Relationship Goals

by Christina C. Jones

Confusion lifted my eyebrow as I considered his handsome face. Those beautiful brown eyes under sleepy sort of eyelids and silky-thick eyebrows, a broad nose, and full, succulent, enviable lips. Not like you were jealous of the lips themselves – you were jealous of whoever got to kiss them.

His lips were like velvet – just as good as they looked like they would be. At first contact, his touch was feather-light, assessing my cooperation

with whatever the hell was happening before the pressure increased. Without saying a word, the decadence of those lips sweet-talked me into opening myself to him, accepting the minty-cool sweetness of a tongue that hadn’t even tasted his coffee yet. Shamelessly, I allowed myself to melt into his sturdy frame as he kissed me, and I… kissed him back.

A quick perusal of the article – at least what was visible in the screenshot – said it was originally posted by another traveler, with the simple caption: #RelationshipGoals #BlackLove. That person probably hadn’t even recognized me, but after it had been shared the first thousand times, someone had realized, “Hey! That’s that Noah chick!”

Not only that, but seeing it from this this vantage point, seeing the body language, added a whole new layer. A layer that felt way more comfortable than it should.

On the other side of a lens, anyone could be anything. The camera was an equalizer – everybody became a liar when it was pointed at them. Before he died, my father once told me he’d spent his whole life searching for a story to tell that was just the truth. No embellishments, no creative editing, no omissions, just the truth.

They knew each other, had a reason to be sharing long looks, a reason for their eyes to brimming with feelings.

But after everything the woman had done for me, I was taking my pinch and my “Do your hoing in private, where ain’t no damn cameras!” in stride, and not arguing about it.

“Whew, shit,” she muttered. “That man looks like answered prayers.”

Nick Davison stepping off the elevator in my building with a bouquet of dahlias in hand, dressed in fresh sneakers and nicely fit jeans

and a deep blue sweater that was delicious against his dark skin absolutely did look like a gift from God.

“Go to lunch and then ride his face bitch, or I’m throwing your shit on the curb,”

“I am going to go see if I can talk one of those models into letting me eat sushi off his abs, and you are going to lunch with this nigga who looks like he would shoot up a plantation for you, okay? Okay. Call me after.”

My heart sped up a little as he closed in most of the space between us, leaving enough that we weren’t actually touching. “Such as, you are wearing the hell outta these jeans.”

“When people see us moseying down the street holding hands, what do think they’re assuming?”

Since the airport, I’d felt an energy that was very different. After dealing with Sam, and every guy before him, Nick felt different.

“We all have flaws, and we all have mess to deal with. But it doesn’t make us worthless, or worth any less.”

I survived something meant to destroy me – I can’t squander this second chance by living a life that is beneath my standing.

I don’t accept the little crumbs that people try to throw, right? I don’t do “frenemies”, I don’t accept people who never have a positive thing to say, I don’t accept liars, I don’t share a partner with anybody, I don’t accept anybody’s bare-minimum. When you come to me, you come correct. I demand it. And you should do the same. How different could our world be if we – lovingly – challenged each other to do, and be better, instead of accepting scraps?”

Anybody who has the power to alter how you feel about yourself will absolutely use it. What better hands to wield such a power than your own?”

It’s gonna hurt to demand those girls be better friends or get dropped. It might not feel good to go to the mall, or go to the movies alone,” Noah told her, standing up from her seat to climb down the few steps from the stage and head to where Mia was standing. “But you know what you’ll never regret? Not compromising yourself.”

Don’t be so rigid that you leave no room for simple human error. That was all Cameron said to me, after overhearing that conversation with Nick. She didn’t leave me room to debate if she was on my side or his, just dropped that nugget and walked off, destroying my world. There’s no shame in changing your mind when something is antithetical to your happiness.

You’d lived your whole life with it – it’s part of the fabric of who you are, but it’s the totality. It’s not even a character flaw. Why get so caught up on this one element that you rule out the possibility of anything?”

“The sensuality of everyday things. Maybe it’s about finding… I don’t know, some new appreciation of things we’re so used to, we overlook them.”

“No, the action is mundane. You’re sensual, like your whole vibe or whatever. It’s like the juxtaposition of two opposing ideas, right? Only it’s not a porno, so it doesn’t need to be overt. You, by virtue of being Noah, your simple presence, even in a faded tee shirt and yoga pants, or whatever, brings the sexiness to it.”

Experience is only the best teacher if you’re using it to learn what behaviors not to accept, honing your preferences – not using it as an excuse to let the good ones pass you by.”

Let the other person know where you stand, so they

can decide for themselves if they want to stand with you.

The last place I wanted to find myself was out here with my heart on my sleeves for another...

We tend to spend a lot of time on how to be good to other people, forgiving them, moving past their mistakes, all of that. But we don’t often give ourselves that same grace, and I want to address

I looked like you, I’d play with myself every damn day.”

“You smell like exactly what I’m about to treat you like,”

He had me so far gone I was screaming his name even before the white-hot coil of pleasure in my core built into an orgasm. But then it imploded, sweeping me in a wave of bliss so strong I collapsed backward on the table, thighs locked around his head as tremors rushed through me.

I doubt if anybody ever thought about the airport being the place to change your life. Always the destination. A new job, family, the love of your life, a new start… when people dreamed, it was always about what happened when you left the airport. Always what was on the other end of the flight.

“When you make this a full movie about us, you’ve gotta get Trevante Rhodes and Teyonnah Parris, or two other sexy chocolates to portray us, and it’s going to be amazing.”

“I’m not sure what I did to deserve this,” he said, running his fingertips over my stomach, over my breasts, and up to my face. “But I want you to know I’m grateful.” I frowned. “Deserve what, Nick?” “You.”

“But at least you’ll have put the truth out there. People will decide who they want to believe, and yeah some are going to stick with the wife, but that’s okay. Your light is way too bright to be dimmed by something like this. You’ve done too much good, touched too many people. Don’t give into the urge to shrink.”

“I’m not triggered. That’s not what I’m saying. I was afraid I would be, but when I look at this puppy all I feel is joy. I remember those things that happened to me, yes. But they’re distant now. Just part of the fabric that makes me… me. And that little girl in me is so, so pleased right

now. She has come so far, from unwanted and unloved to this. Nick, this is everything,” she said, her voice choked with emotion. “Thank you.”

Then, I was able to look at my phone again, re-reading that caption that maybe didn’t mean much to anyone else, but to me… said a lot. #relationshipgoals.

Sometimes I wanna come home, and be all alone Or be all alone, and come when I get home Or bring you home, watch you come all alone Or come with you, when we’re alone, once we make it home