Kevin Hart & Pineapple Pizza

Tuli

I felt like I had potatoes in my ears.

Jayce had just dropped a bombshell, and I was left speechless.

Truth be told, I felt the same way. But I couldn’t bring myself to say it.

Every time I thought about confessing my feelings, I was met with the fear of rejection.

Jayce watched me, his eyes filled with uncertainty. I stood there, lost for words.

“Did I break you?” he asked, trying to lighten the mood.

It took me a moment to find my voice. “I... I don’t know what to say,” I managed to say.

Jayce scratched the back of his head, looking a bit embarrassed. “I should have known you’d be speechless. To be honest, Tuli, I tried to stay away. When I finally admitted to myself how much I cared for you... The thing is, I don’t know if I can be in a committed relationship, and the last thing I want is to hurt you.

“And then there’s the fact that I’m your professor, and you’re my student. But I couldn’t get you out of my mind. Every night, I think about you. I’m jealous of your friend Armand. And don’t tell me he doesn’t like you, because I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”

I stayed silent, letting him speak.

“When you called me that night, I thought my heart would explode just from hearing your voice. And when you hung up on me, I panicked. I was about to call the police before your friend called me. And when you were sick, I wanted to take care of you, to hold you and comfort you.”

He paused for a moment. “I’m rambling, aren’t I?”

When I looked at him, my eyes wide with surprise, he pulled me close and pressed our foreheads together.

“Tuli, I want a relationship with you. Not just sex. More than that.”

“Jayce,” I whispered, finally accepting his words, finally ready. “I love you, too.”

His eyes lit up and he kissed me again.

“I will make sure you don’t regret this. I promise.”

“But Jayce, I don’t think we ~can~ have a relationship. Not right now. I don’t want you to lose your job. It’s not a good idea.”

“We—we can figure it out. I swear, I won’t let our situation stop us from being together.”

Jayce let go of me and held my hands in his.

“I can’t let you go that easily. I’ll give you some space.” He kissed my hands. “But please, think about it.”

“I will.”

He sighed and was about to kiss me again, but the sound of sirens outside interrupted us. “We should probably go out there,” I suggested.

He followed me outside, the sound of the siren leading the way.

We were both questioned by the police. I told them everything.

I also talked to Bradley, who was planning on pressing charges. I told him that if he did, I would make sure he went to jail for trying to rape me. That shut him up quickly.

The police fined Jayce but didn’t do anything else. They let Bradley go, but Liza and Bill made it clear he was fired.

I could tell he was angry, but he kept his mouth shut and left when it was all over.

Liza and Bill apologized to me for not firing him sooner. I told them it was my fault, which earned me a disapproving look from Jayce.

Liza told me to take a few days off and that she would find someone to cover for me. We said our goodbyes, and Jayce walked me to my car.

“You don’t have to walk me,” I grumbled.

“I want to make sure you get to your car safely.”

I unlocked my car and was about to get in, but Jayce took my hand again and kissed it.

“Remember what I asked you,” he said, his voice filled with hope.

I nodded. He watched as I got into my car, started the engine, and drove away.

I got home a few minutes later. My phone pinged. I looked at it and saw a text from Jayce.

Jayce

U ok?

Tuli

I’m fine. Just surprised. Why is an English teacher using text language?

Jayce

Don’t judge

I rolled my eyes.

Tuli

You need an English lesson, professor. You’ll be staying after class until you know how to speak proper English again.

Jayce

Ooh. U plan 2 show up in a skimpy school uniform and spank me with a ruler?

Tuli

Okayyyyyyy... now that you see I’m fine, I’m gonna go. Good nite.

The thought of us switching roles was exciting. It made my face turn as red as a tomato.

~Me spanking him with a ruler? Is he into that kind of thing?~

I smiled as I unlocked the door. I was glad I put my phone away just in time because Megan nearly tackled me as soon as I opened the door.

“Oh my gosh, Tuli, are you okay? Liza called and I’ve been worried sick!” She hugged me tightly.

I hugged her back. “I’m okay, I promise,” I reassured her.

She let go of me and I saw streaks of ruined makeup on her cheeks. “Megan, have you been crying?”

