Worth It

Chapter 9: Being Present

"Seriously!"

"Yep."

We were silent for a moment. "Do you think he was lying about it? You know just saying that to make conversation."

Janelle pondered that thought for a moment. "I don't know. Maybe."
..
When we left out of the bathroom Janelle went to go see CeCe before she headed out and I went into my room to get dressed.

When I locked my door behind me, the weight of the silence in the room alarmed me. What transpired while I was gone?

I walked over to my dresser and grabbed my body oil. From my peripheral I noticed Kevin's mind was sitting heavy with something.

I put on my undergarments and rummaged through my clothes for something to wear. I pulled out something random and laid it out on the bed. For now I threw on an old, large t-shirt and a pair of shorts.

I quietly walked over to Kevin. I sat down on his lap facing him with my legs on either side of his body. He looked up at me as I slowly slid his phone out of his hands and placed it on the bed. "Hey," I said softly as I placed my arms around his neck. I planted a light kiss on his forehead. "Hey," he replied and he kissed me with the grief that lingered at the edge of his lips. I untied his locs and let them flow freely. I gently ran my hands through his hair and watched his whole body relax. I put my forehead on his. "Do you want to talk about it," I asked him. After a few moments he spoke up."I'm not ready," was all he told me and then the tears came. I moved from out of his lap and held him; and he gave his body rest.
...
"Hey Lys," Janelle called out to me from across the parking lot. She was with Adrian. I had just left my class and was headed towards my dorm. "Hey what's up y'all," I called out as I met up with them. "Nothing much. We were just about to head out."

I grinned. "Oooh. Where y'all headed?"

"The mall."

"Oh so you ditched me for a new shopping buddy,"I teased.

Adrian laughed. "Not likely. Trust me she'd rather go with you. I just need her to help me shop, because I have some important meetings coming up and I want to look my best. Believe me I am no substitute."

"Ya know? You are alright in my book Adrian,"I joked.

"Oh. Speaking of book," Janelle interjected, "I have to go run inside real quick and get my bag." She looked between Adrian and I. "Get it? Book. Bag." She laughed.

I threw my head back and slowly looked over at Janelle. "Uh unh. No. Really Janelle? You are so corny."

"Be back in a flash," she said as she jogged over to our building. Adrian and I laughed. "She is so simple," I joked.

When Janelle was out of sight Adrian turned to me. "Hey. Listen."

"Yeah? What's up?"

"Has Kevin been a little distant lately? He doesn't seem like himself and I'm not sure what's going on."

"Yeah. He's going through something, but he's having a hard time talking about it."

"So you're just as lost as me?"

"Yep," I nodded.

"I wish it was something I could do. It's rough seeing him like this, ya know?"

"Well. The best thing we can do for him right now is just be there for him so when he's ready to talk about it, he knows he has people around him that he can trust."

Adrian nodded his head. "That's wise." He looked up at me. "I'm glad he has you." I smiled at him. "Thanks."

"Okay. I'm ready Freddy," Janelle said when she approached us. "MmMm Janelle. Nope. You're cancelled for the day." I leaned my head back. "What is happening? I just had to cancel my best friend."