He's Just a Friend

by J. Nichole

  “Okay,” I said turning in the direction of Early Bird’s. “The bacon and waffles are banging,” I said to her upturned nose. I tried to remind myself what we had in common; we met in the gym, and that still remained our common interest. Outside of that, I fell short.

  Her hand moved to my thigh and she said with a grin, “One day, I’ll convert you to the light side.”

  “Oh, okay,” I said as we parked in front of the cafe. Walking behind her, I thought about how I could break it off with her before that would even be a reality.

  Seven

  Brooklyn

  When Marcus invited me out, I was excited to see him again. It had been months since we broke up. Somehow, in our small town, we had managed to avoid each other. Not even a run in at the grocery store that was conveniently between both of our apartments.

  As I walked to the front door of the restaurant, I spotted Marcus before he saw me. Dressed in slacks and a button down, like he just came from work. I shook my head as I came closer and saw he was in dire need of a cut, his edge up was out of sorts. “Hey,” I said as I stood beside him.

  “Brooklyn.” He turned to me and wrapped an arm loosely around my neck. “Where are your people?” he asked looking behind me and backing away to give me space.

  I looked behind me and shrugged. “They should be here soon.” I was tempted to ask him about his wayward hair, but I decided to keep it to myself. “We could probably grab a table,” I said looking at the hostess.

  As she led us to the table, he said, “You know, I kinda was hoping we would be alone.” I turned to him with my eyebrows scrunched together. Of course he didn’t object when I told him Josiah would be joining us, but then again, he never told me things when he felt them. He usually waited till after the fact.

  I grabbed the seat beside him and said, “Should have said something.” I took the opportunity to also ask him more about his random call. “I was surprised to hear from you actually.”

  He grinned, his smile crooked and his dimple deeply set. “I would always hope we could at the very least stay friends.”

  Friends. Nothing more, nothing less. His words stung more than I would expect months after our break up. “Just friends,” I mumbled between gritted teeth. He cocked his head at me before looking down at the table. “Right,” I whispered.

  The server stopped by the table and I ordered a glass of wine before I changed my mind and decided on something stronger. “Scratch that, I’ll take a Hennessy and Coke.” The waitress smiled then took Marcus’ order.

  “You drink Hennessy now?” he asked just as Josiah and Alana made their way to our table. I nodded my head. “Good to know,” he said as he looked up at Josiah.

  I could tell by the look on Josiah’s face that his night was probably a lot like mine. Disappointing. “Hey Alana,” I said before greeting him. She waved and sat down across from me. “Hey Josiah,” I said as he sat beside her.

  “Y’all ordered already?” I nodded my head as the server returned with our cocktails.

  “Just drinks though,” Marcus added. “What’s been up, big man?” I side-eyed Marcus then looked to Josiah who chuckled at the nickname Marcus insisted on giving to him. Marcus and Josiah didn’t vary greatly in their weight, both had medium builds, but Josiah just spent more time in the gym, and it showed. Josiah was also inches taller than Marcus.

  Alana browsed the menu then looked over at my drink and asked, “What are you having? Maybe I’ll have that.” When I told her it was a Hennessy and Coke, she looked back down to the menu until the server returned. “I’ll have a skinny mojito.” Josiah ordered a beer and a shot of tequila. “Two drinks,” Alana said in a judgmental tone.

  “I’ve been working on this new user interface for an augmented reality game,” Josiah said, directing his attention back to Marcus who just nodded, as I was sure he had no input. Their interests couldn’t be less alike. Josiah was a graphic designer, and played video games often. Marcus was an insurance broker who spent his time hiking.

  When Marcus reminded Josiah that he wasn’t into video games, Alana perked up in her seat and asked what he liked to do. “Hiking?” She smiled. “I love hiking.” I looked at Josiah and rolled my eyes. Of course she would like hiking. They began discussing the trails throughout the city they had conquered, and those left to hike. By the second round of drinks, I was ready to switch seats and let them continue their conversation about the great outdoors.

