DIGGY's POV

~The same night~

"So, what are we doing this weekend? Clubbing? Movies?" Khalil asks, sitting at my kitchen counter and looking at his phone.

"Eh... I don't know," I reply. I watch the four slices of bread that I put into the toaster, waiting for them to rise before I get the lettuce and tomato out of the fridge.

"You're not gonna stay inside all weekend, are you?"

"Maybe." I shrug.

"Man, you're lame!" Khalil exclaims.

"Okay," I reply, unaffected by his comment. "I mean, we just went to a party last night."

"Yeah, but we had to leave early because of Sam--"

"Not my problem--"

"But it wasn't even that bangin'..."

I glance at him and chuckle. "Well, it seemed like you had fun to me given the way you were dancing all up on Becca."

Khalil sucks his teeth and looks at me. "I mean, it would've been more fun if all of us hung out and partied together. You were M.I.A. the whole night doing who-knows-what," he complains.

The toast pops up. I grab the slices and place them on paper plates before slathering mayo and mustard onto them.

"I was not M.I.A. the whole night..."

"Oh, yeah? Then what were you doing?" I feel Khalil's eyes glare at me.

I put some sliced tomatoes and lettuce onto the toast. I hesitate before answering.

"Nothing..."

"Nothing?" He asks, looking skeptical.

"I mean..." I hesitate for a moment. "It wasn't anything..."

"What wasn't anything? Dig, what were you doing?" Khalil asks, looking intrigued.

I clear my throat and take the bacon out of the microwave, mumbling: "I made out with Dana..."

"I'm sorry, I can't hear you." Khalil cups his ear and then walks over to me.

I throw some bacon strips on our sandwiches, sighing. "I... uh... made out with Dana..."

Khalil's eyes widen. "You what?! Are you forreal?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"What do you mean 'unfortunately'? She can be self-centered at times but you're single, she's single. Man, I can't believe it! Wait. Are you two...?"

"No! There's nothing going on between us. It just... happened," I reply with a shrug.

Khalil takes another step closer to me, leaning on the kitchen counter.

"Bro... how in the heck you manage to pull that off?" Khalil asks.

"I didn't plan it. She wanted to talk to me so we went to this empty bedroom on the main floor and talked, like for real. I learned some things about her that I never knew. And then... next thing I know, we're kissing," I explain.

Khalil smirks and nods. "Okay. I see you, playboy."

I roll my eyes. "Stop."

"Naw, you pimpin'. See, I told you you was gonna get some lady action last night. I told you."

"Man, whatever. Take yo' sandwich," I reply.

Khalil grabs his plate, still smirking. I shake my head with a small grin and bite into my BLT.

"So... you get her number?" Khalil asks, jokingly.

"Man..."

All I can do is smirk. He's making a big deal outta nothing. A kiss is a kiss and that's that.

But real talk, she did give me her number. Ha!

***

SAM's POV

~Later that night~

We laugh while resting on the couch. I'm sitting between Jake's legs, resting my head on his chest while cuddling a bowl of popcorn.

"I'm serious! After that, my cousin never lied to his mama again," Jake says.

"It sounds like you and your cousin were real close," I say.

He looks down at me, smiling. "Yeah. We were. We still are. He's almost like my brother, you know?"

"I bet," I reply while grinning.

Jake grabs some popcorn from the bowl and eats. I reach down and grab the open bottle of Coca-Cola from the floor and bring it to my lips to drink.

"My family will love you. Especially mama," Jake says in an easy voice.

I glance up at him and hand him the Coca-Cola bottle. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." He drinks.

"Has your mom met any of your old girlfriends?"

"Nah... they weren't serious," he replies before kissing my head.

I smile uncomfortably, then sigh. Jake sets the bottle on the ground and wraps his arm around my shoulders, chuckling.

"What?" He asks.

"Nothing."

"Come on, Sam."

I bring my knees to my chest and reply, "It's just a lot of different things. Just thinking about meeting your family, and graduating... it's all moving so fast."

"Babe, don't worry. My mother will love you - I told you that. And don't get too overwhelmed about the future. It's not here yet." He holds me a little tighter. "We should focus on the present, which includes your loving boyfriend." He leans his head against mine.

"I know. It's just--"

"Shh. Don't talk."

Jake carefully turns my chin up to face him and smashes his lips on mine. They're wet and sweet. I turn my body toward him and kiss back. His hand gently glides along my hips and my waist as he slips his tongue into my mouth, and I follow his lead. After a few seconds, he moans into the kiss while rubbing my inner thigh. My entire body gets warm from his touch. Although I feel butterflies and want to taste his lips even more, I stop the kiss and pat his arms.

"Wait..."

"What?"

"Slow down," I chuckle a little.

"Why?" He whispers in my ear, then plants kisses down my neck while wrapping his arms around my waist.

"Jake!" I giggle.

"Samantha."

I jump at the unexpected voice coming from the kitchen, seeing that my mother and Antonio are staring back at me. Jake jumps and looks also. I put on an innocent smile and touch my feet to the floor.

"Mom! Antonio! ...y-you're home early," I say with genuine surprise.

"Mhm. Jake, I'm surprised to see you here. Sam didn't tell us she was having company," my mom states, twisting her lips in that annoyed sort of way.

Jake sits up straight and scratches his head. He looks at me with a nervous smile.

"Mom, we were just hanging out for a bit," I explain.

"Well, I think hang-out time is over," she replies.

"Can't he stay over?" I ask, already knowing the answer. I raise an eyebrow, pout my lips, and clasp my hands together as I beg.

My mom chuckles. "Girl, you know he can't stay over. I'm sorry, Jake, but it's getting late."

Jake takes the hint and gets up, wiping the popcorn remnants from his clothes. "Yep. I was just leaving." He turns to me. "I'll see you later." He grabs his backpack from the floor and walks past my mother and out the door. When the front door can be heard slammed shut, my mom glares at me.

"So, uh, how was work?" I ask, diverting the attention away from the previous moment.

"It was work. Sam, you should get some sleep."

"But it's only 10--"

"We have a busy day in the morning." She takes off her coat and sets her giant purse on the kitchen table.

I frown. "We?"

"Yes, we. You're coming with me and Antonio tomorrow to go shopping for the wedding."

"Shopping?" She has to be kidding. "For what? The wedding is like a month away."

She glances at Antonio beside her. "Yes, which is why we got a lot of stuff to do before then, Sam. We still have to finalize a venue for the main event and the reception. Then, we gotta shop for some little trinkets -- maybe some goodies for our guests. Then, we have to finalize the cake and find flowers to go along with the wedding colors. It'll be a long day, but it'll be fun. Plus, it'll give us time to bond."

"'Fun'? 'Bond'?" I'm less than enthused by this offer.

"Yes, honey," she rolls her eyes and takes off her earrings.

"What if I have plans tomorrow?" I whine.

"Do you?"

I groan and glance at the bowl of popcorn on the couch. "No..."

She smiles. "Great. Then you can go. We're leaving at 9 in the morning--"

"9?! Are you kidding me? You do realize it's the weekend, right?"

"That's why you should get some sleep, hun. I know I will." She makes lust eyes at Antonio. I almost throw up.

They walk out of the room, hand in hand. I sigh and fall onto the couch, groaning.