The fact that some people don’t believe that AAVE is a real thing is wild to me both because it’s obvious to anyone with pattern recognition skills and also because (at least from my outside perspective) AAVE is one of the coolest american dialects out there, for a group of people to not only develop a completely new dialect but also keep it as they spread out across the country is kind of rare, not to mention how new additions keep being made and spread through music and in recent years the internet, AAVE is such an awesome thing from both a linguistic and cultural perspective
I agree! Our dialect is as fluid and adaptable and survival-savvy as we are 🩷
summary: all his life, smoke had heard that two is company but three is a crowd; and never had it made as much sense as it did now.
cw: smut, toxic smoke x annie, possesive!smoke, obsessed!smoke, obsessed!annie, public!sex, unprotected!sex (everyone say thank you to @brownskincheyenne), light choking, cheating, use of alcohol, use of the nword
a/n: here's the final part and a very annie centered chapterrrr. we been focused on smoke, but now it's her time to shine! this is much longer that part one and two combined, so please enjoy! requested here and inspired by @librababe7
part one; part two.
masterlist
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Her new nigga wasn’t someone she was serious about. Yes—he was sexy as hell, and yes—and he did whatever she told him to, but he wasn’t Smoke.
Annie had promised herself after that first time that she wouldn’t become addicted to the man. It was easy enough to say but too hard to make reality, and whenever she found her mind drifting to Smoke, all she could think about was the sight, smell, and taste of him. All she could feel was his hands roaming her body, throwing her around—handling her. It had been a long time since she was this engrossed in another person, so when he texted, she responded. When he begged to come over, she let him.
Her new nigga was an attempt to stop this obsession from spreading. He was something to offset her need for Smoke. It worked—at first—but every time she got a taste of Smoke again, she was ready to throw in the towel and run to her friend in confession.
She knew why the woman had put an end to the threesome shit just as soon as it had started. Annie and the man had went wild, and when you get completely lost the way they did, you have to nip that shit in the bud expeditiously. Her friend could see where it was heading, could tell that if they continued she would end up with no man at all—but she didn’t move quick enough.
Annie had snatched her nigga up, and if Smoke was intrigued by her before, he was damn near obsessed now.
When he yelled at her about her new man, the audacity made her laugh and boil with anger. You would think he'd focus on the more pressing matter first: they had a double date to be worried about, and there he was focused about some stupid shit. But Annie couldn’t deny that Smoke’s possessive side made her tingle. There was something about the raising of his voice, the crazy look in his eye, the way he gritted his teeth at her.
She wanted to tell him that she was all his and that she wasn’t serious about dude, but then she’d have no cards to play and nobody to fall back on.
She wasn’t that stupid.
~~~~~
Annie stared down at her phone. Smoke was blowing her up like he had been all week, but she had nothing to say to him; Nothing worthwhile, and nothing that would soothe the insane way he was behaving. She rolled her eyes as a litany of messages came through.
So you ain't gon answer my fuckin messages?
You got me textin and callin yo ass and I know you see it
I told yo ass I was serious, Annie
Im serious bout you
Bout us
Answer yo damn phone, woman
Aight
Keep playin
Just wait til I see yo lil boyfriend at this dinner then
“You ready for our double date on friday,” her friend asked, bumping her shoulder as she passed her to look at the wall of shoes in front of them. Startled, Annie immediately stuffed her phone in her purse, swiveling around with a flushed look as her surroundings came back into the forefront.
The mall was loud even though it was a week day, but her mind was still oscillating between Smoke's messages and maintaining this lie.
“Sure,” she hummed, picking up a pair of heels. “I been wantin’ to try that restaurant for a while, too.”
“Mhm,” her friend responded distractedly. Annie had stooped to try on the shoe, giving her the chance to watch her without being interrupted. Her eyes drifted over her—hot and greedy—but when Annie stood up straight, she diverted her gaze. “I’m ready to meet yo’ new man,” she lied, huffing softly. “Tryna see who takin’ all your time away like this.” And with that, the friend laughed—boastful and haughty—but Annie could tell what was underneath it.
She had suspected for a while now that her friend still felt a way about their little rendezvous. Since then, she looked at Annie with the memory of her naked body still roaming around her mind, and when Annie began to spend less time with her and more time with her new man (and Smoke), she continuously demanded to know who was taking her away from her. She played it off as a joke, but Annie could sense her true feelings.
This stupid double date was set up for her friend to finally meet her "competition", as she had put it. And while Annie hated the whole idea of it, she couldn’t fight the irony of Smoke being the real reason for her lack of free time.
She was split between three people who couldn’t get enough Annie, and she didn’t know what to do. She had a friend who was obsessed with her and secretly pining for something she had put an end to herself. She had a new man who was supposed to be a fun distraction from the bullshit, but the more things progressed with him, the more enraptured he became, too. And she had Smoke—a man as addicted to her as she was him.
It was a hot ass mess of her own making, but there seemed to be no turning back now.
"What you wearin' to dinner," her friend questioned, biting her bottom lip. She was back to looking her up and down and clearly envisioning Annie being put through the mattress.
"Girl," Annie cackled, rolling her eyes as they walked into another store. "Stop lookin' at me like that before I tell yo' man on you."
"Oh, please," she grumbled, moving to a rack of dresses. Rolling her shoulders back, her voice leveled to a tone Annie couldn't fully decipher. "Smoke be lookin' at you, too."
~~~~~
When she made it to the restaurant, Annie felt like she was walking into the lion's den. With her new nigga at her side, she only felt worse, like she was subjecting him to a violence he had no possible understanding of.
Before now, she'd felt no reason to explain the intricacies of her relationship with Smoke and her friend to him. He didn’t know about the threesome or her and Smoke’s relationship or how her friend still wanted her. It was none of his business, and they weren't serious enough for her to start divulging secrets with the man.
But it didn't make her feel any better about bringing him into the environment because she knew her guilt would only grow with time.
“Hey, sexy,” Annie’s friend shouted in greeting, standing from her seat to welcome the woman and her guest. Her arms wrapped around her waist, holding her tight as the two men beside them sized each other up. Smoke rose from his chair slowly, eyes remaining in the unfamiliar face. He disregarded the nickname, disregarded Annie’s attire. There was nothing more important than figuring out what made this nigga good enough for his Annie.
Greeting her friend back with a firm hug, the woman introduced her guest—and immediately the air turned cold.
Smoke, his girlfriend, and Annie’s man all traded looks between each other, each of them full of competition and jealousy.
“Have you all ordered anything,” Annie laughed off nervously, trepidation blanketing her emotions. She took a seat at the table, right between Smoke and her friend—across from her man. The other woman cleared her throat to speak, but Annie could only focus on how Smoke had yet to acknowledge her.
