66 A Long Day

On the ride home the twins and I chat excitedly about my new place. I promise them refuge and keys while they promise not to wear out their welcome. Finally getting home, I plop into a chair and close my eyes for a half hour before getting up to get my room situated. I unpack my duffle bag and take care of my laundry first. Then I decide to go through my closet and fold up all of the clothes I know I will not be wearing any time soon being that it's warming up outside. I grab a storage tote from the storage closet in the basement and fill it with all of the clothes I've folded up. By the time I'm finished filling the tote, my closet is half empty and my heart skips a beat looking at the empty spaces. I then push the tote into my closet and place all of my latest purchases that are still in bags on top of it. Not in the mood to study, I decide to scroll social media and see that Mekhi has posted new pictures of us, a few of me that I had no idea he had taken.

'He is so sweet. I should call him, but I don't want to disturb him.'

Unsure of what else to do, I make my way to the kitchen to figure out what we will be having for dinner. As I am coming down the stairs I smell that dinner has already been started. Skipping into the kitchen I see Dad making stir fry and Mom sitting at the table peeling an orange.

"Hey Mom, Dad," I say as walk over to where Mom is sitting.

"Hey Nani, it's almost time for dinner," Dad says.

"I see, it smells amazing," I say with a smile as I take a seat across from Mom.

"I've been craving stir fry, so your father volunteered to make some for me," she says smiling sweetly at my father.

"How are you feeling," I ask her.

"A little better, every day is different. How do you feel about the house? Do you think it's too big? Too small," she asks turning her attention towards me.

"I really like it! I don't think it will be too big, but maybe I will get a dog to keep me company. I'm not sure, I may not have time to walk a dog. Thank you for it all, you guys have really gone above and beyond," I say showing my gratitude once more.

"Either way, you can always come home when you're feeling lonely. You will always be welcomed here. How is your studying going? Midterms start tomorrow," she asks all at once.

"I will definitely come home often, especially when the babies arrive. As far as studying, I'm done. I can no longer focus on it. I think I just need something good to eat, a proper amount of sleep, and maybe a review in the morning and I'll be fine. The girls and I have an appointment for a spa day tomorrow to get ready for spring break in which I am so ready to start," I say with excitement.

"That sounds like fun, I'll have to look into getting a pregnancy massage and pedicure and manicure. That would be nice," she says with a smile.

"Don't worry, Mom. I have already got you covered in that area. We can go once your pregnancy is more stable. And when I get back from vacation I'm going to start getting the nursery together for you," I say happily.

"Thank you Nana, for thinking about me and the babies," she says with a smile.

"It's really no problem Mom, it's the least I could do for all that you have done for me," I say.

"Alright, go and get the twins so we can have dinner," Dad says coming over to stand behind Mom.

"Yes, Daddy," I say and I get up to call the twins for dinner.

When I get to the top of the stairs I call Jackson and Journee to dinner. We all go to wash our hands before heading down to the kitchen. Once we get to the kitchen Dad places the dishes on the table and we bless our food. Afterwards, we begin piling food on our plates while discussing our plans for the week. We are all clearly excited for spring break that is less than a week away. I guess that we are all ready for some type of break away from our daily lives.

"Does everyone still have plans for spring break," Dad asks.

"YES," the twins and I say in unison before laughing at our own enthusiasm behind our reply.\

"Good, I just wanted to confirm everyone had plans so that no one would be left out or behind," he says sincerely.

"Dad, I think we all are just as ready for this break as you are," Jackson says placing his hand on Dad's shoulder and we all burst into laughter again.

"Alright, you got me," Dad admits in between laughs.

We continue eating dinner laughing and joking. When we're all finished, I volunteer to clean the kitchen while everyone goes off to do their own thing. I put my headphones and listen to music while cleaning the kitchen. Finally able to wash and dry my hands from cleaning my phone rings and I see that it's Mekhi.

"Hello," I answer with a smile.

"Hey baby, how are you doing," he asks with that panty busting voice.

"I'm alright, just finished cleaning from dinner. What's going on with you," I ask him with a smile leaning on the counter.

"I'm just riding around trying to clear my mind," he says.

"Oh, what's wrong? Is there anything I can do to help," I ask him with worry.

"Do you feel coming out to take a ride with me," he asks.

"Yes, I'll go with you. How long will it take you to get here," I ask him.

"I'm pulling up now," he says smoothly.

"Okay, I'll be out in a few minutes," I say to him.

"Alright baby," he says and disconnects the call.

