Londyn
Which one of his locs am I going to cut off first?
That was all I kept thinking as I stared at Khalid sprawled out on my couch, snoring his ass off even though it was well past noon. I still couldn’t believe he had shown up to my house in the middle of the night, drunker than a skunk and spilling tea to Chance like he didn’t know any better; not to mention he had interrupted what would’ve otherwise been a perfect night. But I knew Khalid only let himself get like that when something was really bothering him, that fact enough to have me legitimately concerned instead of reaching for a pair of scissors like I wanted to.
Still, that didn’t mean I was going to play completely nice, giving him an aggressive shake to wake him while barking, “What happened last night that had you drinking yourself under the table?!”
He groaned in response, flipping onto his stomach to dodge me as he whined, “Dude, it’s too early for this interrogation shit.”
Somehow I found enough strength to flip him back upright so that I could see his face when I told him, “It’s not even early and you fucked up my night, so I want answers. Who is she?”
“Who is who, Londyn?” he groaned, covering his face with his arms as if his hangover was really starting to settle in.
But not even that was enough to stop me from answering, “The chick who had you drinkin’ your little feelings away last night.”
This time, he grunted while struggling to sit up. “Man, I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about.”
With the space now open, I plopped down next to him on the couch, leaning forward so that I could still see his face. And while his red, crusty eyes had me wanting to take it easy on him, him cheating me out of a good night’s sleep in Chance’s arms was more than enough to keep me fired up when I said, “Khalid, I know you think you know me, but I really know you. It was Daniella, huh? She’s still got a hold on you that I’ll never understand.”
Just thinking about her had me rolling my eyes, especially since she was one of the few people I had ever fist-fought in my life. I mean, it was one thing for her to be jealous of the friendship between Khalid and I, but it was a whole different thing for her to be blatantly disrespectful when talking about it. And when she tried to come at me funny in the club of all places, I had no choice but to put her in her place - by giving her these hands.
I wasn’t sure if Khalid had ever stopped being mad at me for that night, especially since he hadn’t been there to do anything about it and had to deal with the aftermath of Daniella. But they still fucked around after the fact, something that annoyed me while also not being my situation to judge.
Khalid was going to do whatever he wanted to do.
“I haven’t seen Daniella in months,” he finally replied, resting his head in his hands as if that was the only way he could keep it up.
“So it was Becky with the good hair?” I asked, once again growing annoyed since she had been another one of Khalid’s little pieces who called herself being skeptical of our friendship. But at least she kept it mostly between the two of them instead of coming at me crazy.
This time, he turned his head towards me, his eyes tight when he sighed, “Damn. Whatever happened to Rebecca? I don’t know why we ever stopped fuckin’ around.”
“Stay focused, Khalid,” I coached, wanting to get to the bottom of things even if it didn’t have to do with the two of them.
But the last name I was expecting to hear - since it wasn’t one I had heard before - was, “Jayla Anthony.”
“Jayla Anthony. Who the hell is Jayla Anthony?” I asked, running the name through my mental contact list trying to place it with a face.
It made sense that I couldn’t match her once he answered, “She works in the building, different company than you and Chance though. Bad as hell. Stressful as fuck.”
With that, I couldn’t help but shove him in the shoulder when I yelled, “So you’ve been in a whole ass relationship and didn’t say anything?! What kinda friend are you?”
He wasn’t fazed by my little push, his eyes off in the distance instead as he explained, “Nah, LoLo. Just been… peepin’ game, watching her moves, seeing how she operates. And I may have had a few drinks to keep myself busy last night when I saw she was in the spot.”
His drinking having to do with a woman didn’t at all surprise me, but his explanation still left a few holes. Mainly…, “So instead of approaching her, you drank yourself stupid?”
Khalid wasn’t at all a shy guy, especially when it came to women. He went after whoever he wanted and didn’t give a damn how it turned out, though it almost always went in his favor. I mean, he was handsome, charismatic, and funny; those three things enough to at least get you in the door. But his withdrawn demeanor made sense once he replied, “She’s different, LoLo. Like a… you, but older. A little more refined.”
“Ohhh. So Jayla’s a bad bitch?” I gushed, grinning from ear-to-ear now that I knew the woman Khalid was dealing with wasn’t just any ol’ jump-off.
