Written by : OeuvreofMani

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Kaleah Miller hoisted her three-year old daughter, Kamille, up on her hip as she walked down the street with speed to make sure that she made the last train of the night. Her car was in the shop, her insurance was not paying for the expensive rental, and she simply didn't trust uber drivers, so the train was her only option to get home after her night class.

After nearly being the cause of two accidents and still missing the train, Kaleah took two buses home to her Chicago low-end apartment that she shared with her best friend, Sameera. She worked a midnight job as a CNA, which normally left Kaleah and Kamille alone during the weeknights.

As Kaleah began to insert and turn the key in the knob of the door to her apartment, the door was pulled open revealing Deon, Sameera's older brother and also Kamille's father. It was a sticky situation, as is.

When Sameera found out her best friend and her brother were messing around behind her back, she was heart broken and upset that the two never told her about them being exclusively together. She felt that she should have been first to know, especially with how close she was to them both, but both Kaleah and Deon decided it was best to leave Sameera in the dark because she'd only try to keep them apart. They knew of her never liking any of her friends to date her brothers, in which she had three, and Kaleah was no different.

No matter how much she trusted Kaleah and loved her, she never wanted her to date her brother because in their teens, he was nothing was a young, menage boy whose mind was on nothing but sex. She didn't want Kaleah to get hurt nor did she want to ever have to pick a side, if things went wrong so if they remained apart with a simple friendship, Sameera felt that was safe.

But before she knew it, Kaleah and Deon were in a serious relationship which soon grew intimate and sooner than later, she was expecting baby Kamille. The two didn't last but four months into the pregnancy before Deon decided that he wanted to go pro in the NBA, which required him to move to Boston because the Celtics offered him the best deal. While Kaleah tried to appeal the idea that she needed him to raise their baby on the way, Deon felt that opportunities like that didn't come to everybody, especially not someone with his background, and that she should support him in his endeavors.

Long story short, they ended in a messy breakup and Kaleah struggled with blood pressure problems for a period during her pregnancy because she was under loads of stress from Deon, her mother in her ear about an abortion, and school was a load in itself. Now, she was in medical school working to become the anesthesiologist that she always wanted to be.

Without being told, Deon told a sleeping Kamille from Kaleah's arms and kissed her forehead softly due to how light of a sleeper she was. Kaleah removed her key from the door, as she stepped into the cozy apartment and proceeded to lock the door. She could hear Deon's heavy footsteps against the floor and assumed he'd went to lay Kamille down in bed. Despite Deon and Kaleah's failed relationship, he was a good father to Kamille. He took a lot of trips in between Chicago and Boston after being drafted during the later stages of Kaleah's pregnancy because he didn't want to miss anything. He facetimed either her or Sameera every other day to keep in touch and be in the loop of what was going on, and when Kaleah went into labor, he came on the first flight after his away game in Memphis to be at her aid and see his daughter take her first breath on this Earth.

Kaleah could never deny his love for Kamille because she'd be lying. He was a great support financially too, especially with Kaleah trying to continue with school and not being able to work as many hours as previously. Almost all of her money went to bills and the small debt she had at school that her scholarships didn't cover.

She set her school bag, which was a basic Jansport, on the ottoman beside the door and hung her keys on the hook before pulling off her Ugg butts. She unzipped her bubble coat, setting it beside her bag for now before going into the kitchen to sort the mail and find something to cook for dinner. Knowing Deon, he wasn't going to cook a bit of nothing because he couldn't cook. The only thing he could make was Ramen Noodles and hotdogs, which Kaleah wasn't in the mood for neither.

She discovered bills, bills, and more bills. Kaleah was so consumed in reading the letter about the cost of the work on her car that she still owed after the insurance had paid their portion that she didn't notice that Deon had came back and stepped up behind her to see what had her so consumed.

"What happened to your car?" He questioned, causing Kaleah to jump as goosebumps rose on her skin. His presence had definitely taken her by surprise.

