Accidental Arrangements

by Alexandra Warren

  The question seemed to make him uncomfortable as he shrugged before answering, “Yeah, somethin’ like that. Why? You heard somethin’?”

  “What you mean, did I hear something? What would I have heard?” I asked, having a strong feeling his sudden tenseness had something to do with the answer to my question.

  And it certainly made sense once he said, “She’s... pregnant.”

  “With your baby?”

  He turned my way, his face scrunched as he replied, “Yeah, nigga. Why you say it like that?”

  “I mean, I’m just sayin’,” I told him as I brought my eyes back to the TV, mainly to avoid his.

  It wasn’t that I had any dirt on Chloe or anything like that. I had just always questioned her intentions from the jump when it came to Wes. But I guess if they were still hanging on after all of this time, and now had a baby on the way, there was nothing left for me to say. And clearly Wes felt the same way as he said, “Well don’t just say. I ain’t tryna hear all that.”

  “I’m happy for you, man. Real shit. Congratulations,” I told him, giving him a little pat on the shoulder.

  And this time he actually looked excited about it all when he replied, “Thank you. Now let me get up out of here before she starts blowing up my phone. Pregnancy got her hormones on a thousand.”

  I laughed as I stood up from the couch to walk him to the door. “I’m sure it does. And I appreciate your help today, man. Couldn’t have done it without you.”

  He pulled me into a brohug as he replied, “You know I got you, Levi. And I know you’d do the same for me.”

  “Just say the word and I’m there,” I assured him as I pulled the door open.

  Regardless of what type of person he seemed to be to most people, I knew deep down Wes was good at heart. And that was exactly the type of energy I needed around me if I wanted to get my life back on track.

  After sending Wes on his way, I came back to the couch and surprisingly got a little caught up in the stupid ass movie on Lifetime. Well… caught up in it enough to doze off to it. And I could feel the light from the screen flickering against my eyelids as I heard the door unlock behind me. But when I sat up to see what was going on - to confirm what I figured was going on - I only caused a ruckus as Jules all but jumped out of her heels the second she saw me.

  “Shit! Don’t you have a room to sleep in? A bed?” she asked with a hand to her chest as she tried to calm herself down.

  I ran a hand across the short curls on top of my head as I told her, “My bad. I fell asleep on accident. But uh… how was work?”

  I figured the least I could do was make a little small talk now that I had already scared her half to death. But when she pulled her shoes off, picking them up by the backs with her fingertips, she only replied, “It was work. Goodnight.”

  “But wait, I…” didn’t even get to finish my sentence before she had already ducked off into her room.

  “Damn, she’s tough,” I muttered to myself as I went to the fridge to grab something to drink, settling on one of the fruit-flavored beers Jules had in stock. It wasn’t my usual thing, but it would at least be enough to chill me back out until I could fall asleep for the night.

  I made my way back to the couch, flipping through the channels with one hand and sipping my drink with the other. And to my surprise, Jules actually reemerged from her room, this time wearing an oversized pajama shirt with a silk scarf tied around her head.

  “You’re still out here? I thought you’d be gone by now,” she said as she went to the kitchen and grabbed the same thing I was already sipping on.

  “Nah, I’m wide awake. What you still doin’ up?” I asked as she joined me in the living room, choosing to sit on the loveseat opposite of the couch I was sitting on.

  And while I thought her hanging out with me was some sort of truce, she quickly reminded me that I had it all wrong when she replied, “Minding my business the same way you should.”

  “Having an attitude twenty-four hours a day must be draining as hell,” I teased as I took another sip of my drink.

  And she matched my sip, swiping the back of her hand across her mouth to catch the excess before replying, “When it includes dealing with niggas like you? Definitely.”

  “Niggas like me? What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, feeling offended by whatever imaginary group she was putting me in without really knowing shit about me.

  But instead of answering with words, she grabbed her phone, typing in her passcode and scrolling through before tossing it to me.

  “What’s this for?”