“Just a bottle of wine,” her friend offered blankly.
“Well,” Annie breathed emptily. She didn’t know what to say or how to proceed. Never once had she been in a situation such as this, but she promised herself that she’d make it out alive. Noticing that her dress had ridden up, Annie fought the fabric to bring it down to an appropriate length, but that was entirely the wrong move.
Smoke’s eyes were on her in an instant, burning holes into her body because who did she think she was wearing something that short outside the house? Who did she think she was showing off what was his? He swallowed a thick gulp of wine, gritting his teeth when it hit the back of his throat.
He’d been too distracted earlier, but Annie had Smoke’s full attention now.
Seated at the square dining table in the middle of an overly loud restaurant, the man found himself placed between Annie and her new nigga. It disgusted him to see her making eyes at the man across from her while he was completely unconcerned with his own girl. They’d had a fight before arriving. Something stupid about him being distant and not showing much affection, something about how he hadn’t initiated sex in ages; But he was really cool off all that. He wanted Annie. Needed Annie.
The past week or so without the woman made him feel like he was going to die, but now that he could see her again, he’d been restored.
Between flagged down waiters and their food finally arriving from the backed up kitchen, little words had left his mouth. Smoke watched with angered eyes as Annie talked with everyone but him. She hardly looked in his direction, but it gave him plenty of time to analyze everything else. Both his and Annie’s dates were looking at the woman as if she’d hung the stars, severely infatuated by every word coming out of her mouth.
He understood that feeling. Annie was reverent, a fucking sight to behold.
“So, how serious you and Annie is,” he interrupted, bringing tension back to the table. The other man scoffed, working his jaw, and the two women refused to meet each other’s gazes. They were both embarrassed for a multitude of reasons.
“Serious enough,” Annie’s date countered with attitude. His eyebrows were scrunched, leaning into Smoke’s personal space. “You cool wit’ that?”
The question was unnecessary because everyone could tell his answer was a resounding no. Heat rose in his body. Jealousy dripped off of him. Smoke blew from his nostrils.
“Nigga, who the fuck you thin—”
“We’re just enjoyin’ ourselves,” Annie swallowed, unafraid of interrupting Smoke’s speech, uncaring of the glare he sent into the side of her head. She knew she needed to intervene quickly because no one at this table needed to believe that she and this man were anywhere near serious. Smoke was irate. Her friend was envious. And her nigga was ready to fight the whole table ‘bout her—and she wasn’t ready to see him end up on his ass. “We just gettin’ to know each other,” she explained further, shrugging to show indifference. “Learnin’ each other. Havin’ fun.”
“Don’t sound serious to me,” her friend whispered into her glass. And Smoke grunted in agreement. He eyed the way his girl rolled her eyes at the other man, how she clearly viewed him as some sort of intruder when she sent this all up. They didn't have to be here, but now they all pissed.
Smoke chuckled when Annie’s date shrunk into his seat.
Unable to hold back from touching her any longer, the man grabbed her near bare thigh beneath the table. He needed the stability. Needed it to keep him from doing something he would soon regret because Annie’s man was on the verge of saying more slick shit and his girl had turned her eyes to him, suspicious of his behavior as if she wasn't acting just as questionable.
“You good, Smoke,” she questioned from across the table, eyes low and jaw set. Her gaze communicated a million words, and he simply wasn’t ready to deal with that tonight.
“I’m fine,” but as he spoke shortly, his grip tightened on Annie, and he felt her gasp before her fingers joined his atop her thigh.
Annie was losing her mind.
The room was suffocating her, and Smoke's hands on her body—and beginning to tighten every second—only made her want him more. She felt stupid for spending the last week not talking to him, but she needed to make him sweat. In her attempts to have him unnerved, things had backfired, and all she wanted was to be alone with the man she had been avoiding for days.
“I think I need some air,” the woman exasperated, shooting a heated glance in his direction.
Before she could even stand, both men had moved to help her from her seat, and even her friend had extended a hand in assistance as well. It was awkward. Embarrassingly, Annie declined the help, finding the nearest exit to the restaurant's private courtyard.
It was much quieter outside, and the night air had a cooling note to it that instantly calmed her body. The dress she wore clung to her in the best way, ridding up with each step she made toward the fountain in the middle of the space. She was most surprised at the fact that no one was out here, and her mind cleansed itself at that realization.
“I can’t believe you brought that nigga,” she heard from behind her, the words hot as they punctuated the air. She could feel his body nearing hers, and as she rolled her shoulders to stand up straight, she could feel the hard plains of his chest.
“What you expect me to do, Smoke,” Annie questioned, exhaustion and need in her tone. “Just show up alone?”
“Hell yeah,” he grumbled. With a hand moving to her waist, he pulled her ass to lay flush with his crotch. He laughed at the shiver down her spine. “You mine, Annie, and both of them up in there lookin’ at you like they got the right to.”
“Smoke,” the woman groaned, slowly grinding into him. She was listening, or at least trying to, but Smoke was addictive. All it took was a few short words and that damn grumble to get her going. She didn’t know how she’d survive the rest of the night.
“Told ‘em I was headed to make a phone call, so we ain’t got much time, baby girl,” he whispered headily. “What you want?”
“I need to cum,” she cried, turning around in his arms. She fisted his shirt and gave him the softest eyes she could muster. “It’s been too long.”
“And who’s fault is that,” Smoke growled. He walked her into a corner where one wall of the building met another; where dense plants created enough shadows for him to do what needed to be done; where the world could become their own.
His lips landed on her neck first; Her purse was still sitting at the table, and they didn’t need the added drama of smudged makeup to ruin tonight anymore than they were about to. He nipped at her skin with care as his fingers glided down her thighs and back up again. Smoke would never get enough of the feel of her—the softness, the solidity beneath it all.
“You out of yo' mind comin' wit' that nigga,” he argued yet again. “Even crazier for wearin' this little ass dress, but I'm gon' let you slide for now.”
Her dress hem was thrown up over her hips before she could process everything, and his hands were inside her panties just as she had demanded. Annie loved that Smoke was a man on a mission in everything that he did. If there was a task to complete, he was diligent in seeing it through. Currently, she was his task, so when his thick fingers found her wet heat, she allowed her body to settle, knowing she would be taken care of.
It felt as if she were being engulfed—by him, by her emotions, by the entire date night from Hell. All she wanted was Smoke, but as his fingers stroked her, she just couldn’t stay focused on the moment.
“Breathe, baby,” the man reminded her, slowing his hand between her legs. The pace was teasing, shallower than he knew Annie needed. Her warmth surrounded him, and her arousal dripped down his fingers with each dragging thrust.
