Page 8 of Girl, We Go Together
“For?”
He was really going to make me say it. When I thought about it, I had two things to be thankful for. He was letting me crash at his house, and he paid my hospital bills. Well, three if I’m counting how he went to walk and feed Mello when he didn’t have to.
“You paid my hospital bills, went to walk and feed my dog, and you’re letting me crash with you.”
He looked at me for a while before his full lips parted.
“These are things a nigga interested in you should be doing.”
He let his last word trail off a bit, and the reality of his statement stung. It was evident that I had been fucking with all the wrong kinds of men since my breakup with Lamont. All cheating aside, he was attentive to my needs, caring, and had excellent communication skills. Of course, all of that changed when I put on this much weight. Before getting too caught up in my feelings, I smiled at the silver lining in his statement.
“So, you’re interested in me?” I asked, blushing a bit.
“You don’t see it yet, but we about to go together.”
“Boy,” I chuckled out because he had to be playing with me for real, “oh, so you want little ol’ me.”
Wasn’t a damn thing little about me. I was a whole lot of woman. I just hoped he was prepared for what he was asking for. He blinked his long lashes repeatedly before speaking.
“Real bad,” he confirmed with the straightest face.
I tucked my hair behind my ear timidly as silence crept into the room. The nurse came in with my discharge papers,prescriptions, and a follow-up appointment. Once everything was signed, Orion wheeled me out to his car. I was impressed with his ride, which shouldn't have been a surprise. He opened the passenger side door of a black Audi. After helping me into the car, he waited until my plumpness sank into his peanut butter seats before closing the door behind me. From the side mirror, I watched as he placed my crutches in the back along with my bags.
On the drive over to my place, he caught me up on things with his club. Since the police had finished their investigation, he was good to reopen this upcoming weekend. I was happy for him. Besides owning this club, I had no idea what else he did for a living. Being a business owner must have been sweet to him, because paying my hospital bills without even knowing me for real was admirable and some boss shit.
When we made it to my apartment, he double-parked right outside my building. Being left alone in his car made my curiosity roam. I sat still for a bit, lost in whether I should snoop or mind my damn business. After all, we were just vibing.Vibing with these other niggas turned into lie-filled situationships.My inner thoughts were killing me. Crippling me because I needed to know more about this man. I quickly popped the glove compartment open, and a gun fell into my lap.
“Oh, shitttt,” I quickly whispered.
I looked around as if someone could see me, but the tint on Orion’s car was so damn dark. I didn’t want to touch the gun to put it back because I didn’t need my prints on it. I grabbed the bottom part of the sweater I was wearing and then tossed it back into the glove box before slamming the door shut.
Right then, I second-guessed whether I wanted to stay with him. What if he killed me in my sleep or some shit? My phone ringing caused me to jump. I didn’t even think of this man having cameras in his damn car. What if he saw me being nosy?I was sure he would come downstairs and put me right out of his car. Hesitantly, I slid the bar to answer his FaceTime call.
“Hey…” I answered shakily.
“You okay?”
His bent brow had worry in it. Something about the way he instantly sensed distress within me made me feel uneasy. That feeling you get when you’re on a damn boat. Unsettled in a sense.
“Yeah, I’m okay, just a little tired,” I lied.
“Okay, let me hurry up so we can get to my crib. What do you need out of here?”
I gave him a quick list of what I would need and where he could find my luggage so he could pack my things. I didn’t know how long I would be staying at his house, but I wanted to make sure I had more than enough things, so I wouldn’t have to bother him with the burden of running back to my place for more clothes. I squinted and thought of everything I told him to gather. Satisfied with my list, I moved on to the last item I would need.
Lastly, I told him to pack Mello’s bowl and food, but he said he could stop at a pet store to get them. Once he got everything I needed, he said he would be down in a minute. Seeing him walk out of my apartment building with my luggage and Mello in tow caused the corners of my mouth to turn upward. He opened my door and handed me Mello before putting my bags in the back seat. My baby was wagging his tail and dancing in my lap. I knew he was happy to see me. When Orion got in the driver’s seat, he looked around before speaking.
“Is your car good being parked over here for a long time?”
“I don’t have one,” I admitted.
“Okay, cool,” he said before pulling off.
We were grown as fuck, and most people got their first car when they graduated high school. Unfortunately, I didn’t have amother by the time I walked across the stage to get my diploma. But I did have a driver’s license. I got it on my eighteenth birthday. I just had a fear of being behind the wheel ever since my mother died in a car crash. It was the same day I got my license, my birthday. She let me drive away from the test site. Although there was a snowstorm a couple of days prior, I had passed my driver’s test with flying colors. I was so damn excited, and so was she.
We stopped to get some food and then headed toward home. I was driving when we crashed on the Belt Parkway and got pinned against the concrete divider by a tow truck. Just thinking of the day I lost my mother had me feeling like I was back in that moment. Feeling the car slide under the gas pedal and me losing control of the wheel was a feeling that I would never forget. My mother tried to grab the wheel to help me gain control, but there was nothing she could do when we smacked into the wall.
Luckily, Orion was driving without paying me any attention, so he was unaware that, sitting right beside him, I was stuck in my past. He had no idea that emotions were starting to creep in that I had mentally locked behind a door years ago. I quickly swiped away a lone tear that had cascaded down my chubby cheek just thinking about how I sat in the car next to my dead mother while the fire department took two hours to saw us out of her Nissan Altima. This happened ten years ago, but it felt like just yesterday. When I told most people that I didn’t have a car, they tried to make a thing of it.How the fuck don’t you have a car? So, you take the train and shit?Most men I dated would question.