  She took another sip of her drink, her lips looking a little too good against the rim of the bottle, before she insisted, “Just read it.”

  “Can I come through?” - Don’t Answer

  “You were lookin’ good as hell tonight, J. Can I see you later?” - Don’t Reply

  “You up?” - Boy Bye #3

  “And that’s not even including the ones I’ve already deleted,” she added as she tucked her legs under her, making the hem of her t-shirt rise a little higher. Though the new length was nothing compared to the hem of her work dress.

  “So you really think I’m that guy? The annoying booty call after the club nigga?” I asked, more amused than anything as I tossed the phone back her way.

  And she actually looked convinced of her little theory when she replied, “I’m almost sure of it. For all of those pretty girls of yours.”

  “Jules, you really don’t know me,” I told her as I finished off my drink, setting the empty bottle on the coffee table as I watched her face slowly twist in disgust.

  “First of all, use a coaster next time. Second of all, I Googled you and saw plenty. I mean, is there a socialite you haven’t dated? Or did they all leave you once they found out you were flat broke?” she asked teasingly, though the shit really wasn’t funny at all.

  In fact, her little comment actually fucked with me enough for me to defend, “Shit ain’t always been this way. I was on for a minute.”

  “More like a second or two…” she muttered as she took her bottle to the head with a few long gulps.

  “You sure talk a lot of shit. You know that?”

  She shrugged. “I’m just stating the facts.”

  “So how about you state some facts about yourself then? Where you from? What’s your story?” I asked, desperate to take the spotlight off of my situation and put it on hers.

  And I could tell she was a little uncomfortable by my questioning as she readjusted in her seat, gnawing at her lip before eventually answering, “I’m... from the Lou. St. Louis, that is. I moved out here to get into acting and modeling only to find out I wasn’t as good as I needed to be to book anything serious, not to mention I’m short as fuck. Lucky for me, my best friend already lived here and had a room for me to stay until I could provide for myself with the money I make bartending. But now she’s gone, and…”

  “You’re stuck with me? The broke ass baller?”

  “Precisely,” she replied with a smirk.

  “Well you shouldn’t give up on your dreams just because someone told you you weren’t any good, Jules. You just have to… work harder, get better, keep going. You know, push through.”

  “Is that what you’re doing? Working harder? Getting better? So you can get back to your old life?”

  “Precisely,” I answered with a smirk of my own.

  I watched intently as she climbed off of the couch, stopping by my seat to pat me on the shoulder and say, “Well… best of luck to you, Levi. I’m going to bed.”

  “Wait a minute… you’re being nice? Am I dreaming?” I teased as I watched her hips switch on the way to her bedroom.

  But instead of answering my question, she simply tossed over her shoulder, “Goodnight, Levi.”

  “Goodnight, Jules.”

  Jules

  Sunday mornings were always the worst.

  After being on my feet all night at the lounge two weekend nights in a row, practica
lly doing double the amount of work I did on any given weekday, I wanted nothing more than to lay on the couch, eat foods that didn’t align with my summer body goals, and catch up on all of the shows I missed out on during the week.

  But first? Breakfast.

  I dragged myself from my bedroom to the kitchen, scrubbing at my eyes until they felt a little less groggy. But the clarity only allowed me to see the last thing I needed to be looking at first thing in the morning, no matter how much of a treat it felt like in the moment.

  “Holy shit…” I whispered to myself as I watched Levi, a towel wrapped around his waist and his skin still covered in beads of water, as he dug in the fridge and pulled out… “Hey! That’s my last yogurt, asshole.”

  He jumped from the sound of my voice, turning around with a ridiculously perfect smile as he said, “My bad, Jules. A nigga’s stomach was growling all morning and I had to do something ASAP. I’ll go pick some more up before I go workout.”

  “Yeah? Well what if I want some right now?” I asked as I leaned against the countertop, crossing my arms in a pout while I watched him indulge.

  “Here. Have a bite,” he insisted as he dug into the carton with his spoon for a second time and stuck it out to me like a baby.

