15. Tyson

I tossmy phone in the air while leaning back in my chair. This hotel is cool, but I’m so ready to be in my permanent place. I will say having staff clean is nice. The TV is on low in the background as I try to decide on my next move.

So far, every time I try to meet with Tyree, he’s working, and if he is free, I end up being the third wheel between him and Issa. Which I guess I should expect. We haven’t been in college in a long ass time, and things have changed. Even August’s ass is always busy with something.

As I’m tossing the phone in the air repeatedly, it buzzes in my hand.

Tyree: Aye, what do you have planned for tonight?

Me: Shit, nothing. I’m thinking about getting something to eat.

Tyree: Cool, come to the house. We can watch a game or something.

I hesitate for a second, but not because I don’t want to hang out with my boy. It’s just the third-wheel thing. My stomach growls, and I shake my head.

A familiar twinge plucks my insides, and I breathe past the discomfort before I reply.

Me: Whatchu got to eat?

Tyree: Two steps ahead of you, I had Clarissa make these salmon bites. They’re so fucking good. Come through.

Me: Cool, on my way.

I stand up and stuff my phone in my back pocket before grabbing my keys and leaving my room.

The drive is quick with not much traffic, so when I pull up, I smile, already salivating at the idea of these salmon bites. I’ve never had anything like it, so I’m ready to see how right Tyree was. He could have just been gassing Issa up for the hell of it, which makes sense. You should always uplift your person, but I’m a foodie, so we’ll see if she lives up to the praise.

I hop out of the car and jog up the stairs. It’s cold as hell out here, so after I knock, I stuff my hands in my pockets and hunch over to protect myself from the cold.

The lock disengages and Tyree is standing in the doorway, ready to dap me up.

“What’s up, boy?”

“Nothing much,” I say, pulling him in for a hug and walking in. The room is toasty, but I still rub my hands together, trying to remove all remnants of the cold.

“Make a plate and get something to drink. I’ll be right back,” Tyree says before walking backward to go down the hall.

I nod and make a beeline for the kitchen. I pull open the fridge and smile. Issa makes the best lemonade outside of my grandmother. It’s the perfect balance of sweet and tart, so I’m cheesing as I pull down a glass and fill it up. Next, I make my way to the covered pans on the stove.

“Oh-fucking-kay,” I whisper and then grab a plate. She has some kind of glaze sauce, and it looks delicious. I peek behind my shoulder, confirming Tyree is not back, then pop a piece in my mouth.

“Damn!” I mutter as the flavors burst on my tongue. I pop three more in my mouth before I fill my plate with these and some vegetable sides she made. Tyree was not exaggerating—this shit is amazing. With my plate in one hand and lemonade in the other, I find a spot on the couch.

I flip the channels, getting lost in my plate as I search for a movie to play in the background.

A slight shuffle pulls my attention, and as I’m finishing a bite, I see Tyree and Issa in the hall. Damn, I didn’t know she was even here, but I’m not tripping. I’m starting to get used to this third-wheel situation, anyway.

I’m about to call out and praise her food, but before I register what it is I’m witnessing, I’m absorbed, the scene fully hypnotizing me as I swallow the last bite on my plate.

Issa is against the wall next to their bedroom. My position on the couch aligns my sight perfectly, but not directly as I’m sort of off to the side.

She’s wearing a long maxi-style dress that hugs her hips nicely. Tyree is in front of her with both hands against the wall, caging her in. She smiles a smile that’s big, and her shoulders bounce up. I can’t hear the conversation, but from here, it seems flirty. I lick my lips but can’t pull my eyes away.

He nestles his face in her neck, and a melodic giggle drifts to my ears before I swallow hard. My chest tightens, and I blink rapidly. With his face in her neck, he moves to shimmy up her dress, slowly exposing luminous dark skin that glows even in the dim hall.

I should look away. Clearly, this is an intimate moment between one of my oldest friends and his girl, but my eyes betray me, darting back and cataloging every inch I can make out from here before I fight to pull myself away.

His hands disappear under her dress, and something foreign grips a hold of me. I close my eyes for the briefest of moments, trying to will it away. No way am I sitting on my best friend’s couch, eating his food, while damn near slobbering over the scene in front of me. No fucking way. I breathe through my nose, admonishing myself for being a grade-A creep, but here’s the thing. It’s easy to say what you’d never do in a situation.

This absolutely falls under something I’d say hell nah about doing. It couldn’t be, but as I glimpse her exposed legs, a warmth fills me, and for a second, just a split second, I see myself there…standing in front of Issa, touching her with my face warmed from her skin as I lay in the crook of her neck. Smelling the sweet fragrance I’ve come to know is her signature as low giggles and moans are expelled from the softest-looking lips I’ve ever witnessed.

Do they feel as soft as I imagine?

Would they be as sweet as this moment conjures up?

A throat clears, and in walks Tyree with a sly smile spreading across his face. He clears his throat again, looking back at Issa before he slaps her butt.

“Sorry, man. You find something to watch, though?”

“Oh, I— Yeah…yeah.” The stutter flips and flops from my mouth, but he doesn’t seem to notice.

“Hey, Tyson. Good to see you. Don’t worry, I’m going to Rissa’s so you guys can have time without me.”

She smiles and walks over to the closet, pulling out a coat and shoes.

I want to speak but find my words aren’t flowing so easily, so I simply nod and take a sip of my drink. For a minute, I thought they caught me staring, but as Issa slides on her shoes and Tyree adjusts on the couch, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

“I don’t know why you say that. Tyson wouldn’t mind if you stayed.” Tyree reaches out to her with puppy dog eyes, but her response is a laugh.

“It’s wedding stuff, so I need to do it.”

Tyree grimaces and drops his hand, then they both laugh. I’m not sure how he manages that attitude of leaving all the planning to her, but I don’t interject either way. After a few minutes, Issa kisses Tyree’s cheek, and I’m ready to say goodbye, except she surprises me with a hug before she’s out the door.

The exposed skin along my arm is still tingling as I sit back, trying to turn off my nerves from reacting to her closeness. Sweet perfume still clings to my shirt as I clear my throat.

“Aye, what I tell you about this shit?”

I look up in shock, ready to apologize for my lapse in judgment, but I’m not even sure what to say. Maybe this is all because I’m tired. Of course, I would never act on anything, and again, I’m shocked at my mind’s vision and the way my body reacts to the idea.

Fuck!

“The salmon bites,” he says, cheesing hard as hell, so proud of her food. I look down at my plate and nod.

“Yeah.” I clear my throat. “It’s fantastic. Very good.”

“I told you. I don’t know what she adds, but I swear mine never come out as good.”

He sits back and starts flipping channels as he talks about something I couldn’t retell, even if held at gunpoint. My mind is on an endless loop, and none of his words are overwriting the self-talk I have flowing. My skin is still warm from her hug, and the sweet scent that will probably last until I wash this shirt takes over my senses.

Damn!