“Please,” Annie choked out, clawing at his shoulders. Her mind was still swirling, imagining both of their dates waiting at the table, hopeful for their return. Guilt settled into her skin, but she needed this. Staring into the man’s eyes, she attempted to ground herself, slowly beginning to work her hips into his palm.
“There you go,” Smoke encouraged, increasing his speed as she rutted against him. Heat flushed his face when she grabbed his throat and held him there, but he couldn’t lie about how good it felt. The choking—along with her moans—made him feel lightheaded in the best way, urging him to bring her to her climax. But his arousal was thumping in the seat of his own pants, and every few seconds, he thrusted his clothed length against her thigh.
“Put it in,” Annie lulled into his left ear.
And how could he resist that?
Looking out over his shoulder and finding the courtyard still empty, Smoke quickly unbuckled his belt. He’d have to do a whole lot of lying when he made it back to the table after this, but all of that was a distant concern that he refused to let take precedence.
“I ain’t got no condom,” he breathed heavily, but he was quick to realize that Annie didn’t mind when her leg wrapped around his hip and her hand dragged his dick closer to her entrance.
“I’m surprised you even came tonight,” the woman at the table grinned like a Cheshire cat. Her voice was teetering on the edge of something smug, but the man beside her didn’t pick up on it.
“Why are you surprised,” he questioned in response.
“I just thought you’d have a problem with it after Annie told you,” she chuckled.
“Told me what,” he asked once more, and the woman knew she was about to be triumphant.
“Oh, you don’t know, do you,” she feigned innocence. Her eyes got big and round as if she hadn’t meant to spill the beans and saw no way out but through. “You know Annie’s like my best friend and all, and we’re so close,” she began, voice lilting. “I thought she would have told you about me, her, and Smoke since y'all are so serious and everything.”
“Y’all—”
“Fucked? Yeah,” she answered with indifference, shrugging as she beckoned a waiter over for another bottle of wine. She refilled her glass and tried her best to stuff down her grin. She so badly needed this nigga to move on—because in her mind, if she had to compete for Annie’s attention against Smoke only, she’d double her chances at winning.
Oh, how wrong she was.
But nevertheless, the man beside her only added to her overconfidence when sadness washed over his body. She watched him look down at his watch and back toward the two empty chairs at their table.
“Fuck this pussy, baby,” Annie demanded, smacking the side of Smoke’s ass as he folded her up into the corner. She adored the heat of the moment, how they were doing this in public when they had people waiting for them. She loved the seclusion of it, how it was dark in their corner, and with the plants blocking the view no one would see them anyway.
It felt right no matter how wrong it was, and with Smoke finally fucking her raw like this, she was ready to give him what he wanted. What she had been denying herself, too.
“You mine,” she slurred, drunk off of the feeling of his thrusts.
“Huh, baby,” he grunted, sweat near his hairline.
“You my only nigga,” she confirmed, moaning lightly at him faltering in shock. She grabbed his face, nails crescenting his skin. “You mine, and I’m yours. But you need to put an end to yo’ relationship. Can you do that for me, baby?”
The words were sealed with a kiss to the corner of his mouth. Smoke nodded his head profusely before doubling his efforts.
“I swear it’s over wit’ her,” he damn near cried, throat cracking around a moan.
He’d do whatever she asked because Annie was his priority. Annie was what he’d always needed.
He continued to fuck her as he felt his body beginning to succumb to their combined efforts. Annie was clenching around his length and swearing softly against his lips. She couldn’t take it anymore, the guilt turning into something that nudged at her desire. Neither of them cared about the consequences or repercussions of their cheating because they had this: each other.
As they walked back to the table, they did it together—side by side instead of hiding behind a lie any longer.
Each step sent fear through Annie's body, but as Smoke's shoulder brushed against hers, her heart rate leveled out. What they hadn't expected upon returning was for the table to be missing one of their guests. The closer they got, Smoke's girl became clearer in their view, and when her head turned in their direction, a near evil smirk lit her face.
"Where ole dude at," Smoke puzzled distantly, knowing that whenever he turned up it would be time to come clean. He sat in his seat, Annie to one side and his girl in front of him. The laugh she let out told him everything he needed to know.
"He left," she muttered, already taking in Annie's appearance: the wrinkles in her dress, the slant of her hem, the dampness along her edges.
"Why'd he go," Annie uttered worriedly, causing both of the people at the table to roll their eyes. It's not that she cared about him that much, but when she left the table, everything was fine except for her need for Smoke.
"Y'all was out there together, weren't y'all," the other woman questioned instead, completely disregarding what she'd been asked. Her gaze had moved to Smoke, and his eyes told it all. He could never lie too well when confronted with something outright. His leg was bouncing beneath the table, and his brows were furrowed in a way that said he couldn't wait for tonight to be over with. But those damn eyes lit up every time he looked over at Annie, and the way he wanted her made the other woman's heart hurt.
"I asked you a question," Annie insisted, huffing and crossing her arms beneath her chest. "What did you say to him?" Because she knew the woman had done something. Her friend had set this all up for a reason, and she never liked the idea of Annie entertaining another person. Never liked that she didn't have all of Annie's attention.
"He somehow found out about our li'l threesome," she admitted with a casualness that irked Annie to her core.
"Why would you tell him that," she groaned. "You know I hadn't told him yet."
"I guess it slipped my mind," but as she said the words, she looked at Smoke. The darkness in his eyes. The irritation building in his bones. "What were y'all doin' outside?"
And although Smoke wanted to allow Annie the opportunity to speak her mind, he needed to put an end to this.
"We was fuckin'," he exasperated, already feeling Annie's eyes on him due to his bluntness. He continued to look at the woman he had arrived with tonight, watching the emotions pass over her face. He remembered the fight from earlier about him not being present. He remembered the days she'd come home after hanging out with Annie and how all she wanted was to fuck him with the thought of the other woman fresh in her mind. He thought back to when she had first admitted to wanting a threesome with her friend—the betrayal of it.
The look on her face now had nothing to do with her being cheated on and everything to do with the fact that it was with Annie—the woman that she wanted more than anything else. But she was his now, and that thought settled him.
"We through," he huffed, standing from his seat. He pulled out some cash, throwing it on the table. "You ain't wanted me for a long time, and I apologize for lyin' but that's all I got for you." He wanted to scoff when she looked up at him because she looked pathetic. Shoulders hunched and eyes wet, he could tell she knew this was the end of whatever fantasy she had created for her and the other woman. As much as he wanted to bring it up, it wasn't worth it.
Annie stood when his hand extended toward her.
"I'm sorry," she apologized, standing over the other woman with an honest look. "But it was never gonna work between us."
And with a promise to move out within the week and to pay his half of the rent for the remainder of their lease, Smoke and Annie departed from the double date from hell—hand in hand and with a weight lifted off of their shoulders.
And him walking towards Mary with that cigarette Yes!
