Chapter six

A week had passed without much change. The main focus for me was getting my project done with Brooklyn and Chris as the deadline was steadily approaching. It was currently lunch time at sixth form. I glanced around the playground, enjoying the nice weather; it was so rare for Britain to be this warm in May, usually, it would rain endlessly. The girls were busy chatting about the latest Eastenders episode but I wasn't interested. I noticed Shanay was scoping the playground as if she was distracted by something.

"You okay, cupcake?"

Shanay turned to me with a frown. "You seen Chris?"

I shrugged in return. "Last time I saw him he was bunking maths. He should be around somewhere, though."

Grace pointed across the way. "He's in that corner over there."

Shanay grabbed her Just Do It bag and slung it over her shoulder, determination on her face. I stood up from the bench.

"What's wrong?"

"Apparently Hayden told him something about me. I wanna know what it is."

Grace and Natalie raised a brow. "Him and Chris know each other?"

"Chris knows everyone to be fair," I reasoned with a shrug. Shanay began to walk off so I decided to follow her, letting the other girls know that we'd be back. I caught up to Shanay, who seemed distressed. "Hayden's your man, I doubt he said anything bad."

"We've been on and off lately. He's close with Chris so they tell each other everything. What if he's cheating on me?"

"You're just thinking of the worst possible scenario. Calm down."

Shanay rolled her eyes and we eventually approached Chris. He and the mandem were chilling on the wall where the year elevens usually relaxed. I guess they decided to make this spot their territory since it had the most shade. I spotted Chris in the middle of the bunch, right beside Gavin, eating a packet of Oreos. I beelined to him straight away.

"I want one!" I grinned, sitting on his lap and helping myself to one. Chris laughed and fed me another. I've always felt comfortable around Chris; I was one of his favourites and he always shared his food with me. Despite him and Grace seeing each other, that didn't stop us from being affectionate, he was the closest male friend I had. The rest of them can fuck off.

"What you girls saying?" Derren asked. He was shuffling a pack of cards. I realised they were about to play Black Jack.

"Nothing much," I shrugged. "It's too hot to function."

"Want some water?" Chris grabbed an Evian bottle from his pouch. I kindly accepted his offer and took a few gulps before handing it back to him.

"Thanks, boo."

"Come sit on my lap, Becc's." Another guy, Elijah, smirked at me. 

I simply smiled back. "I don't sit on trash."

The boys laughed and Elijah screwed.

Warren pulled Shanay closer by the wrist. "You're getting thicker, y'know. Is it that relationship weight?"

Shanay dragged her hand from his grip. "Whatever, man."

Warren chuckled. "Why are you vex? That's a good ting."

"Chris, I wanna talk to you," Shan stated firmly, completely ignoring Warren's comment. 

"Proceed, young one," he said as I fed him an Oreo.

"Privately."

Chris laughed. "Anything you wanna say, you gotta say it in front of my boys." They all nodded in agreement. 

Shanay glanced at me and I shrugged, not able to help in this situation. She sighed in defeat before continuing: "Hayden spoke to you the other day, I want to know what he said."

Chris rubbed his chin in mock thought. "That's a bit snakey, don't you think?"

"Only if it's a bad thing."

"Well for starters, he said you were shit at head." All the boys started cackling. I slapped Chris firmly on the chest. "Ow!"

"Don't be rude," I scorned him.

He rubbed his pectoral and laughed. "Nah, I'm joking.  I can't tell you, though. I don't chat other people's business, Shan."

Shanay stomped her foot, becoming even more agitated. "Is he cheating on me?"

He raised a brow and all the other boys fell silent. "What?"

"He's been acting dodgy all week. If that's something he's told you, I have a right to know."

Chris whistled and laughed awkwardly. "Yo, chill. It was nothing like that."

Shanay's body relaxed a little. "Then what was it?"

"Nothing important."

"If it wasn't important you'd tell her, Chris," I cut in, crunching on another Oreo. These biscuits were the best.

Chris rolled his eyes. "You girls are so paranoid, man. Alright, I'll tell you later. Too many snakes about," he muttered as he eyed Isaac, who screwed in return.

"What the fuck does that mean?"

"I don't trust you. You're alway's hating on man, gotta watch out for you." The boys laughed and Isaac gave him the finger.

