Once I get home I spend the next three hours transforming my room into the ideal space. It's almost seven and the rain has finally stopped. I pace my room feeling anxious at the thought of him coming over. My entire body is on alert waiting for my phone to ding or my doorbell to ring. I still can't believe I invited him over.
My phone finally dings and I jump at the sound. I open my phone to see a text from him, he's here. I give my room the once over one more time and fly down the stairs. As I draw nearer I force myself to slow down. If I get there all out of breath and looking a mess he'll start with his shenanigans.
I take in a deep breath and open the door for him.
With a bag in one hand and his car keys in the other he's leaning against the railing. He's dressed in some sweats, a large sweater and some slides. His hair is pulled back into a man bun and for a minute I'm speechless. Cole does casual very well.
He smirks at me, "You don't have to undress me with your eyes baby girl I'm sure your hands work just fine" He teases and I feel my slightly embarrassed. Telling him to shut up I open the door him.
He steps inside taking a look around and I close the door behind him locking it. I tell him to follow me upstairs, that's where the real party is. His brow raises as we walk, "Cute and straight to the point? You sure are one of a kind" He comments and once again I tell him to shut up. He chuckles and a small smile pulls at my lips.
We enter my room and I happily present my set-up. Fluffy pillows, snacks, drinks, movie and all fixings for a good night. He steps further inside shutting the door behind me. He looks around, "If you're trying to seduce me you're on the right track. All you need now are some slow tunes and a box of condoms" He says and my jaw nearly drops to the floor.
He looks at me grinning and tells me to pick it back up, "It was just a joke" He takes off his hoodie and throws it on the bed. I dim the lights a little and we take a seat on the floor and get comfortable.
He opens his bag and flips it over dumping out an assortment of snacks including my favorites, Honey Buns and Hot Cheetos. I nod approvingly while taking a bun in my hand. Looking to him I grin, "You sure know your way to a girl's heart" I commend and he smiles proudly.
"Didn't want to come empty handed when I pulled up" He replies and I pull the wrapper off my snack. I take a bite of my bun and take out my laptop to watch some movies. I put in my password. "So, why did you want me to come anyways?" He asks and I pass it over to him.
He pulls up the Netflix site and begins scrolling through some suggestions. He awaits my answer. "Why do you want to know?" I question back and he chuckles lightly. "Because you never hit me up especially to come over" He responds and I shrug my shoulders. I tell him that Jade and Queen were busy so he's my last resort.
His jaw drops a little and he puts a hand over my heart, "Wow, you really do know how to hurt a guy's pride, even after I bought you buns and cheetos" He mentions and I push his shoulders a little bit.
"Well you know I try"
He laughs lightly but soon he asks the question again, more seriously this time. Not wanting to go into detail I just ignore him and point to some suggestions. Central Intelligence, Mean Girls, or Freedom Writers?
At first he doesn't respond but then votes for none of them. What? I thought he'd at least pick Central Intelligence. I ask him why and he calls them all trash. I immediately refuse saying Mean Girls and Freedom Writers are not trash, they're timeless.
"Yeah sure" He responds while moving the movies out of the way. I roll my eyes and watch as he picks a movie called King Kong. The only person I recognize in this movie is Jack Black. I munch on some cheetos as the movie goes on and I think I was making him angry with all of my questions.
Yes, I'm one of those people.
First of all, why is Anne getting on that rickety ass boat in the first place? Secondly, the entire crew look shady, the food looks straight up nasty and who's going to a place called Skull Island? Anne should've known from the jump she's getting played.
The last comment must've been too much for him because he pauses the movie and looks at me crazy. "What?" I ask confused and his eyes widen as if I should already know.
"Are you one of those people that talk all through the movie as if I'm not sitting here watching it with you?" He questions and I ask if he's seen the movie before.
"Yeah and?"
"Then answer my question"
"Just watch the damn movie"
"How 'bout you watch your damn mouth" I sass back giving him a look.
He gives me one back, "Only if you watch it for me"
I scoff amused, "You would love that, wouldn't you?" I question. He nods his head to the side a little before pressing the space button resuming the movie.
Every now and then I catch myself looking at him and he seems so engrossed in the movie. The way his eyes light up every time something happens and the frequent biting of his lips makes my hear beat fast.
They're pink and full and soft, oh so very soft. I remember our dare and how shocked I was to find that out, are they always like that? The deepest parts of me wants to find out, what can he really do with those lips?
"You're staring baby girl" He says in low-key teasing tone.
I quickly look back at the screen and try to stop myself from doing any more of that. To keep my mind off of him I ask more and more questions. Unfortunately, I don't get any answers from him.
