**** So Aug and Trav were cutting up at TSU yesterday lol. Trav was dancing on stage, and he was pumping Aug head up to dance like "Go Aug." Umm, we all know Aug CANNOT dance. But he pop that one go to Nae-Nae move and act like he killing the game bwhahahaha. We love you anyway Aug. 

Anyway - Dominic in the m/m. And if you haven't checked out my new book Risk It All, please do so y'all. This book is a priority, but I will update that one soon. ****

AMBER P.O.V. –

“Don’t make too much noise he’s sleep.”

Stacy came in quietly, and followed me into the bedroom looking at Aug on the couch. A smirk appeared across her face, as Aug turned around with his eyes closed. She looked at me as she came in and closed the bedroom door behind her.

“You made him sleep on the couch?”

“Uh…yea. His ass was disrespectful. I’m not playing with him no more.” I ate some yogurt, and looked at Sata who was in her crib playing with her toys.

“What did he do?” Stacy laid across the end of the bed.

I sat Indian Style at the top of it.

“Girl, talking about some, “another bitch will do what you won’t.”

“What?” She said shocked.

I shook my head. “Then two seconds later, he comes trying to apologize. Uh…no. Not happening. Don’t work like that. He’s angry because I’m trying to hold off until his birthday to have sex.”

“Amb it has been a long time though.”

“He gets taken care of Stacy. He just wants to be a brat. He’s used to me taking his shit, and now he sees I’m not playing with his ass.” I ate some more yogurt. No wonder August is addicted to this stuff. This is good.”

“ I think him being the baby of the family makes him think if he bitches and moans he can get his way. Trav said Mama Shelia always gave August his way. He would just cry and she would give him anything he wanted. He said Mel the same thing. That’s why he was always up under him. Trav said Mel felt like Aug could do no wrong. They spoiled him.”

“Well news flash. I love Mama Shelia, but I’m not her. I got one baby, and that’s Sata. He’s a man, he needs to start acting like it. Giving me these little sad looks like…” I imitated August’s sad puppy face.

Stacy busted up laughing.

“Baby I’m sorry. This is for you.” I imitated him handing candy and flowers.

“Amb stop talking about my best friend like that.”

“I was just talking baby. I would never cheat on you.” I imitated Aug.

“Hey, I love my brother. Stop.” Stacy hit me.

I started laughing.

“I do too. But like I told him, I’m not doing the same stuff the second time around. I have been through too much to put up with bullshit.”

“I feel you.”

I looked at the clock. “The landlord is supposed to come soon.  For some reason our sink is leaking water on the floor.”

“Where?”

“In the bathroom. I don’t know what’s happening. How is Travis treating you though?”

“Ahhh Amb he’s perfect.” She said in a dreamy like state.

 “Oh my God.” I shook my head at her dramatics.

“I’m serious. He is. His eyes. His lips. His six pack. His…”

“Stop there.”

“Get your mind out the gutter. I was going to say his sense of humor.” She kicked her legs like she was in water.

“The only problem is when he tries to touch me, I pull away. I make him sleep on the futon. I just, I still have flashbacks ya know. I haven’t told him what happened to me yet. So I just make up excuses.”

“I’m sure he’ll understand.”

“He doesn’t bother me about it too much, but yeah, I know eventually he’s gonna wanna know why.”

“Then you just be honest and tell him. I’ve found Travis to be the most understanding and compassionate out of them all.  He’s like the voice of reason. Aug and Smoke tend to think with their emotions, instead of their head sometimes. But Trav is like the peace maker.”

There was a knock on the bedroom door.

“It’s open.” I looked at Stacy and smirked.

Aug walked in rubbing his eyes.

“Pop-pop!” Sat clapped excitedly.

He came over to me, bent down and repeatedly pecked my lips.

“Love you.” He said as he pulled away.

“Love you too.”

He hit Stacy upside her head, and then went to pick up Sata.

“Don’t hit me fool.” She rubbed her forehead.

“Hey Munch.” He pretended to bite Sata’s neck and made a chomping noise. She giggled wildly. He kept doing it and she would let out little screams of laughter.

“Aww, how could someone so cute come from someone so ugly?” Stacy joked.

“I don’t know. Ask her mama.”

I straight faced August.

He smiled at me.

“Well I’m going to get back to my Hazel Eyed Snicker Doodle. He should be awake by now.”

