< : > : Chapter Four : < : >
Harlow | Phoenix | Other people
"Hello Phoenix."
"Woah, why do you sound so awake? Awe Harlow, were you waiting up for me?"
"Please. I purposely stayed up so I'm not woken from my sleep. If we talk for an hour or an hour and a half max then I should be fine in the morning after coffee."
"How about two hours and I'll tell you the awesome nickname I made for you?"
"How about an hour and thirty minutes and you can keep that awesome nickname to yourself?"
"An hour and fifty minutes and I'll let you call me Nicky one time."
"An hour and thirty-five minutes and I'll help you get your Aunt Justine's number."
"An hour and forty-five minutes and I'll stop cringing when you call me by my real name."
" . . . . "
" . . . . "
"Do you really cringe?"
"Deal or no deal?"
" . . . . "
" . . . . "
"Fine, whatever just answer the question."
"Are we agreeing on an hour and forty-five minutes?"
"Yes Phoe- . . . Nick."
"Great . . . You know it honestly sounds weird when you call me Nick so go ahead and continue to call me Phoenix."
"You tricked me you little turd!"
"What was I supposed to do? You're trying to cut our bonding time plus it's nice to hear you call me Phoenix. Sometimes I forget that it's my actual name."
"Whatever."
"Don't be mad . . . Hey, you want to hear the nickname I made for you?"
"No."
"Come on, seriously?"
"Like a heart attack."
"You know one time one of my Staff Sergeants had a heart attack - well a heat stroke when we were hiking through the mountains. It was pretty bad. Unfortunately only four people went back and the rest of us had to finish the hike."
"How long was the hike?"
"It was an eight mile hike slipping and sliding, carrying full gear, and drinking hot water."
"Sounds like you love nature."
"I do actually - well I did when I was younger. My Aunt Justine's husband use to take me camping maybe twice over the summer. It was nice."
"What happened? You get too old for it? Camping is for babies?"
"Nothing like that . . . He died when I was ten. They were ambushed during the night."
"I'm so sorry Phoenix."
"It's okay. He was a great man and the closest thing I had to a father figure."
"Marine too?"
"One of the greatest."
"Did he influence you to join?"
"He did. My Aunt Justine wasn't too happy about it me signing my life away but I wanted to be just like him so that's what I'm doing."
"I'm sure you're making him proud."
"Thank you Harlow. That means really means a lot to me."
"You're welcome."
"So what about you? What is it like in the life of Harlow whateveryourlastnameis."
"Booker."
"Harlow Booker . . . Has a nice flow to it."
"That's good to know . . . So what about you Phoenix? What do they call you at work besides Nick?"
"Sergeant."
"That's your . . . rank? It is rank?"
"Have you been looking up stuff about the Marine Corps?"
" . . . . "
" . . . . "
" . . . . "
"Haaarlow?"
"Fine . . . Maybe I looked up a few things."
"Did you look up dress blues?"
" . . . . "
"The picture gives no justice to what I look like in my uniform. Trust me on that one."
"How could I forget Mr. Panty Dropper?"
"You said it not me but to answer your other question it's Derman."
"Phoenix Derman."
"That's me."
"Has a nice ring to it."
"As long as you're the one saying it, it sounds good to me."
< : > : < : > : < : >
Timara was meeting me today again for lunch since we both felt like we hit it off two weeks ago. Having lunch every other day and texting or calling each other everyday I was happy to say that we may possibly have a friendship blossoming. Timara was a really nice person to hang out with and eating with someone else was always nice.
Eating our food I asked Timara if she called the guy who gave her his number.
"I thought about it but then decided against it. I really don't have time for guys. The flirting and dating. It's just too much. What about you though? Do you have a boyfriend?"
Putting my sandwich down I wiped my mouth taking a sip of my drink. "I'm not dating anyone but . . ."
"But what?"
"You're going to think I'm crazy and weird."
"No more than me." She laughed taking a drink from her cup. Nodding her head she urged me to continue.
Spilling the story of how Phoenix and I started talking and how we talked every morning she smiled and nodded with a dreamy look in her eyes.
"It sounds like the beginning of a love story."
"What? How?"
"Two strangers that live in the same city find each other because of a phone call."
"I don't think that's how it works in the real world Timara. Maybe in books but there's too much of the other stuff called reality that should end those romantic hopes of yours."
"And yours." She smiled slyly. I rolled my eyes picking at my food. "Go ahead and give me those bullshit reasons."
"They're not - okay fine." I said once she gave me that all knowing look. "He's white."
Timara clutched her shirt opening her eyes wide. "Oh my turtledoves . . . he's . . . he's . . . white. It's forbidden. Kill me now." She lowered her head to her chest.
"Maybe you should become an actress." I said throwing a fry at her head.
Laughing at me she wiped the seasoning from her hair. "You sound ridiculous Harlow. So what he's white."
"Do you know how uncommon it is for a white boy to like a black girl and more so a dark skinned black girl?"
"Harlow -"
"I'm serious Timara. Now a days it seems like all guys want are light skinned or mixed girls with curly hair that you can just wake up, put it in a messy bun, and go. No one wants to love on the dark chocolate."
"Social media plays a huge part in what you just said. If you're trying to talk to a guy that is looking at the color of your skin whether your light or dark, you shouldn't associate yourself with him at all and what happened to us supporting all black girls?"
"I'm not saying I don't support them or anything I'm just -"
"Letting social media make you think you're not worthy enough to date anybody you want to." She asked with a raised brow. "Including Phoenix."
"Phoenix and I are barely even friends and we barely know each other."
"Sure."
< : > : < : > : < : >
A/N: So there's the first time jump. 2 weeks.
I won't try to jump around too much so you guys won't kill me for them moving too fast lol
And don't hate me for postponing the No Cure update !