Bruno’s eyes lit up. “What did he say, Orlando?”
“You have a nice smile,” you said begrudgingly.
“Anything else?” Bruno asked.
“He would make a suitable boyfriend,” I added.
“For who?” you asked hotly.
“For you of course.”
“Henri, come on.” You rolled your eyes. You thought I was being facetious, but I wanted Bruno to be an option for you.
“What?” Bruno asked impatiently while Tyrell chimed in with, “What did he say?”
“Henri thinks I should have a human boyfriend.”
“I also think he should be your roommate at the dance school,” I told you. “Perhaps it will develop into a sexual relationship.”
You shook your head, exasperated. “Not going to happen, Henri, but having him as a roommate isn’t a bad idea.”
“What?” Bruno asked. He was dancing in his seat.
“He thinks we should be roommates at MCB.”
Bruno nodded eagerly. “You can teach me your strange American customs.”
You chuckled. “What about my demon boyfriend? Henri likes to hang around. He’ll be listening to our conversations and watching us pretty much all the time.”
“Really?” Bruno seemed fascinated, perhaps even excited by the idea.
“I mean, you can ask him to leave if you’re… you know.” You made an indecent motion with your fist, and I snickered at your crudeness.
Bruno was speechless, pondering the idea of having a third roommate who was, in all respects, a ghoulish voyeur.
Meanwhile, Tyrell asked what I thought ofhim.
“Henri?” you said and waited for my assessment.
“I’m glad he’s disassociated himself from Derek. He should do more cardiovascular activity. I found his body to be quite sluggish. Cholesterol builds in the blood from a young age, so he should curb his diet as well. And if he dares to try to harm you again, I’ll kill him.”
You threw up your hands. “Chill, Henri. Tyrell’s cool.” You turned to Tyrell. “He’s glad you’re out of the gang. He thinks you should go running, maybe lift some weights. Eat a salad here and there. And he says he won’t mess with you, so long as you don’t mess with me.”
Close enough. Tyrell nodded but still worried his lower lip with his teeth. You excused yourself to use the restroom while I stayed behind to see what Tyrell and Bruno might discuss in your absence.
“You think he’s real?” Bruno asked. “Orlando’sorixá?”
Tyrell nodded emphatically. “Henri isn’t someone to fuck with.”
“Should I accept Orlando’s offer?”
The two of them had bonded over an indulgence of marijuana and fast food. Now Bruno was consulting Tyrell on life-altering decisions.
Tyrell shrugged. “I don’t know, man. Orlando’s cool and all, but I don’t know if you want to mess with all that bad juju. You feel me?”
Bruno nodded. “I think hisorixáhas powers.”
“Yeah, no shit.” Tyrell spat on the ground. “He cut off a dude’s finger while he had my body, using my own knife.”
