You Had Me at Hello Read online

  I pulled her in again and kissed her lips hard. It felt good to have Bre back in my arms and in my life.

  “I love you, Breionna.”

  “I love you too, Ziyon. Now, tell me what you’ve been doing these last three weeks.”

  “I told you what I’ve been doing. The real question is when were you going to tell me that you got accepted into FSC? Why I gotta find out through somebody else? That shit ain’t right.”

  I dramatically placed my hand over my heart as if I had a broken heart. She broke out into a fit of laughter.

  “I wanted to. I really wanted to, but I figured once we started talking again I would tell you. Plus, I know Ky and Day be on my Facebook and shit, so I’m sure one of them told you,” she laughed.

  She was right; Kyshawn had came across it on her page and called me. I called Azariah and asked if it was true. She didn’t want to confirm or deny, but eventually she gave in and confirmed that not only was she accepted, but that she planned on going.

  “Are you still willing to go with me?” She asked, breaking my train of thought.

  It was a topic that we had talked about before, but now that it was actually happening, I really had to give it thought. I felt like it was the same thing with Miranda again.

  “Yeah, but it’ll be after you leave because I would have to get some shit in the works here to ensure the consistent cash flow.” She flashed a small smile then looked away. “How’s school going for you so far?”

  I wanted to get off the topic of leaving, because truthfully, I didn’t plan on leaving Rhode Island for a while. I would visit her as often as I could, but to just uproot and move to a place I had never been was a huge step.

  “So far it’s cool. It’s just the beginning. I know as the semester goes on that it’ll get harder, but it’s the end so I’m ready.”

  I pushed her lightly and smiled.

  “That’s my girl. I love your ambition, Ma. I’ve never met somebody so determined and motivated as you. Promise me you’ll never lose your drive.”

  She beamed her perfect smile at me.

  “I promise. Park your car in the driveway and come inside for a little while.”

  I jogged back to my car and pulled it behind hers and followed her into the house. We ended up curling up in her bed watching movies. It was times like this I missed the most. I had sent Daymeon a text letting him know to handle business for the rest of the night. I wasn’t trying to be bothered. Breionna had my undivided attention, just like she deserved.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “My First Love” Avant

  Breionna

  To say I was glad that Ziyon and I were back on speaking terms would be putting it lightly. I faked the funk like I was alright during the time we weren’t speaking, but truth of the matter was, I was going crazy. I wanted to be around him, but he said he wanted to be single, so it was what he got.

  When he called me last night, I contemplated not even answering the phone. I’m glad that I did though. He ended up spending the night, and not once did his phone go off nor did he try to leave to be with his boys.

  One thing I was nervous about though was him actually going to Florida with me. Yes, we had talked about it before, but that was before anything was final. Going to school out of state has always been a dream of mine, and although I loved Ziyon, I was going with or without him. It would mean a lot to me if he came, but I wouldn’t force him.

  I laid still in the bed the next morning as I listened to his rhythmic breathing. I ran my hand softly up and down his torso as I laid my head on his chest. I draped my arm over him and squeezed myself closer to him. I felt his hand began to move up and down my back. He then planted a soft kiss on my forehead.

  “Good morning, sleepy head,” I said.

  “Good morning, beautiful. You okay?”

  I nodded without removing my head from his chest.

  “You hungry?”

  He yawned before answering.

  “Only for you.”

  He cupped my chin and directed my head upwards so that my eyes met his. I instantly became lost in his eyes the same way I did when I first met him months ago.

  “Not here,” I told him, reminding him that we were in my parent’s house.

  They may have liked Ziyon, but I wouldn’t dare fuck in their house. He kissed me and slid out of bed.

  “Yeah, handle that morning breath of yours,” I joked as he adjusted his morning wood.

  “Whatever,” he laughed. “That didn’t stop you from kissing me before I could handle it.”

  I smiled at him as he walked out of the bedroom and to the bathroom. I rolled over on my back and stared at the ceiling. I couldn’t help but smile as I thought about Ziyon and how happy he made me the majority of the time. I never would have imagined feeling the way I felt after only a short time.

