasn't lying about her being a cute baby. Even at three, her blonde hair was long and in braided ponytails. Based on the tree in the background, it was Christmastime in the picture too. Cindy was seated in front of the tree next to her mother, smiling up at her happily. It just sucked that her mom's part in the picture got so damaged, the only thing Riley could make out was the way her legs were seated next to Cindy.
He stared at the burn marks that Cindy had blotted over the missing section of picture, where her mom's face would've been. He honestly couldn't comprehend that woman ever laughing. She had been so cold and bitter in her older years. Thinking about her being genuinely happy, even just smiling, blew his mind. He couldn't picture it. The only thing he could picture was…
An idea slowly formed in Riley's head as he kept staring at the picture. He might not be able to picture her laughing, but… he had a pretty good substitute. And hopefully, some other clues for reference.
He rose from the couch as he closed the album, putting it carefully back in the box with the others. Then he lifted it and headed to his room for his stuff.
He definitely was gonna need that drink in order to attempt this.
Listeeeennnnnnn. This chapter originally was not supposed to end here. There were actually three other parts intended to wrap this chapter, but… ish started to get a little long. As you can see, this chapter was extremely Riley POV heavy. Not initially the plan, but… I got lost in this one y'all. His thoughts and his time with Cindy were such a vibe to write, everything just kept flowing and I didn't want to stop or cut anything. So yeah… hope you enjoyed this very long, very chill chapter. Especially since SOMEBODY (King Kroniiclez) made the comment that I've been doing a bunch a cliffhangers in a row. And my response is… you right lmao! So I figured I'd go easy on y'all this time and keep it light.
But don'tchu worry, the heat is coming back next chapter ^_^
Disclaimers: 0.
So uh yeah, in other news, I'm definitely stalling on From Uncle Reezy, To Daddy Reezy. I've got a two-part epilogue for that story coming (eventually), but it's been hard bringing myself to start it. Guess I'm not ready for it to be over either. So we gonna keep it rollin' with this one while I procrastinate-I mean, have the motivation (aiight, both things are true). Don't know what the hell I'm gonna do when this story starts really coming to a close, which….. idk when that will be… we're just going to keep ridin' it out until I feel like it I guess….
Let me stop lmao.
Thank you sooo much for all the love, y'all! More ASAP :)
~Schweetie