At First Glance

Cool Off

*Amara*

I danced around the living room in some boy shorts and FSU tank, singing along with Janet Jackson, shaking my dreads like a hippie at a Led Zeppelin concert. After my meditation, I begin feeling a little better about last night. I met Swae Lee, I mean Khalif, and he was a total gentleman. And he smelled hella good. I was in love and I swear it was at first glance. I grabbed my supplies and went on the back porch to roll a bone.

*Ding Dong*
I walked back into the house as I heard the doorbell ring. I ran and slid down the hall towards the door in my cannibis knee length socks.

"Oooooh, that's the way love goes." I was feeling so free that I just opened the door.

"Damn baby I didn't know you could sing." He looked me up and down, licking and biting at his bottom lip. "Damn baby, yo ol ass fine as fuck."

I slammed the door in his face. Who the fuck he calling old. I'm only four years older than him.

*Knock Knock Knock*

"Go away Khalif!" I screamed from the other side of the door. My heart was pounding in my chest. I bit my bottom lip to keep from smiling. He was looking damn good in that grey and white Nike sweat suit and the new Jordan 4's.

*Knock Knock Knock*

I opened the door with my hand on my hip. "Khalif, what are you doing here?"

"Damn baby, can a nigga come in?" He held out a single rose for me. I scrunched up my face.

"You went through whatever to find out where I lived but couldn't get your source to tell you that Lilies are my favorite flower? Shaking my dreads." I walked away towards the kitchen. Khalif was hot on my trail. I opened the fridge and poured a glass of orange juice.

"You want some?"

"Nah baby, I'm good."

"So what you came over here for? An apology?" I walked back out on the back porch. The sun was bright. We sat out on the patio furniture. I looked at him.

"That would be nice." He looked at me

"Look Khalif, I'm sorry about what I said. You didn't deserve my judgement."

"No, I didn't but I also was wrong. I did come at you like, what's the word you said, groupie hoe, I'm sorry."

His apology was sincere. We locked eyes. And for a moment we just starred at each other not knowing what to say.

"You wanna roll a joint?" I asked breaking the silence. He pulled out a ziploc bag full of tree. "Damn, do you just ride around with all of that on you?"

He laughed a little. "Nah baby,  I bought this for you. Peace offering."

"So you think you can get me with weed?"

"Oh nah baby, I..."

"I'm just kidding. Thank you."

I kissed his cheek. He was mad as hell. We both started laughing. I watched him. Perfect white teeth. Beautiful light brown skin. I had to pinch myself to see if it was real. I'm sitting in my back yard with Khalif Brown. If the girls from Florida State could see the plain Jane now. I watched as he licked the blunt. My pussy throbbed. It had been a year since I laid down with a man and I swear the way he was licking and rolling that blunt had me bout near across the table on his ass.

"So, Ms. Amara, what do you do with a masters degree? He lit the blunt and blew smoke in the air.

"I'm a lawyer, well assistant lawyer. I moved here to take a job at P.A Finance and Law."

"Oh, so you a lawyer and you like to smoke good green." He passed me the blunt and I swear I thought I was gonna cough up a lung. This Cali bud ain't no joke.

"Hell, I know lawyers and judges that do harder shit than this and can still get the job done. All I do is smoke me herb that God gave me." I hit the blunt and passed it back to him. I watched as he inhaled the smoke and blew it out his nose. Damn, he made something so simple extra fuckin sexy. I licked my lips.

"So you know my man Robert?"

"Not yet. I meet him on Monday and I hear he's pretty damn fine and single." I heard him cough as he inhaled the smoke. I laughed.

"What the fuck did you just say?"

I laughed harder.

"Oh, you think it's funny? Don't get fucked up out here, Amara."

I looked him dead in the eyes. Baby was big mad. I bust out laughing so hard I fell out my chair.

"Oh you think it's funny huh?"

He got up and picked me up. He stood over the pool.

"Oh Khalif don't. It's gonna take me all day to dry my hair. I had plans!"

Do I look like I give a fuck. I don't want you looking at or thinking about another man. You hear me?" He was pissed. He didn't even crack a smile.

In between laughs I nodded my head.

"What's that? I can't hear you." He swung me close to the water.

"Okay okay. You got it. Now put me down."

"Okay."

He slung me in the pool.

"Oh. My. God. How could you do that!" I yelled at him as I made my way to the edge of the pool to pull myself up.

"Here baby, I got you."

He extended his hand to help me out the pool. He was trying so hard not to laugh. His smile so bright in the sun. I grabbed his arm.

"Fuck that. You need to cool off."