Page 120 of Lily In The Valley
Karter tilted his head and widened his eyes. Then came the howl, loud and dramatic like we’d left him at the ages of hell.
Kelly looked at me and deadpanned. “Oh, he’s cursing you out.” She cackled.
“Man, I ain’t worried about him,” I said, smacking my teeth.
After leaving Karter to soothe his betrayal, we wandered a few blocks to Communion, a Black-owned spot she told me she’d been wanting to go to for months. The place was humming—soft laughter, clinking glasses, the smell of catfish and cornbread so good it made your heart ache. We squeezed into a corner booth and split a plate of oxtail sliders and crispy greens. She stole a fry from my plate like it was muscle memory. We didn’t talk about Houston. Or the hospital. Or anything that felt like breaking. Just music. Food. Jokes. The way Seattle looked at night, like it was giving us a little grace for once.
“I’ve been wanting to come here for months,” she said. “But I’ve been working my ass off at the hospital.”
“Nah, you still got a good grip back there. Let me check for you.” When I started reaching around to cop a feel, she pushed me away, giggling.
“Don’t make me regret letting you crash on my couch.” She smirked.
“The couch? Wow. You going to do your man like that?” I amped up a feigned hurt look on my face. She wasn’t buying it.
“My name’s not Tasha,” she quipped back, taking another bite of a slider.
Oh.” I laughed. “So, we going there?”
She rolled her eyes and continued nibbling on the remaining fries on the plate.
“You know that’s dead, right?”
She shrugged. “How unfortunate. I thought maybe I was in for a surprise guest.”
“Nah, you don’t have to worry about that.”
“Boy, stop playing with me. I was never worried. You should be the way she kept popping up on your ass. Next thing youknow, I’m giving a green screen interview on some Netflix documentary.”
I let her enjoy her moment while watching her eat. At some point, her foot brushed mine under the table and neither of us moved away.
“You been checking in with me since I got here,” I said, wrapping my arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. “I appreciate that, but how you been?”
“Good, well until I ran into your mother.” She rested her head on my shoulder, as she fed me the last few fries. “I have my days, but I’m finding healthier ways to deal with it.”
“Like what?”
“Don’t laugh, but I found this rage room. I just go and break a bunch of shit when I’m feeling overwhelmed or furious about everything that happened. Helps keep me grounded.”
“Shit, I could break some shit.” The waitress brought over dessert–peach cobbler and a scoop of brown sugar ice cream. We took turns feeding each other small bites.
“Want to try it out? I can see if they have some time slots for tonight,” she said, reaching for her phone.
“Nah, maybe next time,” I said, feeding her a spoonful of peaches and ice cream.
“What makes you think you’re going to come stay with me again?” She mumbled around the food.
“Because you love me,” I said nonchalantly. Before she had the chance to reply, I snuck another bite into her mouth. “I love you, too, Lily-girl.” I bit my lip to contain the smile upon seeing her face soften and cheeks blush as she sat there chewing.
We lingered over dessert until the restaurant thinned out. Neither of us wanted to say it was time to leave, but eventually she stretched, soft and slow, like she was easing back into her own skin.
Outside, the city had dimmed but hadn’t gone quiet. Car headlights glossed the slick pavement, and the low murmur of nightlife buzzed in the distance. We walked side by side, close enough for our shoulders to brush now and then. I heard her teeth chattering lightly and pulled her close for warmth as we walked faster back to the apartment. She didn’t flinch when I did. Every so often she pointed out some landmarks she’d seen while taking Karter out for daily walks. I barely heard her words. I was watching the way her hands moved, how her voice got soft when she talked.
“I forgot how much I like being with you,” she said, almost like it surprised her.
“I didn’t.”
She glanced up at me, eyes soft and a little unsure. “You always say stuff like that.”
