Page 31 of Arris, Jayme & Dyani
We both added songs to the playlist and let it shuffle, adding new ones every time we thought of one. We yelled things out at each other across the space between us, joking and laughing throughout. Arris finished the kitchen and joined me in the living room. He dug lightbulbs out of a box and put one in each of my lamps then joined me on the couch. He took over opening the boxes and I just put things away as he handed them to me.
When we finished, we moved to the bathroom. Arris sat on the side of the toilet and kept me company while I found space for all my makeup, towels, and hygiene products.
We gravitated to my bedroom next and Arris focused on hanging up the clothes that needed to go into the closet while I focused on the things that needed to be folded.
We were more than halfway done when knocking echoed throughout the apartment and I froze. I looked back at Arris then toward the front door. I stood still for another second. Knocking sounded again.
“You gon’ get that?” he asked.
“I mean, I’m not expecting anyone.”
“What that mean?”
I shot Arris a look but headed to the front door. He trailed me. That knowledge made me less anxious to just yank the door open. I opened my mouth then slammed it shut and elbowed Arris who chuckled.
I accepted the bags from the delivery man in front of me.
“Thank you,” I said.
“No problem.”
“Good looking out, bro.” Arris handed him a ten then stepped out of the way so I could go back into my apartment.
He pushed the door shut and we made our way to the island for me to set the bags down. Arris started pulling things outimmediately. There was a wide array of Chinese food, sushi, a chocolate cake, and surprisingly a vase.
“I got you some cooked rolls and some raw ones,” he explained as he spun around to put water in the vase.
“Thank you, Arris.”
“No problem.” He set the vase in the center of the island.
I watched while he grabbed the flowers, cut the bottoms, and arranged them in the vase.
“What do you think?” He took a step back.
“I think it looks amazing,” I said. “They’re beautiful.” I looked them over slowly.
“Good. Now, let's get to the next best part.” He opened the cabinet, grabbed two plates, and offered them to me. “I provide the food. You plate it.”
I giggled but took the plates. He had a point, especially since I’d accidentally recruited him for free labor.
“So when I buy the food you’ll plate the meal?” I asked as I set the plates down and opened one of the containers.
“Dyani, if you ever call yourself buying me dinner, we gon’ have some mothafuckin’ problems.”
“So, you’re one ofthosemen?” I teased.
Arris grinned. “What does that even mean?”
“You think a woman’s place is in the kitchen or what?”
“Hell nah,” he chuckled. “I believe a woman should be wherever she wants to be, but I also believe my woman should want to take care of me just like I want to take care of her. I cook and clean and I don’t have a problem with that. If you cook, I’ll do the dishes and I’d hope that shit goes both ways, which is cool. But having a woman swipe her card for a meal we’re sharing while I just stand there is fucking crazy to me. We’re not doing that shit. If I can’t afford dinner, I don’t need to be fucking dating. There’s some shit I just don’t think women should do. That don’t mean they can’t. It just means I’m not supporting it.”
“So swiping my card for food while we’re together is on that list. What else?”
He didn’t hesitate answering, “Pumping gas, cutting grass, and taking out trash at the bare minimum.”
“All valid because I don’t want to do that shit anyway.” I shrugged.