Gavin nudged me gently. "We're all coming Footlocker later. You gonna be there?"

I laughed at the determination. "Yeah, but you're still not getting a discount."

Shanay sighed and turned away, heading back to our seat. I quickly stood up from Chris' lap, but he grabbed my arm.

"Tell Grace to meet me after school," he said. 

I nodded. "Okay. Bye guys," I waved and they all called after me as I walked off. I munched on my last Oreo and sat back down on the bench. Shanay was irritated at this point, and she quietly stayed on her phone, not wanting to talk about it.

"How did it go?" Natalie asked.

I shrugged. "It was a minor thing. Oh yeah, Grace, Chris said to meet him after school."

Grace nodded and continued tapping around on her phone.

The sudden vibration in my pocket made me sigh. I was too hot to deal with phone calls! I glanced at my phone and noticed the caller I.D. I couldn't help but smile before answering. "Hey."

"You alright?"

"Not too bad. What about you?"

"Same old. How's sixth form? Have you done the filming for Media yet?"

I groaned. "Ugh, not yet. We decided to do it another day. It's way too hot."

Kayden chuckled. "The weather's nice, what do you mean? How can you be from Yard and not be able to handle the heat?"

"Do I live in Jamaica though? You prick." He laughed and I glanced up to see the girls watching me. Even Shanay looked intrigued. "What?"

"Is that Kayden again?" Natalie questioned with a smirk. I rolled my eyes and that gave them enough indication to start getting excited.

"His voice is too sexy."

"I love him!"

"I beg you put him on speaker!"

I sighed heavily before switching the call to loudspeaker. "Kayden," I muttered, making sure he was still there.

"Yeah?" he replied. They all squealed at that alone.

"You're on speaker, they wanted to hear your voice again."

He was hardly fazed, already used to the fangirling. "That's cool. You alright, girls?"

"Yeah!"

"Enjoying the heat?"

Natalie grabbed the phone from me. She was definitely his biggest fan. "Yeah, we're all chilling. Where are you?"

"Out and about."

"You should pass through when we finish."

I quickly yanked the phone back. "I think the fuck not." The girls started cackling like the true witches they were. "Sorry about that."

Kayden laughed. "Don't be. Your friends are cool."

Grace fanned herself. "You know you have a nice voice," she commented.

"Grace!" I yelled in surprise. "Settle down, you have Chris."

Shanay laughed. "It's true, though. He really does."

I watched her in shock. "And you have Hayden."

Natalie raised her hand. "I'm single so I'm allowed to have him."

Kayden perked up at that. "Who said that? Natalie?"

She got excited again. "Yeah, it's me."

Kayden hummed through the phone. "So you're single, yeah? We can make something work." 

She started screaming like she'd won the lottery. 

My brow twitched. "Okay, he's coming off speaker now." They all protested but I couldn't care less. When the speaker was turned off I went back to my conversation, ignoring their hateful glares. "You really have fans."

"Well, what can I say?

"Shut up, you player. What did you want, anyway?"

"You gonna be at work later?"

"Yeah, I'm closing with Nathan."

"And me."

I raised a brow. "But you're off today."

"Nah, I'm doing overtime this week."

"Great," I mumbled sarcastically. 

His chuckle was deep. "I'm coming to yours after."

"Good luck getting through my front door."

"I won't need it. You'll let me in."

He was so sure of himself! And he was absolutely right; he had already been round three times so far, so who's to say I wouldn't let him in a fourth time? Damn Kayden and his sexy confidence.

"Anyway, I'm gone. See you at work."

"Sure. Until then, bitch boy." He kissed his teeth and locked off. I laughed to myself and put my phone away. The girls were still watching me. "You all need to stop doing that," I muttered.

"What did he say?" Shan asked.

"He'll see me at work and then he's coming to my house after." They all gave each other sly glances that I easily picked up on. "What now?"

"You two are getting a bit close," Grace said with a suggestive smile.

I could already tell what she was getting at. "He's just a work friend."

"He's been going to your house every other day since last week. What's that about?" Natalie asked.

I scoffed, literally feeling sick at their imminent assumption. The only one who was on my side was Brooklyn, but she couldn't be here to defend me since she was currently ill with the flu. "He's a cool guy to chill with, there's nothing going on."

