Soft hands touched his hair, delicately feeling through it.
He leaned his head back and looked into her deep brown eyes.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm playing in your hair in an aesthetically pleasing way." She softly smiled at him.
He missed her.
"Shouldn't I be the one saying that?" He turned around towards her and grabbed her waist, pulling her on his lap.
Those times.
"Elijah!" She squealed.
"Mm say it louder."
She softly punched his chest and laughed. "You are something else."
Are the ones he missed the most.
"But you would say it louder." He chuckled.
She rolled her eyes and put her hand in his face. "You have a girlfriend."
But she always seemed...
"Jaiden I was playing." He willingly let go of her waist out of aggravation. "You can never take a joke."
"If you were my man I wouldn't want you saying that to any other girl." She mumbled to herself.
So complicated.
"Well look at it this way, you're not my girl so don't worry about that."
—
He was shaken out of sleep, and his eyes, that he covered quickly, were opened to the blinding light of the sun
"Babe, you were mumbling in your sleep again." His girlfriend, Alissa, caressed his face. She adored his features, as like any other woman or girl who has ever since him.
He pulled his blanket over him, groaning out of morning grogginess. "Can you close the blinds, the light is too bright."
She closed the blinds which was the cue for him to sit up in bed. Elijah was confused as to why she was here, considering this was his house and he had no memory of inviting her in.
"When did you get here?" He questioned her. "And how did you get in?"
"We were together, last night..." She answered to him as if she was questioning him, then she began to squint her eyes. "Elijah, were you...drunk?"
The boyfriend has been going through a lot in his mind lately. Last night he was drinking, and he couldn't stop himself. It was once a habit he got rid of, but it seems to have come back again. His girlfriend is just in wonder of what could be triggering it.
"Why have you been drinking so damn much lately?" The anger in her voice was obvious to him. "If there's a problem just let me know."
"There's no problem." His voice was monotone.
"Don't let me call your mother Elijah. So she can put you in your place. You shouldn't be drinking like that, next thing I might do is take all the alcohol out of the house." She threatened.
He got out of his bed and stood face to face with her.
"I'm a grown man, my mom isn't going to tell me how to live my own life and neither the hell are you."
With that said he made his way to the bathroom. He groaned and crouched down elbows on the sink. The thoughts of an old friend, is what's been triggering his drinking. Lately, she's been coming back to his mind and having multiple dreams from the past. They make him think of her , about the way things used to be.
"It's been years since we've talked." He mumbled to himself. "I'm probably the last thought in her head."
She was the last thought in my head at one point too. That I do regret. He thought to himself.
He opened the medicine cabinet where many pills lay, but he only needed one now. Advil PM. He took it, in hopes that he would fall asleep. The boyfriend exited the bathroom to still be greeted by his girlfriend.
"You can leave."
"Oh no. Elijah, you have to go to work." She insisted.
"I called in sick yesterday." He crawled into his bed, ready to take another nap. "Now leave."
"Why do you..." Her voice became sad. "Elijah, do you still want to be with me?"
—
Giggles sounded through the restaurant. As he put his lips against her soft peach scented neck. "Just chill."
"Nah cause you playin'" Her boyfriend, Rome, grabbed her by her waist, without a care of the numerous stares people were giving them.
"People are looking." She attempted to push him off. It didn't work.
"Okay and? They can witness you getting this work." He chuckled and backed away himself.
"I respect myself way too much for that." She crossed her legs, as a sign of respect for herself.
He looked her up and down scanning her body. Thinking of all the things that they've done behind closed doors. "You must not respect yourself under those sheets."
She grinned and hid her face out of embarrassment. "Rome.."
She felt something cold slip on to her finger. She looked down and let out a soft gasp. Before words could come out about how she felt her boyfriend suddenly put his lips against hers.
"Promise you won't ever leave me, ight?" He mumbled against her lips.
"I won't ever leave you, ever."
Jaiden and Rome have been together for a year, to Jaiden it felt like five. She was going through a lot when he found her. He made her feel like herself again, in more ways than one. All her trust was put into him, no one else, no matter the situation. This promise ring just made it all better for her in general.
There was an old friend like that once in her life, but they were nothing more but best friends to each other. He would play around, everything was a game to him. They knew each other for, like ever and both of them never thought they would stop talking. Just like that.
—
"I wouldn't want to be your girl in the first place. Based on prior knowledge I would have no trust in you what so ever. I couldn't imagine what your girlfriend is going through, constantly worrying if she's good enough for you. Overthinking if she did something wrong or why you have become so distant over time. Why you don't act the same? Or if you have someone else behind her back?" She retorted.
His face showed irritation, but Jaden didn't care. The best friend played with her feelings in way she didn't like, and made her like him in ways she knew she shouldn't.
He knew.
"Why do you care so much? You shouldn't even be worried 'bout that, this is my relationship. Not yours. What you need to be worried about is keeping a man." The best friend scoffed and turned away from her.
The girl clenched her fist out of anger and felt utterly disrespected.
How she felt.
He continued to mumble under his breath. "Emotional ass always have a problem with something, that's why nobody wants you."
Suddenly, she felt that feeling. You know that feeling, when you're upset, but sad, and try to control it. Then you feel your heart just slow down and you can feel every heartbeat. That's how Jaiden felt. She threw a pillow at his head to express this anger. "What is wrong with you?!"
But he didn't care.
He rubbed his head. "What the hell?"
Her eyes slowly began to water. She turned around quickly wiping her eyes so he didn't see her cry. "Why does someone have to want me? What if— I don't have to explain myself to you."
"Jaiden..."