  “I’m starving,” Josiah finally said. “I’m going to order a burger,” he said grabbing the menu again. “And some onion rings.” My stomach growled at the thought.

  “Hungry?” Marcus asked me, finally taking a break from his conversation with Alana. I nodded my head. “Where’s our waiter?” he asked looking around the restaurant. When I saw her walk past again I stopped her and Marcus said, “I’ll take the baked salmon.” Josiah and I ordered the high calorie items from the menu, and then Alana, she ordered a side salad. A side salad.

  “I had too much to eat this morning for breakfast.” Alana looked at Josiah and frowned. “Not all that hungry.” As she spoke, I imagined her depriving herself of food. On all the occasions we’d been out together, she never ate a full meal.

  The night didn’t improve. I was nowhere closer to getting Marcus back as my man. Hell, I was beginning to wonder how far Alana would go in front of Josiah before she thought her flirting was too much. I didn’t have to guess long, ‘cause after we finished our food, she was offering to go hiking with him the next day. I sat back in my chair and looked between the both of them.

  “If that’s not a problem with you.” Marcus looked to Josiah for confirmation.

  Josiah put his hand up. “Thanks for asking. I don’t see anything wrong with the two of you hiking in the woods together.” He made eye contact with me before saying, “I guess we should ask Brooklyn if she’s cool with it.” All eyes were on me and I laughed.

  I laughed until my side began to hurt, and that’s when I realized the Hennessy and Coke had a little kick in it, or maybe it was because I was trying to keep myself from crying. Whatever it was, I finally answered, “Cool with me.”

  It was cool, till they exchanged numbers, then that became a line too far. “I’m going to grab some fresh air.” I announced as I stood from the table.

  I walked through the restaurant quickly trying to get outside. I stood in front of the door pacing. Pissed off at the fuckery I saw happening before my eyes. Of course I couldn’t fake a friendship with a dude I wanted to be with. What the hell was I thinking? And the audacity of that heffa to just roll up on him. I stopped pacing and crossed my arms over my chest. The air was refreshing but had it not been for a better planned exit, I would have hopped in my car and rolled away, but my purse was still inside.

  I felt a hand on my shoulder and I hoped to turn around and see Marcus standing there, waiting to declare his love for me, but it wasn’t him. “Josiah!” I yelled. “You left them in there alone?” My best friend sometimes was too loyal. He needed to be inside protecting his relationship, and any hopes I’d ever have of rekindling mine. Instead, he was out here with a tight-lipped grin on his face.

  “I mean, what do you think they’ll do? Fuck on the table?” He laughed. “You alright?”

  I shook my head. “Before y’all showed up he said he wanted to be friends. Friends, Josiah.”

  Josiah’s eyebrow rose and he grabbed my arm and directed us to a nearby bench. “But y’all were already friends, so that’s not news, right?” Sometimes Josiah could say the most profound shit. That wasn’t a shining moment for him though.

  I groaned. “It’s not news, but you know I don’t want to just be friends with him. I thought he contacted me so we could hook up again.” Josiah nodded his head and his mouth opened slightly.

  “Okay, I feel you.” I gave up on my rant. Had I continued, Josiah would have no problem staying out there with me when we needed to be inside with his colluding ass girlfriend. “At least you aren’t watc
hing your relationship end in real time.” He shook his head and I laughed.

  “Yeah, she’s a piece of work. Guess they are kinda compatible though.” If you didn’t believe in the whole opposites attract bullshit everyone who is not like their partner sells.

  “More power to him,” he mumbled, and I realized maybe he was moving on from her himself. I said his name, slowly bringing his attention back to me. “Yeah, I had already decided earlier today it was over. Just didn’t want to be a third wheel tonight so I brought her, and looks like she wins in the end.”

