Behave, he thought to himself. This ain’t that. He knew he shouldn’t even be in her proximity. There was too much at stake for him to risk being this close to her, this close to the dirt he had done, but Alani was like a flame and Ethic was her moth. It wasn’t the obvious things that attracted him to her. Her body was average. It was beautiful, but far from perfect, and evidence of her motherhood was present on her hips and thighs. He would bet his last that stretch marks covered her ample behind. It was exquisite, but her small waist let him know that her thickness had been a side effect of child birth. The modest, maxi dress she wore looked like lingerie wrapped around an ass like that. It sat on top of thighs that were made for wrapping around a man’s back. Her waist was thin, and her face was pretty. Ethic was a man in position, so he had attracted prettier, but prettier had never attracted him. Her vibe was refreshing, it was authentic, and he was swimming in troubled waters. It was the little things about her that he appreciated. Her domesticity was refreshing to a man that lacked it. She didn’t want to be on the scene, eating 100-dollar dinners. She had invited him to her home, prepared the meal herself - or so he thought - and was now putting leftovers in old, Country Crock bowls and using aluminum foil to cover them. She was a black woman, making shit work, and the sight of her made Ethic’s dick hard. He wanted to lift her dress, take her from behind, and put babies in her because she was the type of woman that raised children well. Then, he remembered he had robbed her of that opportunity. His eyes shot to the living room floor - to the blood stains - and his guilt burdened him. He was disrespectful for even coming back. He stood.

“It’s getting late,” he said, as he walked up behind her, as she placed all the dirty dishes into the sink.

“Yeah, my aunt will be back soon. I guess we should call it a night,” she replied. She cut off the water and turned to face him, instantly noticing his disposition had changed. He had opened up to her over the past few hours, but she could see that he had restored his guard. “I’ll walk you out.” She saw Ethic to the door and he went into his pocket to pull out his wallet. He opened it and removed ten $100 bills. He placed it on the hutch that sat near the door.

“To replace the money you spent on the groceries to prepare this meal. Thank you,” he said.

“Ethic, that’s not necessary,” she declined.