Braxton Nguyen
Her reaction was priceless and he couldn't help the smug grin that crossed his lips.
Surprise and joy radiated from her as she started exchanging hugs with everyone. Meanwhile, his dad took the box of gifts from him, going to add them to the others beneath the tree. His...
Braxton Nguyen
Maybe it was because the last drive down hadn't been so long ago, but it seemed to go so much quicker this time. Braxton pulled into the driveway of his parents' home, parking behind his dad's car - a spot that seemed to be left just for him as other vaguely familiar cars were...
Shai Moss
So far so good.
Shai shared a hardy handshake with her father who only greeted him before he was passed to her mother's focus. He noticed the way the older woman looked him over, but didn't say anything. He wondered what specific things she'd picked out about him in her mind and if...
Braxton Nguyen
"I'm happy to be your guinea pig then. So far your practice is doing you good." He assured her. He actually thought about this for a moment; did he know any women that didn't cook? He was so used to growing up with his mom cooking, his grandmother, even his tomboy cousin (albeit...
Braxton Nguyen
Food being a way to express care and kindness was something he was very familiar with, so when Sariyah gave that as her explanation for cooking for him, he grinned. "That's sweet, Sprinkles. Have more confidence, though. Everyone doesn't like everything, but good food tends to be...
Braxton Nguyen
"Yeah, it's fine. I got it." He waved a dismissive hand once she stacked the plates then carried them into the kitchen with one hand while he downed the orange juice in the other. The credits were rolling for the first episode and would soon transition into the intro for the...
Braxton Nguyen
Finally, the food was ready and he was going to have to stop himself from obnoxiously vacuuming up everything on the plate like he wanted to. "Thanks, Yaya," he stated as she passed him the hot plate and brought orange juice. It had been so long since he'd had a waffle or juice...
Shai Moss
Shai hiked a brow and broke their kiss when she mentioned waiting. "Wait? I-" He was going to further protest before the knocks rapped against the door and a man's voice came through. His eyes widened for the moment that she answered him with sir and he could only assume it was her...
Braxton Nguyen
She hugged him, giving him a little squeeze and a kiss, and it felt like all the reassurance from her words became tangible. She then went back to the kitchen to finish cooking so they could resume the scheduled programming for their day. She told him her plan and he could only...
Braxton Nguyen
She had good qualities, those of an actual partner. When he wasn't his best self, she didn't berate him, she reminded him that she was there for him, that they were there for each other. ...Which honestly made him feel even worse for snapping even if he'd already apologized. The...
Braxton Nguyen
She sat beside him and he felt himself tense. He tensed as though he were bracing for the weight of her next words. She rubbed his back and tried to reassure him, but it felt like there was so much more to it than that. She said she had it under control and he didn't believe it...
Braxton Nguyen
Braxton sat still and quiet on the edge of the sofa with his elbows resting on his knees and his chin against his laced fingers. He imagined he probably resembled his dad when he was at his desk in deep thought over work issues. He wished these were work issues. He barely looked...
Braxton Nguyen
It's a lie... Don't forget that... It's a lie... She just wants him to leave... What the fuck are we going to do about tonight...?
His mind was racing. This was easy a second ago but it escalated far more quickly than he expected. Go to Canada with him? He already had another...
Braxton Nguyen
It really was comical how he had a response for everything, for better or worse. Braxton only shrugged. He wasn't going to keep going back and forth with this guy. It was starting to hurt his head. But he had to admit his level of confidence and persistence was enviable.
Sariyah...
Braxton Nguyen
Why were women hardheaded? I'm not jealous and I'm not controlling...
Braxton's arms folded over his chest and he rolled his eyes at Antoine's quip. Alright. Fine. He'd just watch this play out. His shoulder rested against the door frame.
He had to give it to the guy that he...
Braxton Nguyen
I'm not jealous and I'm not controlling... She's a grown woman and you should trust her judgement... I'm not jealous and I'm not controlling...
So when she told him to let his guard down - literally - and she wanted to hear him out, why did he feel like both of those things...
Braxton Nguyen
Maybe he just wasn't paying close enough attention. He should know by now that his car and random, unexpected knocks on doors were bad luck.
Braxton hiked a brow. This guy asked for Sariyah by name. Was there someone else on campus she'd been seeing and hadn't told him about...
Braxton Nguyen
She stirred for a moment before waking up and turning to face him with a sweet greeting and tired eyes. She seemed just as surprised by the time as he was. "Speak for yourself." He teased back. "We probably didn't go to sleep until morning." He guessed, recalling the glimpse of...
Braxton Nguyen
"Morning" came faster than Braxton would have liked - morning being about noon. He rarely ever slept in this late; he typically ran his life on a general schedule or had obligations and responsibilities. However, his only obligation today was to himself and Sariyah. So when he...
Braxton Nguyen
"Exclusive? You mean, all of this is just for me?" He playfully turned onto his side and wrapped his arms around her, giving her a tight squeeze. "I like how that sounds."
"Don't let this little bit of energy fool you; I'm running on empty right now. If I'm still and quiet for 5...