Page 4 of The Deed to a Gangsta's Heart

“Hmm.”

I didn’t want to think too much of it, so I dropped it. Once we had all of my things inside, I gave him the gift I’d purchased him to show my appreciation of him letting me stay here. For a while, he just stared at the box.

“Open it,” I demanded softly with a laugh.

“Nah. You didn’t have to get me anything, pookie.”

“I wanted to. Open it.”

With a sigh, Remedy slowly opened the gift box. He was a simple man and easy to shop for. He loved sports, reading, cars, and jewelry. Oh, and hats. Remedy almost always had on a baseball hat. Even when he wore suits. I watched with heavy anticipation as he pulled the Cartier watch out. Unlike most people in our generation, he wasn’t attached to his phone and used watches to keep up with thetime. I knew he’d appreciate the black Santos watch when I purchased it.

“Oh this is nice, Cal. Really nice. Thanks, pookie.”

As he pulled me into his arms, relief washed over me. “You’re welcome. Thank you for letting me stay.”

“Always. You know I got you.”

That… I was sure of. If I couldn’t depend on anyone else, I knew I could depend on my parents and my best friends. My time away in Memphis was nice but I was looking forward to being back home. I’d made other friends, but Remedy was truly my person. He went beyond my best friend. Remedy was the person I was safest with emotionally and mentally. The person I could truly be myself with. There were things I could share and do with him that I’d never share and do with Luci, and because of that, Remedy was my soul mate.

After we pulled away, he gave me the space to start settling in. I didn’t bring any furniture from the apartment in Memphis, just my clothes and valuable items. Once I had the bulk of my clothes put up, I decided to check in with Luci. I was hoping she’d decide to come back home with me, but she still hadn’t made up her mind yet. Our lease would be up in a week and her last minute ass still didn’t know if she wanted to renew it or not.

I told her she needed to make up her mind now so they wouldn’t charge her month to month. More than anything, I think the breakup with Adam was affecting her more than she realized. She’d been more indecisive and unsure lately, and I wished there was something I could do to pull her out of it.

“Hey, Cal. Are you settled in yet?”

“Hey, Lu. For the most part. I still have a few things to unpack but that can wait. How are you?”

She sighed into the receiver. “I’m okay. I decided to take a mental health day, so I didn’t go to work. I miss you already.”

With a chuckle, I sat on the couch in front of the bed. “I miss you too. I wish you’d come home. The timing is literally perfect.”

“I’ve been thinking about it. I can afford the rent on my own, but I only stayed in Memphis for you.”

“Exactly! I’m done with school now so there was no reason for me to stay. Come home, Luci. Pleeeasssee.”

“Ugh, how can I say no to you?”

“Then you’ll come back?”

“If I can find a job in my field, yes. Jasper Lane is so small they probably don’t have any openings, and I’m not taking a pay cut.”

“I’ll help you look. You might be surprised. Either way, you have enough money saved to not work for a while if you couldn’t find something right away. I just want you near.”

“I guess. Let me call Ma and see if they’ll be okay with me staying with them for a little while until I can find my own place.”

“Chile, good luck with that. You see how hard it was for me to find something. That’s why I’m staying with Rem now.”

“Yeah, but you’re extra. I don’t think I’ll be as hard to please as you.”

That made me laugh. “Whatever. The only houses I found were little shacks that were like six hundred square feet in the hood. The two apartments that had vacancies had horrible reviews. I don’t want that to discourage you, though.”

“I mean… I’m cool with staying with my parents, so I think I’ll be okay. Let me look into some things and I’ll let you know tomorrow.”

“Yay! Okay. I’ll talk to you then.”

“All right, Cal. Talk to you then.”

If she was thinking about it, she’d say yes. I didn’t think anything could top coming back home, but knowing my best friend would soon be joining me made the move even more special.

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