  And of course I blocked it, dodging his attempts to feed me as I screeched, “Ew! I don’t know where your mouth has been.”

  “I just brushed my teeth,” he admitted as he took another, fuller bite, being super extra when he licked the spoon clean, though I was sure he knew exactly what he was doing to me.

  Still, I held firm, snatching an apple from the fruit basket as I told him, “Toothpaste doesn’t kill Mono-germs.”

  “Ahh. You got jokes,” he said with a laugh as he took another bite of my yogurt. But instead of getting even more upset, I made myself busy rinsing the apple which also helped me to avoid watching the way his tattoo-covered chest flexed when he talked.

  At least he used some of that money to invest in good, quality ink…

  “Actually, I’m dead serious. For all I know, you could’ve had some girl in your room before I got back from work,” I told him, though I hardly believed myself considering he was in the same exact spot that I left him in when I got back.

  “Could’ve. But I didn’t. I mean, we haven’t even set the house rules yet,” he replied as he tossed the now-empty yogurt container in the trash before setting his used spoon in the sink.

  I rolled my eyes, taking an oversized bite of my apple to alleviate the stress while I came up with what I considered most important. “Rule #1: Don’t eat my shit. Rule #2: Don’t drink my shit. Rule #3: If you dirty the dish, you clean the dish. Rule #4: Wear clothes.”

  “Uh… those little boy shorts you have on don’t exactly align with the code of conduct,” he said as he took a not-so-secret peek at my ass that was one dropped apple away from being completely out.

  But once again, I held firm, sticking my chin up as I reasoned, “This is my apartment. I can wear what I want.”

  He took a step forward and my face only met his chest, forcing me to tilt my head back to find his eyes. “Correction, this is our apartment according to that rent money I just gave you yesterday. But for the record, I don’t mind making a little amendment to the rule if that’s what you’re going to wear.”

  “Stop while you’re ahead, Levi,” I told him with another roll of my eyes as I slipped past him to discard the rest of the apple that was hardly meeting my appetite now that I had been exposed to the tempting milk chocolate dessert of his existence.

  And he certainly didn’t make it any easier as he ran a hand across his facial hair and insisted, “I’m just sayin’. But you know what? I’ll respect the rules since you can’t handle all of this body I got goin’ on.”

  I quickly brushed off his arrogance. “Oh please. I’ve seen better…”

  “Better what? My abs are on point and you know it,” he said as he ran a hand down his… twelve-pack? What the fuck?

  But while his abs were definitely envy-worthy, they hardly rivaled the thing stealing my attention from under his towel, making it easy for me to tell him, “Abs aren’t everything.”

  “Abs are everything. So admit it, mine are on point, huh?” he asked with a cocky grin, obviously desperate for my stamp of approval.

  The stamp of approval I traded for a shrug when I told him, “If that’s what you’re into.”

  “Man, you’re a hater.”

  Again, I shrugged. “I don’t have it in me to hate something I don’t care about.”

  “Mean Ass Jules. Back at it again with the slick mouth,” he teased as he turned to leave the kitchen.

  And I made sure to remind him, “Don’t forget the yogurt.”

  “I got you, pretty girl. You need anything else?” he asked, stopping right in the threshold of transition from the tiles of the kitchen to the carpet of the living room.

  While I could think of a number of things to ask him for, starting with dropping that towel of his, somehow I found it in me to ruffle his feathers and answer, “Uh… tampons.”

  His face scrunched instantly as expected. “Tampons? I’m not buying you tampons, Jules.”

  Of course I knew my request was ridiculous, but officially having a one-up on Levi was way too fun to not challenge him even further. “So why’d you ask if you weren’t going to follow through with my request?”

  “I thought you’d say like… more apples, some bread, maybe a gallon of milk. You know, something normal,” he insisted as he waited for me to agree.

  But since agreeing meant our little game would be over early, I crossed my arms over my chest, resting all of my weight on one leg as I reasoned, “Tampons are completely normal. But… if you’re afraid of losing your little man-card, I understand.”

