Page 30 of Differences
I grabbed another washcloth, running warm water over it to help with the swelling of my eyes. When I walked out of the bathroom, the smell of fresh French fries hit my nose. I looked on the bed, and there was a tray with a few McDonald’s bags. No matter how hard I tried to contain my smile, I failed miserably. There was tons of food inside the bags, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to eat all of this by myself. I reached for the shirt that Weston had placed on the bed for me. It was a pink and white button-up shirt covered in his scent. I inhaled the expensive cologne, getting lost in how sweet but masculine the scent was. There was a knock at the bedroom door. Weston was healing my broken heartstrings, and he didn’t even know it.
“Come in,” I permitted.
The door creaked open, and Weston peeked his head in. “You decent?”
“Yeah, I’m good.”
Weston had changed out of the clothes he had on prior. He now wore gray sweatpants and a white T-shirt. The smell of fresh soap coming from his skin suggested that he had just finished showering. He walked further in, standing beside me. His shoulder softly brushed against mine, sending a shiver down my spine.
“I wasn’t sure what your favorite was, so I ordered the whole menu.”
“I see, but I appreciate it. I was just about to come out and ask if you wanted to eat some of this with me.”
“Oh, nah, I don’t want to crowd your space. You probably need some alone time. I can eat something else.”
I thought about how much alone time I would have once Jay packed all of his stuff and got out of my house. Right now, I didn’t need alone time. Otherwise, my mind would wander to Jay, and I would spend my night crying instead of eating. Plus, I wasn’t ready for Weston to leave just yet.
“I don’t want to be alone. Please, have some,” I insisted.
Weston looked at me, and I could see all the empathy in his eyes.
“Go sit on the bed. Let me get something to lay all this food out.”
He walked out of the room, and a few minutes later, he came back with another tray, a bottle of wine, and two glasses.
“I figured you might need a drink or two.”
“Thank you, Weston.”
He arranged the food and drinks on the trays and sat beside me. I stared at the food, trying to find my appetite.
“Your fries are gonna get cold,” Weston warned.
I sighed. “I just can’t find the strength to eat.”
“Don’t let that nigga fuck you up like that. He fucked up. If anything, he should be the one not eating. Look at it like this. You are doing yourself a favor.”
He reached for a fry and placed it toward my mouth. “Open your mouth, Taja.”
Even though I knew he was talking about the fry, my mind went straight to the gutter. I listened and opened my mouth, chewing on the fry. Before I could swallow it, he was back at the entrance with another one.
“Open.” He fed me another fry.
A whole medium fry and six nuggets later, Weston was still feeding me. As he reached for the cheeseburger, I placed my hand on his.
“I think I’m full, Wes, thank you.”
He chuckled. “Oh, my bad, I got a little carried away.”
“Don’t be sorry. Eat the rest of it. I’ll pour us a glass of wine.
I reached for the wine and poured two glasses for Weston and me. When I passed the glass to him, he accepted it. He sipped it, placed it on the table, and went back to eating. Weston was eating as if he hadn’t eaten all day. He must’ve noticed how I was looking at him because he placed the half-eaten cheeseburger down. He reached for a napkin and wiped his mouth.
“My bad. I haven’t eaten all day. When Rae came back to the hospital and let me know what happened, I didn’t bother to get food. I came straight to where you were.”
Guilt rushed through me as I remembered why I was with Weston in the first place. Today was supposed to be about him needing support regarding his mother, yet here he was, supporting me during a time when he was going through something because of the shit Jay had done.
“This is so selfish of me,” I stated. “Weston, I did not mean for you to cut your time short with your mother and sister. You shouldn’t be worried about me. You had dedicated your day to staying at the hospital.”
