Three

A Week Later

 

“It’s your turn Rach, strike ‘em out doll.”

There was something calmly familiar yet unnerving about the many faces Justin spotted the moment he set foot inside of the brightly illuminated bowling alley and pool hall. He wasn’t sure if he was ready for this but there really was no turning back now. He had gone along with Rachel’s suggestion and offered to bring Kenisha with him on their traditional weekly outing. He made plans with Kenisha when she stopped by the DVD store during the week and now here they were strutting in hand in hand.

The first thing Justin heard and noticed was his and Rachel’s long time friend Trace Ayala coaxing Rachel to make a strike. It was soon followed by an uproar of hoots and hollers as the small group claimed the attention of practically everyone in the bowling alley. They were regulars so they got special treatment.  And, they never went unnoticed.

Justin didn’t think that this was the best environment for a second date…or first, he wasn’t sure exactly. Taking one quick glance at Kenisha whose attention was focused on Rachel as she picked up her bowling ball, Justin smiled lightly as he took in her long dark skinny jeans and sleeveless baby blue top. He loved that color and it looked good on her. He wondered if she even knew that was his favorite color. Either way, she looked amazing and her dark thick hair was down on her shoulders bringing out her gorgeous brown eyes. He really had it bad for this girl and he prayed that his friends wouldn’t ruin things for him.

They had a reputation, one which Justin himself was part of, but he hoped by some form of miracle their bad ways would not be unleashed tonight. Unfortunately, luck was never on his side.

“Ready?” Justin whispered in Kenisha’s ear. “They’re right over there…you’re looking right at them.” He mentioned while pointing over to Rachel just as she released her ball and it went sailing down the lane.

“Strike! Yes!” Rachel belted before jumping up and down and doing a little victory dance in her cargo shorts and thin strapped red top.

“Lucky shot!” One of their other friends said bitterly and Justin chuckled softly as he and Kenisha approached them.

They hadn’t noticed him yet and he was thankful for that.

Turning to look at Justin as he stood tall and hovered, Kenisha swallowed feeling slightly nervous. Was it too soon to meet the people he held dear to him? What if her and Justin didn’t work out? She didn’t know what to think but she hoped his friends liked her because she was sure that they were all major influences on Justin.

Tugging on his long sleeved t-shirt, Justin fixed his black fitted cap on his head then stuffed his car keys in one of his jeans pockets.

As if on cue, the jingling of his keys grabbed Trace’s attention and the shorter man with short dark blonde hair whipped in Justin and Kenisha’s direction. His eyes lit up like a Christmas tree when he noticed Justin.

“Hey guys! Justin and company are here!” Trace announced before taking a swig of his beer and ambling over to Justin who released Kenisha’s hand to give his friend a manly hug.

“Dude! Took you long enough.” Trace smirked while patting Justin’s back harshly before pulling away.

“Yeah, sorry we’re a little late.” Justin replied through slight coughs from Trace’s roughness.

“It’s all good; we teamed up already so you’re sitting this one out. You can join us when we head over to the pool tables.” Trace voiced and Justin nodded in understanding.

“Oh, T, this is my uh…” Justin drifted off as he eyed Kenisha not quite knowing what to call her exactly. Quickly catching himself, he decided to roll with it. “This is my girl Kenisha, Kenisha this is one of my best friends Trace.” Justin said smoothly and Kenisha smiled while shaking Trace’s hand.

“Pleasure to meet you Trace.” She beamed and Justin smiled as well, ignoring the curious glare Trace was shooting in his direction.

“How did I not know that you had a girl Justin?” Trace asked suspiciously and Justin’s face instantly fell.

“Well…”

“We’re dating…” Kenisha cut him off. “We’re not official or anything but, we’re getting there.” She looked up at Justin with a warm smile and he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Yeah, we’re taking it slow so back of T man.” Justin snapped playfully but Trace was far from backing off. He wanted to know why he wasn’t in the loop about this budding relationship and planned on getting the answers to his many questions before the night was over.

“Oh Kenisha hi!”

Rachel was the next person to make her way over to them, pulling Kenisha into a quick unsuspecting hug. “I’m Rachel by the way, Justin’s cousin.” She smiled and Kenisha giggled in response.

“Nice to meet you Rachel.” Kenisha beamed brightly, still giggling and Rachel eyed her funny.