“That shit is so lame.” Aug shook his head.

“You’re just mad because you’re not good enough for Amb to give you a nickname. Ha!” Stacy got off the bed.

“No we just ain’t corny.”

“August you are the king of corny. A ring-pop as an engagement ring? Corny. And Cheesy.”

“I knew I shouldn’t have told Travis.”

I chuckled and Aug gave me a look.

“Thanks for popping in Stacy. August put on some clothes.”

“Why?”

“The landlord is about to come to fix the sink. It’s leaking water on the floor.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? I can fix it.”

“Stac let me walk you to the door.” I walked Stacy to the door and hugged her goodbye.

When I came back in the room, Sata was in her crib and Aug was looking at the sink in the bathroom, like he really was a handy man. Man, please.

“Go get me a wrench.”

“No. You’re going to make it worse. Just wait until he comes.”

“The sink in my last apartment leaked, and I fixed it.”

I looked at him skeptical.

“I’m serious. We can call Cha right now.” He looked at me sitting on the floor.

I went and got him wrench and handed it to him. I watched to see what he was doing.

“You ain’t got to watch me damn. I know what I’m doing.”

I rolled my eyes and went to lay on the bed.

The next thing I know water was splattering everywhere.

“I don’t know what happen.” He looked at me.

“I told you to leave it alone August. Damn!” I said frustrated and tried to get towels to soak up the never ending water that was coming from the pipe.

“Don’t yell at me. I know what I’m doing.”

“Which is why we have Katrina in our bathroom? Exactly. Good-bye.”

“Fuck it. Don’t ask me to help no more.”

“I didn’t ask you in the first place.”

He threw the wrench in the sink and left out the front door.

About 15 minutes later there was a knock on the door.

“Hi.” I said sorta confused. “You’re the landlord?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh.”

He started laughing.  “Nah, I’m playing my dad is.”

I laughed. “I was about to say you look really young. Come in.”

“I’m Dominic by the way.” He held out his hand to shake mine.

“Amber. You can come in here.” I showed him to the bathroom.

“Aww look at the baby.” He looked at Sata who was playing with her toys in her crib.

“I should’ve wore boots for this.” He laughed. “When y’all said leaking, I didn’t know you meant this bad.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“It’s cool. I do this.” He said confidently.

“Well if you can fix it, we’ll see. I tried to clean up as much water as possible.”

“It’s cool I got it.” He sat down his toolbox and went to work.

“You tried fixing this yourself?” He said examining it.

“No my boyfriend did.”

“Well tell him, next time leave it to the professionals.” He chuckled. “Cause this ain’t even half way correct.”

 “I told him. He’s stubborn.”

I watched him while he was doing it for a little bit.

“You do this for a living?”

“Yeah. My father taught me and my brothers how to fix anything. He and my grandfather owned a repair shop.” He said concentrated on fixing the leak.

“Oh wow. So it’s like a family business?”

“I guess you can say that. My grandfather used to say, “if you a man and can’t fix nothing, you ain’t a man. And if you a woman, that can’t cook nothing, you not a woman.”

“Pretty old fashion don’t you think?” I leaned against the door.

“You must can’t cook.” He looked at me and laughed, then turned his attention back to the sink.

“For your information I cook really well.”

“Like Ramen Noodles cooking or throw down slap yo mama cooking?”

“Throw down slap yo mama cooking.”

“If you say so.” He took some circle like metal thing off.

“I’m serious.”

“How you know you can cook?”

“My boyfriend likes it.”

“Sorry to break it to you Ms. Amber but men will say anything to get the drawls. You need an opinion of somebody who ain’t trying to sleep with you.”

“Anyway.” I laughed.

“Where is he at now?”

“Um, he just stepped out a minute. He’ll be back.” I folded my arms. “You went to school for this?”

“Nah. School ain’t for me.”

“I hate when people say that, an education is valuable.”

“For some people. For others not so much. I tried the school thing. Did a semester at a junior college and was like, “nah this ain’t me.”

“A semester is not a chance to get a feel for school Dominic.”

“Oh God. You bought to be one of them old ladies giving me a lecture.” He rolled his eyes jokingly.

“No I’m not. I’m just saying.” I smiled. “I did four years of undergrad. Three years of law school and it was not that bad.”

“Law school?” He sat up.