"Are you sure?" Shan goaded.

"Listen, we're just friends."

"But he stays in your room all the time," Nat said, stroking her chin.

"All we do is watch TV and listen to music," I defended.

Grace hummed in thought. "I wonder what Leon has to say about all this."

"Fuck Leon."

Shanay gasped dramatically and the other two laughed. It was true, though. I wholeheartedly stood by that statement. Leon can honestly go suck himself through a straw. I can't remember the last time I'd seen that guy, let alone heard from him. That was one of the reasons I gave Kayden so much of my time. We clicked more on certain things and he was good at holding a conversation, not to mention his sense of humour was amazing. He was an all-round calm guy, which was why I didn't mind chilling with him most days. 

The only issue was the mild flirting he still did. It wasn't as intense as before, but he would make certain comments to suggest his attraction for me. It was hard, though, because I found him attractive as well. Even so, nothing's happened between us. Although Kayden was a horny guy, he was respectful of the fact that I had a boyfriend, so he never took it any further then teasing me with certain things. He was so good-looking, though. Sometimes I found myself staring at him, just admiring his strong jaw and distinct features. He hasn't caught me looking yet, thank God.

Anyway, he was just a friend.

Fuck Leon.

*

I was on the bus heading to work. The bus was packed with sweaty bodies, which didn't help the humidity. Even when I stepped off the bus, hopeful for some fresh air, I was disappointed at how thick and stuffy the atmosphere was. Sunny days are usually a blessing, but not when there was no breeze to accompany it. 

I decided to pop into McDonald's for a vanilla milkshake. After paying, I turned to leave and headed for the door.

"Oi!"

I continued walking until I heard another remark.

"Brownin' with the curly hair!"

I stopped and turned to a table full of rowdy black boys. They were ogling me like a pack of wild dogs.

"What?" I retorted.

The one wearing the thickest puffer jacket smiled at me, his gold tooth shining. "I was calling you, b."

"I don't remember oi being on my birth certificate." 

They all laughed uproariously and Gold Tooth smirked. "You're funny. Sexy, too. You got a man?"

"Yes, so leave me alone."

"Don't be like that. He can't let you have friends?"

"I don't need any more friends. Thanks for the offer, though." With that, I smiled sweetly and left. I could still hear them as I crossed the road. 

I got to work and put my belongings away before heading to the shop floor, still with my milkshake in hand. It wasn't exactly professional, but the weather was disgusting today and I needed to stay hydrated. Herman couldn't tell me anything really. I was a female don, so he had to respect it.

Two hours dragged by and I was insanely bored. Delivery had been done so all we had to do was general customer service. I was currently serving on tills with Stacey, who I hadn't worked with for quite a while. It was nice to see her again. Every time we met, she had a different hairstyle and a new story to tell.

"Are you serious? Your auntie has nine kids?"

Stacey nodded, laughing at my expression. "All for the same guy."

I whistled in awe. "She must be exhausted."

"Most times, yeah. But now the older ones look after the younger ones."

"She must own an amazing house."

"She does. It's much cheaper in Manchester. Bloody cheap."

"I might have to move and start my life again."

Just then I saw Gavin, Chris, and a few others walk through the entrance. I remember Gavin telling me earlier that they were going to stop by, but I didn't take it seriously. I guess they were serious about this nonexistent discount. 

Derren spotted me straight away and gave a nod. "Yo, Becc's."

All the guys turned to the counter and started heading our way. Stacey tensed up.

"You know all of them?" she whispered in concern.

"They go to my sixth form."

She swallowed hard. "Oh..."

I noticed how nervous she was and laughed. "Don't worry, they're nice. They won't bite."

As soon as I said that, Jonathan came closer, eyeing her up. "Who's this, Becc's?"

"Her name's Stacey."

"Yeah, she's looking kinda nice."

I raised a brow. "You're talking as if she's not standing right there."

Jonathan couldn't take his eyes off her. "What you sayin'?"

Stacey gave an anxious smile and quietly greeted him before turning to me. "I'm going to the stock room."

I laughed. "I don't blame you."

She quickly left the till and used her fob to go to the back. Jonathan watched as she left.

"I'm gonna get her," he decided there and then.

