After the shit that popped off, all Carmelo wanted to do was see Summer. It was early and knowing her, she was probably still knocked out. He decided to head to the city to pick her up a few things.
With the windows to his truck rolled down and Soul Tape 3 blaring through the Jeep’s sound system, Carmelo found himself cruising down the streets of SoHo. It wasn’t until he got to a familiar block that he decided to find a parking spot and walk. He came up to a storefront which appeared to be empty from the outside, but something was telling him to walk inside.
<><><><>
“Right here, you can hang your degree. Get it blown up,” Karen said.
“Mom, really? I can get it framed in a nice frame and put it in the back office,” Dream said.
“Yea, I know. I’m just so proud of all you accomplished, Dream. I want the world to see and know all my baby girl has done and will continue to do in the future.”
“Aww, thanks mommy. I appreciate it.”
The sound of the wind chimes alerted them that someone had opened the front door, causing them to divert their attention toward that direction.
“Hey, sorry, we aren’t open for busi…” Dream said, as her statement trailed off when she recognized who the visitor was.
“Sorry, I was just looking for… Dream,” Melo said, not believing it was her again.
“You were looking for me?” Dream asked.
“Nah… I mean yea. It’s really hard for me to explain,” he admitted.
“Who is your friend, Dream?” Karen butted in.
“Mom this is… Carmelo. Carmelo, my mother Karen,” she hesitated for a moment before saying his name because she wasn’t sure she remembered correctly from the night they met at the restaurant.
If she was being completely honest with herself, there were days that she found herself thinking about the man who seemed to know her, yet she had no recollection of. Just seeing him for that brief period of time had her feeling oddly drawn to him. It wasn’t just a physical thing. There was no doubt in Dream’s mind that Carmelo was a gorgeous piece of man. Everything about him from his height, to his asymmetrical features, the smoothness of his skin, screamed fine. But, what she felt that night at the restaurant had to do with something much deeper; she just couldn’t put her finger on it.
“Nice to meet you ma’am,” Carmelo said as he stuck his hand out to shake Karen’s hand.
“Same here, love,” Karen stated. “Well, I’m off to give myself a tour of the rest of this place and let you two chat.”
“Alright, mom,” Dream said before focusing back on Carmelo. “Soooo, you care to tell me what’s going on here? Like, how you know me or think you know? It’s a little weird, Carmelo,” Dream admitted.
“I know, Dream. Believe me, it’s weird for me too and I want to tell you it all. But I feel like if I tell, you there’s no way I’ll ever have a chance with you,” he said.
“Try me,” Dream’s interest was totally piqued. It didn’t matter how weird the situation seemed to be. She couldn’t hide or deny the attraction she felt brewing between them. She didn’t know the man that stood before her from Adam, but her soul felt as if it was yearning for him.
“How about we do lunch?” he asked, hoping that she would accept his offer.
“It’s still early and I just ate breakfast,” she replied.
“I mean later. I was actually headed to pick up something for my niece. After I go see her, I swing back through, and pick you up for a bite,” Melo suggested.
“I don’t know, Carmelo.”
She shifted her weight from one side of her body to the other and folded her arms across her chest.
“You wanna know everything, don’t you? Plus, you gotta each lunch. Might as well do it with me.”
The smile that Carmelo flashed Dream made her heart smile. There was no way she could turn him down.
“Alright, lunch sounds good, Carmelo,” Dream agreed.
“Want me to pick you up from here?”
“Let me see your phone,” Dream said.
Carmelo dug into the pockets of his pants to retrieve his iPhone before punching in his code and handing it over to her. Dream navigated her way through the phone’s options until she had her number stored and handed it back to him.
“Call me when you’re done handling everything with your niece to see where I am and we’ll take it from there,” she said while smiling.
She looked on as Melo took a step forward in her direction. She wondered what he was about to do, but didn’t bother to stop him. Before Dream knew it, she was being pulled into a tight embrace. She couldn’t understand why or how she was feeling the way that she was, but it felt good. Moments after Melo released her, Dream still felt as if she was wrapped in his arms. She stared at him for a minute and really took in all his features and his aura.
“By the way, this place going to look dope as fuck when you’re done with it,” Melo said after realizing that this was the exact location of the boutique she had owned in his dream. Apparently, she was still renovating it, but by the way things were falling into place, Melo knew it would be a success.
“I’m not even going to ask how you know that. I’ll just say it’s your faith in me,” Dream joked.
“Yea, that’s what it is. Anyway though, I’ll definitely be seeing you later. Make sure you tell your mother it was nice meeting her again,” Melo said as he turned and headed toward the door.
“See you later,” Dream called out to him.
After the interaction with Carmelo, Dream found it hard to focus on the things she was trying to get in order with her boutique. She couldn’t help but to think about what the lunch date with Carmelo would bring. The more she thought about it, the more she wished the time would fly by and he would call and say he was ready. Her mother even noticed how distant and distracted she seemed after Carmelo’s visit; she didn’t say anything about it, though. She thought it was cute how her daughter was obviously smitten. Whatever made Dream smile, made Karen smile. It had been a while since Karen had seen that type of smile on her daughter’s face, and it made her feel good.
