Imani was just supposed to make sure that the lost dog got home safely, come back, and pretend like the mere thought of the owner with doe eyes and an armful of tattoos didn't make her question her entire belief system. Sounds simple enough...right...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
It's two days after, when Layla and I are on our way back home with bags full of groceries swinging off our hands, that I finally ask her, "Are you and Sean okay?"
I frame it like that so she knows she has the choice in how much she wants to give away, and she nods, looking up at me with a smile that almost looks apologetic. "We didn't... fight or anything." She tips her head forward and stares at the street for a few seconds, chewing on her bottom lip before she adds, "I'm sorry. It must have been awkward for you guys. Seeing us like that."
Shaking my head, I shift the grocery bag held in my left hand to my right, and reach out to wrap an arm around hers and click my tongue. "We were just worried."
The sound of our shoes meeting the asphalt is the only noise in the quiet street for a while, until she lets out this breathless, empty-sounding chuckle that doesn't sound like her at all and shakes her head. Voice smaller than I've ever heard from her, she murmurs, "God, Imani, I acted like such a brat." When I look at her, her lips are turned down, eyebrows drawn together in a way that makes her face look pinched with frustration. "You know how Sean always wakes up super early?"
I nod.
"The reason why you, Ved and Juni never see the guys I bring home at night again is because I kick them out long before any of you wake up." She sounds detached. I nod again. I know that, of course. All of us do. And we collectively agree that it's always been better than the idea of awkwardly sitting at breakfast with them. "There are times when it isn't that simple, you know? Sometimes they're stubborn about leaving and..." She shrugs, but the action is weak. I don't say anything. "Sean has always been around to take care of that. They have to leave even if they don't want to."
It's not hard to see how it goes down inside my head. Sean doesn't look half as intimidating as he can actually be—and really, he looks pretty damn intimidating—and the image of him towering over the guys that give Layla a hard time makes me shudder. I don't like being reminded of how panicky I had been around him when we'd first met. The memory of me looking like a scared animal every time we were in the same room makes me wince.
"This time he had to see... the exact opposite." The words leave her mouth like they hurt, and I watch her, waiting patiently as she stares into the distance. Even though her words don't make complete sense, I wait. Because until I know what happened, patience is all I have in store for her. If I can't give her that, then what is the meaning of us being friends for so long, anyway? "This guy I met at the club—" she cuts herself off, closing her eyes for a second and sighing before opening them. "River. His name is River." Her voice has gotten quieter again, so I rub my hand up and down her arm in encouragement. "When I met him, the plan was the same as always." She looks at me with a smile that doesn't reach her eyes. "But—But there was something... different about him." Her words come out faster, breath leaving her in a rush. "I don't know, Imani, but I just... I forgot, you know? I forgot that I make it very clear to the guys I sleep with that they're supposed to leave first thing in the morning. But with him, I think I-I wanted him to...stay." The last word leaves her like a sigh of defeat, and my chest aches.