“Uh ok then.” Rachel dragged out, looking at Justin curiously.

“Sorry Rach…we just have this uh inside joke.” Justin quickly caught on, his cheeks turning a bright shade of pink.

“About me?” Rachel asked incredulously. “Whatever Justin said, it’s all a lie.” She quickly added in to Kenisha causing her giggles to increase in volume.

“He didn’t say anything bad…err…yeah.” Kenisha voiced as she remembered the night Justin came over to her house to watch the movies she rented. She wasn’t about to tell Rachel that she mistook her for Justin’s girlfriend when he spoke about her. If Justin wanted her to know, he’d tell her himself.

“Huh…” Rachel smiled, brushing it off as she looked between the pair. “Well, come on, let me introduce you to everyone else.” Rachel quickly piped in, gripping Kenisha by the hand and pulling her away from Justin.

When they were gone, Justin sighed contently, gazing at Kenisha before he made a step to follow only to be blocked off by Trace.

“Out of my way midget.” Justin snickered, but Trace wasn’t smiling.

“How long has this little…relationship been going on and why didn’t I know about it?” Trace asked suspiciously.

Shifting his weight on his feet uneasily, Justin ripped his eyes off of Rachel and Kenisha to glare at Trace. “What do you mean? She’s a friend and…”

“No Justin, cut the bull. Rachel knows about her…Rach said you had a date last week; we didn’t believe it but now you show up with her and while I think she’s hot, it’s not like you to ditch us and keep us in the dark. We’re your friends Justin.” Trace scolded him but Justin didn’t want to hear it.

“T, Rachel knows because she’s my cousin and she’s a girl. You all would have just teased my ass and, I wasn’t up for the pressure because if you all knew, you would have been popping into my job embarrassing me. I wasn’t about to let you all scare Kenisha away.” Justin hissed back causing Trace to scowl.

“Whatever man, I just think it tanks that you couldn’t trust us with this. Bros before…” But Justin interrupted immediately.

“Don’t even think about finishing that sentence. Kenisha’s not like that ok?”

“You really like her don’t you?” Trace spoke up, his eyes shining with mischief.

“Yes, so can you all please not embarrass me tonight?”

Raising his hands in defeat, Trace sighed before turning to look at their small group of friends. “Fine, you won’t have to worry about me, but the others…well that’s another story.” Trace chuckled heartily and Justin groaned while rubbing the back of his neck.

“Shit, I know. I can only hope for the best.”

“One more thing though.”

“What Trace?” Justin asked feeling annoyed with Trace’s interrogation.

“Chill out man. You’re way too tense. But anyway…what do you mean that Rachel’s a girl? What does that have to do with you not telling us about Kenisha?”

Oh no. Why did he have to ask him that? What was he supposed to say to that? Justin couldn’t tell Trace about his little ‘secret.’ What would they think of him then? He always played it off…always made it look like he was just as sexually active as they were. He even joined in their stories and gave his own fake tales of getting laid. Rachel was the only one who knew. She was the only one Justin could trust with advice about Kenisha but he couldn’t tell Trace that. He’d never survive the merciless teasing.

Swallowing, Justin shrugged. “Because, Rachel knows what women like; she is one T. She could help me out with Kenisha you know? Give advice?”

“And you’re depending on Rachel for that?” Trace laughed out and Justin rolled his eyes with a smile on his face.

“You better not let her hear you.”

“Yeah whatever.” Trace waved his hand dismissively. “So have you hit it yet?”

“Hit? Hit what?”

“You know…your new girl toy. You fuck her yet or what?” Trace whispered and Justin groaned in annoyance.

“Why do you have to be so graphic about it? She’s not a toy…and no.”

“Well you better get on that. Girl is fine man.” Trace patted Justin’s shoulder grinning at him and Justin forced back a smile, deciding to end the conversation before it went further.

“All good things come to those who wait. Come on man, let’s go join the others.” Justin stated, walking away from Trace, not giving him a chance to reply.

And just like that, the entire issue was forgotten, for now at least.

 

*****

Later…

 

“Lucky win!” Mitch, one of Justin’s friends bellowed when Justin sunk his last ball winning their game of pool.

“I don’t think so.” Justin replied with a smug smile, his brows arched in amusement at Mitch’s distress from his loss. He was always a sore loser.

