A Veiled Perception

Defibrillator- Chapter 20

"Wait, did you really say that?"

Giving Jake a skeptical look, I say, "Absolutely." then turn towards the stove, turn it on and add some butter to the pan.

"Sounds like a challenge to me?" Jake says but it comes out as a question, I smile and shrug.

"That's what I told her, so I had to prove her wrong."

When Darian uses his hand gestures, he's about to get animated. Darian always talks with his hands, and he's loud. He says it's from him being Puerto Rican, that Puerto Rican's are loud and passionate. Emphasis on passionate.

I think it has more to do with all the kids in his house. He has to talk over everyone to be heard. This is also when I know that his cockiness is in full effect, and I need to knock him down a notch.

I wave the spatula in his direction "Okay, just so you know, I let you win. I thought your ego might have needed a boost."

"Yeah, right? Dari's ego doesn't need any boosting, it barely fits in this coliseum," Jake jokes, and I can't help but laugh.

Darian despite himself smiles too. Then raises his eyebrows."Damn, es like that? I'm calling a rematch."

"Fine, after breakfast, but you have to show us your tattoo."

"Yeah, let's see it. It's probably a temporary tattoo that's why he doesn't want to show it off." Jake jokes.

"Nah! I was just drunk, and it's not very good."

"Well, show it to us already." Jake encourages.

"Fine" Darian takes his shirt off in one full sweep, lifts his arm and directly under it is the word Patience written in a bold black graffiti lettering and under the words is a small key.

I'm mesmerized by the words. Patience? Why Patience? Why a key? Jake and Darian had always said that they would get their last names, and Jake would have his dad's birthday on it, and Darian would have his brother Alfie's.

Alfie was Darian's older brother. He told us he'd  fallen in with the "wrong crowd" in New York and became interested in graffiti and became a pretty well-known graffiti artist. Darian said he was  a risk-taker who nimbly tagged buildings and trains alike. The way he recalled the memory always made me think of Spiderman crawling up the side of buildings.  But, "The Clean Train Movement" went into effect and cops were always on the look-out and even after being cited a few times, it didn't stop him, until one day he fell to his death, after being chased by Transit Authority.

He was just seventeen. His parents have never gotten over Alfie's death, and I guess that's why they spoil Darian. New York held too many reminders; they moved out of the city a year later.

The incessant shrill beeping of the fire alarm going off made me avert my eyes back to the pan of blackened pancakes. "Shit" I muttered under my breath as I remove the pan and empty the charred food into the sink.

"What did you say about the garlic bread?" Jake says laughing as him and Darian wave their hands about to get rid of the smoke while laughing.

Courtney comes in and opens the French doors to the back porch.

"What the hell is going on in here? Look at this mess!" She says waving the smoke out the door. Her eyes are drifting towards Darian's shirtless body and then to Jake. Keep your eyes to yourself, missy!

"Sorry, Court MJ was making us pancakes," Darian says apologetically.

"Do you not know how to cook? Next time, save yourself the trouble and go to IHOP. This place is a disaster." Her voice is dripping with sarcasm. She flips her hair back and takes out the  broom from the closet  and hands it to Darian.

"It's your mess, you clean it up." she said bitterly.

"Yo! Court you're gonna need this later when you want to go home." Darian yells out, and Jake and I burst into laughter.

"Clean it up, Darian," Courtney shouted from the hall in an annoyed tone.

"What's her problem?" I ask while cleaning out the pan and prepping it for yet another batch of pancakes. My stomach is feeling queasy and I'm not sure if it was from the hunger or the smell of burnt food. At this rate I'll be serving dinner.

"We hooked up awhile back, and she's pissed I'm not interested in doing it again."

Jake and I both snapped our heads toward Darian. Did he just confess to kissing Courtney? Both our mouths hang open. Darian's candor has always impressed me, sometimes I might get annoyed at his bold statements, but it's so entertaining and you never have to guess.

"You hooked up with Courtney?" Jake asks.

"Technically, she seduced me." He shrugged it off like it was no big deal. It probably wasn't a "big deal" to Darian. He's probably kissed a hundred girls, probably more than a hundred.

"Dude, really she's like twenty-six?" Jake seemed pleased by Darian's omission. I'm surprised he didn't high-five him or something. If I would've said some random twenty-six-year-old kissed me they would have called him a pedophile.

"She was Twenty-Two at the time."

"Wait, you were fourteen? How do I not know this?" Jake questions.

"That's disgusting!." I mutter under my breath flipping the pancake. Relieved this one is a beautiful golden brown.

Darian starts sweeping the floors "Don't be jealous. She's like a fatal attraction, seriously. The girl is crazy."

"I'm not jealous. Serves you right, why would you hook up with her, anyway?" I ask while plating the pancake and adding two more to the pan.

"Because someone else didn't want to," He says flirtatiously.

Jake sighs "You know what, give me the spatula. I'm going to make the pancakes; you guys clean up this mess."

He takes the spatula from my hand and gives me a dishrag. Our hands touch momentarily, and it feels like a bolt of electricity just went through me. My heart stops and restarts almost like a defibrillator.

Authors Note: Please Don't forget to vote and thank you so much for reading