Against the Odds (Book 2)

♥ Chapter V ♥

"Wait, so that thing at the beach wasn't y'alls first date?" Jada said teasingly, pointing at me with a cocky smile teasing her lips. "Your little hang out last night was? Seems more fitting if you ask me."

I gave her a look but held back a giddy smile. "You're hilarious," I replied, my voice dripping with sarcasm. I wouldn't admit that thinking back to the night before was making me queasy with excitement. I was moments away from gushing like the former school girl I was.

I'd gone over the almost three hours of bliss I'd shared with my new... person last night. We'd eaten ice cream, talked more about our college and travel plans, our likes and dislikes...

"Fine, maybe it... kind of was a date," I said hesitantly. "But we didn't put a label on it!" I cut off the cackle that was building from the look on her face. "I was frustrated and didn't want to be in my house for a while and he was free." I shrugged sheepishly.

The bed bounced, then Jada's face was above mine, her expression eager. "Did you guys kiss?"

Shaking my head with a smile, I said, "We did not."

Her eyes narrowed. "You're lying." I shook my head again, getting ready to disagree but she went on. "There is no way you guys didn't kiss. I saw you on that beach and you looked just about ready to get married and start a fam-"

"Now you're just going too far!" I cut her off loudly, laughing because I couldn't say I wasn't pleased that she'd seen that. Even if it was far-fetched.

"I'm not!" She sat back, folding her legs. "You two want to bump uglies, and I am here to encourage you to jump that sexy piece of ass."

My hands were covering my face now and the blush I'd be fighting made me almost have to fan my face when I lost the battle. I turned onto my stomach, pressing my face into her vanilla bean scented satin sheets. The goofiest smile was on my face but I couldn't compose myself quick enough.

Acting as if I was anything other than an absolute wreck of smiles and giggles whenever I thought about Zahair was impossible. The guy had such a great... everything. He was everything.

If I counted all the hours I'd known him, it didn't even add up to half a day but there was something about him. He was warm and comforting and such a beautiful soul.

All I could think about was how I basically poured out my family drama on the table between us in the ice cream shop and he just listened. Of course, I hadn't told him every gory detail, only the parts that had been bothering me last night, but he never interrupted once. He sat there, let me vent, and in the end, he made me feel better. Soon after, our night was nothing short of teasing and laughter.

"He is not a piece of ass," is all I could say to that. Was I a hypocrite? Yes, because multiple times I'd been checking out his ass and it was fine.

Jada saw right through that, though. It might've been my grin that was giving it away, or the dreamy look on my face. "You're so full of it."

I giggled into her sheets. A moment later, I lifted my eyes to hers. She was already staring at me with a smile. "I really like him, Jay."

She reached out to brush my hair from my face and said softly, her smile widening, "I know."

Then reality, like a dodgeball to the groin, set in. My smile faded. "I know it's too soon to know if he and I are going to... be anything. But still, how do I tell them if it gets serious?"

Jada let out a huff of breath, her fingers still rubbing the ends of my hair. "I'm probably not the best person to ask. You know I don't like your parents."