“Just got done cleaning. You look tired.”
“I’m straight. I know we couldn’t link, but I didn’t want a night to go by without hearing your voice and seeing you.” Marcos sat up, and I moved the phone away from me so it didn’t capture my blush. He was always direct, and I see that he hasn’t changed one bit.
“Right,” I said awkwardly.
“Don’t hide from me. Bring yo pretty ass back to this phone.” He commanded. “How are your people doing?”
“Trina is 15 now. She is doing good.” I deliberately avoided my mother. He knew all too well, but that was too heavy for the moment.
“Damn. I ain’t seen Lil’ Trina bad ass in a minute.”
“Don’t call my sister bad.” I couldn’t even get the whole sentence out without laughing.
“Now, you know her ass was bad as fuck. She used to knock them lil’ boys around. That’s why she almost got jumped that day.”
“I never told you thank you,” I said quietly. I took the phone away from my face again. As soon as I did, he sat up. I licked my lips. He was taking me back to my teenage years. I was a grown woman, but these sheepish feelings were so common when it came to him. I didn’t know what it would take to get out of that, but if we were going to be friends, I needed to find a better way to handle it.
“Where you at? Why are you hiding?” He asked.
“I’m sorry. I just had to pick something up. I was just saying thank you for what you did for me that day and every day after until you left.”
“You know that ain’t shit.”
“It was to me. You were the only friend I had. I feel like God allowed us to reconnect. A friend was what I desperately needed right now.” I admitted.
A sexy grunt escaped him. “Why you say that?”
“Nothing. It would be nice to have a male perspective on things every now and then. A man who doesn’t have an ulterior motive can just be honest with me. Like a brother.”
“I ain’t yo damn brother. I will always keep it a bean with you, but what I want from you ain’t never changed from day one. Damn sure since I’m grown, I’m definitely on that.”
“So, you never told me about what you have going on? What are you doing now?” I changed the subject.
“Ha! You always been a dodging ass. I make money.”
“I can see that. You are smart, Marcos. Smarter than what you are doing.” I said firmly.
“What am I doing?” His brows furrowed. The deep grimace made him even more handsome.
“I’m not stupid. I want you to be safe.”
“Always.”
“So, how was it when you moved away? Did you like it more than Flint?” I asked.
“It was a big adjustment. I wasn’t into shit for real. I wasn’t trying to hear that friend shit. I just wanted to graduate and get the fuck on. I thought about you every day. I called too, thenyou started not answering. Hurt my heart, figuring you had a lil boyfriend or some shit.”
“Nah, nothing like that. My momma took my phone when I was sleeping one night. I never saw it again.”
“Damn, but I ain’t worried about that shit because we here now.”
We fell into everyday conversation, just catching up, laughing, and talking about the past. The more we spoke, the more comfortable I became. He was focused on not getting friend-zoned, but I was able to side-step that and get back to a conversation that went on for hours. Before I knew it, three hours had passed, and my face was still glued to the screen. Marcos had me rubbing my feet together and laughing in a way I hadn’t in years.
“Damn, I think MJ is crying,” Marcos said, and I looked down at the time.
“Oh, I am so sorry. Maybe you woke him up laughing. Go take care of him, and I will talk to you soon.” I rose from the couch, concerned.
“That boy can sleep through anything. He has asthma, and sometimes when the season changes, sleeping can be a bitch for him. Give me a few.”
