From The Start

14

Candice

Rey left a few hours later after she and I kiss and made up. We talked about how we could get past our heartache, and later we watched a few chick flicks. We talked about that party Nathan was throwing and I thought of him, his gorgeous light brown eyes, flashed through my memories and I wanted to see him, but I was I even able to face him after our first dramatic encounter.

A part of me didn't want to go but Rey didn't wait for me to give her an answer. She enforced that she would be over so we could leave together before I could protest. All I could muster up for a response was a shoulder shrug. She departed to the door and we said our goodbyes in a cheery hug as she left me alone to revel in my own thoughts...

I determined that my mom was working overtime tonight, which in actuality was almost every night. She survived the position as head the nurse, commuting an hour two work everyday to the hospital and at tines, I wouldn't see her for days, whenever she decided slept at work between shifts. She got up early in the morning to get a head start on her drive and came back the next morning or late in the night when I was asleep. I saw her on the weekends though but it was rare and it often loomed in my mind how she did it? How she had so much energy to get through just one day of that job?

I usually ate dinner with Derek or by myself if he wasn't home. Sometimes when I didn't feel like cooking, I would order pizza or take out. Today was one of those days. I dialed up the local pizzeria and like always order the same exact thing.

Mom called and checked up us every once in a while. She didn't care what we did. Once the house was still in tack and we were in one piece.

"Alright, baby, I will talk to ya' lata. Kiss, kiss." She would always say in her light Trinidadian accent. My parents were West Indian So it was island everywhere. The music I listen to, dancing, and food. I loved my heritage, but whenever I was around the family, things would get out of control.

I climbed upstairs to my room and flopped on my bed in exhaustion. I turned over and laid there just staring up at the ceiling, thinking of random thoughts. What time was it? I thought to my self, realizing that Rey was supposed to call me. I looked at my digital clock on my nightstand, it was almost 7:30 pm.

She was probably napping. I decided to kill time by getting some homework out the way, followed by a long shower that contained a quick fantasy of Nathan. When I got out, the whole bathroom was steamy and hot, just like the thoughts I had. I wiped the foggy mirror and looked at my drench body and hair dripping with water. I took out a comb from under the sink and combed slowly, getting all the knots and tangles.

I tied it into a bun and dried off slowly, heading to my closet for a change of clothes. I peeked on the shelves and spotted a pair of cotton shorts. I took them up and found an oversized Mickey and Minnie Mouse t-shirt. I blow dried my hair and cranked up some music. I got lost in the songs but then my dryer was so loud that it would be the only sound in my air until I should it off again.

I heard a faint buzz but continued to jam, singing in the blow dryer like a crazy person. The song was coming to an end and I heard the buzzing sound again. I searched for it and saw that it was my phone ringing. Shoot! I turned off my dryer quickly and ran to my bed. I snatched it up and without looking at the caller ID pressed the talk button.

Before I could speak, a Soca song came on and it blasted so loud, that I think the neighbors could hear it too.

"HELLO!" I yelled over the music, darting over to my Apple Dock and turned it down.

"Some one's throwing a party and didn't invite me?" a voice spoke up. I froze, completed. My stomach pitted and my heart began to race.

"Oh uh, who's this?" I pretended like I didn't know.

"Nathan, Nathan James, from school." He continued trying to familiarize me.

"Oh hey!" I chimed falsely, holding my breath. His voice was strangely deeper and mellow on the phone. So tempting, playful, ho...

"You there?" he asked concerned. I must not have said anything for a while.

"Um, ya." I answered dropping on my bed. "How did you get my number?" There was a pause.

"Rey," he voice hitched, waiting for me to respond. "Um don't be mad at her. I'm the one who convinced her to give me the number." He sighed.

"I'm not upset." I said nonchalantly. I heard a sigh of relief. I giggled and he made a confused groan. Why did he call? Did he want to ask me something, did he want conversation, did he want to scold me about today? My imagination got the best of me.

"Is this a bad time?" he asked. "Cause I can call ba..."

"No it's not." I quickly cut him off. I really didn't want to get off the phone with him, even if we didn't have much to say, but just hearing his voice, his light breathing when it was quiet... and now I sound like a deranged killer. I began to get a feel extremely nervous. I heard him take a deep breath and clear his throat.

"Um, I don't know where to start?" he tone matching my emotions. He laughed randomly.

We can start with, how to hell I am going to get over these feelings you've ingnited in me? And how the hell do I like you so much already? I thought to my self.

"How about getting to know each other?" I suggested. His voice relaxed a bit and he agreed.