"Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate."

──────⊱⁜⊰─────

𝑴𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒂𝒏

I can't help but stare at Chris as he sits back and enjoys a beer with his friends.

I'm so horny, I want to charge right over there and rip his clothes off and sit on his face. Him in that muscle tank isn't making things easy. He just finished playing a game of basketball with JB and the guys and I cheered with him along with Jasmine, Cleo, and Izzy.

I don't know how he's even resisting me in this little cheer uniform. Last time I wore it, we had a serious talk so he couldn't take me in it, either, unfortunately. But I'm determined today.

"—Morgan? Did I lose you?" Mary regained my attention.

Ew. I'm thirsting over this woman's son right in her face. I'm equal parts ashamed and thrilled by the idea of fucking him with so many people around.

Mary's hosting a gathering. It's a Carter's recovery/Chris and I are officially together/Malcolm is dead celebration. Hey, any reason for drinks, am I right?

The guys all sit under the shade of the old tree during a time out.

While Carter and Dale talked shit at the grill, I continue lusting over my own boyfriend.

"Yeah, but Morgan, your life is basically perfect now." Jasmine says, making me question where that came from. I guess I would've known if I was listening.

"Oh, definitely. Now that Malcolm's gone, all I plan on doing is loving and supporting my man." I beam a bright smile and raise my wine cooler.

The girls giggle, toasting to that.

"So, what are you guys to do as far as New York and you getting a job?" Asks Mary.

I've always been a working class idea so the thought didn't horrify me but it's something I hope I'll never have to do again - work for someone. I want to be an entrepreneur, start some businesses to help the community that'll keep me entertained so I'm not playing bored housewife all day, but a nine-to-five was never in the books. Well, not since the small fortune I got from Malcolm.

"Wait. I'm sorry, New York?" I wonder.

"Yeah, Chris was offered a full time position, he'd be crazy not to take it with that salary. We'll get to be together all the time!" Cleo's voice rings in my ear.

"Relax, girl." Jasmine snarls at Cleo who's been a much different person since the night of the reception. I still can't believe Jas and Jabari got married.

Jasmine rolls her eyes, she and Cleo are still competing for the spot of my number one best friend. I put it like this for them, Jasmine is like a sister, Cleo is Chris's friend who will always have a space in my heart. Would I invite her over to hang out with me alone? No. Not before I invited Jasmine, but I would still invite Cleo. We reached a mutual understanding and respect and I can say that she will be one of my bridesmaids in the near future.

"I can't, you're glowing." Izzy notices, making my cheeks blush.

"I'm just, like, so happy, you guys! Chris is perfect, life is perfect. I'm excited for this new chapter." I bubble, showing my dimples as I smile ear-to-ear.

I say it all the time but now, I can finally have Chris the way I want him. Ugh, I'm all gushy inside.

"I'm going to go help Crystal mediate, our men are fighting over the appropriate amount of seasoning again." Mary excuses herself from the girl's powwow in the middle of the newly redone backyard, courtesy of the late Wilson Taylor's landscaping company. Not sure what the company is actually named but Mary loves their services so she doesn't mind the founder's past controversy. I got a business card from them, too. For the future, of course. Chris and I are going to need a house eventually, can't stay in that unfinished cave — I mean, loft— forever.

"What about a vacation?" Izzy mentions, making me light up at the sound of that. A vacation is exactly what we all need - a cleanse. A spiritual and mental reset, perfect for Chris and I after a tumultuous eleven months.

"I don't know, JB and I just got back from our honeymoon, we can't afford to just pack up and leave again. What about work?" Jasmine expresses her worries, making me groan with despair.

"Yeah..." Izzy starts to agree to Jasmine's point.

"Boo, you whores," I complain. "Jas, what about all that money Jabari just got?"

"He's saving it for a house, says we should be focusing on that." Her answer makes me roll my eyes back. Why does he get to make that call?

"Izzy, you and Lee travel all the time?" I questioned her.

"I know but we really need to settle down, find a stable home to raise our kittens in." she answered.

I start to pout with admiration in my eyes. "Oh my gosh, I want a puppy so bad and Chris is holding out. Tell Lee to convince Chris to get me one, he promised."

Izzy just giggles and continues to vent. "We were thinking about a mobile home-"

"God, no." Cleo immediately shoots that idea down, making me laugh. Yeah, I wasn't keen on that idea, either.

"What about going tiny? You can still have a home but it's smaller, less expensive, and you can park it wherever." I suggest.

Izzy's almost black eyes widen with hope. "That's actually not a bad idea. I'll bring it up to Lee later. Thanks, Mo."

"Why'd you say it like that? I usually have good ideas." I give her a hard time and she just laughs with Jas and Cleo.

