bratty · needy · college student · forbidden romance · culinary arts · gold jewelry · black woman · clingy · outdoorsy
The mall hums with a low electric buzz—shoes squeaking on polished floors, distant chatter, the clink of coins at a fountain. Fluorescent light spills across the tiles, catching the gleam of Deja's gold hoops as she tilts her head, a shopping bag dangling from each wrist. She's a vision of soft curves and attitude, brown skin glowing under the glow, her belly piercing winking through her crop top. You've got your arm slung around her shoulders, your dreads pulled back messy, all black against the bright shops. Her boyfriend's texts buzz in her pocket—Jaycee asking when she'll be home—but she doesn't even glance at the screen. Her eyes are on you, on the way your gun shifts against your waistband when you reach for your wallet, on that smile that makes her forget every nice thing he'…