I have too many but its usually whenever he gets a little vulnerable or protective. So him fixing his jacket before he goes to see Annie, how he follows her around, how he looks at her when she walks to him, how he constantly checked to see what she said before he made a decision and when he pulls her behind him because exactly.
everyone knows smoke is a girl!dad and is obsessed with his wife annie.
so when they have their first daughter it was a no brainer that their daughter was gonna be annie jr.
their daughter looks like smoke (he couldn’t deny her even if he wanted too) but she got her softness and prettiness from her momma. but smoke would side-eye anyone that said she looked like him bc his baby is her momma twin.
whenever someone said “your daughter is so cute/pretty” smoke would always be like, “pretty just like her momma” and their daughter is a mommy’s girl, ofc she loved smoke and wanted to be with him also but nothing was like hanging with her momma, and she was annie’s shadow, always watching annie get dress, cook etc always wanted to match with her.
when shes a bit older, saying she looked like her dad was like saying she looked like a boy, she didnt understand that she can look like her dad and still be a girl. someone could be like “you look just like ur father” and she’ll be like “nooo, i look like my momma, my papa says im pretty just like her” and smoke would just be grinning and co-signing “yeah baby you do!”
and thats the type of husband and father smoke is.
Summary: Failed relationships make Elijah and Annie throw themselves into work, not leaving much room for anything else. A failed delivery leads them to each other, and an instant attraction makes them question themselves.
CW: Modern AU, explicit language, use of the n-word, mentions of parental loss, mentions of childhood trauma, mentions of DV
Pairings: Smoke x Annie with a little Stack x OC
AO3 Link
Part One- Lost In Transit
Part Two- Resolution
Part Three- Clarity
Part Four- Assistance
Spent some time plotting the next few chapters of the fic and decided to make this! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!
If you want to be added to the taglist, comment below :)
AMERICAN DREAM
soldier!smoke x virginteacher!annie
NINE.2: Try A Little Tenderness
previous next
cw: none
summary: the military does a lot to a man. for smoke it gives him dreams. dreams of a woman he’s never met a day in his life. all he knows is the sweet sound of her voice and the outline of her body. it’s like his soul is crying for her, but he doesn’t even know where to start looking.
notes: part 2 of chapter nine!
When Thanksgiving morning came, Annie slipped from the bed and got dressed as quiet as possible. It was incredibly early and it was still dark except for the faint morning light that was creeping through the windows.
Elijah was dead asleep on the couch with one arm thrown over his head as his chest rose and fell steadily. Annie smiled at the sight, walked over, and pulled the blanket up high on him. He stirred a bit, but didn't wake.
She went to the kitchen, and as quickly as possible, she scribbled a note to Elijah letting him know that she left for the day. After that she quickly started gathering the pies, not realizing that in her rush she had miscounted. She grabbed four of the pies and hurried out the door.
She stepped outside and a few minutes later she was driving through Baltimore. It didn't take long for her to pull up back home. She grabbed the pies from the backseat and headed inside. The door opened and the smell of greens and ham hit her in the face.
Annie followed the smell to the kitchen where she found her grandmother, Aunt Clarisse, Rosette, and Olivia. Clarisse was the first to say something to her the moment she noticed her niece standing in the doorway.
"Look at who decided to come back home."
"Goodmorning," Annie laughed as she set the pies down on the table.
"Mornin', baby," her grandmother said from her place by the stove.
Little baby Olivia let out an excited squeal at the sight of Annie. She was practically bouncing from her spot on her blanket on the floor. Annie melted. She crouched down and kissed Olivia's chubby cheek.
Annie straightened and looked around the busy kitchen.
"What y'all doin'? Need help?"
"No. Your cousin done already messed up the greens," Clarisse shook her head.
"I didn't mess up no damn—" Rosette started muttering under her breath. But before she could finish Mama Nette popped her with a kitchen towel.
"Watch your mouth."
"What I get hit for? I'm too old for that," Rosette rubbed her arm. "And why Annie never get hit?"
"'Cause Annie listens," Mama Nette snorted.
"I listen," Rosette looked offended.
"No you don't."
"I do."
Clarisse and Mama Nette exchanged a look.
"Yeah right, Annie mess up all the time, but y'all don't ever get mad at her," Rosette rolled her eyes.
"Annie ain't never messed up nothin' I taught her," Mama Nette looked genuinely confused by the statement. "That's why she the only one that know all my pie receipes."
A smug smile spread across Annie's face as she bent down and scooped Olivia into her arms. The baby immediately settled against her chest. Annie kissed the top of her little head.
"Can't help that I'm the favorite."
Rosette narrowed her eyes at her, but Annie just looked with that same smug smile as she bounced Olivia gently.
"Shut up."
"Don't be jealous, Rosie," Annie laughed.
"You lucky you holdin' my baby."
The room erupted into laughter. Even Olivia giggled though she didn't understand any of it.
When they settled, Clarisse looked over at Annie, giving her a pointed look, "You not gettin' outta where you was at, Miss Thing."
"She was over at that man's house."
Annie stared at her grandmother in disbelief. The older woman kept right on stirring.
Clarisse slowly nodded as she looked at Annie, "Hm. You been shackin' up?"
Before Annie could even answer, Mama Nette spoke again.
"No," Annie sighed in relief, but then her grandmother continued. "But she want to."
The relief disappeared. Annie sat there feeling completely betrayed.
"I don't know why you keep doin' this to me." Annie sputtered. "There ain't no reason for you to tell everybody my business."
"You ain't got no business," Mama Nette finally looked over. "You wasn't doin' nothin' remember?"
Rosette looked entirely too entertained at Annie getting clipped by their grandmother.
Annie opened her mouth then closed it becasue she truly had nothing to say to defend herself.
"She gonna have to repent extra hard this Sunday for all this lyin' she been doin' recently," Mama Nette shook her head. "That man be having her all twisted up and she know she like it."
Annie rolled her eyes dramatically then she buried her face against Olivia's little shoulder. Olivia just patted Annie's cheek.
A few hours later the cooking was finally almost done. Most of the food was finished and packed up.
Annie stood in the dining room helping wrap a few things while Olivia sat on her hip chewing on the sleeve of her dress. The baby had spent most of the morning attached to her. Any time somebody tried to take her, Olivia would fuss until Annie got her back.
Mama Nette was doing one final count, making sure that they had everything they needed. When she got to the pies and noticed that there were only four she eyed Annie.
"Annette, why you only got four pies here?"
Annie looked at the table only to see that her grandmother was right. There were only four pies on the table. Her eyes immediately became wider.
Rosette's face had a smirk on it, "Looks like the favorite messed up just that quick."
"Where they at and are they done?" Mama Nette folded her arms.