He only doubled down on my claims when he answered, “I mean this respectfully, Jayla’s the baddest bitch I’ve ever come across.”
“After me,” I quickly corrected.
He brushed me off, falling back against the couch as he huffed, “Whatever. All I know is, Jayla’s the type of woman who makes you wanna get your shit together so you can come correct. I mean, you gotta come correct or not come at all.”
My eyebrows shot up in shock, his obvious distress about her enough to make me gush, “Wow. Never thought I’d see the day you’d be so pressed. Then again, if she’s like a me…”
He cut me off with a hollow laugh. “Man, I swear you’re the most insecure cocky person I know.”
“Insecure? I am not insecure.”
Instead of agreeing, he sat back up, attempting to mimic my voice when he said, “Oh my God. Chance is here. How do I look? What should I say? What do I do? Why doesn’t he like me? Why does he like me so much? Help me, Khalid cause I never know what I’m doing even when I act like I do.”
I wanted to be mad, but the accuracy made me laugh as I told him, “Okay, you made your point. But I still need to see a picture of Ms. Anthony so I can figure out why you think she’s badder than me.”
He released a sigh as if he didn’t really want to. But since he knew I wouldn’t let it go, he grabbed his phone, scrolling around a little bit before handing it to me. And it only took her first three Instagram pictures for me to profess, “Damn. She is bad. What does she do in our building?”
“I’m not sure. I just know she works on the third floor, and whatever she does keeps her at the building late almost every night,” he replied, leaning over my shoulder to look at the pictures I was sure he had scrolled through a thousand times already. I mean, if I was him I would’ve cause sis was poppin’. But instead of acknowledging that, I just kept on scrolling as Khalid added, “I see her all the time. But when we interact, I can’t seem to get out anything more than, “Have a good night, Mrs. Anthony”.”
I almost dropped his phone at that, snapping my head back to repeat, “Mrs. Anthony?! Khalid, you’re feenin’ for a married woman?”
Once again, sis was gorgeous so I understood, especially since I might’ve lusted after a married man from afar a time or two myself. And I hadn’t seen her husband in any of the pictures meaning things could’ve easily been on the rocks anyway. But I was glad when Khalid clarified, “She’s getting divorced. Last night when I saw her, she was out celebrating the shit with her homegirls; part of the reason why I kept on drinkin’. I mean, seeing her in work mode was already sexy as hell. But seeing her let her hair down and all that? Man.”
I wanted to tease him about being drunk in love, but the fact that he sounded so sincere didn’t allow for it. I mean, he was obviously into this woman and stressed because he didn’t know what to do about it. And honestly, it was kind of adorable, something I had to mention once I finally replied, “Okay. So this is cute or whatever, but I’m still not giving you a pass for busting up my shit last night. I mean, Chance and I were having the best night ever and your drunk ass wanna come through talkin’ about you gotta pee like you couldn’t have done it outside.”
He held his hands up to apologize. “My bad, my bad. I ain’t know. I’ll apologize to him too if you want.”
I gnawed at my lip, thinking of how that would probably only make things even more awkward. “I don’t think that’ll be necessary. But next time, if you see that car in the driveway, feel free to send me the Uber tab.”
His eyebrow immediately piqued. “How much is available on that tab during other emergencies? Asking for a friend.”
“Boy…” I started, giggling as I gave him another playful shove just as my phone began to ring. And once I saw who was calling, I told Khalid to be quiet before I answered, “Yes, mommy dearest?”
Her voice was especially panicky when she yelled, “Is Chance with you?!”
It almost felt like a trick question since she wasn’t supposed to know that we were still messing around. And even though I certainly wished he was with me, the truth was, “Uh… no. He’s not.”
“Well tell him to get down to the hospital as soon as possible! It’s Ellen!” she shouted, just the thought of something being seriously wrong with his mom enough to make me panic.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t exactly help with my mother’s request since… “I just said he wasn’t…*click*”
“Damnit,” I hissed, scrolling through my contacts for Chance’s number when Khalid asked, “What’s going on?”
I didn’t have time to answer his question, my phone already dialing with a call to Chance’s that went just as unanswered as the ones I was sure my mother had already made. But I wasn’t giving up just yet, scrolling through my contacts again to find an alternative route. And while I knew it was a little risky, I called my brother anyway.
“What you want, LoLo?” he answered, making me roll my eyes since he acted like that was the only reason I ever called him.
