A Stoplight of Love.

It was love at first sight. Daniel said it from Day 1. He never forgot the first captivating sight of her.

Cheyenne.

Her coffee-brown skin, red dress matching the color of her Corvette was Prince’s famous song in human form. A gold anklet. Freshening herself in the windows of her car. Her acrylic nails flowing through her fresh silk press. Cheyenne caught Daniel’s eye on the upper deck of a pre-pandemic crowd.

“You see her?” Daniel says, nudging his friend as they gazed down at her.

“You ain’t doin’ shit with that,” His friend Andre responds, taking a sip of his drink.

“Watch.”

Leaving the deck, Daniel approached Cheyenne with all the confidence in the world. Inching through the crowd of people, he’s greeted by the aroma of her Ocean Blue Aroma perfume.

“How do you feel about sex on the first night,” Daniel says to her, sliding his hand down her arm.

“What did you just say to me?” Cheyenne responds, smacking his hand away.

The sharp look on the woman’s face tells it all. A horrible approach leaves Daniel frazzled.

“I…”

“If I did, I sure wouldn’t fuck you?”

The insult is coupled with the laughter from Cheyenne’s friends. The girls fade into the sea of people, leaving Daniel to sulk at his stupid decision.

“Damn…” He whispers, running his fingers through his cut.

What Daniel thought would be the final time that he would see her, wasn’t.

Mardi Gras. Arguably the biggest event in Louisiana. Red cups, beads, and leftover foods help flood the streets alongside the sea of people. Daniel and his four friends bar hop, enjoying life like the other 20-somethings on Bourbon. A sea of women floods the already crowded bar. Though all of the women catch their eye, Daniel spots her first.

Cheyenne.

“Shit,” Daniel said, taking a shot and covering his face.

“What you so worried ‘bout?” His friend, Nate, cackles as he also finishes his shot.

“Nothin’.”

“NATE! JOSH!”

The flood of women approaches the men, establishing that they’re acquainted with half the group. Drink clasped in the fingers of her butterfly acrylics, Cheyenne hugs two of the men, as she is unfamiliar with the other two men.

“Aye y’all, we finna’ head on the balcony. My boy rented the roof,” Nate smiles, introducing his other friends. “Chey, Destiny, y’all know Andre but this is my boys Daniel and Kevin!”

The women greet the other two boys with hugs. All, but one. Cheyenne. Everything about their second meeting is similar to the first. She flaunts what is in Daniel’s eyes, her signature color. A red halter top to compliment her lipstick. Also similar is the look in her eye when she notices Daniel. Disgust.

“Y’all know each other or something?” Destiny asks, noticing Cheyenne’s stare.

“Yeah, that’s the weirdo I told you about from the last party,” Cheyenne said, pointing directly at Daniel.

Feisty glares from her friends break a quick sweat out of Daniel.

“It was just a joke,” He lied, trying to ease the tension off of him. “I wasn’t serious.”

“Well it wasn’t a funny one,” Cheyenne scoffed, slinging her purse over her shoulder.

Cheyenne and her girls make their way to the roof. Daniel’s friends grab their drinks, following the women to the rooftop.

“Damn,” Nate laughs, nudging Daniel as they walked up the stairs. “What you say to her, bro?”

“Some shit I regret.”

By midnight, the remaining or little tensions from the party were mellowed by the ice breaker trio. Food, alcohol, and music. The girls and boys were separated amongst themselves, but later mixed. Avoiding Cheyenne for the most part, the smooth vibe of the party made Daniel want to talk to her again. He caught whatever private glare of her when he could to capture a glimpse of her beauty. By 1 am, most of the crowd had left the roof to attend another party. Destiny stayed behind to throw beads off of the balcony. Wanting to avoid intoxication, Daniel left his drink behind, walking by her side. Cheyenne keeps her focus on the crowd, whistling and throwing the last of her beads below.

“You havin’ fun?” Daniel asked, hanging his arms on the railing.

“I am.” Cheyenne said, waving at the people below.

Cheyenne’s tone told Daniel that she was still upset. Rightfully so.

“I just wanted to apologize for how I approached you at Joshua’s party,” Daniel said, turning to her. “The women my boys and I are around like to be approached that way.”

“And where are these women from, the jungle?”

Daniel laughs. Smooth joke.

