Page 28 of Always There Bayou (The BR Bayou #3)

Distractions Bayou.

“A pajama party? Really?” I reply as I place the phone down on the workout bench beside me. I pick up two dumbbells and start doing a few reps as I glance at Simone on the screen. She’s eating a slice of pizza, waiting for me to answer her. “Why does it have to be a pajama party?”

“Because that's what my fiancé wants,” she says, matter-of-factly. “And what she wants, she gets, so you better come in pajamas or you’re not getting in. Simple.”

“Y’all are insufferable,” I groan. “I’ve never heard of a New Year's Eve pajama party. That’s wild.”

“No, what’s wild is your hair still not being retwisted,” she retorts, and I almost drop one of the dumbbells. She laughs as I place them b ack on the rack. “Not you bouta hurt yourself! I knew all them fucking muscles were fake!”

“Fuck you, Simone,” I say, snatching up the phone. “And don’t worry about my hair, bitch. Denny is gonna do it for me once I get back from the gym.”

“Make sure you bring Denny, too! Nala has been asking about them and wants to introduce them to Iysis,” she tells me.

“Yeah, they were gonna come anyway,” I informed her, grabbing a towel to wipe the sweat.

“Usually we spend New Year’s Eve inside because you know how much they get triggered by the fireworks.

” She nods, understanding. “Y’all live in the heart of downtown, so I’ll just have to make sure to keep Denny occupied while the fireworks are going off. ”

“Ugh,” Simone groaned as I smirked. “I don’t even wanna know the details.”

“No, you don’t,” I chuckle.

“Okay, well, let me get going. We still need to get a few things for tonight. Nala plans on cooking.”

“Alright, I’ll talk to you later,” I say before we hang up.

My stomach grumbled, and I knew then that it was time for me to head back home.

I’d been in the gym for the last two hours because I was making up for the days that I’d missed.

It was now a bit after 10, so I knew that Denny was probably up and finally shuffling to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

They never woke up before 10. Even in college, none of their classes started before lunchtime because they wouldn’t have made it to any before then.

It’s almost like their body was against waking up ear ly, but it is also probably because they were a night owl and often stayed up well past midnight working on a new painting or sculpture.

I sighed, chuckling to myself as I collected my things and headed to the locker room. I took a quick shower and dressed in the extra clothes I had in the locker I rented from this gym. Well, technically, the locker was included in the yearly membership fee, but still.

After I’m looking and smelling good, I grab my things and head out to my car.

It was a beautiful day in New South, the city that I’d called home since I was eleven.

Was it weird that I worked in Baton Rouge but lived in New South?

Nah, it was common. Because of how close the cities were, many people lived in one and worked in the other.

Even back when I was in high school, Miles High was home to an even mix of kids from br and New South.

Besides, Denny’s aunt and uncle owned the building where we lived, so we got a fantastic deal on the rent.

And by “fantastic deal,” I mean that neither of us pays rent at all.

We were going to live together, but we decided that we wanted our own space.

However, now that we were together, I haven’t been back to my place to do anything except get a few things here or there.

It’s not like I needed any clothes since I had plenty over at their place.

I shake my head as I pull up to the apartment building.

I swipe my card and enter the parking garage to park in my usual spot.

After collecting my things, I exited the vehicle and hit the lock on the keypad, leisurely walking over to the door that separated the garage from t he main building.

Swiping my card once more, I enter the building and take the elevator up to the fifth floor.

My stomach started to growl as soon as I stepped off the elevator and made my way to Denny’s place.

I kept hoping that the smell was coming from their apartment and almost did a happy dance when I walked through the door and was hit by the mouthwatering scent of something being stewed.

I locked the door, dropped my bag, kicked off my shoes, and immediately gravitated towards the kitchen to find Denny dancing to one of their favorite songs as they stirred a pot of what I could only hope was their delicious gumbo.

“Mm, that smells good,” I say, walking up behind them. They jumped but relaxed after turning to see it was only me. I kiss them softly before standing to the side. “Hey, Bunny. What you cooking? Please say it’s gumbo.”

“It is!” they replied, excitedly. They grab a small spoon and dip it into the pot, then blow on it and turn back towards me. “Open.”