  “With my man.” I rolled my eyes at him. “Thanks, Josiah.” We decided to go back inside and wrap up our night. As I got closer to the table, I heard Alana giggling and saw Marcus smiling broadly. Like they didn’t even care that we had disappeared. I sat beside Marcus and said, “I’m going to call it a night.” Josiah looked at Alana and asked her if she was ready. Still a gentleman, when he could have just told her to catch a ride with Marcus. Had I driven, and Marcus was riding with me, I’d definitely use that line.

  I had nothing to throw at him though. The server dropped the checks and I placed my cash on top and realized I did have something to say, “Enjoy the hike tomorrow.” He looked between Alana and me and tried to stand and walk out with me but I said, “I’m good, thanks.”

  When I was outside, I texted Skylar to tell her how horrible the night went. And she responded by the time I unlocked my apartment door.

  Skylar: At least Josiah will be free.

  Eight

  Josiah

  A week had passed since I last saw Brooklyn at the restaurant where my relationship fell apart. On the ride home, Alana informed me that we would never work because, “You’re in love with your best friend. And you need to face it.”

  I spent an entire week thinking about what she said. Sure, Skylar tried to convince me that we needed to be together, and my mom always joked that Brooklyn would be the girl I would marry, but outside of that, I had never considered actually being with Brooklyn, until now.

  Well, there was the one time in high school when my hormones got the best of me and I kissed her. Or attempted to. Our lips connected and my tongue slid into her mouth, but she pushed me away and yelled, “Ew Josiah, what are you doing?” I remembered the moment like it happened yesterday. Maybe that’s the reason why I’d never consider being with her, because I was never someone she’d be with.

  She always highlighted the fact that we were, “best friends,” and would tell anyone who would listen, “he’s just a friend.” Even going as far as telling people, “Opposite sex friendships work, look at me and Josiah. Nothing romantic about us at all.” But it had been years since we were both single. If I were going to shoot my shot I’d have to come correct, and at least see if there was a chance in hell we could be more than friends.

  If it didn’t work, we’d have to roll back to our friendship ‘cause I didn’t want to lose that part of her. Ever.

  Then what if it did work, and she was something like a soulmate? I kicked the idea around and around before I heard, “Damn. Where are you right now?” from Tony sitting beside me. I looked at him with my eyes wide when he pointed to the screen. “I just whooped your ass in this game,” he yelled.

  “Damn,” I whispered. “How the hell did that happen?” I tossed my controller on the coffee table and grabbed my empty plate. Before I came home I stopped by the family restaurant and picked up an order of my mama’s fried chicken. When I looked in the take-out container, I realized Tony helped me devour it.

  He followed me into the kitchen and asked, “You fucked up over Alana or something?” He couldn’t be further from the truth. I smirked. “So what’s going through your head? ‘Cause you’re clearly lost in thought, bruh.”

  I contemplated telling Tony what I was thinking about Brooklyn, but he wasn’t the best at advice and couldn’t keep secrets for shit. He’d be texting Skylar before I had a chance to decide my next move.

  “Nothing, guess your game is improving,” I said with little enthusiasm.

  “Bullshit,” he coughed. “I’d like to believe I whooped your ass on my own, but that shit was terrible dude. Like I don’t even want a win like that.”

  I sighed and against my better judgment I said, “I’m thinking about shooting my shot with Brooklyn.” I took a swig of my beer and waited for him to respond telling me I was crazy.

  He just said, “About time, damn.” He reached into my refrigerator and grabbed another beer for himself. “Now that you got that out, you want to try this game again?” I nodded my head but in a way, I wanted him to try to talk me off the ledge.

  “That’s all you have to say?” I said, walking behind him back to the couch.

  He shrugged. “What else is there to say? Your nose has been wide open to her for years.” He picked his starting line-up for the Colts then looked at me with his mouth twisted. “Now Brooklyn though, she may shoot that shit down.”

  He was right, Brooklyn could block my pass with the quickness. “Yeah, I was thinking that too.”

  There was only one way to know for sure. That next day, her busiest in the shop, I dropped by with one of her favorite meals. My mama’s lasagna. If I was going to do it, it had to be slow, and not obvious.

