Page 12 of My Brother's Keeper
He ran his hand down his face. “I dig it, but don’t get too friendly with the nigga. Leave some room for me.”
I rolled my eyes. I knew he was blowing shit up my ass, but it had been a minute since I had given any nigga this type of energy. Since things went down with my father, I had been focused on him, running my small business, and staying out of the way. The last time I was mixed in something was when Bop had us running through the city for Indigo. So, flirting with Mison felt good even if it went nowhere.
There was a knock at Kalani’s door, and to my surprise, when she opened it, Indigo was standing there. I wanted to stay on the phone, but it had been so long since I’d seen her. I glanced back at the screen and said, “Look, I really want to talk, but I have to go. I will hit you later.”
I watched his expression, and it seemed like he didn’t want to get off, but he nodded and then hung up. I jumped up from the couch to rush over to her, “Indigo, what are you doing here?” I squealed.
She smiled brightly. “I got a week pass, so I decided to come back for a bit. When Lani called to check on me, I told her, and she invited me to dinner.”
I pulled her in for a tight hug. Indigo looked amazing. She was in her soft girl era; she looked healthy and happy. When I pulled away, I smiled. “Does Bop know you’re here?”
I could see it on her face before she opened her mouth. He didn’t know. I knew he had been missing her like crazy, but I also knew it wasn’t my business. She didn’t even bother to answer my question; instead, she looked at Lani, “Where are the babies?” she asked.
Lani grabbed her coat, “In the back with Vari, sleep. Let’s get out of here. I’m hungry as hell, and besides, Synai and Tuesday are meeting us at the restaurant. I want to get to know Tuesday more since I haven’t been around. We have so much to catch up on,” she said excitedly.
When we arrived at the restaurant, Tuesday and Synai were waiting for us outside. We all exited the car heading in her direction. Tuesday nervously stood, “Hi,” she smiled at Kalani.
This was the first time all the Cove girls had been in one place. Lani smiled back and pulled her in for a hug. “Pierre is like my brother, so it was only a matter of time before I met you. Y’all ready?” she asked, looking at us.
When we entered the building, we were seated almost immediately. We started by ordering drinks, asking Tuesday all kinds of questions. She was a different vibe than Sasha. She seemed much shyer but cool as hell. I smiled as I watched all the girls talk about their men, even Indigo, although she and Bop were on a break.
My phone vibrating on the table caused me to pick it up and check. It was a text from Mison.
I saw the dots appear, then disappear. I turned back to the girls when I spotted Bop coming in with another girl. Before I could say anything to catch Indigo’s attention, she saw them. I couldn’t lie, if it were me, I would have been all in his face. Lani reached out for her hand, “You ok?” she whispered.
When Bishop realized it was her, I could see love in his eyes. I had wondered what that felt like. I watched as Bishop turned toward the girl he was with and said something in her ear. Moments later, the girl had walked off. Indigo cleared her throat, bringing my attention back to her. She tried to act as if it didn’t bother her to see him with another girl, but I knew it did.
Indigo smiled. “I’m ok, y’all. I didn’t expect him to wait. I know he has to move on,” she muttered.
My eyes grew big as my lips curled into a smile. Bop was behind her. He leaned forward toward Indigo’s ear, “A nigga can never move on. I missed you.” his voice was smooth but deep.
“Did you? Where is your date?” she mumbled.
He eyed us, “Ladies,” he paused before directing his attention back to Indigo. “Sitting right fucking here.”
When their eyes met, all I saw was pure love. He said something else in her ear before she turned to us and got up from the table. It was the way he looked at her. I had always been a hopeless romantic. Loving beyond the rules, doing unorthodox things because you felt it in your heart, not because it’s what people wanted you to. Flowers on a Wednesday, sex in public, ass squeezing while walking on the beach, or dinner dates in the car, those were the things I liked. Instead, I had to live vicariously through my friends because the only niggas who entered my chat were weirdos, fuck niggas, and late-night creeps.
I glanced down at my phone, then quickly picked it up. I went to Mison’s text and sent my location.Why the fuck not!
PEANUT
I checked my phone for the time as I stood outside the rink. After asking Alyse to link up, and she accepted, I knew this was my only chance to try and strike. To meet a girl whom I could talk to without talking wasn’t often. The few girls I’ve dated in the past didn’t last long because they couldn’t accept that I had a speech problem. I don’t know whether they were embarrassed or didn’t have the patience. At first, it bothered me, but after a while, I just accepted it for what it was.
Although my father tried to tell me I wasn’t different, the truth is that I was. I was a person who couldn’t form proper sentences without breaking words to make them sound right. I had been ridiculed, shamed, and judged for it. I had become used to all of it.To top it off, I came from a poor home with a mother who died, a drunk for a father, a brother who followed behind him, and another brother with every Black boy’s dream to make the league. It was like the typical BET movie.
However, Alyse knew sign language, and that shit meant a lot. In the small time we talked at the mall, it made me feel normal, and I didn’t want to lose that feeling. The only other person who made me feel normal was blessed with a permanent stay in heaven. After that shit with Mison being around someone right now seemed like the perfect mental getaway.
I was becoming worried that Alyse played me. I knew she had to get back to school, and I offered to drive her back, but I guess that wasn’t enough. I headed back toward my bike when I saw a car pull into the parking lot. When she pulled into a nearby parking space, I recognized her and smiled. I didn’t want to look like a thirsty nigga, so I slowly walked toward her car andopened the door for her. She looked beautiful. She wore a two-piece blue skirt set that exposed her flat chocolate stomach. “I should have worn jeans,” she laughed.
Nah, you look pretty as hell.I signed.
She gave me a tight-lipped smile as she nodded. She led the way into the building. I wanted to grab her hand or put my hand to the small of her back, but she had a nigga scared. When we entered the crowded space, she turned to look at me, “Is it always this crowded?”
My face scrunched.You haven’t been here before?
She went to say something, then stopped. I knew she had only kept talking to get me to talk back, but I wasn’t ready.
No. I’m kind of a sheltered kid.