I open my mouth, and they insert the spoon, allowing me to have a taste of the savory dish.

I groaned as the flavors mixed and mingled on my tongue.

The andouille sausage and shrimp, combined with the flavors of the okra and thick, gravy-like soup, had me floating.

I’ve always been the type of person who could appreciate a good meal, and everything Denny made was that times ten. I could die happy at this very moment.

“Damn, that’s good,” I say. Denny’s face lights up, their body buzzing with excitement as they bounce up and down. “Yeah, imma need a big ass bowl of that, love.”

“ Go sit at the table and I’ll bring it over,” they shooed me away, and I laughed, exiting the kitchen to take my spot at the dining table.

Over the next couple of minutes, Denny brought out bowls of gumbo and rice along with some crackers and hot sauce.

They also fixed me a cup of their homemade strawberry tea lemonade that could put any restaurant version to shame.

If the artist and tattoo thing didn’t work out, I was confident that they’d make a fantastic chef.

But who am I kidding? Denny could do anything they put their mind to, so there was no if.

Also, they had me, their aunt, and uncle to back them up financially with whatever they wanted to do.

I always found comfort in knowing that I could be a provider for them, and if they wanted to, they didn’t have to work a day in their life.

I mean, I knew Denny could never not work, but I loved the fact that they’d always have that option.

“So, would you be interested in accompanying me to a New Year’s Eve get-together tonight?

” I ask as we begin to dig into the hearty meal.

They pause, and I notice the anxious look on their face.

“Simone and Nala are hosting, so it’s gonna be just a few people.

Nothing major. Honestly, I believe the only two people you won’t know are Nala’s cousin Ren and his wife, but they’re cool people. ”

“That’s fine, but…doesn’t Simone live in downtown br?” they ask nervously. I nod. “The fireworks…”

“It’s okay, Bunny,” I say softly, taking their hands into mine. “I’ll be right there with you the whole time.”

“I know,” they smile sweetly. “Thank you, Corduroy.”

“ I got you. Always,” I assure them, bringing their hand to my mouth to kiss softly.

We finish our meal and then spend some time watching one of the shows we’d started together yesterday as they retwist my hair.

Once they were done, they decided to give me another tattoo.

This wasn’t uncommon since damn near all of my tattoos were ones they’d done on the spur of the moment.

I’d never complain, though, because I loved every second of it.

It only took a few minutes for them to get everything set out, and soon they were tattooing one of the empty spaces on my left arm.

It turned out to be a flower that looked a lot like a dahlia.

It was gorgeous, but I expected nothing less.

Denny was the most talented artist I’ve ever seen, and they were naturally gifted at tattooing with the steadiest hands ever.

“Beautiful,” I say as I look at the tattoo in the small hand mirror. It blended in perfectly with the other flowers I had in that same space.

I let them wrap my arm to protect the tattoo, and then pulled them in for a kiss.

There has always been something so sexy about watching them in their element.

It took everything in me not to scoop them up and carry them to their room, but it was nearing the time for us to head over to Simone’s place, so I had to push those feelings down.

“Okay, Bunny. Let’s go get dressed,” I say as we break apart. They nod before turning to put their supplies back in the travel case. “Simone said that it’s gonna be a pajama party.”

The y gasp, turning back to me with excitement in their eyes. I groan playfully. Of course, they were into this idea. “Oooh, that’s exciting! I’ve always wanted to go to a pajama party!”

They hop up from their seat and scurry off to the room.

I chuckled, shaking my head as I entered the other bedroom where my clothes were.

I decided to take another quick shower before getting dressed in a pair of boxer briefs and a sports bra.

I sift through the dresser drawer and pull out a pair of blue plaid pajama pants and a black, long-sleeved sleep shirt.

Well, it was more like a thin sweatshirt, but I knew it would work fine.

Usually, when I slept, I wore nothing but a graphic tee and boxers.

Since we weren’t going to be in the comfort of our own home, I figured that wouldn’t be appropriate.

I mean, Simone (and Harley) had seen me in nothing but boxers and a sports bra before, but it wouldn’t be only them there.