I opened the lid of the food and took one bite, and my eyes enlarged from the party of flavors.
“Oh, my goodness, what the hell have I been missing?”
“Bussing right.”
“Bussing, bussing.”
I laughed.
He and I both started tearing into our food, and I was going in on the lamb, which was so tender, flavorful, and juicy. I’m not sure if it’s because I was hungry or what, but I was diving in like it was my favorite meal, pot roast, only my mother hadn’t been in the kitchen on this.
Once Amir and I got to our last few bites, we both slowed all the way down, both deciding to close up our trays pretty much at the same time. The breeze from the water slipped into the car, and the silence between us felt comfortable.
“So, now that I’ve fed you, you still getting that room tonight?” he asked.
“Yeah, I don’t really have another plan, and I am not going back to my house. I’m sure my sisters are still there, and I don’t want to see their asses.”
He was quiet for a second,
“You know, crashing on a couch would be much cheaper than staying in these high-ass NY hotels.”
I looked over at him.
“Yeah, if I had a couch that wasn’t Crew’s or Maleka’s?”
“You know, my place has a couch. Or the bed if you're picky about where you sleep, I don’t really care. The offer stands, and my place is not too far away from here.”
My heart skipped.
“Are you serious?”
He shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal.
“Yeah. Just making sure you're straight.”
I studied his face, trying to see if he was hinting at anything else, but he wasn’t. He seemed genuine if I’m being honest.
“You trust me enough to take me back to your place? I know how guys like you don’t like giving up your location. I learned that much from Crew.”
He smirked slightly.
“The question is, do you trust me now? You would be staying in my place, and you recently called me all kinds of monsters when I first met you.”
“But you are, aren’t you?” I looked up at him and smirked.
“Yeah, but not the lady killing kind. Just the kind that kills niggas who deserve it. But that’s not important. As I said, the offer stands; tell me what you want to do, and I’ll respect it.”
“I guess I can stay with you. It won’t hurt.”
“Nah, not at all.” He started the engine, then started packing our trash into the bag our food came in.
We went back to Amir’s place. The ride was quieter than before, but not uncomfortable. My stomach was full, and my nerves had settled into something softer. When we pulled up, he parked along the curb, and we walked toward the building together. The stairwell smelled like someone had cooked earlier, mixed with that old scent every New York building seemed to have. Our footsteps echoed as we climbed, and I stayed a step behind him, watching the way his shoulders moved under that black shirt.
When we reached his door, he pulled out his keys and started to unlock every lock on the outside of the door.
“Alright, come in,” he said, pushing the door inward.
I stepped inside, and I paused. It smelled good, not like cologne or anything heavy, but clean and nothing like the outside hallway.