Still, I did my best to stay focused on my mission, blowing past our usual back and forth bickering to ask, “Is Chance with you?”
“Why you wanna know?” he challenged, a question that might’ve had me a little shook under less important circumstances.
But since this might’ve been a life or death situation, it only annoyed me more as I told him, “Dude… it’s a simple question. Is he with you or not?”
“Nah. He was supposed to come hoop with us this morning, but he didn’t show up. Now why you wanna know?” he asked again.
Even if it was unfortunate, I was glad to have a legitimate explanation. “His mom is in the hospital and they can’t get ahold of him.”
“Aww damn. I’ll see if I can get in touch,” he replied before hanging up the phone. And now that my second plan hadn’t solved the problem, I knew I really had to jump into action, deciding to go straight to his hotel suite to deliver the news.
I was already grabbing one of Chance’s hoodies to throw on when I asked Khalid, “You staying here or you coming with me?”
He immediately sprawled back out on the couch, pulling the cover I had put over him the night before up to his chin as he answered, “I’ll stay. Catch a ride home once my head stops spinning.”
That was probably best, especially considering showing up to Chance’s with Khalid in tow would’ve probably had him slamming the door in my face before I could even explain why we were there. But since it was just me rushing over to his place then knocking on the door, he answered it with a tired - and incredibly sexy - grin instead.
“Already back for more, huh?”
I pushed past him into his suite as I barked, “Chance, why the hell haven’t you been answering the phone?! Everybody is looking for you!”
Of course he was confused by that, his face scrunched when he followed me towards his bedroom and asked, “Looking for me? Why is everybody looking for me? And who is everybody?”
I was already sifting through his closet to find a shirt and a pair of pants for him to put on, something that only confused him even more. But as I tossed them each his way, I finally explained, “Your mom is in the hospital!”
The news took a second to register as he repeated more to himself than me, “My mom is in the… why is my mom in the… yo, we gotta go!”
“Get dressed. I’ll drive,” I told him, watching as he quickly slipped into the sweatpants and long sleeve I had given him before stuffing his feet into a pair of sneakers. Then he snatched his wallet and phone from the dresser on his mad dash out of the door towards the elevator that seemed to be going in slow motion by the time we finally got on.
“What happened? Do you know what happened? Is she okay?” he rattled, all questions I couldn’t really answer since my mom hadn’t given me any info.
“I don’t know. Call my mom. I think she’s already there,” I told him, though I quickly realized my suggestion was useless once he held up his phone to show me it was completely dead.
No wonder he wasn’t answering anyone’s calls.
“Well, here. Use mine,” I offered, scrolling through to my favorites to find her number. Then I clicked it to call on speakerphone, handing it over to Chance who was already pacing back and forth.
He didn’t even wait for her to speak first once it was clear someone had picked up, instead jumping right in to say, “Miss. Annie, it’s me, Chance. What’s going on? Is my mom okay?”
“Boy, where in the hell have you been?! I’ve been calling your phone for about an hour now!” she shouted, talking to him the same way she’d talk to me or Eric. But in her mind, any friends of ours and any of her friends’ kids were practically hers too.
And that went both ways, Chance not even shocked by her approach when he replied, “I’m sorry. I was sleep and forgot to put my phone on the charger last night. Now what happened?”
The heavy sigh she released had me nervous as we both climbed into the car. And I just knew we’d be getting terrible news once she finally answered, “I tried to tell her that trap house was a bad idea. But no, she just had to wait until she fell halfway through the floor to agree with me.”
“Fell through the floor? Is she okay?” Chance asked, his leg bouncing in the seat as I peeled out of the parking garage.
My mom didn’t answer him right away, instead talking to someone else as she snapped, “Can’t you see I’m distressed right now?! No pictures please!” Then she got back on the line to say, “She’ll be fine. They think she might’ve broken her leg in a few spots, but she’s still doing all the important stuff. Breathing, getting on people’s nerves, and being cheap enough to make sure they’re giving her generic drugs instead of name brand so the bill isn’t sky high when this is all said and done.”
While I immediately thought, “Thank God,” Chance said it out loud before telling my mother, “We’ll be there in a minute.”
“Okay. See you then, baby.”
Once the call was ended, Chance gave me my phone back. And I offered him the car charger I kept so he could give his own phone some juice while telling him, “I’m so sorry this happened.”