  He sighed, obviously taken aback by my attack of his manhood. And while I was convinced he was just about ready to give up talking to me and end the conversation for good, he surprisingly came through with some logic of his own. “It would be different if you were my girl or somethin’. What am I supposed to tell the cashier when I roll up?”

  This time, it was me stepping to him, reaching to pat him on the shoulder as I suggested, “Just tell her you’re on your period.” Then I slipped past him to head back to my bedroom, being sure to close the door behind me.

  I waited until I heard the front door close with Levi’s exit before reemerging in the living room to watch TV the way I originally planned to do for the rest of the day. And somehow I ended up getting caught up in a movie I had seen a million and one times with Elizabeth, not to mention the fact that we also had it in our DVD collection. But my solo chill session didn’t last long as the door jingled with Levi’s return just as I was in the middle of reciting one of my favorite lines.

  I purposely didn’t acknowledge his presence until I felt a plastic sack land on top of the blanket I was snuggled under. “Here,” was all he said as he continued towards the kitchen.

  “What the hell are these?” I asked, sitting up a little straighter to grab the sack and find...

  “Tampons. Like you asked for,” he answered as he made himself busy putting away my replacement yogurt, a small case of bottled water, and a fresh 6-pack of fruit-flavored beers.

  “I… I was just joking, Levi. I didn’t really need these,” I admitted, feeling flattered by his actions but also childish now that he had actually gone through it.

  And my positive reaction was completely opposite of his as he slammed the refrigerator shut and said, “What? You had me in that bitch sweatin’ tryna figure out if your ass had a heavy flow, workers asking me twenty-one questions and calling me the perfect guy just for you to be making jokes, Jules?”

  “I mean, thank you. Seriously. I’ll be sure to use them when my period really does come.”

  Levi only rolled his eyes as he headed straight for his room, prompting me to leave my perfectly-cozy spot on the couch to right my wrong.

  I caught him just gently by
the forearm to say, “I’m serious, Levi. Thank you for getting those. That was really sweet. Maybe you aren’t some basketball asswipe after all.”

  He turned back my way, his face far from amused as the hard lines of his jaw tightened. “I already told you. You don’t know me, Jules. You think you do, but you don’t. And maybe we should keep it that way.”

  “What? Why? I mean… we have to live together for at least five more months. We might as well get along, right?” I asked in a weak attempt to mask the interest I still hadn’t fully accepted.

  And I had obviously done a damn good job as Levi pulled away from my hold to say, “Nah, we don’t have to. I’ll stay out of your way and you’ll stay out of mine. Just like you wanted.”

  “But…”

  The slamming of his bedroom door in my face caused a rush of mixed emotions, from anger to annoyance to… damn, maybe I really am that wrong.

  “Levi! Levi, I’m sorry! Damn,” I yelled through the door.

  And I was just getting ready to give up when it finally cracked back open. “What was that?” he asked, his face pulled into a smirk as he waited for me to repeat myself.

  It was clear he was fucking with me the same way I had fucked with him. But it was still only right for me to tell him, “I said I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have… done whatever I did to you.”

  “Half-assed apology…” he muttered as he started to shut the door once again.

  But this time I caught it with the palm of my hand, leaving just the slightest crack for me to admit, “I’m serious, Levi. I really am sorry. And I’m… grateful. For you going through with it even if I was only joking.”

  He sighed, shaking his head as he pulled the door all the way open to unveil the duffle bag hanging from his shoulder. Then he stepped out, shutting it behind him as he said, “Fine, Jules. We’re good. Enjoy your little tampons and yogurt, and I’ll see you later, alright?”

  “Okay,” I answered with a nod as I watched him intently while he strolled to the front door.

  I hated the way it made me feel to see him leave, as if he wasn’t going to come back or something crazy like that. I mean, I shouldn’t have even cared. Our lives were completely separate. We had nothing in common but an address. Yet here I was, pouting as he stopped just short of the door to ask, “Uh… is there something else you need, Jules?”