Skills bopped his head to the beat of the new Kanye West song playing on his MP3. Turning onto a familiar street, he made his way up to the lavish house with its perfectly manicured lawn. The Mercedes was missing from the driveway and as Bevin had told him earlier, her parents had driven down to Bald Head Island for the long weekend. Walking up the steps, he stopped and frowned. There was a horrific stench in the air and it appeared to be coming from inside Bevin's house. He knocked several times but the door was already ajar as he stepped in, holding his nose and trying not to gag. He couldn't help but laugh when he found his girlfriend, sweaty and flustered wearing an old wife beater and sweats.

"Baby, what's the deal?"

She looked up at him and pouted.

"I was trying to surprise you. Surprise."

"Surprise me with what?" he asked as she walked over and tried to hug him. "No offense, I mean, you're my Shorty and all but you don't smell too good right about now. In fact, the whole house stinks. What is that shit?"

"That's what it is," she answered.

"Come again," Skills frowned.

"It's shit. Well, let's not be harsh, we'll just call it poop for now. Anyway, it was your surprise."

"Bev…"

"Remember all those times you told me about eating soul food at your grandma's house? You know, homemade corn bread, black eyed peas, stewed tomatoes and chitterlings?"

Skills chuckled.

"Baby, it's pronounced chittlins but yeah I remember saying all that."

"Well, you loved it so much and with my parents out of town, I wanted to surprise you with a soul food dinner."

Skills looked around the kitchen and what a sight it was to behold. In a pot was red water he assumed was supposed to be the stewed tomatoes. The black eyed peas could have been used for shooting practice at the River Court and the corn bread, baked in a sheet cake pan, was burned on the outside and extra gooey towards the middle. But the main attraction was steaming away in a big pot on the oven. The smell alone could have killed a small animal. A brave Skills removed the top, coughing as the offensive odor blasted against his sensitive nostrils. He dared look inside the pot and when he did, it was all he could do to put the top right back on it.

"Damn, girl."

"I messed up, huh?"

"Bevin, you do know what chittlins are, don't you, Ma?"

"Well, not at first. Then I looked it up on the Internet. Then I saw what you have to do before you cook them."

"Yeah, you have to clean them."

"I know and I was. Or at least I tried. But I couldn't tell the poop from the chitterling. Anyway, this is pretty horrible, huh?"

He looked around. Horrible wasn't the word.

"Look, I appreciate the thought, Shorty but I don't think we'll be able to eat this stuff."

Bevin sighed.

"I didn't think so. Now the real question is, how do we get rid of it?"

"You got that right. We can't just put this stuff in your trash and we damn sure need to get this smell out of the kitchen before your folks get home."

"What are we gonna do, babe?" Bevin groaned.

Skills grinned.

"We'll take care of it, get it to the dumpster across town then Febreeze the hell out of this mug. Don't worry, Shorty. I got you."

She raised her eyebrows as she inched closer.

"You got me?"

Skills took a step backwards.

"Not right now, Ma. I mean, after you hit the tub maybe then we can talk."

"So I didn't ruin our night?"

"Nope. We can still hang out and have fun. Besides, I think it's kind of sweet."

"You do?"

He shrugged.

"Yeah, I mean, you're one of them girlie girls, you know, always shopping and getting your hair and your nails done. You never cook and you're used to eating fancy stuff like caviar. But you did all this for me. You know I like soul food. Not only were you gonna eat it, you were willing to make it. That's pretty hot, Ma."

"Really?"

"Hell yeah. And you look real cute right now."

"Aw, baby, that's so nice. You think I'm cute even when I'm covered in chitterling juice."

Skills couldn't help but laugh.

"Chittlins, baby, they're called chittlins. And yeah, I think you're cute and sweet but you'd be a whole lot cuter and sweeter after a shower and a change of clothes," he wrinkled his nose.

Bevin shot him a coy look.

"Is that right? Well, I just so happen to agree with you," she purred, raising her arms slightly over her head, letting the bottom of her shirt rise just enough to expose her very toned and tanned abs. "In fact, a nice, hot, steamy shower is exactly what I need. I'm gonna go upstairs and take one now. Care to join me?"

