Page 9 of Girl, We Go Together
Orion didn’t make me feel less than for not owning wheels, and I took note of that. Without knowing the backstory to my trauma, he didn’t poke at some shit that men before him had. After gathering my emotions, I just looked out the window and observed the scenery while he drove.
The journey over to his place was quiet. He lived in a house alongside Highland Park. There was an empty spot right in front of his home. I could tell that on the tree-lined block, although there was no assigned parking, everyone had their own little spots. Homeowners to me just moved differently. They tended to their yards and minded their business if you didn’t set foot on their property. At least that’s how New York homeowners acted.
The man sitting beside me on the surface seemed like real-life goals. He had his own everything, and so far, he was showing just how caring he could be. I just had to learn more to know for sure. I didn’t want to seem too impressed by him, but it was damn hard not to be.
“Let me get Mello inside first, and then I’m going to come back out for you.”
I just nodded as he grabbed my dog from me and then got out of the car. I was surprised to see that Mello had gone to him willingly. In no time, he was back outside to help me. I worked up a sweat while he helped me get out of the car.
Once he got me into his house, I took note of the décor in his home. It was manly, but the little parts of a woman’s touch made me cringe a bit. As he helped me get to the extra bedroom on the ground floor, I started to think about how I didn't know him at all.
I had no idea if he had a woman or not. As we walked through the lower part of the house to reach the room, little things caught my eye. The way a throw blanket hung over the back of his sofa just screamed that a woman had done it. As we walked past, my eyes scanned every picture frame on the walls to make sure I wasn’t missing any family portraits. He didn’t strike me as the type who would invite me into a home that he shared with another woman, but nowadays, you just can’t be too sure with these niggas.
“Here you go,” he said as he pushed the door to the bedroom open.
It was spacious and had just enough to fulfill my needs for the next couple of weeks. A king-sized bed was in the middle of the room with end tables on both sides. There was a desk with a computer chair near the wall against a window, and opposite that wall, a long dresser with a large television on top. It was basic but held just enough for me.
“Real homey,” I said in a sarcastic tone.
“Girl, the real treat is the bathroom.”
He left me standing on my crutches while he placed my luggage on the floor near the foot of the bed. Mello ran around the bags after they were placed on the slate-colored hardwood floors.
“Come in, let me show you.”
He helped me over to the nearby door, and once he pushed it open and flicked on the light, I smiled widely. In front of us was a long mirror with a double-sink marble-countered vanity beneath it. There was a stand-up walk-in shower and a jetted tub. Two doors were inside the bathroom. He waited for me to stabilize myself on my crutches before he walked over to open them both. One was filled with towels and rags, and the other had a toilet inside. My eyebrows dipped at how small the space was. I didn’t doubt that I could fit in there, but I would hate to have to take a shit in there. I hated small spaces. He was right, the bathroom was the main attraction of this guest's living space.
“So, now I see that you renovated what matters,” I teased.
He walked back to my side with a smile on his face.
“You know I tried my best.”
As he stood at my side, I looked at both of us in the mirror. Where he beat me in height, I beat him in width. Instantly, I felt insecure about all my folds.
“You’re gorgeous,” he randomly said.
I made eye contact with him through the mirror. I wasn’t sure if he could read the insecurity on my face, but his compliment was needed at that moment.
“Thank you,” I said lowly before fixing my crutches to go back into the bedroom.
I was winded, but I made it back to the room by myself, and I was proud of that. I went to bend down to pick up one of my bags, but Orion beat me to it, picking them both up and placing them on the suede ottoman at the foot of the bed. Badly, I wanted to take a shower and get comfortable. Washing in the hospital for the past couple of days didn’t feel right to me. It could have been the old nurse, with a scowl on her face, as she assisted me with washing.
She lifted my rolls and slapped soap in the spots that I couldn’t reach. I even remember asking her once if she could get my mango-and-almond-butter Dove soap out of my bag, but she just ignored me and used the soap the hospital provided instead. Not to mention that she barely rinsed me correctly. So, there was dried soap between some of my folds. Knowing how sensitive my skin could be at times, I knew that I had to tend to myself as soon as I could. I felt off, and I didn’t like that shit. Walking around with the scent of pure skin trailing behind me did not sit well with my spirit. I couldn’t wait to smell like me again.
“I’m gonna make a run and go get Mello some food. You hungry?”
As soon as he asked, my stomach made a loud, embarrassing, growling noise.
“Cool, you are. Text me what you want to eat,” he said with a smirk that eased some of my embarrassment.
“Okay.”
Orion stood there for a while and looked at me. He took one step closer and then stopped in his tracks. There was an awkward silence before he walked out the door. Judging by hisfacial expression, I could tell he wanted to say something, but he didn’t.
“Well, it’s just me and you, Mello,” I said lowly as I looked down and saw him chasing his tail.
I sighed as I thought about this move he said he had to make. I was sure he probably had a long list of priorities, but I’d be a liar if I said his statement didn’t worry me. Quickly, I tried to clear my mind of thoughts about him being misleading and started thinking about the task I was about to tackle on my own: washing independently. Orion’s guest shower was big enough for me to do that spin gorillas be doing in that muthafucka if I wanted to, and I loved that for me. Most stand-up showers were not my friend because I would feel like a sardine in a can in there trying to wash my ass.