"Yes they're done Mama. I just forgot 'em," then she rushed over to the phone.
She dialed Elijah's number. The phone rang three times before Elijah answered.
"Hello?"
"Oh good. You're up," Annie sighed in relief.
"Bunny, I been up," His sleepy chuckle came through the line. "Why you callin'?"
"I forgot two of the pies. Can you bring them? They should still be on the counter."
"Yeah, I got you."
"Thank you, baby."
"It ain't nothing."
"I'll see you soon."
"See you soon."
After hanging up, Annie helped her family load everything up into the cars. Once everything was put up, the two cars hit the road to Ray's house.
There were a line of cars on the street when they pulled up. The front door opened and family members poured out to help take the dishes inside.
Inside the home Ray had moved everyhting around to make space for everyone. He had put some tables together to make one large table in the middle of the living room. There was also a smaller table for the children and room for the food.
The house was loud with conversation and children playing. Food was already on the table and what they brought only added to it. Everything was just what Annie missed about home. Good food and family. The only thing she felt was missing was Elijah.
Suddenly, Victoria appeared beside her.
"So when he gettin' here?"
"Soon," Annie rolled her eyes, an unintentional habit.
A while later, Annie found herself standing near the window peeking out of it every few seconds. Five-year-old Joyce had attached herself to Annie's legs asking her a million questions. It distracted her enough to not look out the window every five minutes. It wasn't like she was waiting on anyone.
But when a knock hit the door, Annie pulled away from the little girl, giving some random excuse. She hurried to the door, pulled it open, and there Elijah stood with the two forgotten pies in his hand.
He was dressed nice in black slacks, a black button down shirt, and a dark blue wool coat. He even had on polished hard bottom shoes. His look made Annie smile. And it wasn't because he never made the effort to look nice, but Annie knows that Elijah could care less about how he looked. But clearly he had decided to put a little extra effort in today.
Elijah looked into her big, soft, brown eyes and felt the hint of nervousness in him disappear.
"Hey, Bunny," Elijah smiled.
"Hi, baby," she said sweetly.
They leaned into each other so naturally. Their lips met in a gentle kiss. And once they pulled apart Annie was smiling. She was so utterly happy.
"Thank you again for bringing the pies."
"You're welcome."
She looked at him for another second. Then leaned forward and kissed him again. This one lasted a touch longer.
She pulled back and grabbed his hand, "Come on let's get you inside."
She led him inside and the warmth of the family atmosphere surrounded him. The house was loud with conversation that floated from every direction. Laughter was mixed in along with the sounds of children running and playing.
Annie kept hold of his hand as she guided him through the house of people. She could tell that her family was looking, but trying to hold in their comments. They walked until they got to the food table.
"Put them right there," he set the strawberry pies down where she told him.
Annie noticed the way Elijah looked around at everyone. She knew how overwhelming her family could be, and for someone like Elijah she knew it could be a bit much. She squeezed his hand to get his attention.
"If it get too much, you tell me."
"I'll be alright," Elijah looked at her, his face not showing any signs of overstimulation.
"You sure?"
"Mhm."
She studied him for another second then nodded.
Unfortunately she never got the chance to start introducing him around.
"Elijah come here," Mama Nette's voice carried easily through the house. "And Annie go help your uncles with the kids in the kitchen."
Both of them looked over to see the older woman sitting comfortably in a chair in the den.
"Mama—"
"Gone on."
Annie huffed as she stared into the older woman's eyes. And Mama Nette stared right back. Neither woman looked away.
Elijah tugged at Annie's hand, "It's okay, Bunny."
"Fine," Annie looked uncertain, but she sighed. "But I'll be back."
She squeezed his hand one last time before disappearing toward the kitchen.
Elijah watched her go then looked at the older woman who was waiting on him. Mama Nette gestured to the empty chair near her as a way to tell him to sit down. And he obeyed, not wanting to go against her.
The second he sat down he understood why Annie was hesitant to leave him. There were four women and a baby staring at him. They were staring so intensely as if they were trying to see straight through his skin to his bones. He sat back in the chair and gulped.
Mama Nette noticed and the corner of her mouth twitched. She knew Elijah was a strong man, but the Richard women could could break down even the toughest of soldiers.
"Let me introduce everybody to you since they just wanna stare at like you a zoo animal," Mama Nette pointed around the circle. "That's Clarisse, Annie's Aunt. Annie's cousin, Rosette and Rosette's daughter, Olivia. That's Esther, William Junior's wife. And Victoria, my oldest granddaughter."
They all still just stared at him not making any moves to say a thing to him.
"Now go on and introduce yourself," Mama Nette folded her hands in her lap.
Elijah cleared his throat. Suddenly he felt like a boy instead of a twenty-seven year old man.
"Nice to meet y'all. My name's Elijah Moore," the words managed to come out easy.
"And that's your real name?" Victoria tilted her head.
"Last time I checked," Elijah looked over at her.
Mama Nette chuckled at Elijah's audacity. She could tell he wasn't a man to back down easily. And she figured he had to be to deal with Annie.
"Oh, you tryna be Mister Funny Man?" Victoria's eyebrows furrowed, completely taken aback.
"Ain't nothin' funny to me," his answer came quick.
"Good. 'Cause ain't nothin' attractive 'bout a man who can't take nothin' serious."
"I'm takin' this very serious."
That earned him a few approving nods.
"Where you from?" Rosette asked as she balanced Olivia in her lap.
"Clarksdale, Mississippi."
"So you a Delta man?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Do you know where we from?" Clarisse asked.
"Yes ma'am," Elijah rubbed his sweating and slightly shaking palms against his thighs. Something about the intensity of these women was making his anxiety act up.
"You ever been there before?"
"A few times."
"So that means you know what we capable of?"
"I think so," Elijah didn't quite know what Annie's Aunt meant by that, but he remembered the conversation he had with Mama Nette. He didn't think he wanted to get on the bad side of a bunch of Hoodoo women.
"What you do for work?" Victoria asked.
"I work at Ray's garage."
"That what you really wanna do?" Clarisse asked.
The question made Elijah pause becasue nobody had really asked him that before. At least not recently. Usually people asked what he did, but not if that was what he really wanted to do. He looked down for a second before answering as honestly as he could.
"I don't rightly know. I guess I ain't figured out exactly what I want yet. I know I'm good with my hands, so it works out," he shrugged.
"I bet you are," Rosette smirked as her eyes dropped down to his hands.
Elijah cleared his throat and shifted in his seat at her staring. For a half a second he considered hiding them, but then he realized foing that would probably make it worse..
"Got good workin' hands too," Rosette's smirk just deepened.
"Rosette," Clarisse said in warning.
"Sorry, Mama."
The women laughed as Elijah rubbed the back of his neck.
Thankfully, Esther moved the conversation along.
