Gabi went over to him. “Gotta get to work, those concessions aren’t going to sell themselves.” She stood on her toes and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. “Later, JJ. Be nice.”
He smirked and wrapped his arm around her waist. “I’m always nice.” He flashed a smile then kissed her deeply.
I turned away and sat at my desk. It was a good thing I had talked to my mom today and planned to continue because I was going to be spending a lot more time at home if I had to witness anymore of that.
Gabi was gone a minute later, and it was just me, Jayson, and a thick awkward silence hanging in the room.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I grabbed it while standing, then flopped down on my bed to open the text. A tiny jolt went through my heart at the name on my screen.
Sunshine: Did you make it in okay?
Me: Yeah. Sorry I didn’t call. I was on the phone with my mom.
Sunshine: That’s okay. What are you doing?
Me: About to take a little nap before work.
Sunshine: Oh, ok. I’ll talk to you later. I’m going to work on an animation.
Me: Have fun. Ttyl Sunshine.
Sunshine: :)
After setting my alarm to go off in an hour, I faced the wall and closed my eyes. They opened a second later because of all the noise Mr. Track Star was keeping up with unpacking.
I sighed. It was going to be a long semester.
~ ♥ ~
An hour into my shift and I was bored out of my mind. We hadn’t had very many customers and there was barely a handful of patrons, so I sat at a table, doodling on a napkin. Since Angelo’s was frequented by mostly college students, it tended to slow down during the week once classes were in full swing. Slow nights weren’t my favorites; less tips to be made.
The entrance bell rang, and a group of girls came in. I silently urged them to sit in my section and give me something to do. Thankfully they did.
Standing, I balled up the napkin and stuffed it in my pocket then went to grab four menus. On my way to their booth, I painted on a cheerful, non-flirtatious smile.
“Good evening,” I greeted them, placing a menu in front of each. “I’m Haikeem and I’ll be your waiter tonight. Can I start you ladies off with something to drink?”
They all lifted their menus, except one. She looked at me for a long moment then smirked. “Just a water for me.”
I jotted that down then waited for the rest of the group, uneased a bit by the way she was looking at me.
Once I had the drink orders of the others I left the table quickly to fill them, but mostly to get away from the staring girl. When I got back with their drinks another table had filled beside theirs, this one a couple looking every bit in love, if them holding hands across the table was any indication.
The girls needed another moment, so I went to grab two more menus for my new table. The couple was ready to order right away. While I stood taking down their drink and meal orders I happened to glance at the group. That girl was looking at me again. She then leaned over to her friend beside her and whispered something.
The friend glanced over her shoulder, looking me up and down before facing forward again. “That’s him?” she asked the one who couldn’t keep her eyes to herself. It was meant to be whispered I supposed, but it was a loud one. I watched them from my peripheral.
The other nodded, causing one of the girls across the table, who was dressed in a red sweater, to look up at me. “Who?” she asked.
“Remember that dude Bianca told us about a few weeks ago?” Loud Whisperer asked.
Red Sweater looked at me again then lowered her voice, again still loud enough for me and I’m sure a few others to hear. “You mean the campus whore?”
“Yup.”
Red sweater made a face then turned her attention to her menu. “Eww.”
It hit me then why that girl looked at me the way she had. Bianca’s friend who’d taken up residence in Tobias’ lap that night. I barely recognized her fully clothed and without the heavy makeup.
“Excuse me?”
My attention jerked back to the table in front of me and I found the occupants frowning at me. The guy spoke up. “Are you even paying attention?”
I’d never been one to blush, from embarrassment or otherwise, but in that moment, it felt like my face was on fire. I could say good-bye to that tip. “I’m sorry. Could you please repeat that?”
With a scowl still etched on his face he ordered for both him and his girlfriend then handed me their menus.
The girls from the neighboring table giggled but I paid them no mind as I went to turn in the order to the cook.
They were talking again, about me, as I approached to see if they were ready.
“Bianca told me it was the most boring sex she’d ever had,” one of them was saying.
“Ugh,” replied another. “I hate when cute guys suck in bed. Such a waste.”
I cleared my throat when I stepped to the table and their chatter came to an abrupt halt. “Have you ladies decided yet?” It pained me to have to be polite to them when they were over here roasting me.
Luckily, they were ready. The sooner they ate the sooner they’d go away. My embarrassment and shame however, would not.
In the time since turning in their order and delivering food to the world’s cutest couple, the dining area had filled up quite a bit. At least now I’d be too busy to dwell on gossip of the reputation that obviously preceded me.
The girls stayed for an hour or so, talking and giggling. Relief washed over me when they finally got up to leave, laughing rambunctiously on their way out.
I checked on another table then went to theirs to clear it. I was surprised to see a tip waiting for me. It looked like a small one, but still. Guess they had some manners.
I allowed myself a small smile as I scooped up the bills, but it faded fast. My face heated and the back of my throat burned on what was hidden beneath the money. Looking around to be sure no one else had noticed, I quickly scooped the condom and stuffed it in my pocket, all the while feeling like sinking into the floor.
Head hung low, I continued to clear the table, but not without wishing for the night to end soon.