“Mm-hmm.”

“You ain’t no lawyer.”

“Swear to you I am.”

“Maybe a legal assistant, but you ain’t no lawyer.” He fanned me and went back to work.

I went to my closet at got my law degree to show him. He looked at it.

“Why you here then?” He handed it back.

“What you mean?”

“In this little ass apartment. I know lawyers make more money to be able to afford a bigger place.”

“Here to support my boyfriend. He goes to UPenn.”

“Hmm. He wanna them Barack like squares huh?” He said looking under the sink.

“Actually far from it.”

“That’s the only people who go to UPenn.”

“Well he must be the exception.”

“Squares never think they squares.” He said tightening a piece under the sink. “What he in school for?”

“Dentistry.”

“He a square.” He laughed. “But he got a hell of a loyal ass girlfriend if you dropped everything to come here and be with him. Damn, where the women like you at? They obviously ain’t in my age bracket.”

“How old are you?”

“23. Guess I got to wait like your boyfriend until I’m 30 something to get one of you huh?”

“You never know.”

“Well if you ever interested in dating a young nigga, I’m available. Leave the grandpas alone.”

“The only young nigga she gon be dating is me.” August came up behind me.

Dominic looked up. “It was just a joke bruh. Don’t want no problems. ”

“Well this ain’t a fucking comedy club.”

“August please go and calm down.” I turned to him.

He looked down at me. “Can I talk to you for a second?”

I grabbed my head like I had a headache and followed him into the kitchen.

“You wanna get mad at me because I made a comment about other bitches, but you in my house, flirting with other men?” He lowered his voice but said it with forcefulness.

“I wasn’t flirting.”

“Then what was you doing?”

“Having a conversation.”

“You a hypocrite.” He flared his nose at me, then went to the fridge.

“Ms. Amber, I’m done.” Dominic came out with his toolbox. “If you need anything, else here’s my card.” I took it.

August took it from me and tore it.

“Forgive him. Thank you Dominic.” I saw him to the door and closed it.

“You ain’t got a right to question me, until you follow your own fucking advice.”

“First off, you’re over reacting. He said that in response to the fact, that I did  tell him I had a boyfriend.”

“You think niggas care you got a man?”

I sighed.

“They don’t. You can say that shit a million times, they still wouldn’t care.”

“But I care. And because I respect my man, I wouldn’t allow it to go beyond what it shouldn’t.”

“Like when you kissed Nate when we were still together?”

“Are you really bringing up old shit?”

“You up here acting like fucking Mother Theresa and I want you to know you ain’t blameless. Who knows what you and Nate were doing in that hotel room. A kiss was all you told me about.”

“Sorry but I’m not you August. I’m not going around almost fucking bitches, like you did Sevyn when we were broken up for a day!”

He got within kissing distance of my face and locked me in the counter with his arms. “You mad?”

“No you are.”

He smirked then pecked my lips, “You mine remember that.”

I wiped it off, “Nobody owns me.”

“As long as my name right here.” He took a handful of my breast that had the tat on it. “You mine.”

I slapped his hand away. “Then that’s means I’m getting this removed.”

I went in the bedroom to check on Sata who was sleeping.

He made a sandwich in the kitchen and got some chips.

“Don’t act like you don’t miss me sleeping in there you Amb.” He said sitting down on the couch with a mouth full of chips.

“Actually, these two nights have been the best sleep I’ve ever gotten. I was comfortable. I could stretch. Didn’t have nobody hairy legs up all on me all night. Breathing down my back. I think I prefer to sleep alone.” I sat on the couch next to him and got some of his chips.

“Aight. If that’s how you feel.” He took it to heart, eating, with a salty look on his face.

“August you are so sensitive. I swear.”

“I’m good.” He took a bite of sandwich. “Maybe that plumbing nigga can satisfy you.” He squinted his eyes looking at the tv, while eating.

“You just want me to feed your ego with compliments. Oh August, you’re soooooo amazing. Oh August, you’re soooooo big and strong. Oh August, I have never had anybody make me feel like you do. Oh August, without you my world would be incomplete.” I said in an overly dramatic orgasmic voice.

“If you don’t feel it. Don’t say it.”

“Great. Now I can stop lying.”

“Yup. If this whole relationship is a lie, I rather know now.”