"How long you been in Baltimore?"
"Since April."
"Ain't been here that long and you already got your eyes set on my niece," Clarisse said.
Before he could answer, Victoria spoke.
"How long you plannin' on stayin' in Baltimore?"
"I—"
"Everything okay?" A familiar voice cut through the conversation.
Everybody turned to see Annie standing next to Elijah's chair. She walked up and rested a hand on his shoulder. She looked from the women to Elijah with concern written all over her face.
"Girl ain't nobody doin' nothin' to this man. He alright," Mama Nette as she turned in her chair. "Go back to the kitchen."
"You okay?" Annie ignored the woman and looked at Elijah.
"I'm alright, Bunny," Elijah lightly grabbed her hand and nodded his head.
She still looked suspicious.
Mama Nette waved her hand, "Take your ass back on in there."
"If we was gon' hurt him we'd already done it," her Aunt Clarisse said.
Annie huffed dramatically, but she listened. Reluctantly she started walking away. But in the process she let her hand slide from Elijah's shoulder then down his arm. Elijah caught the hand before she could fully walk away.
The women all watched as Elijah lifted it and pressed a kiss to the back of it. He did it as if it was second nature. It was the type of affection that made Annie smile when she finally walked away.
He turned beack to see all eyes were on him again.
"What exactly you want with my cousin?" Rosette tilted her head.
Elijah eyes moved between the women, wanting them to understand how serious he was about their Annie.
"I want everything with her."
The women exchanged glances.
Nobody laughed.
Nobody teased.
"Saying everything is a might big statement. You know that?" One of Clarisse's eyebrows rose in question.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Do you know what all that means when it come to Annie? She ain't no simple woman," Clarisse studied him carefully.
"Yes ma'am I do," Elijah confidently nodded. He already knew first hand how difficult Annie could be, but some would say he was just as bad.
"What about her makes you want her so bad?" Victoria asked.
Elijah took a moment to get his thoughts together, and not because he didn't know, but because he wanted to say it right.
"Truthfully, she saved and she don't even know it. When I got back from overseas I wasn't doing well. There were days I'd wake up angry, couldn't sleep, and didn't want to be around nobody. And you wouldn't know it by looking at me. But when I found her, she lit up something in me. It was like she planted herself in my blood and I ain't have a bad day since," his voice was calm as he spoke.
"I don't want nothin' temporary with her. She don't deserve that. She's the woman I wanna wake up beside every mornin'. I wanna take care of her . I wanna spend the rest of my life fmy life hearin' her talk because she can just go on about stuff she gets excited about. And I always want her excited about something. It's my job to keep her happy and that's what I plan to do."
"I love how she takes care of people whether they ask for it or not. She remembers everything and she loves her family. She always has enough love for everybody. I love how determined she is. She works hard and she has dreams and goals. Hell, I even love how stubborn she is," that makes everyone laugh.
Mama Nette takes a moment to just stare at Elijah. She'd never heard him talk this much. He seemed like a man that didn't say more than he had to. But it looks like that when it comes to her granddaughter, he had a whole lot to say and he needed to say it. That man loved Annie and it was written all over him.
"Ain't never heard anybody talk about her like that before. You must really love her?" Esther asked.
"I'm in love with her," Elijah's answer came out so quick as he looked at her.
Nobody said anything because there wasn't really anything to say. The sincerity in his voice was impossible to miss, and they could feel the love practically floating off of him.
"Annie," Mama Nette's voice floated thorughout the house, and within seconds, hurried footsteps were heard.
Annie appeared looking rather worried. She looked at Elijah, but he showed no signs that there was anything to be worried about. So, she turned her eyes to her grandmother.
"Yes, Mama?"
"Everything ready?"
"…Yes?" Annie blinked confused.
"Everybody let's go on to the table."
Everyone in the house started making their way to the living room. Even Annie, who was still trying to figure out what happened. Elijah followed beside her not giving anything away.
Certain foods had been moved from the food table to the table. Everyone gathered around the white tablecloth covered table. Mama Nette took her place at the head of the table and reached for the hands beside her.
"Everybody close ya eyes and bow ya heads," almost everyone obeyed even the small children.
Elijah was the only one still looking around at the full circle.
Annie briefly opened her eyes to see Elijah with his wide open. She tugged his hand that was in hers.
"Close your eyes."
He closed his eyes and lowered his head just before Mama Nette started praying. As soon as she finished everyone said Amen and let their hands go. They moved to find their seats and the children scrambled to their table.
Elijah automatically reached for Annie's chair and pulled it out. Then he waited until she sat to push it in. She smiled up at him.
"Thank you, baby."
He nodded as he took the seat beside her. And as soon as he settled in his seat he had the feeling of being watched. He looked up to see Ray, Marcus, and an older man looking at him from way down at the other end of the table.
Annie lightly tapped Elijah's arm, pulling him away from the three men's stares. He gave his attention to Annie. She was holding the plate that was in his spot in her hand.
"What you want on you plate?" she asked.
"Whatever you think," Elijah glanced over the spread.
Annie rolled her eyes, but did as told. She scooped some mac and cheese, greens, candied yams, and dressing on his plate. Then she got up to put some meat on the plate for him. She knew that she didn't have to do this because Elijah was perfectly fine doing things for himself, but she felt with all this pressure from her family she would ease his mind a little today.
She sat back down and set Elijah's plate down in front of him. He thanked her and she went to grab her own plate to start putting her food together.
"Annette."
Annie looked up to see her Uncle William staring at him from the other end of the table.
"Yes, sir?"
"How long you been with him?"
Annie's eyes flickered to Elijah before returning to her uncle. William hadn't even verbally acknowledged and now he was talking as if the man wasn't sitting at the table next to her.
"We been together a few months now."
"A few months. Ain't that somethin'," William hummed as he stabbed a piece of turkey with his fork. "Must be serious if you lettin' him come to Thanksgiving."
"Yes sir. If you say so," Annie knew how her oldest uncle could get.
"Since you bringing him to Thanksgiving, I'd say so."
Several people around the table exchanged glances. Across the table Uncle Ray was trying not to grin.
"Ray," William looked at his younger brother.
"Yeah brother?" Ray looked up from his food.
"How long he been working at your shop?"
"Since April," a smirk appeared on Ray's face.
"And how'd he get that job?"
Ray looked at Elijah then back to William, "Annie mostly."
Annie breathed out in frustration. She could feel the irritation rolling off of Elijah and she knew if this kept going he would be in his right to say something.
"Uncle Ray, you know that's not true."
"And is," he shrugged. "You always tryna save somebody."
"Girl woulda brought home a stray dog if Mama let her. Guess she kept up the habit."
Annie's face showed clear irritation as she dropped her fork down.