I emerged from the kitchen as the entrance door opened. Another couple of girls walked in and the whole room may as well have faded away.
My mood instantly lifted.
It wasn’t enough that she outshined the sun, but she was now invading on the moon’s territory. My excitement died a little when Kirby and Esme sat at a table on the other side of the room, out of my section. And with the sudden busyness I couldn’t even go over right now to say hi.
I continued to wait on my tables, but my attention never strayed too far from her. Occasionally when I’d look her way, I’d catch hers on me too.
When all my tables were finally taken care of, for the time being anyway, I wasted no time going to her. The door chimed, and I gave it a brief glance as I passed then stopped in my tracks. Shit.
My gaze went to Kirby, only to find hers on me, expectant. I then shifted it back to the entrance, where Baz and the rest of the crew strolled in, rowdy as hell.
I backtracked and changed course before they noticed me. I went to the front counter and grabbed more menus because I already knew they’d sit in my section. I kept my gaze out of Kirby’s general direction intentionally and went to wait on the Three Stooges I called friends.
“Keem!” Tobias said way too loud. It took only a quick assessment to see he’d been drinking. I shook my head at his idiocy. It was one thing to partake in alcohol while clubbing on a weekend, but on a school night was just stupid. If I hadn’t been at work, I’d have smacked him upside the head. I was tempted to do the same to Baz for allowing it.
“What’s up, T.” I nodded to Nico then turned my attention to Baz. “What ya’ll doing here?”
He screwed up his face, rearing back a bit. “What, we can’t eat here no more?”
I sighed.
“Not like
we see you anywhere else lately.”
“School’s in. I’ve been busy.”
His reply was a scoff. “Yeah, okay.” His gaze skated across the room, pausing in the far corner.
My temperature increased and a little sweat dripped from my arm pits.
“I see your little girlfriend is here.”
It took a lot of strength to keep my gaze on him. One look at her and I’d give myself away in a second. I’d been hoping he wouldn’t notice her.
I shrugged. “It’s a public place, and she’s not my girlfriend.”
Nico chuckled. “Sure, that’s why you were making a beeline to her when we walked in.”
T laughed along with him. Baz just looked at me, face serious as ever. “You disappoint me, little brother. All my hard work, just for you to bitch up again.”
I set my jaw hard, biting down on my tongue.
“Aye, leave him alone Baz,” Nico said. “Ain’t his fault he was born with so much estrogen.”
I pushed a slow, shaky breath from my burning chest. “If ya’ll are just here to harass me–”
“Quit crying,” Baz said, shoving his menu at me. “Group regular and make it snappy.”
The other guys laughed, them too handing off their menus. I shuffled away.
Their order went to the cook while I went to the hall where the bathrooms were located and leaned against the wall, kicking myself for not saying something to Baz. Him looking at me that way, speaking to me that way, it felt like childhood all over again. And here I was doing the same thing I’d done then, hiding from him like a coward instead of standing up for myself.
Growing up our relationship hadn’t been the greatest. In high school no one even knew we were brothers, likely because he’d been my main bully, usually the ring leader in my torment. Things had changed when we got to college though. At least I thought they had. We were closer than ever before. Sure, he teased me a lot, but that’s what brothers did. I couldn’t lie and say some things didn’t hurt more than others.
For my dad’s sake though, I had to suck it up. All he ever wanted is for his kids to be close. Though we were split down the middle in terms of maternity, he didn’t believe in halfsiblings. We were family plain and simple. One day, he said often, he’d be gone and us kids would need each other so we had to stick together no matter what.
Times like this I had to really remind myself of that. It prevented me from punching Baz in the face. That, and I was far from a violent person. I didn’t do conflict if it could be avoided and liked to keep the peace. I’d often been the mediator between siblings when growing up. A voice of reason. My mom used to joke that I should’ve been a therapist or counselor.
Maybe that could work, talking things out with him, explaining how what I’m sure he considered harmless joking made me feel. Baz could be an ass, but he was intelligent and capable of understanding. It was an approach I’d never tried, but it couldn’t hurt to do so.
One of the waitresses, Toni, came out of the kitchen, then stopped and frowned. “You okay?”
I stood straight and nodded. “Yeah.”
“Okay, well your order is up.”
I gave another nod then headed to the pick-up window.
All my tables were full so after delivering The Crew’s food, I checked on the others. On my way to the kitchen to refill drinks I stole a discreet glance at Kirby’s table. In an instant my heart hit my feet. She was gone.
Chapter Sixteen
~ Kirby ~
“I’m so confused, Es. His actions are everywhere. One minute he’s saying sweet things to me and the next he’s saying nothing at all.” I sat on the bed with my arms folded, still upset that Keem had barely acknowledged me when we were at Angelo’s for dinner.
“Kirb, relax, and quit pouting. He was working, maybe he just didn’t have time to stop by,” she said from her desk.
I thought about her words for a second then flopped back on the bed. “You’re right, I just…I really like him, and it drives me crazy. He’s all I can think about sometimes.” I turned on my side with my head propped on my hand to look at her. “I’m so happy when I’m with him, but then I get sad because he only wants to be friends with me.” I chewed my lip, tears welling up. “Am I stupid, Es? For liking him so much when he doesn’t…”
She sighed then came and sat beside me. “No, you’re not stupid. You’re just a girl with a crush. And who’s to say he doesn’t?”