"Uh...I was in an accident last week and the whole passenger side and part of my front end is messed up." Kaleah said shortly, thinking back to how distracted she was when she was on her way to pick Kamille up from Sameera's grandmother, who kept her during the day.

Deon grabbed her chin, turning her face to his own, "Are you alright? Did you go to the hospital?"

Kaleah shook her head, "I'm fine." She said, not bothering to tell him that she was ejected from the car and beneath her makeup, she had a few scars from the glass that had got in her skin.

"Are you lying to me?" Deon bore his hazel eyes into Kaleah's dark brown ones, clenching his jaw which was by far the sexiest thing ever to Kaleah. She had to contain herself from expressing her thoughts because she'd be digging herself a hole.

She dropped her head, shrugging his grip off but Deon only grabbed ahold of her arm and turning her entire body to him, trapping her slim-thick body at the small table in their kitchen and closing the distance between them both. Kaleah took a deep breath, holding eye contact with Deon. She secretly wanted to lean in and kiss him, but she knew she'd be out of line considering they weren't a couple and for all she knew, he was seeing someone else in Boston. He was pretty private so she really didn't know what he did back home.

"I said I was fine, Deon, just got to get a little work on the car." Kaleah expressed.

"I assume babygirl wasn't with you, right?" Kaleah shook her head no in response. That was a blessing in itself that she wasn't.

"Somebody dropped y'all off?" He further questioned, with a raised brow. He had been looking out, awaiting their arrival when he seen the two creep up out of darkness. Deon knew Kaleah and when they first started seeing each other, she didn't quite tell her exact address to him but instead had him park a block over. He figured this was another one of those situations.

"No, we took the bus. I don't know anybody in class and I have to go get Mill from your Nanny's house." Kaleah responded, knowing that Deon didn't care for them taking the bus. Even when he stayed in Chicago, he always found a way around public transportation and he disliked when Kaleah took it especially with Kamille. But she had to do what she could.

"Why you ain't call me? I could've came and got you."

"How was I supposed to know you were in town? Sameera didn't tell me."

"You should've called."

"Listen," Kaleah held her hand up to stop Deon. "I don't want to argue with you. We got here safe and that's all that matters. I just want to make myself something to eat, take a shower and go to bed because I had a long day, and I don't have time for your shit."

Deon threw his hands up, in defense, "I'm not trying to argue, Leah. I just want to make sure y'all safe at all times, but I'll stop. I'll let you do what you need to, I'ma go watch the highlights."

"Mhm." Kaleah glared at the back of his head, until Deon became out of sight before sighing to herself.

How am I going to pay this bill?

It took her two hours to cook dinner, which consisted of fried porks, Rice-a-Roni, and broccoli, eat and help a half asleep Kamille eat with the help of Deon, and take a scorching hot shower.

With a robe on over her bare body, Kaleah returned to her room to dress. Opening the door, she leaped back upon seeing Deon laid beside an asleep Kamille, who was clad in her Hello Kitty pajamas. He had his hands over his face, his shoes beside the bed.

Object: Grab some clothes and get dressed in the bathroom.

Kaleah told herself, grabbing some underwear and some baggy clothes to cover her entirely. She rushed to get dressed and then returned to her room to braid the ends of her wig up for a body wave look on tomorrow. She noticed Deon watching her, in the mirror and decided to ignore his gaze as she set the new wig on it's stand and took off her wig cap to exchange it for a head scarf for the night.

She was definitely not about to go to sleep. She had every intention to sit at the kitchen table and read more of her medical terminology textbook and prepare for her test on Friday. With Kamille sleep, she had nothing but the opportunity to do so.

"I'm about to head out to my hotel I got for the weekend. I washed the dishes already, is there anything you need me to do before I go?" Deon finally said, standing from the bed to stretch his limbs. Kaleah unashamedly stared at his v that led into his boxers, all of their intimate motions filling her mind at once.

Kiss me. Eat my pussy, please.