I could only imagine how he felt, especially since I probably would’ve been ten times more dramatic had something happened to my mom. But his gaze remained out of the window as he said, “I was supposed to be there. Last night, I told her I’d be back over in the morning to do some more work on the house, but I overslept. Because of you.”
While my eyes should’ve been on the road, I couldn’t help but look over at him when I asked, “Because of me? How is it my fault you slept in?”
“Come chill. Drink this. Play that. Stay here. No, actually leave cause I need to make room for my drunk best friend,” he spat like venom as if any of that equated to his irresponsible ass forgetting to charge his phone. But just the fact that he was turning what I thought was a good time into something worth being upset about had my face pulled into a tight scowl.
“Wow. Are you serious right now?”
“Just drive, man.”
“No. Cause what we’re not gonna do is act like somehow I’m to blame for you sleeping in which resulted in your mother falling through the floor of that raggedy ass house she had no business buying in the first place. You and Michelle must not have been working as hard to fix it up as you claimed y’all were.”
It was a cheap shot, something I probably should’ve kept to myself since attacking him during his time of need was stooping to the lowest of lows. But now that it was already out of my mouth, it wasn’t like I could take it back, hardly surprised when he turned towards me in his seat to ask, “Now you’re bringing Michelle into this?”
“You started it!” I quickly defended, keeping my eyes on the road instead of looking at him, though I could still feel his burning a hole through the side of my face.
But eventually he fell back, releasing another sigh when he said, “Just drive, Londyn. Aight?”
I didn’t respond, just did what I was already doing in getting us to the hospital as quickly and safely as possible even through the tension lingering in the car. And once I parked, I could barely keep up with Chance as he took off for the doors, stopping at the desk to say, “Looking for Ellen Washington. I’m her son.”
The nurse stood up from her chair, giving Chance an appreciative onceover before licking her lips to reply, “And quite a son you are. I mean, look at those biceps. And that chest…”
“Can you please just tell us where she is?! Damn,” I snapped, annoyed with her for multiple reasons - mainly for being thirsty as hell during an emergency.
I shouldn’t have been surprised when she responded by sizing me up, giving me a onceover that wasn’t nearly as glowing when she asked, “And you are?”
Since I knew emergencies like this usually only allowed relatives to go beyond certain security points, I answered, “Londyn… Washington? He’s my… bro…”
“Husband,” Chance spoke over me, my eyes flashing his way and him doing the same towards me before he started to correct, “Bro…”
But this time, it was me talking over him as I wrapped myself around his arm and answered, “Husband. He’s my husband. Newlyweds. Now where is she?”
The nurse’s eyes skeptically bounced back and forth between us - and rightfully so - before she finally gave us the answer we were looking for. “She’s in with the doctor now. But if you two wait out here, I’ll make sure he comes to speak with you when he’s finished and take you back to see her.”
“Thank you,” I told her as politely as I could, taking the “family” visitor badges she had given us for special access before pulling Chance towards the waiting area. But once we were out of the nurse’s view, I let go of his arm like it had cooties, my attitude from the car immediately returning as he plopped down into one of the chairs and rested his head in his hands.
I felt bad for him.
On one hand, I wanted to sit down next to him, rub his back, remind him that she was okay, ask him if there was anything I could do. But on the other hand… fuck him for blaming me like I had anything to do with it. I mean, I knew he was frustrated in general which probably had something to do with him coming at me like that, but that didn’t make it alright. And while I knew it wasn’t the time to address it quite yet, I was still tempted to until my mother emerged from the back and said, “There you two are.”
Chance stood up to greet her, looking like a little kid in her embrace even though he was much bigger than her. But he was hugging her like he needed it, making me feel even worse for not comforting him when it came to mind.
Damnit, Londyn.
When she finally pulled away, she stuffed her hands in the back pockets of her jeans to inform us, “She’s just about done with the doctor, but we can head on back since I’m sure you’re dying to see her.”
Chance didn’t say anything, only nodded as we followed my mother past the main security point then down a long hallway. And while I expected Chance to be rushing down to find his mom, his steps were slow and calculated as if the whole thing was making him uncomfortable.