“Liza said you were almost raped.” Daniel appeared and we hugged. God, I’d missed my brother.

“If I hadn’t known the guy was taken care of—”

My eyes widened. “What do you mean, you already knew Bradley was taken care of?”

I was worried Daniel knew Jayce was the one. It was probably irrational, but I was worried Daniel was still angry about Jayce coming into our apartment.

As if he could read my mind, Daniel answered. “I heard your professor beat the shit out of the guy. I might not approve of him, but he beat up the asshole who thought it was okay to touch my little sister, so I give him credit for that.”

“Did you still want to talk about him?” I asked.

I didn’t know if he just wanted to talk, or to argue. I wasn’t sure I was ready for either. Plus, I kind of wanted to tell Megan what Jayce told me, but I was afraid to set Daniel off again.

But we needed to get this done.

“Why don’t you step inside first?” Daniel suggested. “We’ve got pizza if you’re hungry. We ordered pineapple and pepperoni, your favorite.”

Ah, so that was the delicious aroma I’d been picking up. I could practically taste it. My stomach growled in response. “I could probably eat an entire pizza right now,” I admitted.

Daniel grinned. “Go ahead. I think I’m going to put this one to bed,” he said, pulling Megan closer to his side.

She rubbed her eyes and gave me a small smile. “Sorry, I’m just relieved you’re safe.”

I returned her smile. “No need to worry anymore. Bradley’s out of the picture for good.”

“Come on, sweetheart,” Daniel murmured to Megan, “you need some sleep.”

She nodded and let Daniel guide her towards their bedroom. I dropped my stuff on the floor and made a beeline for the pizza.

I settled onto the couch, legs crossed, and flicked on the TV. I decided on one of Kevin Hart’s stand-up specials.

Halfway through the show, and my pizza, I heard the door to Megan’s room creak open. I glanced up to see Daniel heading my way. I paused the TV as he took a seat next to me.

We sat in silence for a moment, waiting for him to speak. He rubbed his hands together before finally clasping them, fingers intertwined.

“Listen, Tuli,” he began, his voice quiet and hesitant. “You’re an adult. You can make your own choices. I need to learn to step back. But you know you and Dad are all the family I have, right? Just like we’re all you have. You’re my sister. It’s hard for me not to be protective. If someone messes with you, they’re messing with me. When I found out you were sleeping with your professor, I was worried. You get that, right?”

I nodded. Of course, it was a concern. If Jayce and I were discovered, I could be in a world of trouble. I couldn’t fault Daniel for his reaction.

He continued, “You also promised me that things were over between you two. He’d hurt you. When you came home crying that day, it broke my heart. So, when I heard he’d taken you home last week, I thought you’d lied to me. I couldn’t understand why you’d want to be with someone who’d hurt you. I was angry.

“But after today, it’s clear that there’s something unresolved between you two.

“I may not like it, but I’ll let you figure it out. I’ll support you. That’s my job as your brother. But,” he added, turning to face me, “if he hurts you again, I’m going to kick his ass. Got it?”

I nodded.

~This is a relief. I don’t have to tell him about Jayce’s confession now.~

“I get it, Daniel. I'm sorry I broke my promise to you. I honestly don’t know what’s happening with my life right now. All I want is to finish school and move forward. But just because I need to start making my own decisions doesn’t mean I don’t need you. I’ll always need my big brother.”

I nudged his shoulder, coaxing a smile from him.

“I know, tulip,” he murmured. He pulled me into a tight hug. “I love you.”

“Love you, too.”

He stood and stretched. “Alright, I’m beat, and if Megan wakes up, I’m going to have a hell of a time getting her back to sleep. Make sure you get some rest, too, sis.”

“I will. Good night, Daniel,” I replied.

He returned to Megan’s room. I was about to resume my show when a massive yawn escaped me. Today had been exhausting.

I finished my pizza and tossed the plate in the trash. Minutes later, I was back in bed, cuddling Theodore close.

Adam’s cologne still lingered on him, and I found myself wondering if Adam was alright and if he was thinking about me.

I’m not sure how long it took, but eventually, I drifted off to sleep.