“Now why I gotta be all that?” I glanced from my brother to Reminisce.
“Because your hosting skills suck and you fucking know it. You probably haven’t even offered the man something to eat or shit, you just left him over there with us all parched and shit.”
I waved him off. “Uh, yo’ mama did all that.” Then I turned to Reminisce. “You want some cake?”
He laughed. “Nah, I’m good. I’ll probably get some later.”
I nodded, then gave my brother the duh face.
I didn’t really know how long we were at this bowling alley with nobody really bowling but the kids, but as the day began to wind down, some bowling did happen. I stood back and watched as Rem bowled with my nephew and Bry. I had been nervous as hell earlier, but now here I was wondering what I was so nervous about. It wasn’t like he was some square being tugged into a world he knew nothing about. It was the complete opposite. It took a beast to run with a beast, so of course he fit right in.
“You really fuck with him, huh?” My brother’s voice filled my eardrum. I glanced to my side and Aroyal leaned against the bar on the side of me.
“I do. Is it that obvious?” My eyes found Reminisce as my nephew gave him a high-five.
“Hell yeah. You been watching him for the better part of the day. You got that shit bad, but I get it. Trust me, I do.” His eyes were in the distance. When I followed his line of sight, I found Kaydence seated at a table talking to their daughter.
“Then tell me something.”
“Tell you what?” he asked, his eyes now on me.
“You shook his hand and you didn’t know him. For all the time I was with Turo, you never shook his hand.”
Aroyal nodded, his expression growing serious. “You remember how you introduced Turo to me?”
I shook my head. “Not really. I mean, I’m sure I told you he was my boyfriend or something like that.”
“Exactly. When you first brought him around, you introduced him as your boyfriend and that nigga did not flinch when you said it. Whereas with him.” He threw his head forward in Rem’s direction. “You introduced me to yo’ man and you stood ten toes down behind it. It’s different. Even if you don’t see it, I do.”
“Are you sure it’s not the fact that he has tattoos on his face too? I mean it’s okay if it is.”
“Fuck outta here.” He waved me off. “Now come in here and let me whoop your ass in bowling like I used to when we were kids.”
“Ifucking love looking at you.” He was behind me, most likely staring at my ass while I made him an omelet at seven in the evening. We spent most of our time with my family for my nephew’s party before we ultimately came back to my place. Here he made sure to touch me everywhere it counted before announcing he was hungry. Only Reminisce regarded pizza and cheesesticks as snacks. He was picky, but tonight his picky ass was getting a spinach omelet before I knocked out.
“You heard me?” he asked, dispersing my thoughts.
“Yeah, but I’m pretty sure you’re staring at my ass, right?”
“Damn right I am. That motherfucker is calling my name.”
“I thought food was calling your name, Reminisce.”
“Shit, that too. ’Boutta eat that and hope this migraine goes away, then we going to get my daughter in the morning, ’cause Rennix got me fucked up kidnapping my daughter and screening my fucking calls. Talking about they’re at the movies. Does it look like I give a fuck? They could pause that shit.”
I laughed. “They can’t pause the movies at the theater, Rem.”
“If I were there, they would.”
I flipped his omelet onto the plate, then cut the stove off. Once I was finished, I moved over to him. “I bet they would, now eat up. I’m going to sleep.” I set the fork I’d been holding down along with the plate then moved to walk away.
He gripped my arm. “Nah, stay with me.”
“I’m tired. I’ll wait on you in the be—” I started but there was banging at the door. I felt Rem’s eyes before we both looked at the door. He knew not to ask if I was expecting anybody because I had been with him the whole day.
“Go put some pants on so I can see who’s at this door.” He set the fork down and stood.
“Ain’t nobody looki?—”