She thought, but instead shook her head to say that she didn't need anything.

"Just lock the bottom, I'll get the top after I finish moisturizing my face." She added. Deon only nodded, grabbing his shoes to put on at the door.

Soon Kaleah heard the front door open then close and she finally set her Noxzema overnight cleanser down and sighed. Why didn't I just tell him?

As per a conversation she'd had with Sameera only weeks ago, Kaleah had been missing Deon tremendously. More than just because Kamille did, but she missed when everything made sense and when they were a couple. She missed having a man, and honestly, he was the only person she wanted. She always compared every guy she went on a date with to Deon and recently the fact that none of those men could ever be Deon had settled in.

She needed Deon.

Not only for Kamille but for herself. She hated to sound clingy or seem like she needed a man, but Deon wasn't just any man. He was her first everything and despite the fact that they ended over four years ago, she still could not see herself being with nor marrying anyone else but him. She was still tremendously in love with him.

Kaleah sighed again, realizing that Sameera had most definitely told her brother Kamille missed him as a way to get him to come in town. Although Kamille definitely missed him, Kaleah knew that her best friend was also trying to help her get her man back, but she'd blew it again. Sameera had grown to accept the fact that Kaleah and Deon loved each other and they were meant to be, and she'd do anything she could to help them be together again.

After preparing for bed, Kaleah dragged her feet towards the kitchen to dive into her book for at least an hour before going to bed. As soon as she plopped down in seat at the table, a loud knock sounded at the door casing Kaleah to look at the kitchen stove clock which read 9:45, and she knew it most definitely could not be Sameera because she didn't get off to 4 a.m. Now, who could that be?

She took a quick glance out the eyehole but merely only seen gym shoes, customized ones that she'd only seen one man ever wear and he happened to have been the one she'd seen just 30 minutes more. Did he leave something, Kaleah asked herself before turning the lock and pulling the door open.

As Kaleah began to ask did he forget anything, Deon grabbed ahold of her delicate yet round face and lowered his own head until their lips were directly in line with one another. Kaleah could feel her heart begin to beat rapidly against her chest because she was not expecting this, at all! Within seconds, Deon guided their mouths together and led them into a passionate, slow kiss that the two hadn't shared with one another in years. He was, oh so, gentle and so smooth with his motions that Kaleah couldn't help but want more.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing him closer to her at her 5'8 stature and turned their somewhat innocent kiss into a raunchy, sloppy mess which included their very own tongues. Kaleah tousled her tongue with that of Deon's, their kiss so intense and fulfilling that neither cared that they were standing in front of an agape door desperately making out, as if this would be their last kiss they'd ever share together.

They tangled up in their kiss for quite sometime, familiarizing themselves with each others mouthes and bodies all over again because it had simply been too long. In the end, Deon pressed his forehead to Kaleah's and said in his deep, husky baritone voice while trying to catch his breath:

"I still love you. I'm still in love with you, and I was hoping that we could give us another try." Which melted Kaleah's heart to the point that she began to cry from the sweet words that Deon had expressed to her. Everything she wanted, everything she felt, in a nutshell, he'd expressed to her and Kaleah simply felt overjoyed that she cried harder.

Deon wrapped his strong, muscular arms around her midsection pulling her body to his and laying her head on his chest allowing her to fill his Geek shirt with her tears. He kissed her forehead, and rubbed her lower back in circles, knowing that that always soothed her whenever she grew upset.

"I still love you too, D, and I can't see myself not giving us another chance because I miss us. I really do." She expressed, among cries but Deon heard everything she was saying. He pressed his lips to her forehead again, in a lingering kiss holding her even closer to him, not even giving a damn that anybody who walked by could see them or that the neighbors heard them expressing their love because it was real.

Deon didn't and couldn't spend his life with no one else but Kaleah, and despite the distance he knew they could work out. He was going to do whatever necessary to make sure they worked. Because as he'd just told her and a couple neighbors, unknowingly,

He still loved her.

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- Denise 💋