This time, I didn’t miss my opportunity to be supportive, grabbing his hand and giving it a squeeze to let him know I had his back. And for a second he seemed shocked before offering a little nod of appreciation and squeezing my hand right back; an act that was so simple yet somehow still made my heart flutter even though I was supposed to be mad at him.
“You can be mad at him later, Londyn,” I thought as we finally made it to Miss. Ellen’s room. And while it felt comfortable as hell, I was still aware enough to let his hand go before anyone really noticed.
Now that he could actually see her, his movements were a lot quicker, rushing to the side of her bed to ask, “Mama, what happened?”
She brushed him off like it was no big deal that practically her entire leg was in a cast. “It was just a little accident, Chance. I mean, how was I supposed to know that half-bath off the kitchen was so hazardous?”
Chance immediately grunted - a grunt that may or may not have turned me on -, shaking his head as he scolded, “Mama, you know you’re only supposed to use the one in your bedroom.”
“I know! But the latte Annie picked me up for breakfast ran right through me and I didn’t have enough time to get all the way upstairs,” she replied, making me roll my eyes since apparently blaming other people ran in their family. But at least she continued on to give my mother credit when she said, “I’m glad she came back by over lunch though, otherwise I would’ve still been dangling over the basement.”
The imagery made me snort, catching a mean side eye from my mother as I whispered, “My bad.” Then she turned back towards Chance and Miss. Ellen to tell them, “We’ll give you two a minute. Let us know if you need anything.”
She all but dragged me out of the room into the hallway, not wasting a second to acknowledge, “You two sure looked cozy. And I thought you said he wasn’t with you.”
“He wasn’t,” I told her honestly, not giving her any more than I had to until she pried it out of me.
Of course she was going to try, her first interrogation question being, “So how’d you guys end up together?”
“I… picked him up,” I answered as plainly as possible, the backstory being what made everything so complicated. But I was glad when my mother only gave a skeptical, “Mmmhmmm” just as the annoying nurse from earlier approached us.
“Ma’am, I forgot to mention to you and your husband that the complimentary coffee and snacks are around the corner,” she said, my eyes going wide since I knew my mother had heard the whole thing.
She waited for me to at least tell the woman, “Thank you” before she dove right in, a huge grin on her face once she repeated, “You and your husband, huh?”
My voice was an octave higher than usual when I defended, “I had to tell them something! Otherwise they wouldn’t have let me go back.”
I shouldn’t have been surprised when she had a solid rebuttal, quick to list, “You could’ve been his sister, his cousin, his long-lost aunt from Timbuktu. But nooo, you wanted to play Mrs. Washington for a day. I don’t blame you, baby. Chance is quite a looker.”
Chance was more than a looker, easily hubby material in that regard. But the fact that I had tried going a route other than wifey reminded me, “Actually, that was his idea. I mean, at first. And then I just went with it.”
It sounded simple enough, but I would’ve been lying if I didn’t admit to being a little flattered by him so effortlessly proclaiming himself as my husband. Not that we were anywhere near that and not that I didn’t understand the circumstances in which it derived from.
Still, it was just… cute.
“Oh, so you do know how to get a man whipped off a little somethin’ somethin’? Proud Madre Moment,” she teased, wiping away a faux-tear that I couldn’t help but laugh at.
“Woman, you are crazy. And what’s with this tacky hat?” I asked her, finally addressing the real elephant in the room… since it was literally a stuffed elephant clearly meant for a child’s head.
She shrugged. “Bought it at the gift shop. All these crazy fans were getting on my nerves wanting to take pictures and twerk with me. I swear I’d clean the internet of that video if I could.”
The fact that she really believed the elephant hat didn’t draw just as much if not more attention was a topic for another time, the topic of her privacy enough for me to offer, “I know a few people who could help with that if you’re serious.”
She twisted her lips as if she was truly considering it. But then she pulled the hat off and replied, “On second thought, I’ll let it ride for a little while longer. My fifteen seconds will be up before I know it.”
I shook my head at her sudden change of heart, giggling just as Eric busted through the front doors of the hospital. Then he charged right on over to where my mother and I had congregated to ask, “Yo, is Auntie Ellen alright?”
“She’s fine, son. And you stink,” my mother replied, wrinkling her nose at the sweaty funk that I picked up on a few seconds later.
Yuck.
He shrugged it off as nothing, instead choosing to explain, “We were hoopin’ when Londyn called me looking for Chance.” Then he continued on to ask, “Is he straight? I know being back in this hospital can’t feel good after the way his dad went out.”
