Limerence | I

10. Panda Bear

"I think that's enough for the day." Xavier grabbed his bag from the ground and swung it over his shoulder. I stood up from the bench and nodded in agreement. He kindly took three hours out of his Saturday afternoon to help me with my music. I didn't want to keep him any longer as I was sure that he had plans with Astrid. They were basically inseparable. Glued at the hip, they did almost everything together. Honestly, it was cute. "Got any plans?" He asked.

"Yeah." I nodded my head as he and I exited the practice room and into the empty hallway. No one was ever here on weekends except me. I spent as much time out of the house as I could. I liked being away from Auntie Kel and Jared as much as possible. Even though Auntie Kel told me that she wasn't upset with me, there was a bit of tension. And I can be awkward in situations like that. "Do you?" I inquired.

"Nah. Not this weekend." His shook his head, placing his hands in his pant's pockets. We made our way down the steps and out to the sidewalk. I was surprised to hear that he wasn't busy. Usually, he had a full schedule.

"What about Astrid?" I stopped in front of the building, not knowing which direction he was heading in.

"She's upstate with some family." He answered. I nodded but didn't reply. "So what are you doing today?" He asked me, curiously. I got a feeling that he wanted to tag along but I couldn't have that.

"I'm on my way up to Long Island." That was the truth but not the whole truth. I couldn't tell him that I was going to visit an abandoned building in Long Island because a drug dealer gave the address to my brother. So I left it at that. Xavier raised his eyebrows.

"You're planning on taking the train?" His tone was filled with amusement. I nodded my head, yes. How else did he expect me to get there? Obviously, I don't have car. So the train was the next best thing. "I'll drive you." He told me.

"No, thank you. I think I'll be okay." I assured him but he wasn't having it. He grinned at me a little bit, but then shook his head.

"It'll take you at least 2 and a half hours to get there by train. I'll save you an hour." He argued. When I didn't respond, he continued, "C'mon, I have nothing better to do... Plus I don't want to be in New York City alone on a Saturday."

"Fine." I finally gave in. He smiled and motioned for me to follow him. As we walked toward the parking lot, I was getting nervous. What would he say when we arrive at an abandoned building? Would he think that I'm crazy? It wasn't that I didn't want him to drive me, it was that I didn't want him to know where I was going. We arrived at the empty parking lot. The only car that was parked was a white 2016 BMW M8. No way in hell that was his car. When he pulled the car keys from his pocket and beeped the car, I couldn't believe it. I knew he was well off but wow.

"This is your car?" I stood still as we walked to the passenger's side of the car. He opened the door for me to climb in. He laughed out loud but I was serious as could be.

"I get that a lot." He joked. I got into the car and he closed the door behind me. The interior was all black with neon blue lighting. I had never seen anything so luxurious before. I took a mental picture to remind myself to get something just like it when I could finally afford it. I tossed my bag into the back seat and he did the same before starting the car.

It wasn't long before we were driving along I-495. Xavier drove just like he lived his life -- fast. With the windows down, his curls blew wildly. I almost thought he couldn't see due to his hair being in his face. Bryson Tiller's Don't blared through his speakers. Every once in a while, I would glance at him and smile. Sometimes he would smile back, making my heart skip a beat. I didn't know much about the boy but I knew he was perfect.