Page 9 of Always There Bayou (The BR Bayou #3)

Settled Bayou.

I woke up feeling frustrated as my mind instantly drifted over to the one woman who plagued my thoughts daily.

Cory Tate.

I sighed as my mind drifted over to the events of that night, a couple of weeks ago.

I thought for a quick second that she was about to give me what I had longed for years.

I thought for sure that she would finally pick up on the fact that I was undoubtedly head over heels for her and how my body craved the affection that she loved to waste on women who didn’t deserve it.

I wanted her to keep going, but then I went and messed it up by whimpering as she hugged me and kissed my neck like I was the most precious person in the world to her.

We never brought it up again and just went back to how we were before that moment.

Yeah, we still cuddled, but she didn’t try to cross the line anymore.

I won’t lie, I’d been slightly irritated and sexually frustrated for a while now; however, I did my best to tuck those feelings away when she was around.

The last thing I wanted was to make her feel uncomfortable, especially if she didn’t like me like that.

I was bummed, thinking about the fact that no matter how much I wanted her as more than a friend…maybe Cory and I would never be.

I’ve liked her since that first day on the playground back in 6th grade when she stood up to the bullies.

I fell for her even more over the years when I saw how protective she was not only of me but of her younger siblings.

On the outside, she had this tough girl persona, but I got to see the soft side of Cory.

I got to see the times when she laughed so hard that snot dripped from her nose.

I got to see the times when she got sudden bursts of energy and danced around the apartment to her favorite pop songs.

I got to see her cry when shit got too overwhelming, although she tried her best to make sure that that rarely happened.

Cory was my best friend, and I loved her with all my heart.

She accepted every part of me. She helped me with my anxiety and panic attacks every time I heard loud noises.

She helped me get out of the house whenever I was close to letting depression win.

She was always there for me when I needed her.

Hell, she even went with me to visit my dad every month.

She was the best friend anyone could ever ask for…

but she wasn’t 100 percent mine, and I was slowly starting to believe that she never would be .

She was currently in an on-again, off-again relationship with some chick named Christie.

They’d been dating for almost two years.

Well…if you could call it that. Christie did nothing but cheat, yet Cory still took her back every time, and it made me sick.

Whenever they were taking a break, Cory was over at my apartment since the two lived together, and she couldn’t stand to be around her.

They’d been apart for these past couple of weeks, and Cory has been at my house since.

I’ll be glad when they finally split…

I jump at the sound of my phone ringing on my nightstand.

I grab it and see that it’s my sister, Delilah, calling.

Well, technically, she’s my cousin, but after her parents adopted me when my dad went to jail, she was born about a year later, and we were raised as siblings.

Even with the seven-year age gap, she and I were really close and even shared a love for art and tattoos.

“Morning, Den,” she greets me once I answer the phone. “I was thinking about getting some breakfast from McEaston’s before heading to the studio. Would you like anything?”

“No, I’m good,” I reply, standing to stretch my bones. “I have one more day on the juice cleanse. I’m trying to clean my body of all those toxins. I slipped a couple of weeks ago when I ate some food that Cory brought home, so I decided to start from scratch a few days ago.”

“Ugh, please make sure you bring some air freshener with you,” she groans. “Yesterday, your stinky booty ass kept expelling toxic fumes. What in the hell are in those juices? ”

“Not too much on me!” I laugh, walking over to my closet to find something to wear. “I’ve been feeling so much more energized.”

“Well, you do you, boo,” she states. “But don’t think I’m gonna ignore that little tidbit about Cory bringing food home for you. I know this isn’t a first, but every time it happens, I become more and more optimistic about you two finally getting together.”

I roll my eyes as I put the phone on speaker so I can search for something to wear today.

She teases me when I don’t reply to her comment.

This was always how things went, ever since a few years ago when she walked in on me and Cory sleeping together.

No, we weren’t having sex, unfortunately for me, but we were both in our underwear, cuddled up like an old married couple.

She’d come over to spend the weekend with me so we could celebrate her 21st birthday.

Since it was late at night when she planned on coming, I’d given her the code and an extra key to my apartment so she could let herself in if I was sleeping.

Long story short, she did and came to my room to tell me, but was shocked as hell to find Cory and me in bed together.

When Cory left the next morning, she immediately cornered me about why we were half-naked and hugged up together.

I explained that we’d been sleeping like that for years, and she damn near lost her shit, going on and on about how she knew that something was going on between us.

It pained me to explain that we were nothing more than friends.

She was confused at first, stating that we had too much chemistry not to be dating.

Or at the very least, fucking. So, I admitted that I did like Cory, but unfortunately, she didn’t feel the same way .

At least I don’t think she does...

I realized a few years ago that I wasn’t her type. She usually dated social media influencers and models. The ones everyone ran behind. The ones who loved the attention of famous athletes – basically everything I wasn’t.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t lack confidence in any capacity.

I loved my curves. I loved everything about myself, from my above-average height to my beautiful brown skin to my naturally curly hair.

I loved my thick thighs, my thick arms, my round tummy, my ample breasts.

Everything about me was beautiful; however, I knew that, as confident as I was, it wouldn’t change the fact that Cory just wasn’t attracted to me in the same way that I was attracted to her, and that’s okay.

It’s not okay! I’m suffering!

Anyway…

“Denny. Denny!” Delilah yells, causing me to jump.

“My bad. What did you say?” I ask, realizing that I’d zoned out.

“I said that I’ll see you in a bit,” she answers. “Don’t be late! We have that field trip to prepare for.”

“I’m stepping into the shower now,” I assure her, lying through my teeth. “Bye, Lilah.”

I disconnect the call and sigh deeply. Today was about to be one hectic ass day. I could feel it.

3:38 P M

“Bye! Thank you for coming!” I wave to the last of the students as they pile back onto the bus. Once they pull off, I walk back into the studio and close the door as a sigh of relief washes over me.

Today was just as hectic as I expected it to be.

We had about fifty 13-year-olds in our studio at once, and I felt like I’d been transported back to my middle school days.

It was loud, and jokes were being passed around at others' expense.

It was rowdy and got out of control at one point, but they did seem to settle down once we started the pottery.

They all seemed to enjoy themselves by the end of the session, and I couldn’t have been happier. A few of them even asked us if they could sign up for more classes. We provided them with flyers including our contact information and website, and they thanked us happily as they left.

It always felt good to inspire the next generation of artists, so even if the day started a little rough, I felt accomplished as I looked around the studio space before me.

I smiled at the thought of how I’d been able to make my dream a reality, thanks to my aunt and uncle believing in me and the importance of art.

When I told them that I wanted to be a full-time artist after I graduated from college, they made every effort to help me secure a space big enough to have a whole gallery in the front and a few classrooms in the back.

It was a big building already, but that didn’t stop them from buying the building that was attached to it as well.

A couple of months later, they gifted it to me as a 22nd birthday present .

I was an amateur tattoo artist by the time I was 18, and not to brag, but I was talented at it. As the year progressed, I got better and better. So, by the time they gifted me that second building, I was a professional, and it only made sense to turn it into a shop.

Bunny’s Tattoo Tavern

Did I use Cory’s nickname for me because it was special to me? Well, yes!

When we were back in high school, she noticed how energetic, bubbly, and excited I was.

She admitted that it made her head spin sometimes because I was always so active, but when I apologized, she quickly cut me off.

She told me that I should never apologize for being who I am and that the people who loved me would love me regardless.

I think that was the day I fell in love with her.

Ever since then, it was what she preferred to call me because she loved the fact that she was the only one who could. Yeah, as you can see, she likes having her special privileges, especially when it comes to me.