Groaning, Mitch dropped his pool stick before flipping Justin off who simply chuckled in return. The five guys were actually around the pool table gathering their winnings after placing bets on the game Justin and Mitch just played. It was innocent fun for them but always ended up with someone being sore and angry in the end. Justin never understood why they did it if it meant someone always felt cheated but they never complained about it. They just always hoped that they would be on the winning side.

Kenisha sat with Rachel at one of the booths watching the men play as they chatted casually and sipped on their drinks. So far, the night was going well and Kenisha found Justin’s friends to be quite the colorful bunch. Rachel thanked her for saving her from being the only female surrounded by the guys because there was only so much she could take. Kenisha laughed heartily, not minding that she was Rachel’s savior as she studied the other three men who crowded the pool table with Justin and Trace.

Mitch was the tall, dark and handsome type with deep brunette hair, green eyes an athletic build and a few tattoos which brought out the subtle bad boy side in him. Trevor on the other hand was pure Latin with raven hair and an electric smile that always made the ladies swoon. Kip who was the last in Justin’s group of friends was simple, average and clearly the clown of the group. At first, Kenisha thought Trace was the comedian, but she later realized that Kip had him beat. His personality was magnetic and he wasn’t a bad looking guy either with his spiky blonde hair and boyish looks. Kenisha realized that she immediately liked Justin’s friends and they welcomed her into their circle with open arms. They were growing on her and she loved it because if they approved of her, then that meant she was one step closer to actually making Justin hers. Yeah, it was true…she was feeling that boy even with his shy, sometimes nervous self.

Getting lost in watching the men interact, Kenisha released a soft sigh, not realizing that Rachel was trying to get her attention until Rachel cleared her throat loudly and awkwardly.

“I take it you like my cousin a lot huh?” Rachel asked in a hushed tone, leaning over the table to look at Kenisha.

“Huh? What? Oh, it’s that obvious?” Kenisha blushed, looking away, diverting her attention to Justin who caught her sight and smiled warmly at her.

“Oh it’s like slapping a red sign on your head that says ‘I’m in love look at me!’” Rachel giggled and Kenisha laughed as well figuring it might be true.

“Yeah but Justin he’s just so…” Kenisha searched for the right words as she watched him laughing at something Mitch said.

“Different?” Rachel supplied and the tone of her voice caught Kenisha’s ear.

“Yeah, he’s not like other guys I’ve ever met. I’m not sure how I should feel about that. He’s so shy and reserved and respectful, it’s almost unreal.”

Rachel sighed, taking in the intense glare Kenisha was shooting her way. Rachel thought about telling Kenisha just why Justin was the way he was. But she decided against it. Justin trusted her and she wasn’t about to break his trust. But, she hoped that he’d be able to trust Kenisha enough to tell her himself just how ‘different’ he really was.

“My cousin…Justin…he’s a really good guy Kenisha. Trust me when I say he’d treat you right and give you the world but just be patient with him and give him a chance. Don’t run away at the first sign of trouble, work through it.” Rachel supplied, patting Kenisha’s hand affectionately.

Both women shared a small smile, the moment between them magnifying as they bonded. Kenisha didn’t know exactly what Rachel meant by her words but she was thankful for the small advice.

Their moment was quickly interrupted though when all the guys came over to where they were sitting at one of the booths to join them. Justin slid in next to Kenisha with Trace at his other side. Mitch and Trevor slid in next to Rachel and Kip grabbed a chair to join the group.

“So did you ladies see how I killed Mitch out there in pool?” Justin spoke proudly, turning to Kenisha to see her reaction.

Snickering, she nodded, giving Mitch an apologetic glare who was shooting death glares at Justin.

“I want a rematch son.” Mitch spat out, his New York accent evident.

“I’ll still cream you again tats…” Justin supplied, using his nickname for his friend.

“Unlikely.” Mitch growled before signaling a waiter over.

“So Kenisha, I know we just met and all and I don’t mean to be rude but uh…” Drifting, Kip rubbed his chin pretending to be in thought. “What on earth were you thinking?” He finally asked, laughing and causing Trace to laugh out at well.

Justin glared at Kip with horror written on his face because he knew where this was going.

“I’m sorry what?” Kenisha asked feeling out of the loop.