I look at my phone in shock that he's already here, then dash up the stairs to grab my shoes, keys and jacket. I tell my parents that I'm leaving for a little while before making my way out of the door. I stop just outside the front door to catch my breath and when I look up I see Mekhi leaning on the side of his car looking every bit of a model. With a smile on my face I skip to him and he opens his arms as I approach him to pull me into his embrace. Being in his embrace, I feel so at ease and at home. At the same time, I can feel that something is wrong with him. I don't say anything and let him hug me until he's had his fill. He release's me and opens the door for me, helping me into the car. Watching him walk around to the driver's side of the car I can't see that anything is wrong, but I can feel it. He gets in and starts the engine and drives towards the highway. We ride in silence and I let him be at peace mulling things over in his mind. He grabs my hand, which is resting in my lap and brings it to his lips for a kiss before bringing both hands to his lap.

'The only thing I can offer him is comfort and peace right now. He will talk when he's ready.'He continues to drive until he gets off the highway pulling into a scenic viewing area. He parks the car and cuts the engine, he removes both of our seat belts and get out of the car. He walks around to my side of the car and opens the door for me. He locks the car doors and places his keys in his pocket. He holds my hand and we walk the path leading to the scenic view. We reach an open area that has benches and picnic tables against the back drop of a beautiful dusky night and the lights of a town down in the valley. We sit on a bench and he wraps his arm around me and we sit in silence for a little while.

"Today feels like such a long day," he says.

'Finally!'

"Yeah, it does," I agree with him nodding my head.

"Thank you for accompanying me this evening," he says hugging me close.

"I know that you would do the same for me so it's only right that I can come and be with you," I say to him with a small smile.

"Love, what would you say if I didn't return to finish my last year of college," he asks me.

"I would ask if it's something that you really want to do," I answer almost immediately while my heart pounds in my chest.

"No. I don't want to leave, but I may have to," he says with his deep voice barely above a whisper.

"If it is something that you have to do, then I will wait for you," I say confidently even though it feels as though my heart has made its way to my throat.

"I don't want to selfishly ask you to wait for me, it's not fair to you,��� he says with a sigh.

"It's alright, you're not asking me because I'm telling you that is what I would choose to do. I've already decided to be with you, my loyalty will not waver because you will not be present," I say seriously turning my head to look him in his eyes.

He looks at me seriously for a few moments then, licks his lips before kissing me lightly.

"You have to tell me, should a time come when I'm away and it feels like it's too much for you to handle," he says after his kiss.

"If the time should come, I will definitely tell you," I say reassuring him.

"Okay," he says relaxing.

"I don't know what's going on and it's okay if you don't want to talk about it. But I truly don't plan on leaving you as long as you can be loyal to me and love me, I will return it all to you," I say to him with sincerity and he hugs me tightly.

"Thank you, baby. I have to take good care of you," he says in my ear.

"You already do," I say to him looking at him.

He kisses me again and we continue to sit on the bench hugging for about an hour. Finally filled with the peace and tranquility of our environment we stand and stretch. After stretching we head back to the car hand in hand. Whatever he was going through it seems as though his worries has disappeared. As he's driving me home he continues to hold my hand and I occasionally steal looks at him admiring his good looks. When he catches me staring at him, he smiles his mega-watt smile and kisses my hand. Whatever the storm, we have found peace.

Pulling up to my house he puts the car in park and we sit in silence for a few minutes.

"I'm not sure what will happen in the next few months but now that I know that you will be there for me, I can let go of some of my worries. Thank you for tonight, it really means a lot to me," he says with sincerity.

"You are more than welcome. We are aiming to become a unit so we must face these things together," I say to him feeling a little wise.

"Yes, we are. I'm happy to hear you say it," he says and I nod my head.

"Whatever it is, I hope you figure it out," I say to him.

"I will. Come, let's get you inside. It's getting late and midterms start tomorrow," he says releasing my hand and opening the door.

He walks around to my side of the car and opens my door. Once I'm outside of the car he hugs and kisses me passionately before letting me go.

"Get some rest, baby," he says releasing.

"I will, after you let me know that you have made it home," I say to him with a small smile.

"Alright love, see you tomorrow," he says.

"See you," I reply and walk to my house.

When I unlock the door and step inside I turn around to wave at Mekhi as he pulls off. I close and lock the door before heading to my room to start my shower routing. I decide to wash my hair quickly and just throw some leave in conditioner in my hair instead of going through all of the hair motions. I quickly go through my bed time routine so that I can quickly detangle and braid my hair before wrapping it up. I write in my journal as Mekhi's message that he's home come through. We say goodnight and I finish my entry before turning off the lights and going to bed.