Jumpman Imagines➳NBA Only {CLOSED}

Lying to Yourself II➳Devin Booker

By the time Darilyn had been able to shut off her Devin-centered thoughts and fall asleep last night, it was one in the morning. But, that didn't keep her from being woken up at nine by the variety of delicious food fragrances that wafted through her home, or the already loud and joyful voices she could hear coming from downstairs.

Although she wished she could've slept in more on her first day home, Darilyn was already relieved that she'd be able to hide from Devin amongst all the visitors who'd be coming in and out all day. Of course her mother had purposefully told him to stop by today and grab a plate as if he hadn't eaten up enough of their food last night. So her surviving one run-in with Devin apparently wasn't going to cut it although she felt as if she'd had enough of him in one evening to last her the rest of her break.

"Darilyn, breakfast! And hurry up, so I can get back to focusing on dinner!" her mom yelled upstairs.

Darilyn sighed and got out of bed, quickly brushing her teeth and washing her face before heading downstairs for breakfast. She said good morning to all her mother's friends who were currently in the kitchen helping her mom work through what was left of the Thanksgiving menu, as her mom handed her a plate filled with scrambled eggs, bacon, cinnamon waffles, and fruit.

"Maaa, no one is going to eat all this!" Darilyn whined, her mind not comprehending how she'd have any room to start on her peach cobbler before noon if she ate everything on her plate.

"Oh, hush, child, and clean that plate. I can tell you haven't been eating right up there at that fancy school your father and I let you go to. Lookin' like skin and bones!" Darilyn's mom exclaimed to the synchronized humming of her friends who were in agreement with her.

Darilyn rolled her eyes at her mother and company fussing over her. Cooking were her mom's love language, so Darilyn was not surprised that she was already being preached to about cleaning her plate.

"But Ma, if I eat all of this now, I won't have enough room to start putting a dent in your cobbler," Darilyn explained in aggravation, sitting down on a barstool and getting started on the heap of food on her plate.

"Oh don't worry, honey, I already told Devin he could have whatever you don't finish when he gets here."

"You did what?!" Darilyn screeched in horror, "You gave away my cobbler again, Ma?! And to Booker no less?!"

"What is the matter with you anyway? That handsome young man is clearly interested in you, and you acted like you had a stick up your ass about being in the same room as him last night!" Darilyn's mother inquired with all of the attitude.

Well, go off then, Ma, Darilyn thought in annoyance.

"I haven't even spoken to him since graduation. So why would I be fake and start now?" Darilyn grumbled, shoving another mouthful of waffles into her mouth in enjoyment of the cinnamony goodness, "I left high school and never turned back for a reason."

"Baby, give him a chance. Y'all aren't in high school anymore. Why would he come all the way over here on his couple of days' rest just to ask about when you were coming home?"

"Because you keep giving him all the good food," Darilyn mumbled sarcastically, earning a pop upside the head.

"No, because he's got you on his mind. Maybe you should find out why. And that's all I'm going to say about that."

Darilyn sighed and kept eating, unsure of how to answer her mother while she considered why she was so against spending time with Devin. His grand gesture packaged as an apology last night seemed sincere enough, but Darilyn couldn't erase all the memories from high school. She hated being used and taken advantage of just because she was passive and non-confrontational. Why couldn't everyone just be decent human beings and not need someone to get in their faces or cut them off completely to make them do right?