Justin chuckles.
“Oh babe, you don’t have to apologize to me, but if you know yoga isn’t for your parents, that’s quite alright. Trust me, it isn’t for everyone.” We both laugh, and I turn my head to kiss him on the cheek.
“I know, and the thing is that yoga really works for me, which is not how these things usually go. You know that I’m a bigger girl, and most yoga instructors look like supermodels. But I love it and am very athletic, I’m just built curvy. In my practice, I try to make people of all backgrounds, shapes, and sizes feel comfortable. I share that I’m very healthy and into nutrition and fitness, but I also purposefully wear tight clothing during my practice because I want to show that big girls are capable of athletic endeavors, and that we are pretty too. Inside and out.”
Justin turns onto his side to face me. He runs the back of his hand across my cheek bone and tucks my hair in behind my ear. I turn in towards him, moving onto my side as well.
“I think you’re very attractive, Marley Magnus. Inside and out.” My heart skips a beat at his words, and something in those blue eyes makes my heart flip over. Then, we kiss and this liplock is special. It’s more intimate than those that came before it, and Justin feels it too because he pulls me into him as tight as he can. Before I know it, we’re making love in the bed of his truck and my cries ring out in the open field as the gorgeous alpha male takes me again and again. I fall into a dazed slumber, only to feel his lips on mine once more.
“Good morning,” he whispers to me.
I stir, trying to get my bearings.
“Oh my god, Justin! We’ve been lying here all night! OMG, it’s morning already, and you’re going to be late for work! I’m going to be late for work too!” I sit up frantically, already brushing hair out of my face while facing the winds of panic. But this man is a calm one, and to my surprise, he pulls me back down.
“It’ll be okay. I just want five more minutes with you in more arms.”
Immediately, my heart rate slows and a sense of warmth and calm descends over my being. I turn so that my back is pressed into his large chest, and he wraps both arms around me tightly and tucks my head beneath his chin. We lie together as the sun rises overhead, and hopefully, this moment will never end.
7
Justin
Eyeing the neighborhood with suspicion, I park my truck in front of Building 632 on Cabrini South. I make sure to park on the far side of the street before getting out and slamming the door loudly. This is probably going to be a bad idea.
After all, East New York has quite the reputation. Most people avoid driving through the neighborhood at all costs, and those who accidentally hop off the interstate here are sure to keep their windows up and doors locked. Because if they don’t, bad things can happen.
In fact, just a few streets back I saw a group of teenage boys try to break into the back of a work van, taking a crowbar to the large deadbolt that holds the swinging doors shut. It was at a red-light in the middle of traffic in broad daylight too! The balls on these kids make me shake my head grimly. Fortunately, the driver caught on and the van peeled off, leaving the shirtless boys cussing in the street behind it. To be honest, I turned down a side road to avoid being their next victim.
The scary thing is that that’s not even the worst thing that could happen in this area. I’ve heard some horror stories about these parts, and they veer into the violent and destructive. Last time I was in the area doing a job, I was warned by a pipe fitter that I needed to be more careful about where I left my truck. He saw that I had parked my vehicle next to a huge apartment complex, and the dude ran up to me, yelling that I needed to move my car. Confused, I asked if I needed a permit. Looking back, I must have sounded pretty naïve.
“I wish that was the problem,” he harrumphed. Then the grizzly middle-aged man spat a dark wad of chew onto the asphalt before continuing. “My apprentice was out here a few months back and some fellas were hecklin’ him for money. He turned them down and took off to get some work done. But when he came back out, they’d tossed a toilet off the balcony and smashed the windshield of his work van. Did a pretty number to the engine, but what I’m wondering is, where the hell did those kids get a spare toilet? I can’t help but wonder if those ignorant thugs ripped it right out of a bathroom wall. Section Eight, I tell ya. They don’t appreciate the hand-outs we give them.”