I smile triumphantly and wipe my hands clean because that's another good deed added to my list of the day.

"—Check up." My neck snaps hearing JB resume the game.

"Oh, oh, oh!" I exclaim, rallying up my fellow cheerleaders.

"Number two is my boo!" I shout louder than everyone else.

We get into formation in the grass on our respective sides and start rooting for our favorite players.

"Ready? Okay!" I lead the cheer.

Jack got clumsy with the ball and it gets knocked out of his hands, sent barreling at me.

The girls scream and we all disperse before anyone loses an eye.

"Jack-jack!" I growl a warning, shaking my pompoms at him. He knows I'm just kidding.

Chris came over to retrieve the ball from my hands, making me tingle inside. He grabs my elbow and slightly caresses it, this is his go-to and it's so sweet, so sensual. He's so touchy and hates to admit it.

I put the ball into Chris's large hands and he palms it away from his rock-hard, sweaty body, making it look easy and minuscule.

"You look so sexy out there, babe." I flirt with Chris as he stalls the game.

He sends me a look up and down with a carnivorous smirk. "So do you. I can't wait to take this off of you."

I twirl the ends of my curled pigtails and step into his chest to whisper, "I don't want you to take a shower, either, I like when you're all dirty."

He inches backwards, stepping back onto the blacktop and pops his eyebrows with intrigue, tongue in cheek. Sexy.

"You know, I don't blame anyone for wanting to fuck him. He really is so dreamy." I say with a spaced out look on my face, head tilted like there's nothing but air in it. "I'll kill whoever tries, but still."

"What are we playing to?" He roars his question, bouncing the ball to his teammate, JB.

"This the second half; eighteen minutes." JB's answers displeases Chris who flails his tattooed arms impatiently.

"Goddamn. Don't y'all got something else to do?" Chris complains, bending over to put his hands on his knees, playing defense.

"Oh, yeah," Chris speaks up, taking the ball from JB for a second. He bounces it off of his little cousin — Jack's— head. "If the ball goes over there again I'll beat your ass. Check up."

The girls all laugh and mess with me for wearing this giddy smile on my face after watching Chris stand up for me even if he wasn't entirely serious, it was so cute.

They begin dribbling and shit-talking again with the clock running down.

Jackson goes up to score and again, the ball hurls in my direction.

"JACKSON!" Jasmine, Cleo, Izzy, and I all squeal in unison, running apart.

~~~

The night seems so long. It's taking forever since no one wants to leave. I don't entirely blame them, though, we were having a great night.

Ever since Malcolm's rushed funeral two weeks ago, the town has known peace. It's like a huge weight was lifted off everyone's shoulders, like someone flipped a switch and the little old mountain town went back to normal.

We sit under the stars around the fire pit, trading funny stories from our past. Of course Izzy and Lee have us all beat with their quirky adventure tales, but AJ was at a close second. He and Cleo have been flirting all night despite her "I'm one hundred percent lesbian" claim. I can see the sparks, and AJ likes a challenge, Cleo just loves attention.
They had a secret rendezvous at Chris's after the wedding but try to deny it in public.

"We need more beer!" Lee groans as he's on his third can and it's empty now.

"I'll go get it." I offer, standing up from Chris's warm lap.

He slaps my exposed ass before I could smooth my pleated mini skirt down, making me jump from sudden exasperation.

"Eww." Mary and Carter both sound off.

Giggling to myself, I jog up the stairs to the deck to enter the house directly in the kitchen. Once inside, I hear a phone loudly vibrating on top of the island.

I roll my eyes seeing Chris left his phone on the charger.

The number is one I didn't recognize. It wasn't saved. Chris only saves numbers of people who he talks to on a daily basis. Otherwise, they're not important to him, so they shouldn't be calling my man's phone, especially so late at night.

It was a New York number, perhaps work. I almost pick up the phone to answer it but stop myself. Hello, I trust Chris. Besides, whoever it is will leave a text if it's that damn important.

I bend over to pick up the pack of canned beer from the floor and suddenly feel pressure against my ass.

I giggle and stand straight up, biting my lip.

When I turn around, I jump out of my skin at the sight of Cleo and her low, red eyes.

"Oh, sorry, Morgan," she apologizes for the scare and non-consensual touch. "where's the bathroom?"

Hand on my heart, I collect my breath to say, "Down the hall to the left."

Cleo runs down the hall to the left, as told, and I make my way outside. Except, before I open the sliding glass door, Chris does and enters. I walk backwards seeing he was continuing to stalk further inside, towering over my body.

"What took you so long?" I ask with a pout that's out of my control.

"What?" He asks, playing dumb with this stupidly attractive chuckle that he does.

"You know what," I frown, sitting the beers down. "I want you, and I want to leave so we can play one-on-one ourselves." I tug at the waistline of his grey shorts and find myself practically drooling.

"We don't have to rush, babe. I'm not going anywhere, neither are you."

"So you're saying you want to take your time?" I hum, liking the sound of that.

"Making love, I think the old people call it?" I joke, palming both sides of his face.

Chris chuckles and takes my hands in his. He kisses me deeply and I immediately run my leg up his side.

He holds my face and then backs off, leaving me hot. And bothered.

"Stop pouting," he says, squeezing my jaw. "and stop trying to fuck me in my parent's house, you slut." He laughs, hurriedly backing off, knowing I was going to want to fight.

I laugh and begin to wrestle Chris for his smart remark.

He puts me in a compromising hold and I tap out.

Once he releases me, I give Chris the finger before picking up the beers to take back outside.

"Don't choke me like that if you don't want to fuck me, Chris." I tease, stepping through the door.

"Mom," Chris yells once he trails me outside. "Morgan's trying to fuck me in your kitchen!"

I gasp seeing Mary and Carter react with their alarmed facial expressions.

"CHRIS!" I shriek, dropping the case of beer to chase after him around the yard.