“Justin…what the hell were you thinking hooking up with him? No offence bro.” Kip quipped, arching a brow when Justin growled angrily.

“Kip, behave.” Rachel scolded, but Kip ignored her.

“A round of beers!” Mitch hollered to the waiter when he came over before he proceeded to listen to his friends little exchange.

“I’m not sure I know what you mean Kip. I don’t see anything wrong with Justin.” Kenisha defended, matching Kip’s challenging stare.

Smirking, he fixed his seating position and diverted all of his attention on Kenisha.

“I mean, he’s my friend but seriously, he’s a nerd. He’s a computer freak and thinks that time well spent is at home in front of his play station 3. That’s not very exciting is it?” Kip joked, loving when he got a rise from Justin.

He and Justin were always known for going back and forth with each other and this was the perfect moment to target Justin. After all Kenisha was new prey and it was a while since Justin brought a girl around his friends. Mainly for this exact reason. Sometimes things got ugly and Justin never understood why he kept them as his friends but it was obvious. Even with all their merciless stabbing, they still had his back and that was never going to change.

“Oh well uh…” Kenisha was searching for the right words to say, her hand dipping underneath the table to grip Justin’s hand when she felt him tense next to her. “I happen to think that’s sexy actually Kip.” Kenisha winked and Kip’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Really? That’s a first.” Kip laughed, slightly disappointed that his attack didn’t work.

Justin sighed heavily, locking eyes with Rachel to help him out. If they started now, it would turn bad soon and he didn’t want Kenisha to witness a true display of how unruly they got.

Trace who was silent kept glaring at Justin in suspicion feeling like there was something he wasn’t telling him. For all the stories he ever heard Justin say about past girls and his conquests, he sure wanted to make a good impression on Kenisha.

“So why exactly are you guys together and how did it happen?” Trevor spoke up and Mitch chuckled, a smug look forming on his face.

“Yeah, you could have any one of us which is a much better pick without a doubt. So why tech over there?” Mitch asked, using his nickname for Justin.

“Tech?” Kenisha asked amused, ignoring Tevor's question and Justin groaned, passing his palms over his face to clear his nerves.

“Yeah.” Justin whispered faintly, slight embarrassment creeping up on him.

“It’s cute.” Kenisha giggled, nudging him playfully and he smiled at her weakly.

She knew he was worried about his friends embarrassing him but she was going to make him see that he didn’t have anything to worry about. She liked him for him and that was all that mattered.

“Thanks.” Justin blushed slightly and Mitch frowned.

“What the fuck are you blushing J?” Mitch asked, leaning over to get a better look at Justin. “Holy shit you are aren’t you?” Mitch cracked up and everyone at the booth laughed as well except Rachel and Justin who didn’t find it funny. Kenisha couldn’t help but giggle but if she only knew. “This is new and I hope you know we will never let you forget this.” Mitch added in and Trevor and Kip nodded in return, finding it funny that their friend was this smitten with a girl...

 

 

It wasn’t long before their round of beers arrived and everyone took at least one drink as the group sat around and continued to chat idly for the next few hours.

Over the course of the night, the guys never hesitated to take little jabs and stabs at Justin just for the heck of it. He knew it was all in clean fun because that’s how they were and it was clear that they accepted Kenisha into their group, but their attacks were affecting Justin a lot more than he wanted to admit.

He felt exposed and vulnerable and didn’t know how much more he could take before he exploded on one or all of them.

Thankfully, Rachel noticed his distress because she chose to save him by changing the topic just as everyone was getting ready to leave.

“So I’ll be having my birthday party soon. You guys have to help me plan it.” She voiced, walking next to Kenisha as everyone made their way to the exit after a fun night of games and drinks.

“Sure Rach.” Justin breathed.

Rachel received a series of ‘yes’ from everyone else except Kenisha who was too busy studying Justin’s tense body language.

“You’ll come too won’t you Kenisha?” Rachel asked hopefully and Kenisha turned to look at her.

“Sure Rachel, thanks for inviting me.” Kenisha beamed happily.

“Great. Well it was nice meeting you. I’ll see you soon.” Rachel hugged her briefly then moved to tell everyone else bye before she voiced she’d be in touch and headed out to her car.

