Page 12 of Beyond The Stars

“How you know?”

“You did it the other night when you got that call.” He used his long nails to cut the cigar down the middle.

“You are such a creep. What else you noticed?” Siasia crossed her legs, sitting in the middle of his bed.

Taking the crushed marijuana, he sprinkled it into the empty cigar. He sealed it with his spit and used his lips to keep it tight. “You’re like a kitten ready to explore your new surroundings. Be careful though. Curiosity killed the cat.” Fire illuminated his face in the dimly lit space like some kind of omen.

Siasia shivered.

His brown lips wrapped around the blunt, inhaling the smoke before letting it free. “You smoke?” he asked, passing it back to her.

“Yea,” she said, reaching for it and placing it at her lips. Like the pro she was, she mimicked him: sucking in the smoke before swallowing and letting it fill the air.

Like a proud father, he smiled. “Oh yea, my curious little kitty ain’t so innocent.”

“You thought I was?” She snorted before pointing at her chest. “Me? The same girl you saw being propositioned for sex?” Siasia passed the blunt back to him.

Qamar was taken aback by her bluntness. “Since we on that, you don’t do that anymore.”

“It’s the reason I’m here, Qamar.” Her neck jutted forward. “You paid me to be here.”

“Nah, I paid you to be done for that night. Now, I’m telling you to be done forever,” he said, blowing out smoke. “Just chill on that.”

“That’s not how this works. I’m not a pretty little woman. I ain’t looking to be saved.”

“That’s when you need the most saving.”

Qamar watched her gulp her words.

Feeling exposed, she crossed her arms, hoping to cover the parts of her he couldn’t visibly see but seemed to think he did. The way his eyes pierced her skin made her feel naked and judged. Siasia hated being under the scrutiny of others because no one knew her story. They didn’t know she was the oldest child but had somehow transformed into the mother to two grown people who should’ve been parenting her, not the other way around.

“I ain’t judging you though.”

“It fuckin’ feels like it. Why am I here?” Siasia swept her hand around the room. “What you want from me?”

“You here because you want to be here, and I apologize if I offended you. That ain’t what I’m trying to do.” The bed dipped from him pressing his hands into the mattress to lean down to her face. “Scoot over.”

His face was so close to hers, she wanted to kiss him. Instead of feeding into her own desires, she moved over, giving him space to rest his back on the extra tall headboard and stretch his long legs out on the bed.

“You go to Lynn Beach?”

“Sometimes.” Siasia shrugged. “When I can afford to, I sign up for a semester.”

He nodded with his hand caressing his beard that glistened and looked well groomed. “What’s your major?”

“Photography.” She smiled with pride. “I want to be a world renown photographer. Ain’t enough Black ones that know how to shoot Black skin. I want to change that, you know?” Her face lit up when she talked about her dreams.

“I know exactly what you mean. I might have to get you to shoot me.” He passed the weed back to her.

“I’m sure you have photographers beating down your doors… I’m sure you’ve been photographed by some of the best in the industry. Your family is fuckin’ famous.”

“Nah, I ain’t been shot by the best… you ain’t did it yet.”

She blushed, shying away from his intense gaze. Qamar was intimidating the way he made eye contact and spoke to you directly. Under his gaze you felt big and small.

“What’s your major?”

“Honestly, I don’t really have one. If I had shit my way, I would already be in the league but my people want me to graduate and shit,” he confessed.

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