~~~

"—So, what's this about moving to New York?" I ask Chris as he massages my oiled back, ass, and legs.

"Where'd you hear that from?" He plays dumb and isn't good at it.

I ignore the pleasure Chris's magic hands bring to my foot so I could hear an answer.

"Cleo, of course." I reveal casually.

His "best" friend has a big mouth and often times it works in my favor.

Cleo hasn't gone back to her home because she doesn't know if she has one there anymore - family issues and financial matters.

Chris's hands smooth up my legs and stop at the cup ass where he began to kiss and work his way up my spine, neck, and lastly to my lips.

"Enough talking." He insists in a growl in my ear.

"Unh-unh." I deny him access to my body by turning over and covering myself with a blanket.

He never took "no" well from me and his face showed it.

"Come on, talk to me. New York? The job offer?" I pry, sitting up.

Chris sighs deeply seeing I'm not budging on the matter. It's just that if it's something he wants to do, we need to have a serious conversation about it first.

"Yeah, Ann, I got the job full time so we'll have to move there."

"First of all, congratulations, I love you. But when were you going to tell me you already accepted?"

Chris drops his head. "I didn't want to uproot your life. You've been so happy here the last couple of weeks, the last thing I wanted was to take that from you."

"Obviously it's not my first choice..." I mumble because I'm not confident in saying how I really felt. The last thing I want to do is crush his hopes and dreams.

"What is?"

"I don't want to leave Penshaw, babe, my whole life is here now. My friends, The Q, your parents."

"I know," he exhales, hand on my knee. "it's a big move but I'm ready for a change. You said it yourself: we need a fresh start."

I bob my head because he makes a point; I wasn't totally on board yet, though.

"You're just ready to leave? For good this time?"

He sits back and groans loudly. "Yes. There's not shit here for me anymore. I hate this town."

My face curls with shock. "Since when? This is your home, Chris."

"There's so much more in the world than this little fuckin' snow-globe town. I really wanna make this move and want you to support this decision, babe."

Don't give in, at least put up a little more fight, I tried to tell myself.

"Okay," I exhale with a smile. "I support you. And I'm so proud of you."

A smile creases on Chris's broad lips. He leans in forward and presses them against mine.

My heart swells upon his touch, being brought onto his lap.

"Tell me you love me." Chris's eyes fall to my lips.

I pucker my lips, expecting a kiss, and am instantly satisfied when Chris obliges. One, dry, sweet kiss lingers on my lips.

"Tell me." His voice dulls.

"I just said it, you didn't." I roll my eyes as if objecting but giggle with a warm sensation budding in the pit of my stomach - an effect he's had on me since day one.

"But I like when you say it."

"Can you hold me like you used to when I couldn't sleep?" My question steers Chris away from getting those three words out of me. He kisses my forehead and I smile under the wetness absorbing into my skin. It's a thing I kind of did in my head. It's dumb, but, I used to hate when my father kissed me because he'd do it to be silly and make it all wet, nasty, and sloppy or rub me with his scratchy beard. So, he'd kiss my head or cheek and make me count out loud with him "one, two, three..." until it "sunk in." My face would be scrunched the whole time, wishing all three seconds went by faster.
I miss him and those kisses. But, now I have Chris who does it, and those three seconds are no longer intolerable like when I was a kid, they're magnetic, savory.

Chris replaces my body onto the bed and rolls over so that he can assume the big spoon position, and I, the little spoon.

We exchange good night wishes and mold into our final, most comfortable position for sleep.

I yawn and Chris bonds closer to me. "I love you, too." he whispers finally over the ambient sounds of fire cracking on a loop from the tv.