"HELL NO!" I scream as I turn my head burying it in Cole's shoulder. I hear a deep chuckle come from him along with that critter sound that bugs make. So, all the people fell into this deep cavern thing and there are literally thousands of bugs attacking them.
These aren't the little bugs like in the real world, nah, these motherfuckers are huge! I feel his chest vibrate from his laughing and he tells me to stop being a baby. He tries to turn me around but I resist, I despise bugs.
"Look someone's getting eaten" Cole points out and I begin shaking my head furiously. He begins tickling me to get me to look and I let out a mix of cries and giggles. I end up snorting really loud and everything stops. I slap a hand over my mouth and Cole stares at me shocked and amused.
"Did you just?"
"Shut up!" I snap and I make the grave mistakes of looking towards the screen.
"Are those roaches" I cry while covering my eyes and I shudder at the thought. Those aren't the exotic type roaches either, they look like the dirty city ones that be crawling on your walls and counters.
I shout for him to turn it off because I can't watch this anymore. Between this scene, the creepy native people, and Carl's desperate ass I've had enough. He closes out the movie and tells me that I can look now. Slowly I peek out of my hands to see Cole staring at me trying his best not to laugh.
I drop my hands staring at him seriously, "That was not funny" Eventually he can't hold it in no more and busts out laughing and I hit him with a pillow. "Shut the fuck up!" I demand and that really gets him going.
This is why we don't get along.
"I'm sorry but you're too cute when you're scared, be glad we didn't watch the Human Centipede" Little butterflies come to life in my stomach and to hide that I roll my eyes calling him a jerk.
He tries to hug me but I push him away demanding that he put on another movie because the first one was not cutting it. He finally submits and begins scrolling through netflix for another one. I wait with my arms folded and once again I peep his wrist tattoo. I've seen it before when we were outside and in class.
I've always wanted one but I never knew what to get. People tell me to get something that means something, something personal. I wonder if his tattoo is personal?
"What's your tattoo of?" I question and suddenly he stops scrolling. He doesn't answer immediately and I peep his entire demeanor change. He seems tensed now. He doesn't look at me but I know he's thinking.
He pushes the laptop away and sits up besides me. He leans into me holding out his wrist for me to see. In small cursive letters are two words.
Never Forget.
I look from his wrist to him, "What does it mean?" He looks down at his wrist running his thumb against the letters. His eyebrows are knit together like he's thinking, or struggling. I bring his wrist up to my lips and press a kiss to it.
"You can tell me, I'm no snitch" I say to ease him and a small smile appears on his lips. "Of course not" The smile fades a little as he looks away.
"It's just one of those things I don't like to talk about"
I note the seriousness of his tone and I tell him that I get it. There are a lot of things that I don't like to talk about either. We sit in silence for a second but then he wraps his arm around me pulling me close to him.
I rest my head comfortably against his chest and his familiar scent of sandalwood and cigarettes surround me. I haven't been this close to him in a minute. His smell takes me back to a couple weeks ago when I broke down in his car. I remember how I felt, how being in his arms felt right. This all feels right.
I listen to the steady tempo of his beating heart as he intertwines his hands with mine. It's a couple seconds before he sighs. "I got it as a reminder" He starts. I listen as he tells of how when he first got it it was so that he didn't forget where he came from. That no one can tell him what to do, or who to be.
I make a comment about ma and how she tries to best to let me be who I want to be, Keon and David as well. At the sound of her he inhales sharply and his body tenses up. "He removes his arm from around me and I sit up.
"Cole?" When he doesn't answer I realize I must've hit a nerve somewhere.
"Hey, I'm sorry" I say moving alongside him. He doesn't look at me but I peep a certain look setting in his face. Why did he just become so distant? I only talked about my mom?
"You don't talk much about your family, do you?" I question and his cheeks clench a little.
"You don't talk much about yours either" He replies but I don't have an answer to that. He's right, I don't. He leans back pulling me with him so that we're now laying in each other's arms.
"Tell me about your family"
Red flags pop up in my head and I tell him that I don't know about that. I've never told a Vanilla about my family. Most of them know the basics but not the details, not what truly happened.
"Why?"
"I want to know more about you" He kisses my hand but I don't know about that. If I tell him then I'll be unearthing all my fears, the things that haunt me and my true feelings.
He must sense my anxiousness because his body shifts so that he's now staring at me. I suck in a breath as his face draws closer to mines. His face is so close if he wanted to kiss me he could. His eyes bore into mine locking me into place and he brings a hand up to caress my cheek.
Would now be a good time to say that those butterflies are back and raging now?
"Don't do that" His voice comes out as a whisper and I feel my heart race in my chest.
"Do what?"
"Act like you can't trust me because you can" He brings his face closer to mines placing a gentle kiss on my lips. He pulls back looking me in the eyes.
"You can trust me"