The story of Chuck’s passing felt more like an urban legend to me, so many different versions of what had happened still floating around the city to this day. And while I wasn’t sure if I’d ever get the truth, my attention was snatched from my thoughts by my mother saying, “He seemed fine. Londyn kept him calm.”
Eric’s eyes shot my way just as I was averting mine, refusing to add anything more to what my mother had shared. And thankfully I didn’t have to once Chance emerged from the back pushing Miss. Ellen in a wheelchair, getting all of our attention when he shared, “The breaks didn’t require emergency surgery, so we’ll come back in a few days for that. Otherwise, they said she’s good to go home.”
“Back to what got her like this in the first place? I think not. You can stay with me Ellen. As long as Chance forks over a little cash for groceries so you don’t eat me out of house and home the way these two boys used to do back in the day,” my mother replied with a laugh, obviously happy to see her friend in better shape while also not skipping out on an opportunity to make jokes.
Chance seemed to be in a better mood as well, pushing his mother out towards the parking lot while telling mine, “I got you, Miss. Annie. And thank you. I’ll see if we can expedite some things back at the house to get it in safer condition for after the surgery.”
“Sounds good, baby,” she told him, unlocking the door to her car before telling her friend, “Alright, El. Saddle up.”
Miss. Ellen wasn’t too thrilled about using the crutches they’d given her, relying more on Chance and Eric’s assistance to get into the car. And after getting her good and settled, Chance assured her he’d be by to check on her later before we all bid them a farewell.
That’s when things got awkward.
Staying quiet seemed like the best option, letting Chance and Eric have a moment as Eric dapped him up then pulled him into a hug while telling him, “Glad everything is good, bro.”
“Yeah, for now. Thanks for showing up.”
“It’s nothin’,” Eric replied before looking around to ask, “Where’d you park at?”
Oh shit.
Once again, I remained quiet, averting my eyes as Chance pushed out, “Uh… actually I rode with Londyn.” Oh my God, you better not… “Moms gave her my hotel info so she could come through and get me since I was knocked out, missing calls left and right. Forgot to charge my phone after last night.”
My sigh of relief was quiet yet full, Chance once again coming through with a lie worth believing. Hell, he might’ve been a little too good at lying on the spot. But, just like before, that was a topic for another time as I listened to Eric reply, “Damn. Must’ve been in somethin’ nice if you were sleeping in with a dead battery.”
I would’ve tooted my own horn if I could without outing myself. And the quick glance Chance shot my way told me he was thinking the same thing even when he told my brother, “Nahhh, I was just chillin’. Tired from working all day and rebuilding that damn house all night. I think I might call in some people and toss ‘em some bread so we can go ahead and get this shit over with.”
Eric nodded to agree. “I definitely feel you on that. But if you need any help, you know I’m there.”
“I appreciate it, E,” Chance told him, dapping him up once again which gave me a quick second to admire their little bromance.
But just as quickly, I was back on edge when Eric asked, “You need a ride back? Or is non-driving ass Londyn gonna take you?”
I rolled my eyes at his little jab since most of my bad driving habits had come from watching him over the years. But I didn’t get a chance to call him out on it, too surprised to hear Chance ask, “I mean, it’s not too out of the way for you, is it, Londyn?”
He knew exactly how far it was, had taken the route too many times to pretend otherwise. But then I remembered our audience, telling me exactly why he was playing naive while secretly encouraging me to do the same.
So I did, shrugging nonchalantly as I answered, “Sort of. But I guess I can take you.”
Apparently our little act was convincing enough since Eric let it be, taking off towards his car while we walked in the opposite direction towards mine. And things between us remained quiet even when I pulled out of the parking lot until Chance eventually broke the silence with a simple, “Thank you.”
“It’s whatever,” I replied, really keeping my eyes on the road this time.
But I wished I could’ve seen his face when he emphasized, “No, seriously. Thank you, Londyn. I… started having flashbacks to the last time I was at that hospital and… you helped me deal. So thank you.”
Since I could pretty much assume he was talking about his father which was obviously a sensitive topic, I didn’t pry, instead replying with a quiet, “You’re welcome.”