Kenisha and Justin then proceeded to tell the guys bye who apologized if they offended Kenisha in any way by their teasing but she assured them it was fine and in good fun. Justin couldn’t agree with that but he remained silent, telling them all goodbye including Trace who was eyeing them strangely the entire night.

When they were gone, Justin turned to stare at Kenisha with heavy eyes.

“I'm so sorry about that.” He smiled sheepishly. “They’re jerks.” He confirmed as she gripped his hand, leading him to their ride.

“It’s fine. I like them.” She assured.

“You shouldn’t, they’re assholes, but ok.” Justin laughed with her as they got to his car.

“I had fun Justin, thank you for inviting me.”

“You’re welcome. Thanks for coming.” Justin smiled, moving to stand in front of Kenisha at the passenger’s door of his ride.

Leaning down, his deep blues searched her browns, his heartbeat suddenly increasing when he realized how close they were.

“You should maybe take me home now.” She voiced. “I’ll be sure to visit you in work…I’ll stop by tomorrow?” She suggested and Justin nodded dumbly still staring at her.

“Ok…” He muttered spaced out, his blues traveling over her face until they landed at her lips.

Damn he wanted to kiss her so bad right now. What the hell was his problem? Why was he doing this to himself? She was only going to run away…just like the rest. Yes, there were others who felt it wasn’t their duty to ‘teach’ him since he should already be experienced. God women were so evil sometimes…but something about Kenisha pulled him in and now, now he was falling so hard he was terrified of what that meant for them.

“Justin?” Kenisha whispered, his smoldering blues threatening to make her melt under their glare. Lifting her hand up, she placed it on his chest, feeling the thumping of his heart through his shirt. “If you want to kiss me then…just do it.” She voiced shyly and Justin’s eyes widened.

He was about to back up to give them some space but Kenisha stopped him, taking fistfuls of his shirt before she pulled him down to her level unexpectedly, planting her lips firmly against his.

Gasping, Justin’s hands flew to rest on the surface of his car on either side of her head so he could keep his balance and not crash into her.

Before he could protest, he felt her soft sweet lips against his. Before he could think, she was kissing him, deeply, passionately and before he could breathe, her tongue was down his throat scrambling his thought processes.

Groaning into the kiss, Justin relaxed, slowly kissing Kenisha back, his mind screaming at him that this was actually happening. Wait, what? How did they get here? Why was he asking himself such a stupid question? Who cared? This was actually happening!

After gathering his bearings, Justin slowly took over, the physical connection between then sending electrical pulses through his body. His hands dropped and gripped Kenisha around her waist, pulling her body into his. He didn’t care that they were out in the open in the parking lot in front of the bowling alley.

All he cared about was the woman in his arms who was kissing the life out of him with everything she had, making him go weak. Damn she was amazing.

Kenisha moaned softly into the kiss, not wanting to stop, not wanting it to end. Justin was driving her crazy and he tasted like beer mixed with mint. God he was delicious. She couldn’t stop kissing him. Their tongues swirled with each other and their breathing deepened; the heat between them was almost unbearable.

It wasn’t long before Justin felt that rush of blood flowing throw his groin sending the warning signals off in his head. Reluctantly, he slowly pulled away from Kenisha, ending their kiss, still a little stunned that she initiated it in the first place.

Licking at his swollen lips, Justin glared at her through glazed eyes, a lazy smile pulling on his lips. “That was…” But he drifted, not able to finish his statement. Words couldn’t describe what he was feeling.

Smiling brightly, Kenisha tip-toed to place a soft kiss on his lips before gripping his hand and pulling him away from the door of the car so she could open it.

“Let’s go home.” She voiced and Justin shook his head, still in a daze.

“Yeah…yeah…home…right…” He muttered mindlessly, fishing for his keys in his jeans pocket before he rushed over to the driver’s side just as Kenisha got in and buckled up her seatbelt.

As they made it out of the parking lot and into the street driving in silence, Justin couldn’t help but think about that kiss they shared. Hopefully, if everything went his way, maybe he’d finally get more than that but he wasn’t about to rush anything. He was just happy that he could actually have someone he cared about care just as much for him, or at least he hoped that Kenisha did.

Little did he know that she was sharing almost the exact same feelings...

Click Here to visit the story on the archive to see character photos of Mitch, Kip and Trevor

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