"Yo, chill. She's not interested," Chris warned him, pushing him aside to stand by the till. He gave a curt nod. "How's work?"

"Well, it was fine until you hoodlums showed up."

Gavin appeared right beside Chris as usual. "Allow us, Becc's. We're just here to look about."

"There's like nine of you so don't do anything stupid."

Warren chuckled. "What, like steal? Rate us a bit."

"Check you out in your uniform, though." Chris eyed me up and down and smiled in approval. "I'm liking it."

Lucas nodded in agreement. "Those trousers show her fat bum as well."

I screwed him instantly. "Don't make me call security."

He raised his hands up. "I'm joking, I'm joking."

After that, they began to look around. I left them to their devices and went around the shop tidying clothes, changing hangers, repricing items, anything to keep myself busy. Eventually Stacey's shift was over. She grabbed her stuff and waved bye to me as she headed outside. Jonathan literally broke his neck trying to look at her.

"No goodbye?" he called after her.

Poor Stacey was so overwhelmed with his blatant advances, she muttered a goodbye before leaving.

"You have no tact," I told him, shaking my head.

Jon chuckled. "Can't help it. She's exactly my type."

"Careful. I think she has a boyfriend."

He cursed under his breath. Jonathan was so dramatic, I couldn't help but laugh.

Nathan came through with a box of t-shirts that were on sale. "Hey, Becc's, could you mark these down for me and put them out on the sale table?" I nodded and he gave me a high-five. "Thanks. Shouldn't take too long. Kayden should be here soon."

"Yeah, he told me he was doing overtime."

"You can't wait to see him, init?"

That statement almost made me fall over. I glared at him and Nathan smirked. Nathan was our supervisor, but he still liked to mess about and tease us. I would hardly call him professional, but he managed the team well. He was dark-skinned, 6ft with a medium build and a faint beard that he loved to boast about. Plus he was 19, only a couple of years older than us. His banter was crazy as well. He was literally one of us. 

"What are you trying to say?" I asked with a quirked brow.

"C'mon, man. You two are all over each other."

I almost threw up. "No, he's all over me. I have a man."

Nathan glanced at me, that stupid smile never leaving his face. "I couldn't tell."

I wanted to slap him, but we were on the shop floor surrounded by customers. "Don't get the wrong idea."

He shrugged. "It's too late."

"Be quiet." With that, I took the box of t-shirts and left him by the till. These accusations of Kayden and I were beginning to hurt my brain. I guess it was obvious that Kayden liked me, but me reciprocating it? I didn't think I gave off that kind of vibe, but maybe I do? Either way, that's going to have to stop.

Eventually, the boys got bored of window shopping and said their goodbyes. Chris decided to stay, he wanted to buy something nice for Grace, which I found incredibly cute. He kept me company as I folded t-shirts by the sale table.

"How're you and Grace?" I asked.

"We're doing good. I thought this whole dating thing would be long but I'm actually enjoying it."

I laughed at that. "Dating shouldn't be long. That's the best period."

"Yeah, it's been fun."

"It's nice when a player starts to settle down."

He chuckled. "I was never a player."

I gave him a blank stare. "You had Charlene and Rebeckah fighting over you in year eleven. Remember?"

"Ah shit, yeah." Chris rubbed his head as the memory came back to him. "That was bad."

"It was. Everyone jumped in and lunch time got cut short. It was the biggest fight in school that year. All because you led them both on-"

"Okay, I get it." Chris sighed and rolled his eyes. "Having multiple girls is tiring. I'm over that now."

"That's good. You better treat Grace right."

He nodded dutifully. "I plan to. I'm gonna buy her those Airforces, by the way."

"All white?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, I'll grab a pair for you." I left the sale table and went to the stock room. Once I got back to the shop floor, I noticed Kayden was just walking in for his shift. Our eyes locked and I gave a smile.  He smirked in return and gave a brief nod before heading to the staff room. 

As I served Chris, Kayden came back out to join me on the till. He was fully clad in his uniform now, and he patiently waited for me to serve. I handed Chris the bag and gave him the receipt.

"Thanks for that, Becc's."

"No problem." I leaned forward and we hugged over the counter. Chris' hugs were the best, so warm and protective.

Chris gave me a kiss on the cheek. "See you later, baby."

"Take care, boo."

