As they walked to the gate, Raymond attempted to start a conversation with Rosie.
"Sorry again for earlier," Raymond said.
"What happened earlier?" Rosie asked, feigning ignorance.
"The smooches," Raymond replied.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Rosie said, pretending not to know.
"Are you serious? Oh, I get it," Raymond said with a chuckle.
"I get what?" Rosie asked.
"You said we should forget everything that happened and act like it never did. I'm sorry for bringing it up again," Raymond said.
"No worries. And one more thing…"
"What's that?" Raymond inquired.
"The back hug at school was unnecessary. You could have simply tied the jacket around my waist," Rosie said.
"Did it make you uncomfortable?" Raymond asked.
"Actually, yes it did. It was unnecessary," Rosie replied.
"I apologize again," Raymond said.
Rosie laughed at him. "You've said too many 'sorry's' tonight," she teased.
"Yeah, I know, right," Raymond responded with a smile.
*****************************
Upon entering her room, Rosie found Desmond waiting for her.
"What are you doing here? Did my mom allow you to enter my room?" Rosie asked with astonishment.
"No, Emerald did," Desmond responded.
"But she's asleep," Rosie said.
"I came to visit you, but your mom said you left to see a friend. I was about to leave when your mom stopped me and asked me to watch Emerald for thirty minutes. I think there was an emergency somewhere, because she received a text message on her phone and appeared to be upset," Desmond explained.
"Oh," Rosie responded when she heard that her mother had asked Desmond to watch Emerald.
"I guess it got boring for Emerald. She fell asleep after spending only five minutes with me," Desmond joked.
"You're terrible with kids. You should be grateful that you don't have any younger siblings," Rosie teased him back.
"So, who did you visit?" Desmond asked.
"I visited Raymond. I forgot to return his jacket at school today," Rosie replied.
"Really? I haven't been to his house before. He hardly accepts visitors. I'm surprised he let you in," Desmond said.
"But you're not just a visitor. You guys are friends," Rosie pointed out.
"Tell that to his parents," Desmond said, laughing.
"So, what did you guys do?" Desmond asked curiously. "You spent two hours there, right? Just talking?"
"We looked around his house, chatted, and watched a short movie," Rosie replied.
"That sounds cool," Desmond said.
"Do you want to take a walk?" Rosie asked Desmond.
"Sure, let's do that. Change your clothes and meet me outside," Desmond said as he left her room.
***********************
Raymond walked back to his house, feeling angry.
"She's not the type that's easy to get, huh? Why is she playing hard to get with me?" Raymond thought to himself. "Who does she think she is?"
He dialed a number on his phone, and a girl answered.
"I'll call you back in five minutes. I'm busy right now," the girl said.
"Okay," Raymond replied, and he went into his room.
A few minutes later, the girl called him back, and he answered the call.
"Hey, where are you? Please come over," he said.
"I'm bored and starving too," he added.
"Okay, I'm waiting," Raymond said, ending the call.
He lay on his bed, fiddling with a condom. He thought about Rosie again and became angry once more. He threw the air conditioner's remote control at the television, leaving a crack in it.
A few minutes later, the doorbell rang, and Mirabel appeared at the door. As she waited for a response, she admired herself in her phone's camera. Her braids were stunning, and her makeup was flawless - not too heavy or too light.
Raymond opened the door and immediately kissed her.
"Hey, hey, hey… what's with the aggression?" she asked, complaining.
"Huh? Oh, sorry. I missed you badly. I couldn't think of anything or anyone else," he explained.
"Come in first," he invited her inside.
"Was someone here earlier?" Mirabel asked, pointing to the empty tumblers and cupcake liners on the center table.
"Yeah, I had a visitor. But no one important," Raymond replied.
"It was a girl, right?" Mirabel asked.
"How did you know?" Raymond asked in surprise.
"You wouldn't eat cupcakes with a guy. If it were a guy, you'd probably be drinking alcohol instead," Mirabel explained.
"Yes, it was a girl," Raymond confirmed.
"Alright then."
Raymond stared at Mirabel and asked, "Aren't you going to ask who it was?"
"I don't care as long as nothing happened between you two. Or did something happen?" Mirabel asked, trying not to look too serious.
"Very funny," Raymond responded sarcastically.
He held her hands and said, "Let's go to my room."
"Your room? Weren't you starving? Let's go to the kitchen first," Mirabel said.
"I didn't mean 'food starve' babe. I meant sex starve," Raymond said, slapping her butt playfully.
"Oh," she kissed him. "That's better than food."
"Your lip gloss is too much," he commented.
"You didn't even compliment my beauty earlier," Mirabel complained.
"You already know you are beautiful, and it drives me crazy," Raymond replied.
"I know, but I want to hear you say it every time you see me," Mirabel argued.
Raymond stared at her with a grin on his face. She furrowed her brows and had a broad frown on her face...
"Hey, don't look at me like that. My bad, I'm sorry. You're charming," he said as he cupped her left cheek in his right hand and stroked it with his thumb.
"And?" she asked, smiling.
"And you make my heart beat faster. Your beauty, your curves, your hair… Everything about you is stunning, babe. Perfect," Raymond complimented her.
"Thank you," she blushed.
"Your lip gloss is too thick. It's beautiful, but it makes me uncomfortable while kissing," Raymond said.
Mirabel asked, "Do you have a facial wipe? I could reduce it with a wet wipe."
"Wipes? That doesn't sound like the most effective option to me. Never mind, I can manage the lip gloss today," Raymond replied.
"So?" Mirabel looked at him flirtatiously.
Raymond picked her up, carried her up the stairs, and into his room. He laid her on the bed and said, "On a normal day, I don't think I could carry you up the stairs like that. I don't know how I did it."
"You just needed the right motivation - me," she kissed him and continued, "...let's not talk anymore. I want to feel you inside me now," she told Raymond with a sultry look.