Harlem Romance

Warming Up

Mary

"Make sure when you get settled in to call us alright?" My mom says and I nod "Mary I know your still hurt over that phase but-" "phase? I have to go" I say as I pick up my things "look Mary she didn't mean it in that way" my father says "then what way did she mean it in?" I ask "you were young...the both of you, you didn't know wrong from right" he says "I'm done talking with the two of you" I say as I storm off.

I get into my dorm to be met with a girl with a ribbon in her head making her bed up "you must be my roommate" she says as she hops off of her bed to greet me "I'm Marianne, but you can just call me Ann" she says as she brings out her hand for me to shake " isn't that a coincidence, I'm a Mary too" I say as I shake her hand "got a last name Mary?" She asks "Washington, Mary Washington" I say as I take in the side of her room "you apart of the Civil Rights movement?" I ask her as I lay my suitcase on my bed "yes, I'm so glad you noticed, I just don't think it's right that we all be apart like this, like we live in dorms where whites are in one while the blacks are in the other, I just don't think it's fair" she says as I nod my head in agreement "yeah I don't like either" I say.

I get to the house phone and call Y/N, glad my parents didn't find out she was going here because if so they probably would have pulled me out of here, I haven't talked to Y/N since it happened a couple years ago...I'm 20 now but I still can't get over it, "Hello Y/N speaking" I hear her say, she still sounds the same "Y/N it's me Mary!" "Mary hey, you settling in all right?" She asks me "Um yeah settling in just fine, what about you?" "Oh just great, my roommate is from Houston and she has a thick accent" she says and I giggle "you don't never fail to make me laugh Y/N Y/L/N" I say just to mark her a little nervous "well what can I say" "hey there's a pep rally next week and I was just wondering..if you would like to come with me? You know since we don't know anyone yet" I say with my fingers crossed hoping she says yes "ok yeah yeah for sure, just call me and let me know" "alright, see you then" I say "see you then" she says as she hangs up and a big smile comes on my face "I can't wait till next week" I say as I put the phone on the hook.

A Week Later

"How do I look?" I ask Ann "you look fine, why are you going to see your lover?" She ask as I blush "what? No...Im just going out with a friend to the pep rally that's it and that's all" I say as I fix my skirt "yeah whatever you say" "are you not going to the pep rally?" I ask her as I do some finishing touches on my hair "no I don't do those things, that's what they want us to do..have fun so we can forget about all the cruel things that is happening right now" she says "I guess your right" I say as I grab my things "well I'm going to go now so see you later" "alright see you later, and don't have to much fun with your "friend"" she says and I just laugh "alright I won't" I say.

"Wow you look... stunning" Y/N says as she steps up to me "thank you, you don't look half bad yourself" "I call you stunning and you say I don't look half bad..wow" she says and I laugh "I'm just kidding, you look breathtaking" I say to her as she looks away so I won't see her smile but I saw it anyways "now that's more like it" she says.

"It's loud out here!" Y/N yells to me and I nod in agreement "I kind of what to get out of here, if that's fine with you!" She yells once more and I nod a yes, "that wasn't really fun" I say as we walk side by side "yeah I thought it would be because you know all this is so new to us" she says "yeah, so where are we going?" I ask her "um I don't know, I don't know any places around here" she says as a white guy walks up to us "um excuse me do you know where the-Y/N?!" The boy says and Y/N looks at him for a minute until she says his name "Gary! What are you doing here? I thought you were going to Princeton?" She says as they hug "well I was but my father didn't want to pay all of that so..here I am"he says as he smiles "oh my god...this is insane" she says with her hand on her hip and I bite my lip at the action "oh Mary hi" he says to me "hi Gary" I say as I bring him in for a hug "I haven't seen you since high school, how have you been?" He asks "I've been good, getting use to being away from home" I say "yeah same here, but I really need you guys to help me find this place" he says as he hands us a piece of paper "oh yeah of course" Y/N says.

"Hey thank you guys so much" he says "no problem, hey where is your dorm so I can show you more around the campus" Y/N says "oh it's by the dean's office" he says "well I will be down there, Gary it was so good seeing you" "yeah same here" he says.

"It's getting late, let's get you home huh?" She says "ok" I say, I love how caring she for me, I mean we haven't talked to each in about 2 years and she still cares "Mary?" "Yes" I answered "I said take my coat, it's getting a little nippy out here" she says as she puts the coat around me "but what about you?" "Nah I'm fine" she says as she shoves her hands in her pockets "no I wouldn't feel right, get in here" "What? No Mary I gave that to you to keep warm, and plus we're not that far away from your dorm" she says "nope I don't care get in" I say one last time and this time she does what I say "alright" she says as she puts her arm around my shoulder and I put mine around her waist, my heart felt like it was going to beat out of place, I haven't felt romantic touch since we broke up "you know what this reminds me of?" She asks "no what?" "The time when I got hit in the nose with a volleyball and you got like really mad at me and you had to take me to the nurse" she says and I laugh "what? No I was not mad at you" "yes you was, you told me that if it wasn't up to her I would have been there by myself" she says as I think back to that memory, I was a little bitch "I'm sorry" I say feeling bad as we approach my dorm "for what?" "Being so mean to you, it was no reason for me to be that mean to you" I say as I look at our feet as we stand in front of each other "Mary it was like 5 years ago, and plus I gained something from out of that" she says as I look up at her "what?" "A girlfriend" she says and I smile "so don't get sad about the past because if I had the chance I would do it all over again" she says and I look at her but she was already looking at me, it was a glare in her right eye..the same glare I saw in her eye the first time we had sex "want to walk me up?" "Of course" she says as we walk up the stairs.

"Well I guess I will see you in class" she says as we're face to face again "I guess I will, have a good night Y/N" "you too Mary" she says back, I guess I was feeling really bold because I stood on my tippy toes and kissed her on the cheek, she just looked at me with a wide expression and I laugh as I opened the door.

Hope y'all enjoyed this because I did