Kindred Spirits | Juan Toscano-Anderson

5 x Practice

Cynatra closed the laptop in defeat. She had taken the time to look at online courses to finish her degree. She was studying Business Administration and Entrepreneurship at Clark Atlanta before she dropped out and came home, with only a semester left. Her family wondered but never questioned why she left right before the finish line. There had to be a reason.

"You wanna watch The Wood with me?" Juan asked walking out of his bedroom.
"Yeah, in here or in there?"

"In the room. I'm about to toss some popcorn on. The movie already set up." She cleaned her area up. It wasn't necessarily messy but it was no point of leaving her laptop and notepad out.

She follows Juan to the kitchen as he got out his wok, some extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. "Oh you make it the old fashion way?"

"No other way to make it unless you're in a rush."

Cynatra was going back home in the morning because for the most part she was healed and needed to get back home to organizing Jamie's belongings.

They engaged in conversation while the popcorn cooked on the stove top. When it was finished they had gotten comfortable in bed to watch the movie.

"You think Mike and Alicia were meant for each other or they forced it?" Cyn had her head and back against the headboard with a leg propped up, Juan's head laid in her lap while he held the popcorn.

She looked down at Juan and then back to the TV. "They were kids you know, it's hard to tell." Is what she responds.

"I don't know Amor, I think sometimes you just know. Even if it's a little inkling. It'll eventually all tie together."

As they continue to watch the movie, she reaches for the popcorn to eat but Juan intercepts by taking it from her hand with his mouth.

"Roro, stop doing that. I wanted that piece." She plucks his ear. "You moving them hands too slow. Might as well be feeding me."

"Move that big ass head, I wanna get up."
"No, we watching a movie. Whatever it is can wait."

She mushed his head and he slapped her thigh in response. "You gone learn to keep them hands to yourself." He warned.

She wasn't afraid of him, he wasn't about to do shit.

3:11 am the following morning and Cynatra couldn't sleep. She had woken up and found that Juan wasn't next to her, again.

He would lay near her until she fell asleep and then would go into the living room to sleep through the night. Night one he didn't leave, he held her which was the most comfortable sleep she had in a long time. All week her cycle had been broken by waking up before she needed to.

She walked into the master bathroom to empty her bladder. It was the least she could do at that hour. After washing her hands she walked straight to the living room to see him sleeping peacefully on the couch.

She planned to ruin that.

Walking closer to where he slept she observed how he was placed. There was one leg over the couch as his hand rested on his stomach, the other one over his head. She decided to climb on the couch and lay on top of him.

Juan shifted at the new found weight over his body, he adjusted his eyes to see a purple bonnet on his chest.

"You okay? What you doing out here?" He groggily asked.
"I couldn't sleep."

"So you had to mess up mine?"
"Yeah. Why are you out here?"

He social meter had ran out and the only thing he had energy is o communicate was demands. He tapped her hip, "Get up."