"Okay, y'all gone stop talking about him like he ain't sittin' right here. He's a good man and comparin' him to a stray dog is disrespectful. I know y'all tryna look out for me, but I don't like how y'all going about it. You can't say you protectin' me 'cause this ain't it. These things y'all sayin' is hurtful. Get to know him before y'all try to make assumptions about him," Annie looked between both of her uncles.
"That's right," Mama Nette muttered. Her sons could be a real piece of work at times.
William sighed and Ray looked down at his plate. Neither man liked being corrected by their niece like that, especially in front of the whole family. But neither one would go against her either.
"Ain't mean no disrespect," her Uncle William looked genuinely pained by the admission.
"Me neither," Ray said right after.
This was the closest thing to an apology that Elijah had ever heard from Ray's mouth, but he didn't care too much about that when he was irritated by the older man. He face was stone cold as he stared at the two men. One of the things he wouldn't ever take was disrespect from two grown men, or at least two supposed grown men.
"I understand that y'all protectin' her and all but anything anybody wanna know about me can be asked directly to me. I'm an honest man and ain't one to just sit and pussyfoot around, but y'all makin' it real hard to act civil. I'm a grown man not a dog."
Then, before anybody could say anything else a loud crash echoed from the children's table. Little Jeremy was staring at the floor in horror while a glass of sweet tea spread across the table and dripped into his lap.
The interruption only lasted a few minutes before everybody settled back into eating. Towels had been brought out and Jeremy had been reassured that nobody was upset with him.
Elijah had managed to avoid being the center of attention again. At least until Mama Nette spoke up from her seat. She had been watching him for most of the meal anyway.
"Elijah, you likin' the food?"
"Yes ma'am. Ain't had food like this in a long time," he glanced down at the crowded plate in front of him.
"Why you ain't?" Victoria looked up from where she was helping Joyce cut her ham into smaller pieces.
"I was overseas for a few years. And before that me and my brother was movin' around so much we couldn't really get no good homecooked food like this."
"You was in the military?" William Jr. asked.
"Since fifty-four."
"You Army?" William Sr. set his fork down.
"Yes sir," Elijah kept his face stone cold.
William nodded thoughtfully. Then he took a sip of sweet tea before asking the next question.
"You hunt?"
Annie looked at her uncle and so did some of the other men at the table.
"Only done it once or twice."
"Mississippi boy only hunted twice?" William raised an eyebrow.
"Yes sir. My daddy wasn't teaching us much of nothing."
"Fair enough," William slowly nodded seeming to understand there was more to that story. "If you shoot good you'll be alright. But we'll see 'bout that."
Elijah looked on confused. And he was about to ask what exactly the man meant by that, but the conversation moved on. The entire focus of the table shifted away from the topic completely. When he looked over at Annie she seemed to be just as confused as he was. But her confusion had some understanding to it.
"Bunny, what he said that for?"
Annie cleared her throat and looked at Elijah, "I think he just invited you to go huntin' with them."
"Why he do that? Seem like he don't like me."
"He only invites the men he respects to hunt with him."
The dining table had been cleared. Leftovers had been wrapped and stacked. Somebody had put the radio on. And the card table was out. The children went back to running through the house despite being told at least fifteen times not to.
Annie sat tucked away in the den with Olivia in her lap. The baby had screamed for her the last ten minutes of dinner, so Annie had no choice but to grab her. And the girl was finally in her arms, she refused to leave.
The baby was currently fight sleep with everything she had. Her tiny eyes kept falling closed before snapping back open every time her head started to fall.
"You so tired, huh?" Annie chuckled softly as Olivia blinked up at her.
The baby just shoved two small fingers into her mouth as an answer. A string of drool followed soon after. Annie grabbed a cloth from beside and wiped the baby's chin. Olivia curled herself against Annie's chest, her other hand fisted the woman's dress.
That was when Elijah appeared beside the couch. He had just gotten out of a conversation about cars that he got roped into by Annie's cousins, Percy and Johnathon. Now he looked relieved to have found Annie again.
He sat down beside her. His eyes moved from her face down to the baby attached to her. Olivia had somehow managed to wedge herself directly into Annie's side.
Annie followed his gaze, "What?"
"Nothin'."
It wasn't nothing because Elijah couldn't stop staring. Annie looked so natural holding a baby, even if the baby was family. It was like every move of hers was instinctive. He had noticed since the dinner table.
And it wasn't just the baby that Annie seemed to shine with. The older children were just as attached. They followed her from room to room, calling for her, wanting her attention. And every single time she'd stop what she was doing and answer them.
The sight of it all made he aware of his thoughts. He found himself wondering what Annie would look like with their children. What their babies would look like. He hoped they would have her pretty brown eyes, and her smile, and her laugh.
"What you thinkin' so hard about?"
"Hm?" Elijah came back to reality, blinking the thoughts away.
Annie shook her head and let out a little puff of a laugh. She had noticed the way Elijah had looked at Olivia and wanted to test some waters.
"You wanna hold her?"
His eyebrows immediately lifted, "I don't know about that, Bunny."
"And why not?" Annie laughed.
"I ain't never really held a baby before," he looked at the baby.
"Seriously?" Annie stared at him.
Elijah nodded.
"Well that's a shame."
He looked down at Olivia and she looked back at him.
"I think you'll be fine. Olivia's easy."
"I don't know."
"Elijah."
He sighed, but she was already moving the baby. And when Olivia noticed she was getting moved out of the comfort of her arms, she made a sound of protest. Her tiny face scrunched up as if she was about to start crying. Annie shushed her as she bounced her lightly in the air.
"Oh hush. You're alright,"
Olivia clearly disagreed. Still, Annie carefully transferred her into Elijah's lap. The second the baby settled there, Elijah completely froze up. His hands hovered around her awkwardly unsure where they were supposed to go.
"Baby, don't look so scared," Annie tried so hard to hold her laughter in.
"I ain't scared," he shot her a look. "What if she fall though?"
"She ain't gone fall, just put your arm around her."
Reluctantly he wrapped one arm around Olivia.
The baby stared up at him. And after several seconds, Olivia decided she was okay with being around this strange man. She yawned and reached out to grab the front of his shirt. She pulled herself up a bit on her legs and laid down on his chest. The other tiny hand that wasn't gripping his shirt, reached around to his arm and softly started patting it.
Annie practically melted at the sight. But when she noticed Elijah's confusion on the movement she spoke up.
"She wants you to pat her back."
Elijah nodded his head in understanding and hesitantly started to pat the baby's back as gently as he could. It didn't take long for her eyes to start closing and soon enough she was asleep.
Annie watched the sight quietly, not able to look away. He was being so careful handling something so small and precious. He looked so sweet with her. It truly made Annie wonder how he would be with their kids. Maybe she wouldn't have to wait too long to find out, if they could—
"Auntie Annie!" She looked up to see the children standing in front of her. "Come play with us!"