He smiled and headed for the exit. I noticed Kayden eyeing him as he left.

"Was that your man?" he asked.

"What? No. That's my friend Chris."

Kayden only hummed.

I noticed his change in behaviour and couldn't help but smile. Is this jealousy? How cute.

*

"What do you mean?" Kayden asked with a raised brow.

I rolled my eyes as I continued to search around on Facebook. Only the usual birthdays and girls from school announcing their pregnancy. We had been at my house for roughly an hour. As usual, we were chilling on my bed. Work had been quite tiring so it was nice to finally relax with the window wide open. This heat had not calmed down despite it being almost 11 p.m. "Natalie likes you. Like ... she really likes you."

Kayden looked confused. "I thought that was a joke."

"Nope, she's serious."

"What's wrong with that anyway?" he asked with a smile. "Let her like me. She's single so what's the problem?"

"I don't want you with her." The words slipped out before I could stop them. Kayden watched me curiously, stunned by what I'd just said.

"Why not?" he asked.

"I meant that I don't know how you are with girls, so I'd rather save her the trouble."

Kayden rolled his eyes. "I'm not a player."

"You are. You're a hoe and you love it."

He chuckled. "Trust me, I'm not. I'm faithful."

"Yeah right."

"I think it's cute if your friend supposedly likes me. Let her like me, init."

My eyes narrowed. Humble much?

"Whatever," I mumbled as I clicked on Olivia's profile. I don't know why I did. I shouldn't have, but the curiosity was burning me. I noticed she had uploaded a new album titled 'Birthday Girl'. After clicking through a few photos, I noticed Leon were in the majority of them. A group of them had gone to a club by the looks of it. There was one particular picture where she was sat on his lap and he was kissing her cheek. The closeness bothered me a little bit. After a short while, I became annoyed. I shut the laptop and grabbed my phone to call him. He answered straight away.

"Yo."

"Leon."

"Yeah?"

"It's been ages. Were you ever gonna call me?"

He hummed in thought "I dunno, been busy."

Such a blasé answer irritated me even more. "You don't sound bothered."

"I said I've been busy. What do you want me to do? Just getting hyper for no reason."

"I'm perfectly calm, actually. You're just behaving like a prick. What's wrong with you?"

Leon sighed. "If you've called me just to argue, I'm going."

"You're so full of shit Leon, honestly."

"Hm. Okay. Cool." He suddenly hung up and I froze at the dial tone. He seriously hung up on me? He'd never done that before. I was so shocked, I didn't move for a few minutes.

Kayden reached over and took the phone from my hand. He pressed the End Call button and placed my phone down. "Everything okay?"

I rested against the headboard, staring ahead blankly. "Yeah."

"Was that him? Your man?"

I nodded silently, still trying to process the fact that he had easily disregarded me like I was a random girl to him. His behaviour was beginning to drastically change for the worst.

Kayden pulled me closer so that my head was resting on his shoulder. Then he proceeded to stroke my hair gently. It was soothing in a way; I found myself humming and closing my eyes. "Talk to me, Ree. What's up?"

"It's not a big deal, really. He's just being distant lately. I haven't seen or spoken to him for ages, but whenever we talk, he's always off with me."

"Do you know why?"

"No clue."

"Is there anything you could've done for him to act this way?"

"Other than accusing him of cheating? Not that I know of. We were cool after that. Now it's like he's got some grudge against me."

He shrugged. "It could actually be that. I remember when my ex accused me all the time, I began to resent her for it."

I swallowed hard and glanced up at him. "You reckon he hates me now?"

Kayden smiled warmly. "Hate's a strong word. I don't think anyone could hate you."

I looked away from that intense gaze and sighed. "It just feels like I'm trying and he's not, like I don't matter to him anymore."

"Probably just a phase. If he's like that for another week or so, you'll have to chat to him face-to-face, sort things out."

I nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's a good idea." Then I paused. "You're really good at this advice stuff."

Kayden chuckled. "I've been through it. I don't like seeing you sad, though. Cheer up."

I lifted my head up and nodded, forcing a smile. "I'll try."

"There's that beautiful smile."

My heart thumped at his low tone and I turned away to face the wall instead. "You're doing it again."

Kayden quirked a brow. "Doing what?"

"Being all nice and sweet."

