too early for Joshua's taste.

He always woke up to an empty space and the blinds open to let the sun in.

Joshua lifted a hand to his eyes to protect himself from the sun as the memories from last night hit Joshua in his skull similar to a brick.

"I'm just asking because... I wanna be clear because... Because I think I'm starting to get feelings for you."

"If you would just listen, you would've heard me say that I like you too!"

Joshua wasn't sure if he should be happy or confused over the kiss.

He was still so weirded out over his feelings for her and finding out that Ayoluwa was starting to reciprocate wasn't helping him sort out his thoughts.

In fact the only thing that he could think was...

I wanna kiss her again.

With that thought in mind, Joshua finally tossed the covers off of him then padded over to the bathroom.

The mirror showed that he still looked the same, even if his mental was all jumbled.

Joshua dragged one hand down his face then gripped the sink.

Joshua sighed then quickly brushed his teeth, "Lemme get a damn blunt."

Joshua made his way downstairs then stopped at the sound of Ayoluwa singing and playing the guitar at the kitchen table, "You would say things, wouldn't listen, but I listen now, you would call me, started falling, 'cause it's different now,"

"Morning." Joshua said from where he was standing near the couch.

Ayoluwa jumped a little, "Oh shit. You were so quiet coming down the stairs..."

"Just needed..." Joshua held up a blunt he had just collected from his duffel bag.

"Oh," Ayoluwa nodded then put the guitar on the table.

"If you didn't like the kiss or it's confusing you... We can just forget about last night." Ayoluwa said after a pause.

Joshua rotated the still unlit blunt between his index finger and middle finger, "What makes you think that I didn't like it?"

Her eyes fell on the blunt then flickered back to Joshua's face.

Joshua sighed, "Can we go outside so I can smoke this?"

Ayoluwa stood up and opened the back and screen door.

Outside was hot despite it being before moon and once both of them were on the deck, Ayoluwa folded her arms against her tube top covered chest.

Joshua flicked the lighter, lit up the end of the blunt, took a puff then looked at her.

Her stance was a little awkward, Ayoluwa couldn't stop lightly tugging on her locs and she refused to look at him.

Was she just as nervous as I was?

"Did you mean what you said?" Ayoluwa finally asked, her eyes still on the lake.

"About?"

Ayoluwa rolled her eyes, "Last night. Please don't act dumb right now, okay?"

Joshua let out a snicker at the slightly brassy retort, "Um... I mean... Did you?"

"Why do you always answer my question with your own?" Ayoluwa groaned a little, her locs swinging as she finally looked up at him, "Just answer my question."

Joshua took a long puff, held it in, then blew out the white smoke, "I don't say shit I don't mean. This shit is tripping me the fuck out though."

"Okay... Next question. Do you regret it?" Ayoluwa murmured.

Joshua gave her an off expression, "Where is this coming from? Me smoking doesn't mean I regret anything that I did. I don't regret shit, I just live."

Ayoluwa gave a deep sigh, "I don't know. I came on too strong last night and I spent a lot of time this morning overthinking."

Joshua took another puff, "Are you regretting it? Because it sounds like you are."

Ayoluwa performed another deep sigh then stepped forward, leaned on her toes to peck Joshua's lips for a second, then stepped back, her facial expression in a slight grimace, "Remind me never to kiss someone while they're smoking again."

Joshua snickered then shook his head, "I don't think we should tell our friends. At least not just yet."

"Agreed. They would overreact. Especially-."

"Dior." The duo said in unison.

"I love Dior but he's a plane ticket and a half." Ayoluwa giggled.

In the right back pocket of her black denim shorts, rested her phone and it was as if Dior could sense that the two were talking about him even when they were four hundred and forty three miles away.

Joshua snatched the phone from Ayoluwa's back pocket to answer the FaceTime, "Yo!"

Dior pressed his face into the screen, "What? I called Ayo, not you dumb ass!"

"Back the fuck up." Joshua laughed before taking a puff.

"Nigga, where is Ayo? I need to check on her." Dior lightly scratched his head.

Joshua furrowed his brows then looked down at her for a second, "'Check on her'? Where are my check ins?"

"Nigga, you are the problem! Where is Ayo?"

Joshua sucked his teeth, then gave Ayoluwa another look at Dior's sentiment.

Ayoluwa shrugged then made grabby hands for her phone.

"She's right here," Joshua passed Ayoluwa back her phone.

"What's up?" Ayoluwa said to Dior.

"Are you good?" Dior asked.

"Good as I can be," Ayoluwa replied causing Joshua to roll his eyes.

Her gaze moved to where Joshua was standing on the deck, shirtless and barefooted like she was.

Ayoluwa broke into a wide smile making Joshua do the same, "Lemme call you back.

Dior only managed to get out a cut off 'what' before Ayoluwa hung up and slid the phone back in her pocket.

Joshua wrapped one free arm around her waist once Ayoluwa was close enough.

Ayoluwa leaned up on her toes again to press her lips against his once more.

"I thought you don't kiss smokers." Joshua pulled away with a laugh.

"Yeah, well," Ayoluwa trailed off, planted one hand on his face then pulled him back down to meet her.

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