Page 26 of Chula
“Maybe too many,” I admit to him. He’s been a friend. A good friend at that. He listens to me. He cares what I have to say, and he’s always giving me advice. It’s been nice having him around to talk to. The last couple of weeks, I’ve been coming over more, learning more, and just talking things out with him. The fact that he actually listens to me isn’t something I expected from him.
“Is that a thing? Too many thoughts?” I glance over at him and shrug.
“Sometimes I think there is. So many things go through my mind, and it’s hard to keep track of all of it. I just really wish things were different, you know?”
“How so? What would you change?”
“Everything.”
“You wouldn’t change everything, Luna. You are who you are, and that would never change,” he says.
“That’s true. I guess I’d change the situation. Davey wouldn’t have to live in shit, and I’d have a good job and a degree. I could afford to take care of him,” I tell him honestly.
“And the only thing holding you back is finances?” he asks me.
“Pretty much, yeah. I had this deal that would have made me some money, but I can’t take it.”
“Why not?”
“You have to be in a crew, and my guy isn’t letting that happen,” I tell him.
“So this guy, he protects you from it?” I shake my head as I grab another strawberry and bite the end off.
“No. Not really. I mean, I’m always around it; he just doesn’t want me to join up.”
“Why don’t the two of you come up with a plan to get out of there?”
“I’m not so sure that’s what he wants.” Damion reaches over and brushes my hair away from my face, and the touch feels so good that I don’t pull away. When Damion licks his lips and leans over, I still don’t move when his lips touch mine. His kiss is nothing like Macro’s. It’s gentle and thrilling, causing a chill to run down my spine. He pulls away and rests his forehead against mine.
“You deserve everything you want. Let me help you,” he whispers. I shake my head and reach up, pulling his lips back to mine. Everything that Marco isn’t, Damion is.
“Why?” he asks.
“I don’t take handouts.”
“What if I put you to work and pay for the classes? Online classes are cheaper. You can do them at home.”
“You barely know me, Damion.”
“I know enough, baby girl. I know you deserve this more than anyone else I’ve ever met,” he tells me. My chest constricts, and no words will form. How can he even say that to me? How does he know that?
“What would I be doing?”
“Invoicing. I hate invoicing people.”
“I don’t know anything about that stuff,” I tell him.
“It’s not hard. I’m sure you’ll pick it up in a day,” he tells me. “But I can only offer you part-time right now. I have another girl who works for me, and I couldn’t just take her job completely away,” he says.
“I wouldn’t want you to.”
“So you’ll try it?”
“I don’t know. I wouldn’t have anyone to watch Davey on the weekends, and I’d have to be home when he gets home from school.”
“We can work around that, and if I need you on a weekend, he can come.”
“You would do that?” I ask him, confused as to why. No one else would do it.
