It was a rare, suspiciously calm morning. Sophia and I almost never woke up at the same time, so when I looked up and saw her still standing beside the bed instead of disappearing off to start the day, I was immediately confused. I had barely fixed my side of the blankets when she started swaying her hips—dangerous hips—to music only she could hear at first.
Those hips had a way of making good decisions pack up and leave my body. She was still in her pajamas—little red plaid things that suddenly felt a lot more offensive than they probably were five minutes ago. Her curls were all loose and wild from sleep, and she had this smug little smile on her face like she’d already won something.
Then she started singing.
Not some soft little love song either. One of those moody pop songs Desi played all the time with the dreamy R&B vibe. I didn’t know the artist, but I recognized the song immediately. Sophia rolled her shoulders slowly and pointed at me during certain lyrics like she wanted to make absolutely sure I understood this was targeted harassment.
Midnight honey on my fingertips
Gold light dancing on your lips
You don’t say much, you never did
Still pull me close like a secret
Slow heat under summer skin
That look in your eyes again
Whole room moving side to side
But you got tunnel vision tonight
Mmm
You know what you doin’
Don’t make me ruin it
Velvet on my body
Your hands know the way around me
Sweet smoke in the air, no talking
Just that look when you want me
Velvet when you hold me
Pull me in slow like you own me
Bassline shake in my heartbeat
Love when you love on me
The Watcher was testing my resolve before sunrise. Rude. If we didn’t have a toddler who treated closed doors like personal challenges, I would’ve dragged her right back under those covers immediately. She knew it, too. That was the whole game.
By the time she finished the chorus, I had completely given up pretending this wasn’t affecting me.
“That song is dangerous,” I muttered.
“Mmm hmm,” she hummed, entirely too pleased with herself.
I climbed across the bed anyway, grabbed her around the waist, and kissed her hard enough to earn that laugh she does when she knows she got exactly what she wanted. What a way to start Love Day.