“He seems nice,” Karen said.
“Mom, what are you talking about?” Dream asked, slightly embarrassed that her mother knew she was thinking about Carmelo.
“The young man that came by. I hope you do go for lunch with him. I would love to see your interest in anyone other than Brock’s crazy ass,” Karen said.
Dream just waved her mother off. Brock was not a topic she was up for discussing. Everything about him gave her an instant headache, even the mere mention of his. The history between the two of them was once a story that she wished and hope she could leave in the past, but it seemed impossible. Maybe Carmelo showed up at the right time. Maybe he was exactly what she needed to move on with her life. Even if the lunch led nowhere, at least he would be a distraction from the disaster named Brock.
<><><><>
After doing what he had to do for Summer, Carmelo called Dream so they could head out for lunch. He swooped back by her shop to grab her so they could head out. When he pulled up, she had just walked outside, texting away on her phone.
She slightly smiled when she noticed Carmelo pull up. She happily walked over to his car. “Perfect timing,” she said when she climbed in.
“I hope you like Michael Jordan’s Steak House,” he said as he pulled off.
“That’s cool with me,” Dream said.
The ride there was a quiet one except for the music playing. Carmelo wanted to save what he had to say for when they were eating. He was thinking of how he was going to approach the subject without sounding crazy. The whole situation seemed crazy to him, so he could just imagine how it would sound to her.
When they pulled up to the restaurant, Carmelo climbed out of the car and walked to the passenger’s side to open Dream’s door.
“Thank you,” she smiled.
“No problem.”
When they were seated, the waiter took their drin
k order. Carmelo ordered a beer while Dream ordered a water. Carmelo couldn’t help but to stare at Dream while she looked over the menu. He couldn’t believe that he was actually sitting across from the woman that had plagued his thoughts since he woke up out of that coma.
“You shouldn’t stare, it’s not polite,” Dream joked.
“My bad, ma, but I can’t help it.”
Dream put her menu down and looked at Carmelo. “So Mr. Carmelo, tell me what I want to know,” she said.
“You might think I’m crazy after I tell you all this,” he said as he ran his ran over his waves.
“I might, it all depends on what you have to say,” Dream said.
Carmelo took a deep breath and told Dream everything, starting with him being shot. He told her how he ended up being in a coma for two weeks. He told her about his dream and how everything seemed so real.
“In my dream, I met you because my niece needed a dress made for her sweet sixteen and she picked your boutique,” he explained.
He went on to tell her that’s how he knew that her boutique was going to be hot once she got it up and running. He told her how the two hit it off instantly and he ended up falling for her hard. By the time he got to the part where he woke up, Dream was just sitting there wide-eyed. She hadn’t blinked one time since he started telling her the story.
“Crazy, huh?” he said.
“Crazy a little, but I think it’s something else,” she said.
“Something like what?” he asked.
“Something like…fate. I will admit I was a little thrown off when you approached me and called me by my name, but now I think we met for a reason. Your dream was probably trying to tell you something.”
“Yea, that you’re supposed to be mines,” he said seriously.
Dream just looked at him and blushed. The moment was interrupted by the waiter coming to take their food order. After they ordered Dream, just looked at Carmelo.
“Can I ask you something?” Dream asked.
“Ask away.”
“What do you do, like how do you make money?” she asked.
Not wanting to lie to her, he told her the truth.
“Is that a problem?” he asked, even though he feared her answer.
“No, I’ve never been one to judge. At least you didn’t feel like you had to lie about it and then later down the road, I found out differently.”
“So there’s going to be a later down the road for us?” he smiled.
His smile was so cute and contagious that she couldn’t help but to smile.
“Maybe, but I need to tell you something,” she said.
“What? Don’t tell me you like girls because that’s not a problem for me,” Carmelo half-joked.
“Oh my gosh,” Dream laughed with that cute little snort. “No, that is nowhere near what I was about to say.”
“Oh, okay. What’s up then?”
Dream looked down at the table then twisted her lips a little thinking of how she was going to say what she wanted to say.
“My ex, he’s a little crazy. I haven’t heard from him in a while but I know he’s going to pop up,” Dream said.
“You still love him?” Carmelo asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Oh no,” Dream quickly shook her head. “That ship has been sailed.”
“Okay then. I’m not worried about it, you shouldn’t either. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there, but for now, let’s just focus on us and whatever were going try to build. Because honestly, I want you around. Whether it’s just for a friendship or a relationship. Like you said, we ran into each other for a reason, so let’s find out what that reason is.”
Dream couldn’t do anything but nod her head to what he said. He was right on so many levels.
“Okay, Mr. Carmelo, you got it.” She smiled.
Over the course of the meal, they enjoyed each other’s company. They told more jokes, and spent more time staring at each other than they did eating. It was obvious that the little lunch date was exactly what the both of them needed. Even during the ride back to Dream’s shop they continued to crack jokes. When they reached her shop where she had parked her car, neither of them wanted to split ways. They had to though. Carmelo had his own affairs to attend to and Dream had hers.
