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“How about the 1988 remake of The Blob?” Trey asked as he spotted the movie and scrolled the guide on the television.

“Let’s do it,” she beamed excitedly. “This remake is one of my favorite movies.”

“We have that in common because it’s one of mine as well.” Trey flashed her a smile as he pulled Bleu into his lap, pressed his lips to hers, and positioned her on the other side of him.

Once she was comfortable, Trey pulled her legs into his lap and began massaging her feet and calves. Bleu’s face heated, and her body tingled as Trey caressed her. Just this simple act caused her pulse to quicken and her heart to race. She felt herself falling, and she didn’t like it. Trey was becoming Bleu's naughty little desire in more ways than one.

When their dinner arrived a short time later, the two ate and watched the movie before spending the rest of the night smoking weed, laughing, and talking about life before sleep tucked them in for the night. Bleu tossed and turned all night. She was so horny she couldn’t think straight. If she had a pair of handcuffs, she would’ve cuffed him to the bed and rode his dick into the sunrise. Trey, however, slept like a damn baby, and she hated it.

The next morning, a very groggy and frustrated Bleu woke up, showered, dressed, and ordered breakfast for them while Trey showered and handled a few morning calls. After a delicious breakfast and some equally tasty kisses, Trey drove them to the appliance shop and picked out her Whirlpool dishwasher.

Shortly after, Trey paid for and took care of everything before they hopped on the road and finally headed back home.

“So baby,” Trey began with a smile. “You’re still down to be my girl for a while, right?”

“I am. I gave you my word, Trey,” Bleu explained as she texted her store manager a few things the staff needed to know before opening the store today. “My word means everything to me.”

“That’s wassup. I respect that; that’s how you operate. That's good to know.” Trey nodded in understanding. “But now that that’s outta the way, wanna go dancing tonight?”

Grinning, Bleu sucked her teeth. Every inch of her seemed to fill with a happiness she couldn’t explain. She wanted to be disturbed by her attraction to him, but with the way her body demanded his attention, she was fighting a losing battle.

Bleu thought it odd that she felt not only powerless to Trey’s charm but also safe and protected around him.

“That depends, Trey,” She raised a brow. “Are you gonna sit me on your dick before we go dancing?”

I’ll sit you on my dick anywhere ya sexy ass wants me to,” Trey glanced over at her and winked. “Just as soon as you beg me to do it.”

“Well, I guess we won’t be going dancing until you quit this foolishness and just stuff me full of dick like you normally do.”

“No problem. Looks like I’m gonna have to break you down by tonight then.” He glanced over at her and licked his lips. “Tonight is gonna be one wild ass night.”

“So, I’ve been meaning to ask you something, Trey,” Bleu said, intentionally changing the subject. “Why do you have so many books in your home? Are you an undercover bookworm? I remember the night I turned your music down, and I saw all those books in your home. What’s all that about?”

“Ah,” Trey wagged his finger at her. “You mean the day you trespassed into my home and took my damn remote. Where is my remote, by the way?”

“Uhhh, I’ll have to get you another one or make it up to you or something because after being run over and crushed to pieces, I figured it would be of no use to you. So I just went ahead and got rid of it for you.” She shrugged, an amused smirk tickled her lips.

“Yeah, yo’ fine ass is definitely gon’ make that shit up to me. But uh, to answer your question, the books belonged to my aunt Mariah. My old man’s twin sister. The books in my home are her collection. She loved to read and made me love it too. Mariah Cason was my rolldawg and my whole heart. I love my parents dearly, but she was everything to me. When I got in trouble, she’d bail me out. She talked to me and made me read. Never whipped me, even though I was bad as hell. She opened bank accounts in my name and kept money in there for me. She never missed anything I participated in growing up. Shit, she taught me about condoms and how to protect myself. We read a lot. She let me read the adult books, and we talked about the stories over tea or wine.” He smiled at the memories. “Anyway, reading used to be my favorite pastime until she died. She passed away unexpectedly from some kind of aggressive cancer. One minute, she was herself; the next, she was a skeleton. Shit happened so fast that I never got to say goodbye. I was so angry with God and her for leaving me. She left me her house, but for the first year and a half. I could not go in it.”

“Last year, I went in. And finally went through her things. I found letters about what she wanted me to do with her things and letters to me about life. One of the letters told me she knew me like the back of her hand and that I better get it together. She said she knew I was down on earth, cursing her and God. Told me to get my act together, or I wouldn’t be able to see her in heaven when God sent me my wings. So I got my act together, and here I am. She's a big part of the reason I embraced a fresh start and moved here. Reading is still bittersweet for me, as crazy as it sounds. And life is still very much painful without her,” He shrugged. “But I manage.”

“You’re not crazy, Trey,” Bleu encouraged with tears in her eyes as she placed a hand on his thigh. “I’m so sorry for your loss and for being nosy. I didn’t mean to bring up such painful memories. I was just excited. I love to read and have been a bookworm my whole life. I saw some of my favorite authors on your bookshelves, along with some special-edition copies as well. So I just got carried away. If I wasn’t so pissed at you the day I stormed into your place, I would’ve bum-rushed you with a million questions. I just—I’m sorry again—shit!”

“Bleu Belle, chill.” Trey grabbed her hand and squeezed gently to let her know everything was okay. “I promise you, I’m good. I like that you asked. I love reading. We have that in common.” He smiled warmly. “Yes, I’m still hurting, but talking about her helps. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about or miss her. But you don’t need to apologize. You didn’t know. And for the first time in a long time, talking about my aunt’s memory wasn’t painful. So thank you for that.”

Nodding, Bleu tried to dry her eyes, but more tears just kept falling. “You’re welcome. I—uh—there are certain subjects that are and always will be a bit of a tough pill for me to swallow.”

“Bleu, why do I feel like you can relate to my pain?” Trey asked as he pulled up to her home and cut the engine. “Why do I feel like your reaction has more to do with your past than mine?” he asked. He suddenly felt like she understood what he went through all too well.

Bleu didn’t wipe her tears this time as they raced down her cheeks and dripped onto her chest. It took her a few minutes to gather her self-control, but she finally managed to pull herself together a few minutes later. I lost someone too to cancer. “My best friend. Aliccia Majors. She passed away three years ago. It happened so suddenly. One minute, we were having the time of our lives. The next, she’s in the hospital, being told she has months to live. But really, she had less than a week. She deteriorated right before my eyes.”

“Damn, I’m so sorry, Bleu.” Trey immediately hated himself for asking and causing her to relive her pain.

“No,” She sniffled as she dried her eyes. “It’s okay. It’s not your fault. I just haven’t been able to talk about her yet without bursting into tears. I miss her so much. Most days, I can’t even believe she’s gone. She was a beautiful soul and a gifted painter. Her paintings are in museums all over the world. She gifted me several very valuable pieces, but I can’t bring myself to sell them, even though she told me to if I ever wanted or needed to. She was wealthy and left most of her possessions to me and my cousin, her other best friend. I donated a lot of mine to cancer research and awareness. I also do a few reading fundraisers a couple of times a year to donate to the cause as well.”

“That’s amazing. She sounds like she was one hell of a friend and a great person.”

“Great doesn’t even begin to describe how truly amazing a person she was. I'm constantly finding ways to do as many positive things as possible in her memory. If I don’t keep busy where Aliccia’s memory is concerned, I sink into a really bad month-long depression that’s extremely hard to get out of.”