Skills swallowed hard. The pair had been happily dating for weeks and the relationship, after the initial drama, had been damned near perfect. The couple, although complete opposites in more way than one, got along famously and had fun wherever they went and whatever they did. He was happy to have a steady girlfriend and as time had progressed, so had the physical part of their relationship. Hugs and kisses had turned into a lot of groping and foreplay in Bevin's car and at each other's homes when their families were not around. Each incident was hotter and heavier than the one before it. Neither were virgins by a long shot and the time to take things to the next level was growing near. For Bevin it was something she had giggled about with her girlfriends. She looked forward to some serious time in between the sheets with her new stud. And Skills harbored the same anticipation with enthusiasm. She was a hot chick and she was his. In other relationships, it would have gone to the bedroom a long time ago. But something was different this time. Bevin was different.

"Um, Bev…" he tried to clear his throat and think with the proper head.

Instead she just teased him, walking slowly up the steps looking back ever so often to make sure he was still behind her, which of course he was. They made it to the bathroom before she turned to face him.

"Bath or shower?" she whispered.

Skills closed his eyes. Both sounded mighty tempting. But he couldn't. They couldn't and he knew it.

"Shorty, you killing me but I'm gonna have to pass."

Bevin frowned.

"Why?"

"Because…"

"It's totally cool. My folks won't be back until late Sunday night, I promise."

"It's not that."

"Then what is it?"

He shrugged again.

"It's you?"

"Me?" she asked meekly. "What…what do you mean? Is it something I did? What's wrong with me?"

"Nothing's wrong with you. You're perfect."

"Don't you want me?"

Skills clenched his fists.

"Hell yeah, I want you. You have no idea how much I want you."

"I want you too and you can have me right now. I know we haven't been together that long but we have a really good thing going on. I mean, I really care about you and I think you care about me too…or at least I hope you do. What's the matter?"

"Everything you just said is true. We do have a good thing going on. I care about you, Bev…a lot. It's kind of weird because I don't think I've ever felt this way about a chick before. In fact, I know I haven't. Yeah, it'd be real easy to get busy right now. I want to…damn, you don't know how bad I want to but I think we should wait a while. You're special to me so when we finally do it, I want it to be special. We don't have to rush nothing cause I know I'm not going anywhere."

Bevin stared up at him in awe.

"You really mean that?"

"Yeah, I mean it."

"Oh my God…"

"What?"

"That is like the sweetest thing a guy has ever said to me. It reminds me how great you are, how different you and that's why I'm so into you."

"Look, you know you're sexy as hell. I know it too. That's why I think it's better if I just wait downstairs and think about chittlin juice or something, hell, anything to get my mind off the fact that your fine ass is gonna be up here all naked and everything."

"Oh Skills," she leapt into his arms. "Babe, you're the best. Seriously. I am the luckiest girl in the world right now. I might be your Ma and your Shorty but you're my little Chitterling. Whoops, I mean Chittlin."

"You mean I'm your pig intestine?"

She looked in his eyes.

"You're a real sweetheart, the best boyfriend in the world, the best guy a girl could ask for. I am happy, Skills and so lucky. I mean that. Thank you."

With that, she planted a huge kiss on his lips. Funky smell or not, he couldn't help getting turned on. Bevin was a beautiful girl and it was getting harder and harder to control himself.

"You think you're slick," he pulled away.

Bevin winked.

"I try. Now you sure I can't interest you in a shower?"

He bit his lip as she peeled off her top.

"Maybe next time," he responded, using every ounce of willpower inside his being.

She turned around away from him and unclasped her bra, letting it fall to the floor. She covered her breasts with her arms before turning back around.

"Babe, will you be a real jewel and hand me a towel?" she asked, playing innocent.

He gulped, his hands trembling as he handed her the towel.

"Here you go," he croaked.

She grinned as she turned on the water.

"I'm making it harder and harder, huh?"

Skills sighed as he left the bathroom and headed back downstairs, looking down at the tightness building in his jeans.

"You have no idea," he muttered to no one in particular.