Page 104 of Kissed By the Trillest Thug 2

“Yes, ma’am.”

I gathered some mash and a scoop of chicken onto my fork before taking a bite.

“That’s more like it.”

After dinner, I gathered our plates and carried them into the kitchen.

“I’ll wash,” Maliah said eagerly.

“I’ll dry.”

She filled one side of the sink with warm water before adding a couple of squirts of dish soap. Within seconds, thick white bubbles covered the top of the water.

“I don’t know why people act like washing dishes is so bad,” she said, dropping the first plate into the sink.

“Because it is.”

She rolled her eyes as she scrubbed the plate clean before handing it to me. For a few minutes, we worked in comfortablesilence. She washed while I was drying. Every now and then our hands brushed when she passed me another dish.

I looked over just in time to see her elbow-deep in the dishwater. An idea crossed my mind. I dipped two fingers into the bubbles floating on top and scooped up a little foam. Before she could look over, I gently tapped it right on the end of her nose. She froze, and her eyes crossed as she tried to look at it. I couldn’t hold it together anymore. I laughed. She reached up, wiped the bubbles off her nose, and looked down at the sink. A smile slowly spread across her face.

“So that’s how we playing?”

Before I could answer, she flicked a handful of warm dishwater right at me. Drops splashed across my shirt. I looked down, and when I looked back up at her, she was already laughing.

“You think that’s funny?” I said, laughing myself.

“I know it’s funny.”

I reached into the sink and sent another splash in her direction. She squealed, throwing both hands up as the water dotted the front of her shirt.

“Tahari!”

“You started it.”

She laughed harder before splashing me again. Within seconds, neither one of us cared about the dishes anymore. We stood in the middle of the kitchen laughing and throwing little splashes of water back and forth until we were both breathing hard. Finally, I caught her wrists before she could splash me again.

“Aight… I quit.”

“You better.”

She was still smiling when I pulled her against me. Without saying anything, I wrapped my arms around her and held herclose. The laughter slowly faded until the kitchen was quiet again. I kissed the top of her head.

“Thank you.”

She tilted her head back to look at me.

“For what?” she asked.

“For being here.”

She smiled before wrapping her arms a little tighter around my waist.

“There ain’t nowhere else I’d rather be.”

Chapter 20

MJ