“You are so fucking dramatic and spoiled August. I swear to God. Like Sata wants all of your attention, you want all of mine.”

He didn’t respond he just kept eating. I refused to give him the ego boost he was looking for. I don’t have to tell him a million times of day how I feel, especially when I show it.

“I need you to mop up the excess water in the bathroom.” I got up and went into the bedroom.

“I don’t do things for women who don’t love me. I’m worth more than to be used by someone who doesn’t love me.” He said being funny.

I laughed and shook my head. “If you want to sleep in this bed again, you’re going to do it.”

“I actually prefer the couch. I can wake up to the sunlight. Got access to the fridge over there if I get hungry. Can watch tv all night, without having to worry about waking somebody up. Although my back hurts and I’ll probably be hunched back when I’m older because of it, and  my legs get cramps from being scrunched up and not being able to stretch all the way out, which means I’ll have arthritis later in life,  I love it out here. Makes me feel one with my surroundings. And I don’t have to be next to someone who doesn’t love me. It’s the perfect situation if you think about it. ”

“August, get in here and mop this floor.” I was not about to deal with his foolery today.

He finished eating, then got the mop and the mop bucket and cleaned up the excess water.

“See this is what you do for somebody you love.” He said moping.

“You also pack up your whole life and go to another state to support them.”

“Nobody ever did that for me, I don’t know what that feels like.” He finished up moping and looked at what Dominic fixed.

“Man I could’ve did this. All I needed was the right tools.”

“Sure you could have August.”

He went in the kitchen to put the mop and bucket up. He came back in the bedroom and laid on the bed next to me.

“August get off the bed. You just got done moping water. You need a shower and to change clothes.”

“Take one with me.” He wrapped his arms around me.

“No. I took one already.”

“Man why you still on that? I apologized a thousand times.”

“Okay. And I have forgiven you. But that doesn’t mean you still get what you want.”

He sat up and sucked his teeth.

“You trippin’ man.” He went in the bathroom and closed the door. I could tell he was angry. But I didn’t care. Just because you forgive someone, doesn’t mean you let them off the hook so easily. I was trying to establish a new pattern this time around. I was not giving into his every little whim.

He came back out and got dressed. “I’m about to go up to Stac apartment. I need to talk to Trav about something.”

“Ok.” I said and he left out.

AUGUST  P.O.V. –

“Would y’all open the door?”

“No. Go away you rodent.” Trav said on the other side.

“Trav, I’m not playing.”

Trav opened the door with just some shorts on. He was sweating. And Stacy was on the floor in a sports bra and shorts breathing hard and sweating.

“What the hell was y’all doing?”

“Having a sit-up competition and her ass got smoked.”

“Whatever. I beat you.” She said wiping sweat from her forehead and sitting up.

“What’s wrong with you?” Travis closed the door and I went to go sit on the couch.

“I want my ol girl back.”

“What do you mean your old girl?” Stacy said standing drinking some water.

“I’m talking to Travis not you.”

“This is my apartment dumbass. And I have no problem kicking you the fuck out.” Stacy splashed water on me.

Travis laughed.

“Babe, I’m going in the room. Let me know when this fool leaves.”

“Sure thing my little dove.”

“Okay my kit-kat.” She blushed and went in the bedroom and closed the door.

I gave him the stale face.

“Stop with that shit. It’s lame as hell.”

“Stay out of my relationship okay? Now what are you talking about?”

“I’m not feeling this new Amb.”

“How is she new?” He laughed.

“I don’t know. She like trippin. I said something to her I shouldn’t have said. I apologized a million times, she still won’t let the shit go. Like come on now, lets move on.”

“Oh you mean you don’t like that she won’t give you your way. Cause that’s what she used to do?”

“You twisting my words.”

“No, that’s what you meant. Whether you said it or not. She supposed to be your yes and no, command dog, is what you trying to say.”

“I knew you wasn’t the right person to talk to this about.” I got up.

“Nigga you came up here asking me and because I didn’t give you the answer you wanted you mad?” He laughed. “Bruh you crazy G.”

“I’m not mad. I was just hoping as my older brother you would understand.”

“Understand what? That you spoiled as hell. And ever since you were little, you acted out when you didn’t get what you wanted. And you gave mama that little sad ass face.” He imitated a sad face. “Or cried. And her heart would melt and she’d be like “here August.”

I rolled my eyes and folded my