  “What you thinking about?” Ziyon asked, crawling back onto the bed.

  “You.”

  “What about me?”

  “How much I love you and how happy you make me most of the time,” I admitted, rolling over on my stomach and leaning on my elbows.

  “Most of the time?”

  “Yeah. Sometimes you make me want to slap the hell out of you, but most of the time, we’re good.”

  He smiled.

  “I guess you make me happy too, big head.”

  “Oh you guess,” I challenged him. “Fine, I take it back.”

  “Nah,” he grabbed me into a bear hug. “You can’t. You know I love you, shortie, and you know you definitely make me happy.”

  He kissed my forehead again as I laid my head on his chest. We laid there silently, each lost in our own thoughts.

  I hadn’t realized that I had dozed off until I heard a knock at my bedroom door and watched as my mother’s head popped inside.

  “Sorry to wake you, but Ziyon, could you move your car so I can get out, please?” She asked.

  “Oh yeah. I got you.”

  I slid off of him and curled over, going back to sleep.

  “Ma, let’s go to my spot,” I heard Ziyon say, but I didn’t move.

  In not so many words, he wanted to fuck, but I couldn’t front because I was in the mood for some of his deep stroking. I smiled to myself and rolled out of bed. He left to move his car as I threw on sweats and a t-shirt. A few minutes later, I met him outside. The drive to his apartment seemed short, then again, Ziyon seemed to be speeding too. I chuckled to myself as he whipped into the parking lot.

  “You ever think about moving into a house,” I asked him as he activated his alarm.

  “Moving where?”

  “Come on, Ziy. I’m not dumb. I know you’re sitting on racks. I know you have enough money to live in something bigger than this apartment. You bought your mother a house. You almost live like you’re a nickel and diming hustler. The entire city of Providence knows you’re not.”

  “Let me school you a little bit, Lil Mama,” he said as we walked into his apartment where we both kicked our shoes off. “The niggas who go around making big purchases and doing flashy shit are the ones who usually get bagged up by the boys first. I’ve been doing this shit a long time, and by the grace of the man above, I haven’t had a run in with the boys. I don’t want one either, so I’m moving how I know how too.”

  “I understand. Move how you move, my love. You know you’re always gonna have me in your corner.”

  I walked up to him and wrapped my arms around his neck. I pulled him in close for a kiss.

  “I trust that you know what you’re doing.”

  “You know what I love most about you?” Ziy asked, looking into my eyes.

  “What’s that?”

  “Your independence. Since I’ve known you, you haven’t asked me for anything. I get you what I get you because I want to, and you’re appreciative of it. I know for a fact that you aren’t with me because of my money. You have no problem getting up and hustling to get your own. Your drive is what pushes me to want more than this stree
t shit. If I’ve never said it before, I’m saying it now. Thank you for being you, and I mean that. Never change.”

  My eyes watered as I looked into his eyes, and I knew the words he spoke were genuine.

  “I guess you can thank my daddy for that.” I busted out laughing. “No seriously, he’s always taught me to never rely on anybody because people can change. I’ll never love you because of what you have and what you can do. I’ll always love you for who Ziyon is on the inside, and I want the same from you.”

  “That goes without saying, Ma. I love you most because you love me. You don’t judge who I am nor do you try to change it. You accept me for me, and I couldn’t ask for anything else.”

  I pulled him in for a kiss. He slipped his tongue into my mouth and both of our tongues intertwined with each other’s. He hoisted me off of my feet and pushed my back against the wall. I wrapped my legs around his waist. I could feel his eight-inch rod pushing against his shorts wanting to bust out. He palmed my ass cheeks in his hand as he backed away from the wall and headed towards his bedroom. The closer we got, the wetter my pussy became. If it was one thing besides his heart, that I loved Ziyon for, it was his stroke and tongue game. Both sent me into a frenzy.