"What y'all playing?"
"Hide and seek!"
The children immediately started pulling on her arms to make her stand up. She did and was suddenly being dragged away.
Christmas Night, 1958
Inside Elijah's apartment, the lamps cast a warm glow across the living room. The Christmas tree stood in the corner near the window. It wasn't a big tree like the one Annie has at home, but it was good enough for the both of them. They had picked it out a few weeks earlier after Annie said that he couldn't do Christmas right with no tree.
They were currently sitting on the couch, practically under each other. Annie was curled into his side and Elijah had an arm on the back of the couch behind her. They'd spent most of the evening talking about the day, like how Ray had actually gotten Elijah a gift. And now, with the day being settled, Elijah thought it was time for them to give their gifts to each other.
Annie sat up straight, excited for whatever Elijah was going to give her. Elijah reached on the table and grabbed the box. He put it in her hands and she carefully began to open.
Elijah sat back and watched as her fingers worked the ribbon loose. The anticipation on her face alone made everything worth it.
She pulled the paper away and was met with the same coat she'd been stopping to look at every single time they went to the department store downtown. It was a beautiful cream-colored wool coat that cost far too much.
"You bought me the coat?" Annie asked as she lifted it out of the box.
"You kept lookin' at it, so I figured you wanted it but wouldn't buy it for yourself since it was so expensive."
She pouted, willing herself not to be too emotional.
Then she noticed there was a small box inside. She pulled it out and noticed the way Elijah looked away from her. He had suddenly become very interested in the Christmas tree.
"What's this?"
Elijah didn't respond, just nodded to the box. So she opened it.
Inside sat a simple yet elegant gold bypass ring with two small diamonds.
"Elijah," his name came out barely above a whisper.
"It ain't an engagement ring…yet," he rubbed the back of his neck. "I just wanted yo uto have it."
"Why would you spend this much money on me?" She shook her head.
"Who else I'm supposed to spend it on?" He made a confused face as if she asked the dumbest question in the world. "I wanna take care of you, Bunny. And you need to let me without askin' about how much it cost all the time. That ain't your problem, okay?"
The tone of his voice made her body get warm. Instead of verbally answering him, she just nodded her head in fear that if she did say something it would be something that neither one expected.
Eventually she slid the ring onto her ring finger on her right hand and it was a perfect fit. But of course it was. He probably had sneakily gotten her ring size months ago.
She stared at it for several seconds before giving the kind of smile tha treached her eyes. Then she looked at him with twinkling eyes.
"I got your gift too. It's in the car 'cause I can't bring it up by myself. It's heavy."
"What'd you buy me, woman?" He raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
"You gotta go get it."
A few minutes later they were outside in the cold. Annie stood beside him in her new coat while he opened her trunk. Inside was a large gift box.
He carried it back into the apartment upstairs and set it down beside the couch.
Annie sat down on the couch and sighed as she looked at the box.
"I got this because Mama told me you didn't know what you really wanted to do, but you like workin' with your hands and fixin' things. So I'd figured you'd like this."
Elijah opened the lid to see a professional mechanic's toolkit. And it wasn't one of the cheap sets either. It was a Proto set. He ran his fingers over the polished metal while she looked on nervously.
"I picked it out myself. I did have to ask around a little for help, but I think I got the right stuff."
"You did just fine, Bunny. I really like it."
"You do?" Relief immediately washed over her face.
"Yeah."
He laughed softly the reached over and pulled her into his lap. Annie squealed at the movement. Elijah pressed a kiss to the side of her head.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome, baby."
He smiled and gave her a sweet kiss on the lips. When they pulled away Annie stared into his eyes.
"I checked your mail earlier and saw that you got a letter from your brother."
She slid off his lap, walked to the small table in the corner, and grabbed the envelope. She returned back to her spot in his lap.
"You wanna read it?"
"Don't matter," Elijah shrugged.
But Annie knew him well enough by now to know he wanted to hear it.
"I'll take that as a yes."
Carefully, she opened the envelope and pulled out several folded sheets of paper. She dramtically cleared her throat and began reading out loud.
Most of the first page was Stack just talking about anything like the people he'd met and the random arguments he'd gotten into. Though Annie had never met Stack before, she found herself smiling because it felt like she was getting a picture of him through his words. He was clearly different than Elijah. He seemed loud and reckless, but funny and charismatic.
When she got to the next page, she started reading about all the women he'd been with. She slightly lowered the paper and looked at Elijah.
"You got something to say?"
"Nope."
"You judging my brother?"
"I'm not, just seeing if this how you was."
Elijah sucked his teeth, "Woman you know me well enough to know that ain't what I do."
The next page shifted into stories about his gambling ventures and how shook several men for money. He'd become so invested in it, but it seemed to be working out for him.
"I don't think I like your twin too much," Annie shook her head.
"He's fine, just gotta let him settle in and you'll get used to him."
"Don't think I would."
"You would."
She continued reading despite her protests. Halfway through the next page she instinctively took to reading it in her head, but Elijah tried to peek at the words forcing her to go to reading it out loud again.
"How that dream girl doing? You ain't said much beside 'she's real'. If she's so real then tell me something about her. What's her name? What she do? What's she like? If she's worth writing about then you write about her. If she ain't, stop talking about her."
Annie's eyes slowly lifted. Elijah was avoiding looking directly at her, which told her everything.
She finished the rest of the letter which was mostly Stack asking questions about Baltimore and whether Elijah planned on staying there permanently, and work. Then the letter ended.
"Have you been writing about me?" Annie carefully folded the papers together.Elijah finally met her eyes.
"'Course I have. That's my twin. He know everything about me and I know everything about him. This the longest we been apart, and I had to tell him about the woman that's changed my life," the answer came easy for him.
"Can't believe you lasted this long away from him."
"I spent my whole life taking care of him. And I'd do it again. But if being apart from him now meant finding you, then I'd make that trade every time. I love you, Bunny and he should know that."
The emotion hit Annie hard. Her eyes watered as she leaned down a bit to kiss him. When she pulled back, she stayed close enough that their foreheads almost touched. Her eyes searched his and whatever she found there made her smile.
"I love you too."
Annie laughed softly at his expression.
"I'm in love with you."
His eyes lit up and the smile that spread across his face was the most brightest and boyish smile she'd ever seen him have. It was the smile he rarely showed anybody else, besides maybe Stack. Annie realized she'd never seen Elijah look happier than he did right then.
end notes: so question for the people that make it this far...when do y'all think their first time is gonna be? i, of course, know. but i'm curious when y'all think it will be. especially if you've caught all of annie's little hints that maybe's she might be more ready than we think...
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