He laughed quietly. "I can't help it with you."

"It makes me feel a type of way, I'm not gonna lie."

That managed to pique his interest. "What type of way?"

I shrugged, already feeling embarrassed at the conversation. I opted for staring at my phone instead. 

"Do you feel uncomfortable?"

"No, the opposite..."

Kayden's brow rose. He leaned even closer. "Tell me."

I sighed. "Even though you know I'm taken, you say things that make me feel..."

"Make you feel what?" Kayden's hand rested on my thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze. I gasped lightly, feeling a surge of electricity course through my veins. "How do you feel?"

I glanced down at his large hand gripping my thigh. "See, you're doing it right now."

"I can't get enough of you, that's why."

My heart leaped.

"But I'm not..."

"I know. I'd never do something you didn't want." His hand rubbed down my thigh and then back up again. I watched its movements, falling into some kind of trance. I wasn't even sure what was happening at this point. "But I can tell you want this. You want me to touch you."

"No."

"Yeah. You haven't moved my hand yet." His hand raised even higher. I gulped. "If you don't say stop, then I won't." His warm hand continued to travel along my leg, sliding towards my inner thigh. It tickled but I was too frozen to react. Then he gripped my thigh and yanked it gently, spreading my legs a little.

"Stop," I whispered. He moved his hand instantly. That was so intense for me, I found myself breathing heavily. "We can't do this."

"Do what?"

"I'm not having sex with you."

He watched me for a moment and a smile broke out on his lips, showing that damn dimple. "I never asked for sex."

I almost stuttered I was so confused. Am I missing something here?!

"I just think you're sexy, Ree. But like I said, I wouldn't do something you aren't comfortable with. You have a man, I respect that." His face edged closer as he stared into my eyes. I breathed steadily and had no choice but to look into those brown orbs. Then after a few torturous seconds, I looked away. "Look at me, Rebecca," he ordered in low tones.

"No."

"Why?" he asked. As if he didn't know.

"You know why." I was hot and bothered. His erotic gaze was focused on me and that warm breath tickled my face, making my stomach tingle. What was this feeling? Nausea? I scoffed at my weak stomach. Whatever it was, it was beginning to annoy me. "You're such a tease."

Kayden shrugged. "If I was teasing you, you'd know about it." He lifted his hand up and cupped my chin, turning my face so that I was looking at him once more. "I'd touch you a lot more, rub all over your curves. Your ass. Your breasts." He caressed his thumb against my cheek, causing me to shiver. "I'd suck on your skin."

I blinked in awe. Every sinful word he spoke fanned my lips and cheeks. "Kayden..."

His voice was a low whisper now. "And when you least expect it, I'd kiss you. Hard. Taste your mouth while I explore your body." The tingle in my stomach had shifted to the apex of my thighs, and I squeezed them together to quell the ache as Kayden continued his mental torture. His eyes shifted down to my legs. He smirked. "Does that turn you on?"

Suddenly his phone rang. I breathed a sigh of relief as he pulled back to answer the call.

"You alright, Aaliyah?"

I was alert instantly. Who is this girl?

"Nothin, just with a friend." His hand absently stroked my hair as this conversation dragged on. Well, it did for me, anyway. Just then his long legs swung over the bed and he began to stuff his feet into his trainers. "You need me? For what?" The female voice was soft and needy. He sighed at the response. "Okay. Yeah, I hear you. Alright, I'll see you in a bit yeah?" He locked off and turned to me with regret in his eyes. "I'm gone."

I felt my heart plummet. "Oh ... okay." He got up off the bed and pulled his cap back on. He was already dressed and ready to go. "Who's Aaliyah?" I quietly asked.

"That close friend I told you about. She's like a sister. Even our mum's were close when they were young."

I nodded slowly and felt mildly relieved. "Okay." I was thankful for the interruption, but then again...  

"I'll call you yeah?" I snapped out of my reverie and noticed Kayden had my bedroom door open, ready to leave. I nodded and he headed down the stairs. I heard his footsteps and then the front door shutting afterwards. I collapsed on the bed with a huff. Now that I had a clear head and a chance to think it over, what Kayden did was dangerous, and I was stupid to fall for such a trap. 

Why was I was weak against him?

How did he have this effect on me?

Why did I want him to kiss me?