  He laid me down on my back and climbed on top of me while continuing to kiss me. I ran my hands up and down his back. Without breaking the kiss, Ziy began pulling my sweat pants down. He got them just to my kneecaps before he began playing with my clit.

  “Got damn baby, you’re wet as fuck. Shit,” he moaned into my ear.

  I began tugging at his pants, wanting to remove my favorite rod from its prison cell. Ziyon began rubbing on my clit faster causing me to stop trying to pull his pants down.

  “Take them titties out,” he demanded.

  I did as he said while trying to hold back an orgasm. The moment I freed my double D breasts, Ziy took one in his mouth as if he was a baby sucking for milk. He knew if you sucked my breasts and rubbed my clit, it sent me over the top.

  The moment he placed my breast in his mouth, I felt the orgasm climbing from my toes. I tried to fight it off, but the more I tried, the harder he sucked and rubbed. Before I could protest, my entire body erupted. Ziyon smiled sneakily as I tried to push him off of me.

  “One day you’re gonna learn to not fight me off,” he said as he entered me in one swift motion, taking my breath away.

  His strokes started off slow and eventually picked up the pace. I moved in a way that I could match his strokes, but he quickly deaded that.

  “Turn over.”

  I obliged without a second thought. He instantly wrapped my hair around his hand and entered me from behind. This time, he didn’t take it slow. He tore my little ass up, and I loved every minute of it. He came twice, but it wasn’t long for him to get it back up and go another round. After four rounds, I was drained. My body was weak, and I wanted nothing more than to sleep. It was well after four in the evening, and I didn’t plan on doing anything. Ziyon cuddled with me until sleep found me. One thing was for sure; I would definitely miss this when I left to FSC.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Say Goodbye” Chris Brown

  Ziyon

  Five Months Later…

  I knew this day would be coming, but I didn’t think it would hurt as bad as it did. Breionna leaves for Florida tomorrow morning, and over the last few weeks, it’s been bugging me big time. I made sure her twenty-first birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year were all ones to remember. I could tell that as the days became closer, she was dreading leaving. She sometimes spoke about not going at the last minute, but I always reminded her that it was her dream to leave for school, and I wanted her to be able to do just that.

  I was getting ready to take her out for our last night here. I had sent her out on a day of pampering and sent her on a shopping spree. She tried to protest, but I wouldn’t let her not take it. She finally obliged. Tonight, we were going to enjoy an elegant dinner at Capriccio’s. I fastened the clasp on the diamond tennis bracelet I owned and slid my diamond-encrusted necklace adorned with a Jesus piece around my neck. I sprayed cologne on and headed out the door to pick up Bre. It was hard for me to wrap my mind around my shortie really leaving me for such a long period of time.

  I dialed Bre’s number as I got around the corner from her house. Just as I was pulling up, she was stepping out of the door. The January whipping winds were brutal tonight. Bre was dressed in a pair of blue jeans with calf high riding boots. She had her North Face winter coat zippered up to her neck. I hit the locks as she got closer.

  “Hey babe,” she greeted.

  She leaned over, and we shared a kiss. I turned the heat up as she placed her hands over the vents.

  “What’s up, Ma? You ready?”

  She nodded as she rubbed her hands together in attempt to warm them up.

  “Where we going?”

  “Capriccio’s.”

  I watched out the corner of my eye as her eyes bucked.

  “Babe, that place is kind of high priced, don’t you think?”

  She looked as if she couldn’t believe that I was about to take her there. She should know by now that when it came to her, money wasn’t an object.

  “What, you want McDonald’s instead?”

  She smiled and playfully punched me.

  “Don’t be a jerk. I’m just saying though. I’m sure you can buy the stuff, and I can cook it at home. Why waste the money going to the restaurant?”

  I glanced back and forth between her and the road.

  “You stay in the kitchen cooking. You know I can’t cook, so this is my way of returning the favor.”

  She threw her head back in laughter. I swear I would miss the moments like this the most.

