PROTECT

twenty seven

"Come on baby, get up" i whisper whilst gently shaking Ty.

"Five more minutes" she whines turning her face into my neck, cuddling me closer.

"Arayah, no" i push her off.

She grunts and sits up in my bed.

"All the way up" i crawl behind her and cuff her shoulders.

"How you want me to get up when you massaging a nigga?" She asks referring to my moving hands.

"Sorry. You gotta get up still. We have a lot to get done today"  I kiss the side of her forehead and slouch onto my legs.

"Mhm" she taps my thigh, pulling me around her and onto her lap.

"You said we. You done being embarrassed of me?" She joked

"Ray stop, I wasn't embarrassed"

"So you done hiding me?"

"You're famous so technically, you were hiding me" I giggle onto her lips closing our distance.

"To protect your boundaries but if it were up to me, the whole world would know you. They are gonna know you" she whispers closing the rest of the distance, putting her plump lips on mine.

I quickly pull back. "We have to get ready!"

She smacks her teeth and I get up from her.

"I already showered. You can shower. You want breakfast?" I ask putting in my earrings.

"No, I'm still full from your moms lasagna last night"

"Ole fat ass. Ate bout my whole pan"

"Tell your mom to make more than one pan next time"

"Right"

"That was still nice of her to invite us over yesterday. I hadn't had a home cooked meal by someone with a flappy arm, no offense in some time" she shrugs.

"Yeah I guess. You and Charlie eating all my damn food" i chuckle to her.

"Hey.. when will you go see your grandparents? I know you have to miss them and I know you miss them as well" I ask on a serious note.

She shrugs and walks into the bathroom. I leave her be. If she wanted to talk about her grandparents, she would.

"Mani, on a scale of 1-10, how mad would you be if Charlie & ya moms was dating?"

"Girl what?" I ask popping my head out of the bathroom.

"I got a theory though bae" she convinces while brushing her wild, suntanned hair into a slick bun.

I look to her, giving her my full Attention.

"So..?"

"I'll get back to you when I've collected all of my evidence" she says after not having anything to say.

"Mhm mhm. Come on, let's get a move on" I get up from the dresser and turning around to adjust my ponytail in the mirror.

"Say cheese" Ty encourages walking up behind me, gripping my waist to her and snapping pictures.

"Wait, let me fix my Bobby pin" I rush to fix my hair. I pull the Bobby pin out and rest it in between my lips while itching my scalp and placing it back. I exhale sharply at Ty'Elle who has been flicking nonstop.