“Alright, that was a little hilarious.”

With one smile, Cheyenne’s smirk sparks confidence that dwindled at the start of the night.

“So, can we kick it?”

“Nah,” Cheyenne responded, leaving Daniel on the deck. “I’m good.”

Even with the denial, Daniel knew that they had a spark. Destiny’s smile spoke volumes.

One Facebook message led to a phone conversation. A phone conversation that lasted hours into the night. A phone conversation that led to one date. One date that led to multiple. During this timeframe, Daniel noticed that Cheyenne’s style began to change. Her signature style had vanished. She began to take up a new color. Yellow. She sported yellow sundresses. Nails. Necklaces.

He loved every bit of it.

The wall Cheyenne had built against him was gone. As far as she and Daniel were, she was all his.

It had only taken 2 months for Cheyenne to want to do nothing but spend all her time with Daniel. Daniel was head over heels the second he laid eyes on her. The more they spent time together, the further he wanted to go. Another night of hot kissing on the sofa of Cheyenne’s apartment was leading to another. Toppled over her, Daniel reached down for Cheyenne’s jean buttons.

“Wait…” She whispered, removing his hands.

Leaning away from her, Daniel waited curiously as Cheyenne sat up, fluffing her frizzy hair.

“I’m waiting until marriage,” Cheyenne sighed, flipping her hair. “Sorry if that’s a problem for you, but I’m not changing that.”

“It’s fine. I respect that. I mean I don’t have no choice.”

“You’re not mad?”

“No, and even if I was, that’s not my decision,” Daniel said. “I don’t get to dictate what you do with your body.”

Cheyenne smiles, hugging her understanding boyfriend.

“Thank you for understanding.”

At a bar, Daniel told Nate about their relationship timeline, ending with Cheyenne’s rejection.

“Aw haw haw man. You lied like crazy,” Nate cackled. “You was mad as hell, wasn’t you?”

“I just KNEW we were gonna have sex that night,” Daniel groaned, finishing his shot.

“Are you going to wait or move on with someone else?”

“About a month after that, we went to a nightclub. She was with her girls and I was with Josh. The night was smooth, but she came to me complaining about a dude who kept groping her. You know how cool of a dude I am, I told him to get the fuck on, but when I left, he circled and touched her again. I ain't have no choice but to punch him,” Daniel described. “They kicked us out of the club and I thought that was it, turns out the dude I punched had like 10 friends with him. They wound up beating the shit out of me and Josh.”

“I’m pissed I wasn’t there,” Nate complains. “I would’ve called my cousins up there. We would’ve been on some UFC shit.”

That night…

An angry and battered Daniel sits on Cheyenne’s couch, staring furiously into space. Dried blood sits on the cut of his upper right eye. His left eye, bruised. Arms battered and bruised from defending his body from the constant kicks and punches.

“Tsss!” Daniel jumps, sucking in his teeth as Cheyenne damps the alcohol-soaked rag against his wound. “Why are you bein’ so rough, Chey? Damn!”

“I gotta clean the wounds, Daniel,” She snapped back, scrubbing the dried blood away. “Just be quiet!”

“Alright well be gentle.”

Cheyenne gently rubs his arms, sitting on her knees beside him. She is vulnerable.

“Thank you for what you did tonight, Daniel,” She says. “I appreciate it.”

“I did what I was supposed to. It’s not that serious, babe.”

“Was the shower painful?”

“I could barely clean my face.”

“Come on. I’ve got some heating pads in my room.”

Following her inside her room, Daniel sits at the edge of Cheyenne’s bed, watching her grab the heating pads from her bottom drawer. Her old lava lamp is swapped out for a different one, creating a lime green luminescent light in her room.

“Got tired of your pink lamp?” Daniel asked.

“Yeah. Wanted to try a different color.”

Removing Daniel’s shirt, Cheyenne stares at the bruises on Daniel’s side. Without warning, she plants her lips on his sides. Surprised, he gazes down at her, watching her kiss and trail up his sides. He’s all for what she’s indicating. Daniel fights through every ounce of pain, matching her energy as they broke the oath of celibacy.

“Guess you could say Cheyenne finally gave you the “Green Light”, huh?” Nate cackles, smacking his knee as if he had cracked the joke of the century.

“Oh, brother..”