“But if he did, wouldn’t he want to be my boyfriend?”
“Not all relationships are instant, Kirb. Most aren’t. There’s a slow build, time to get to know one another. Not to mention sometimes people just need to get their shit together first. Take me for example, with all the baggage I’m carrying around, the last thing I need is to be trying to be someone’s girlfriend.”
She laid on her back with her hands behind her head and I mimicked her. “And anyway, weren’t you supposed to be waiting patiently?”
I looked away from her narrowed gaze. “I’m trying, but it’s hard. He makes my heart beat all crazy. And have you seen his lips? I’m dying to kiss them.”
She rolled her eyes, giggling. “You’d probably die if you did.”
She was right, but I’d die happy.
~ ♥ ~
Keem didn’t call last night. Or all day. I tried not to feel sad about it, but it was hard. I missed him. I always missed him when we weren’t together. We’d only officially met a few weeks ago, but it felt like I’d known him longer. Maybe because I’d spent months obsessing over his Instagram pics.
In any case, I felt closer to him. I wasn’t sure though, if it were close enough to inquire about why sometimes he’d stare off into space. Or walk the campus with his head hung low. He never did so when we were together. Sometimes when he made it to the library before me, I’d watch him from afar. It was the only way I could stare at him for more than a second without him noticing. Sometimes I liked when he noticed though. It made me tingle inside.
There were other times, when I was on my way to class, or just walking with Es when I’d see him, all alone, trudging slowly as if he had nowhere to be.
He was sad.
I wished I knew why or could somehow help him not to be. His sadness made me sad and I wanted to hug him.
“Kirby?”
I looked up at Saige where she stood in the doorway of my bedroom.
“Dinner’s ready. I made your favorite, spicy black bean burgers with purple sweet potato fries.”
“Okay, I’ll be down in a minute.” I went back to my drawing tablet to save my work. Noelle had gotten it for me for my sixteenth birthday. Something Raina hadn’t been too happy about, though I never knew the reason why. That same birthday had been the last time I’d seen Noelle in person. There’d been an argument between her and Raina that night, and I of course had been sent off to my room. When I woke the next morning, Noelle was gone without a word of goodbye. I cried for a week.
The bed shifted beside me and I glanced up at Saige.
She smiled down at me. “What are you working on?”
“Just some Anime.” It always made me feel weird when she asked about my art. Neither her or Raina had seemed to care much, Raina still didn’t, until I’d asked to pursue animation as a major and they’d said no.
I don’t think I’d ever been so upset about anything. It was the first and only time I’d raised my voice at them when I’d screamed that it wasn’t fair and slammed my door. I refused to speak to them for days. Not until Saige had come up with a compromise, if you could really call it that. They’d allow me to take one class geared toward animation each semester, but I would get a degree in English.
“You’ve been spending a lot of time on campus.”
I sat my tablet down and sat up on my knees. “I like it there, it makes me feel like a real college student. I’m not getting into any trouble or anything,” I added quickly.
Saige brushed my hair away from my face and smiled. Sometimes she acted more l
ike a mother than a sister. “I know. We just miss you around here.”
“Oh…”
“Have you made any new friends?”
My thoughts went immediately to Keem. No way I was telling her or Raina about him, especially Raina. They’d freak. “Not really.” I shifted my gaze down, hoping she couldn’t tell I was lying. I’d never done so to them before.
“Don’t worry,” she patted my knee. “You will soon. For now, wash up and come eat. Food’s getting cold.”
After a delicious meal, I escaped to my treehouse. Not to do any puzzles, I just wanted to be alone. Solitude was relaxing to me.
I sat near the window, watching the sun descend. The sky could have been a puzzle with it’s pretty oranges, reds, and purples, melting perfectly together behind two story homes.
My phone buzzed on the floor beside me. I plucked it up with my gaze still outside and answered Esme’s call. “Hey.”
“Hey, Sunshine.”
The phone dropped from my hand and at the same time I gasped. I stared at it for a few seconds before picking it up. Sure enough it was Keem’s name on my screen, not Esme’s. He never called me, we only ever texted.
“Hello?” his deep voice queried through the speaker.
Slowly I placed it back to my ear. “He-hello?”
“You okay?” His voice so close to my ear almost made me melt.
“Y-yeah. I dropped my phone. Sorry.”
“It’s okay. Just thought you hurt yourself or something.”
“No, I’m okay.” I lay back on the thick quilt on the floor. The soft rasp of his voice weakened me. He sounded so different than in person. Sexier. And his voice was low when he spoke, like it was only for me.
“What you up to?”
“Nothing really. Sitting in my treehouse.”
“You have a treehouse?” His volume rose just a bit, he sounded surprised.
Maybe I shouldn’t have told him that. An eighteen-year-old in a treehouse? How dorky. “Yeah,” I almost whispered.
He chuckled, and my chest tightened. “That is so cool.”
Somebody to Love Page 9