“Don’t forget, you promised me dinner later on this week,” Melo called out behind Dream as she climbed out his truck.
“I won’t, Mr. Love, and you don’t forget to call me,” she said.
“Definitely won’t,” Melo said before pulling off with a small spread across his face.
Chapter Nine
Melo pulled up to the trap house on Flatbush. Shaq had called him to meet up but Carmelo really wasn't in the mood to be around Shaquille right now. If he wasn't handing over his money and his product, this would be a waste of his precious time. Before killing the engine, Carmelo reached over in his glove compartment and grabbed his gun. He made sure it was fully loaded before putting it in his waistline.
He hated the fact that he suddenly couldn't trust the one person he would have laid his life down for. He and Shaq had been through everything together and now, all because of a dream and Shaq’s shadiness, he wouldn't dare go around him without his artillery.
He walked to the side of the house and let himself in, giving brief head nods as he walked through the house. He walked upstairs where he knew he could find Shaq. He opened the door and Shaq was sitting on the couch smoking a blunt with two duffle bags at his feet.
“Give me my shit so I can go,” Carmelo said.
Shaq exhaled a cloud of smoke before slowly bending down to pick up the bags. He got up and walked over to Carmelo, dropping the bags at his feet.
“Get ya shit since you wanna be such a damn cry baby and make idle threats and shit,” Shaq said before walking away.
“Idle threats is something I don't do, bitch. If I said I'll do it, I will.” Melo sneered as his trigger finger twitched.
Shaq put his blunt out and chuckled while shaking his head at Carmelo. He couldn't believe this is what their friendship had been reduced to. He could see Carmelo’s gun clear as day and he was wondering why the hell he felt the need to bring heat with him just to come see him.
“You know, ever since you woke up from that coma, you been on some other shit. Wanna treat me like I'm the enemy and the one who shot you up. I stayed by your side the whole time you were in that damn hospital and this is the thanks I get. So what I took some of the money and product. It was just to test our friendship and see where your head was at.”
“Do I start playing the violin now or later?” Carmelo asked. “Because this sob ass story is bullshit! The fact remains that you took my shit, so therefore, in my eyes, you stole from me and then you have the nerve to come at me with some lame ass excuse as to why you did it.”
“Are you fucking serious right now, Carmelo? Listen at how you sound. That was our product and our money, don't forget we built this shit together. If your money is fucked up then that means mines is too, so please tell me what reason I would have to steal shit from you!” Shaq yelled.
“Shaquille, you better watch who the fuck you're talking to. I'm not one of them lil niggas down there, so talk to me like you have some fucking sense. Don't holler that ‘our’ bullshit now because you wasn't worried about shit I built when you let Shondrell use my product and my money to make a come up. Hell, as far as I know, you could have been working with the nigga.”
Shaq looked at Carmelo sideways. He was waiting for him to laugh, crack a smile or something, but it never came.
“Yea, that coma shit really fucked up your head for you to come out your mouth and call me a snake. You know better, Melo.”
Carmelo bent down and picked up the duffle bags. “The only thing I know is you need to steer clear from me. The only time I need to see your face is when it's concerning business, and I barely wanna see it then,” Carmelo said as he turned to leave the room.
“That's how it is, Carmelo?” Sha
q called after him.
“That's how it's gon be,” Melo said over his shoulder without turning around.
Carmelo knew then that he and Shaq’s friendship would never be the same. Honestly, he didn't even look at what they had as a friendship anymore. It was more of a business relationship, and Carmelo wasn't sure as to how long that would last because right now, he didn't trust Shaq as far as he could throw him.
Shaq sat there in that same spot pissed off. Carmelo was definitely on some other shit and he wasn't feeling it. He let the shit slide when he called himself putting his hands on him and he let it slide when he threatened him. But for him to come out his mouth and call him a snake was the ultimate low.
He had been by Carmelo’s side since day one. Shaq felt like if it wasn't for him, Carmelo wouldn't even be in the position he was in. Carmelo had him doing all the work while he just sat back with his feet up, chilling. He was appalled that Carmelo was acting like he did all this shit on his own. He wasn't better than no damn body.
“He need a damn reality check and knocked off that high horse he riding on,” Shaq said out loud to himself as he lit up the blunt he was previously smoking.
Carmelo had basically said that their friendship was over. That coma he was in had him thinking he was somebody that he wasn't. He couldn't just dismiss Shaq like he wasn't shit to him.
“Got me over here sounding like a bitch and shit,” Shaq said as he took a toke of the blunt. “That's okay, Carmelo Love. You’ll get yours.”
Chapter Ten
Dream was taking clothes out of the washer when she heard a noise coming from upstairs. She started to get worried because she lived alone and no one had a key to her house. Thankfully, she kept all types of necessary weapons in the house. She reached on the side of the washer and grabbed her Louisville Slugger. Forgetting about the clothes, she slowly headed for the stairs. She heard some rumbling around and said a silent prayer. Lord, please don't let this be a burglary.
When she reached the top of the stairs, she got her bat in position to swing.
A Gangster's Dream 2 Page 4