  Bre got quiet all of a sudden. I looked in her direction and noticed her eyes filling with tears.

  “What’s wrong, babe? Talk to me.”

  She sniffled then wiped her eyes before the tears could fall.

  “I’m just gonna miss you, miss this, I’m gonna miss us.”

  This time the tears fell, and she let them. I pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant and quickly found a parking spot. I killed the engine and stepped out.

  “Come on, Ma.”

  I walked around to her side, and the moment she stepped out of the car, I wrapped my arms around her tightly. She no longer tried to hold her tears back. She sobbed uncontrollably. I wasn’t one to show emotion, but hearing her cry the way she was had my heart breaking and eyes watering.

  “Bre, look at me.” I lifted her head so that she was looking at me. Watching the tears race down her face had me weak. “Ma, I’m not going anywhere. You’re going to do what you have to do and come right back. I will be right here waiting for you to come back. I want you to go out there and excel, like I know you can. Handle your business, baby. I ain’t going anywhere. Alright?” I wiped her face with my thumbs as she nodded. “Let’s go eat, so we can enjoy each other later for desert.”

  She laughed again. I kissed her softly on her lips. I knew she didn’t want to leave, but we knew this day was coming. I meant what I said though. I would be right here waiting for Breionna to come back. This would be a test of our relationship. Long distance relationships were always harder because all you had was the word of the other.

  With Miranda, I didn’t even try to maintain the relationship because we were going downhill before she even left. We both knew it. Breionna was different. I would do everything I could to make her time there go by with ease.

  I followed behind her as we went ahead inside. I wanted her to take her mind off of leaving tomorrow and just enjoy the time that we had together, today.

  ***

  Miranda

  I hadn’t spoken to or seen Ziyon in over six months, but he still crossed my mind daily. After the night at his apartment, I tried reaching out, but he changed his number shortly after that incident. I left Rhode Island and came back to North Carolina two days later. It made me sick that he h
ad moved on. I never imagined life without him.

  I tossed myself back on my bed and thought about Ziyon and my past.

  Ziyon was my first real relationship when I was a teenager. I was attracted to him because not only was he fine, but he also was a dealer, and I knew eventually he would get to the status where I didn’t have to do shit and he would take care of me. As the time went on and Ziy created a bigger name for himself, I fell in love with him more for who he was and not what he had. He spoiled me rotten, and everyone knew that I was Ziyon’s girl. I wasn’t fucked with, but I was definitely envied. I was a bad bitch. I worked at Bank of America as a bank branch manager and was able to save every check I received. Everything changed when the bank I worked at gave me a promotion, but it came with having to move to North Carolina. I wasn’t against it, but I wanted Ziyon to come with me.

  When I first told him about the position and what it would require, he was with it. He encouraged me with the new move and even agreed to move with me. We agreed that I would go down and get situated with work, and Ziyon would come within six to twelve months. Shortly after I moved to the south, Ziyon became more and more distant. I tried talking to him to find out what was going on, but it wasn’t working. The more I tried, the further away from me he pulled. It then began settling in that Ziyon never planned on moving here with me.

  Whenever I would bring up the move, he would flip, start an argument then hang up on me. Eventually I just stopped trying to get him to do something that I realized he never wanted to do.

  I caught the attention of a co-worker of mine. We went out a few times and hooked up twice. That was until I found out he was married and his wife was out of town dealing with family issues during the month that we spent time together. It was then that I figured I would try working it out with Ziyon again.

  I tried reaching out to him a month before I went back to Rhode Island, but he never replied to my texts or returned any of my calls. I took a few days off of work and headed back north. I had reached out to both Kyshawn and Daymeon, but they both made it clear that their loyalty lied within Ziy. They wouldn’t tell me anything. It didn’t take long before I caught wind that Ziy was laid up with some new bitch. I didn’t know how long they had been kicking it, but with my return, several people asked me if I knew about the two of them. That was a blow to my stomach and a stab to my heart. Here I was trying to make shit work, and he obviously just moved on.