“I just can’t believe it almost happened again, man. My dad would’ve probably still been around had I shown up when I said I was. But nah, fuckin’ around, not respecting other people’s time meant I wasn’t there when he had that asthma attack. And now I almost lost my mom on the same shit.”
“So that’s what really happened,” I thought to myself, glad to have solved the mystery while also having mixed feelings about Chance pouring out to me. I mean, he could’ve rode home with Eric and had the same conversation. But he chose to hitch a ride with me, chose to share with me, chose to be vulnerable… with me.
Honestly, I was a little intimidated. But since I was supposed to be just going with the flow, I told him the same thing I would’ve told any of my friends in this situation. “Chance, it was an accident. And she’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”
“I know. But what if she would’ve fallen all the way through? What if Miss. Annie would’ve found her in a cold pile of herself in the basement? Hell, what if Miss. Annie hadn’t come over at all and she lost circulation when more of the floor started collapsing?” he asked, his anxiety about it all thick enough for me to feel across the car. And since I would’ve probably been on the same thing - or worse - had it been my mom, the empathy came easily.
So I did what I would’ve wanted someone to do for me, reaching over to grab his hand the same way I had done in the hospital and soothingly rubbing my thumb against the back of it as I told him, “Worrying yourself with what ifs is never going to make you feel better about it, Chance. Put that energy towards being grateful that she’s okay instead.”
He didn’t respond right away, just sat back in his seat while keeping my hand tucked in his. Then he brought my hand to his mouth, giving it a little kiss before telling me, “I needed to hear that.”
I wasn’t sure if it was the gesture or the sultry tone he had used, but the moment felt so perfectly warm and intimate that it had me questioning if I was falling a little too hard for Chance. Or maybe we were falling a little too hard for each other, our mutual decision to be okay with “liking” each other quickly morphing into something stronger; something more intense.
I did my best to shake it off, taking my hand back once I pulled up to his hotel. And I intentionally drove to the front of the building for drop-off instead of the parking garage, prompting him to ask, “You don’t want to come inside?”
Without completely giving away everything I was thinking, I answered, “No, I should probably sit this one out. Let you have a moment to collect yourself.”
While I wasn’t looking directly at him, I could see the disappointment on his face through my peripheral, tempting me to change my mind. And it almost seemed as if he was really trying to get me to stay when he said, “Londyn, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come at you like that earlier, about last night. I mean, it wasn’t your fault that Khalid showed up, and you were only reacting like a good friend should.”
Saying anything would’ve more than likely ended in me saying too much, being too open. So instead I just let him keep talking, tickled when he added, “But just know… if we were on some real relationship shit, homie would’ve had to find a ride home.”
“Sure starting to feel like some real relationship shit,” I thought to myself, telling Chance, “He knows that. We… talked about it. He actually offered to apologize to you.”
“Real recognize real. You sure know how to pick ‘em,” he replied, making me giggle in truth as he continued, “But let me get out of your way since you obviously have something to do. I guess I need to start making some calls to contractors to see how much my mom’s little project is going to cost me.”
I didn’t have anything to do, could’ve easily joined him upstairs and probably helped him with those calls. But after last night into today, I needed a break, a chance to clear my head, a chance to think all of this through before I jumped off the deep end that was steadily taunting me.
So instead of going back on my word, I teased, “Life loan fully activated.”
“Man,” he replied with a sigh. “I’ll probably have to call the job to see about extending my stay.”
“Extending your stay?” I asked, my heart pounding as I thought about what all that could mean for us.
But it was clear I had taken off a little too fast once he explained, “So I can look after my mom. At least until she’s back on her feet.”
It was silly of me to be slightly disappointed that that was his only reasoning for wanting to stick around a little longer. But I couldn’t help it, struggling to hide it when I pushed out, “Oh. Right.”
As if he could read my mind, he reached across the center console to grab me by the chin, gently turning my face towards him before he looked me directly in the eyes to say, “That means more of you and me too though. Well, if you’ll still have me.”
He formed it as an offer, but at the same time it felt like an out; an opportunity to save myself from falling completely and madly in love with someone who was still on the clock even if a few bonus weeks were being added. An opportunity to save myself from falling completely and madly in love with the person who was only supposed to be a fun little fling. An opportunity to save myself from falling completely and madly in love with my big brother’s best friend. And while I knew I was teetering on dangerous territory, the only thing that felt right to say was, “Is that really even a question?”