“So what you think?” My head popped up and my eyes landed on Dylan. His brows scrunched and he spoke a little louder. “Wait, can you hear me?”
I blinked blankly at him. “If my aids weren’t on, you speaking louder wouldn’t make me able to hear you.”
He chuckled and ran his hand over the top of his head. “My bad. I’m new to this.” He grinned.
I waved him off and locked my phone back, laying it on the table. “And to answer your question, I did have a good time. It was exciting to say the least. Some of the most fun I’ve had in a while honestly. I have a question though.”
He leaned forward. “Wassup?”
“Isn’t it scary? I mean you guys were driving so fast and those turns.” I shook my head just thinking about it.
Again, he laughed. “Hell nah! The thrill of it all is the fun part. I’ve been driving since I was fourteen and I still feel like I’m on a new high each time I get behind the wheel.” It grew quiet between us. My focus traveled back to Creed, who was now leaning over the pool table, preparing to take a turn. “Creed’s like a brother to me,” Dylan mentioned, bringing my attention back to him.
“How did you two even become friends? No offense, but I doubt you hung in the same crowd growing up.”
Dylan chortled. “Nah, we didn’t. He actually was friends with my cousin who went to the same school as him on a scholarship. He ended up coming to a party we threw one night and a race the next night. It was the first night I was able to get behind the wheel and my older brother was racing at the time.”
“I hope you’re over here behaving.” Camilla slid into the booth next to Dylan.
He turned to her with a smirk on his face. “Always, baby.” He leaned over and kissed her.
“Mhm, tell me anything.” She grinned against his lips and pressed her lips harder into his mouth.
“Your man was actually telling me how him and Creed met.”
“Oh, you mean how he corrupted the poor little rich boy?”
“I ain’t corrupt shit; he never liked that saditty shit anyway.”
“Who never liked the saditty shit?” Glancing up I saw Creed had finally made his way over. He slid in the booth next to me, then turned his head to face me. “My bad, I didn’t expect that game to go on that long. You good?”
“I’m fine. Your friends were good company.”
He didn’t bother to look across the table at the couple and studied my face instead. “How are your ears? Your head still bothering you?”
I shook my head. “It’s not as loud here so it’s fine.”
“Still, we can head out if you want. I know you weren’t keen on coming out anyway and I don’t want you to overdo it.”
Softly, I smiled at him, appreciating the gesture. “I’m a big girl, Creed. If I was ready to go, I would say it. I’m fine.” I laid my hands on his arm. “I promise.”
His tongue swiped over his lips and he bobbed his head. “A’right. I just want to make sure. I brought you here and didn’tmean to leave you that long.” He looked across the table, finally acknowledging Camilla and Dylan.
“I’ve never seen you so worried about someone before, Creed.” Camilla grinned at him.
“This isn’t her scene and she came with me. I gotta make sure I take care of her while we’re out.”
His words made my heart stutter. I wasn’t used to someone being cautious about me and how I felt. When I went out with Rome, most of the time he was entertaining and didn’t bother to worry about whether I was comfortable or not. His friends were all boring and snobby anyway, so I didn’t care to be around them. It felt good for my feelings to be acknowledged.
“You know as long as she’s your people she’s good with us. You ain’t gotta worry,” Dylan mentioned.
We stayed at Bank Shot for another hour before calling it a night. The rest of the night Creed stayed by my side. In that hour I couldn’t stop laughing at the bickering between Camilla and Dylan. One minute they were arguing, the next they were close to humping on the other side of the booth. The two were a hoot for sure. By the end of the night I was yawning and couldn’t wait to get in my bed. Camilla made sure we exchanged numbers and the two of us agreed to meet up soon.
“Did you enjoy yourself tonight?” he asked on the way home.
My eyes fluttered open and I peeked over at him. “I did. Thank you for inviting me.” A small smile formed on my face.
“Good. That’s all I wanted. You deserve to go out and enjoy yourself sometime.”
