Was it Good for You Too? by Naleighna Kai

congratulatory hugs and a kiss, and he turned to the audience.
    â€œFirst, I want to thank God for giving me life and so many wonderful opportunities.” He paused to let the applause fade away. “I want to thank the academy and the other four nominees tonight. To be in a group of such distinguished gentlemen humbles me. There are so many people I want to thank. There are just too many to name but …” Then he grimaced before saying, “All right … my parents, Anna and Delvin Senior; my agent, Katie; and my lawyer, Maurice. They would not let me live it down if I didn’t mention them.”
    The members of the audience laughed.
    â€œBut if you will allow me, I do want to take an extra moment to thank someone special.” He looked directly into the camera and lifted the award. “To the one and only love of my life. Tai, I never thought I’d be accepting this without you by my side. I love you. I will always love you, and I will never stop loving you. This”—he lifted the Oscar higher—”is for you.” He blew the camera a kiss. “Thank you.” He left the stage with Natalie on his arm.
    The screen near the off-stage area showed the cameras had panned to Gabrielle, who fumed with humiliation. The applause trickled down, and the whispers started. He smiled as he cleared the stage, already knowing what the world was thinking—who the hell was this “Tai” he was talking about?
    Fueled by that memory, Delvin ate up the distance between them. Before Tailan approached the group, he grabbed her hand and pulled her to him. “I’m sorry.” His thumb massaged the inside of her wrist. “So sorry for hurting you.” He searched her sad eyes for a hint that he was reaching her.
    â€œDo you know how much pressure I have on me right now?” Tailan seethed. “I don’t have time for this.”
    Delvin squeezed her hand a little tighter. “I’ll take your anger. I’ll take your resentment, I’ll take anything you throw at me.” He pulled her deeper into his body, their breaths mingling as he said, “But I am not backing down.”
    He would’ve kissed her right then and there if a busload of eyes were not watching their every move with open interest.
    Tailan’s lids dipped and zeroed in on his mouth. He didn’t move.
    â€œWell it’s about time.” They looked over to Pam, and Delvin shrugged at her knowing grin. Obviously she felt the smoldering heat rising between them and decided to dampen it. “I was about to put out an APB on you,” she teased. “You know we’re on tour right?”
    Joyce peered over Pam’s shoulder and added, “We could stop by the adult toy store and start y’all off right.”
    â€œForget both of you,” Tailan shot back with a chuckle and followed Pam onto the bus. “What do you know about adult toys?” she asked Joyce.
    â€œBaby, I wasn’t always sixty-five,” she replied, patting her short-cropped hair. “This old girl’s still got a lot of living to do.” She leaned in and whispered. “And she’s going to have a lot of fun doing it.”
    Tailan laughed as she made it to the top of the steps and faced the group.
    Applause rang out from the crowd, causing Tailan to give them a mock bow before sashaying down the aisle to her normal spot near her team at the back of the bus.
    Delvin took the seat beside her, then as an afterthought asked, “You don’t mind if I sit here, right?”
    â€œYes, I do mind.”
    â€œToo late now.” He stretched out his long legs. “I’m comfortable.”
    â€œIt’s hard to miss that with you plastered all over me,” she quipped, frowning as Delvin curled into her lap, looked up at her, then released a playful, but happy sounding snore.
    â€œYou start doing that and I’m rolling you to the floor.”
    Delvin had