  I didn’t expect for her to look distraught when I walked into the shop. “What happened?” I asked when I handed her the take-out container.

  She shook her head and said under her breath, “My sister just called.” I knew it was probably something about her mom. It was always something about her mom. “My mom skipped work this whole week. They called to fire her this morning.” She rolled her eyes. “My sister has to go to the school for a project and is worried about leaving her alone.”

  “I’ll go by there,” I said before she asked. “Call Phoenix and tell her I’m on my way.”

  Brooklyn shook her head. “No, Josiah.” She looked around the shop that had five women waiting for their hair to be blessed. “I’m not telling you so that you can swing into help.”

  I wiped my hand across my chin. Here’s independent Brooklyn, the one who would never ask or accept help, even when she needed it the most. “It’s not like you can leave.” I waved my hand in the air. “I’ll just stop by and make sure your mom is okay.”

  She bit the side of her lip and there was nothing I wanted more than to lean into her and kiss that spot she was biting. “Thank you,” she mumbled.

  I leaned in closer and said, “What was that?” She laughed and repeated herself, louder this time. I turned and walked away and noticed the room became much chattier, as if everyone muted themselves while I was there.

  “And thanks for the food, Josiah,” she yelled as the door was closing behind me.

  I raised my hand to knock on the door to the house I spent countless days as a kid. It hadn’t changed much since those days. The yard not as illustrious as it was when Mr. Davison was alive, but some kid always earned a little pocket change keeping it mowed.

  “Josiah,” Phoenix said as she opened the door. “Thanks for coming.” She shuffled her books to one hand and wrapped the other around my shoulder. Like Brooklyn, I’d always had a soft spot for Phoenix. “You don’t have to stay all day,” she sighed. I nodded, knowing what I didn’t have to do, but what would make both her and Brooklyn feel comfortable.

  I waved her off and said, “Go work on your project.” She jogged to her car and as she drove off, I walked through the house. “Mrs. Davison,” I called out as I walked down the hallway. Mrs. Davison was lying on the couch with a blanket pulled up around her neck.

  “Josiah,” she said weakly. “Hey there.” She sat up on the couch and patted the seat beside her. “Those girls are as stubborn as rocks. I told them I was fine.”

  I reached over and wrapped my arms around her hugging tightly. “It’s all good, you know they worry about you all the time.” I leaned back on the couch and looked around the house. Nothing had changed in over ten years. Not a single thing had changed. Furn
iture was the same and in the same exact place as it was when we were kids. In my childhood home, things had changed several times since I moved out. “Hungry?” I knew if I could do nothing else I could make sure her belly was full.

  She shook her head. “Don’t really have an appetite.” Her face formed into a frown.

  I stood and reached for her hand. “How about you join me in the kitchen while I raid your refrigerator.” She laughed and placed her hand in mine. I took note of how frail it felt. Her posture resembled that of a woman much older than she actually was.

  She sat at the kitchen table as I found the ingredients for a chicken salad sandwich. “What’s going on this week?” I asked as I mixed the salad in a bowl.

  She leaned onto her hand and her face was somber. “After all these years, I still just can’t shake this thing I have all over me.”

  “I understand. Is there something I can do to help?” She looked up into my eyes and I felt helpless.

  “No dear, just keep doing what you’re doing.” A small smile crept on her face. “Brooklyn will get over herself one day.” She stopped short of saying much more about Brooklyn. “Her daddy would be so proud of you.” Before he passed away, he left me with one final request, and Mrs. Davison was there when he did.

  With plates for both of us, I joined her at the kitchen table. “I’m not my mama, but I can cook a little something,” I teased before taking a big bite of my sandwich. She took a smaller bite and smiled. “Not bad, right?” She shook her head. “You know,” I said looking to my side, “if I recall, Mr. Davison had one last request for you too.” Her eyes fell to the table and she scooted the plate away. “He wanted you to keep living.”