Hazel Tamar

Three

Layla and I stood outside for a few minutes, while I was giving directions to Daniel, and she was holding Azura. He pulled up in a light gray/silver Mercedes. 

"Hey," he said, stepping out of the car, leaving his door a cracked open a little. He nodded his head back at Layla. 

"Hi." I greeted, and walked over to him so we could talk a little privately. "Do you mind, if ..." I took a deep breath. I hated asking people for stuff, especially something like this. I would end up feeling like I owed him something in return. 

"Come on, spit it out lil mama." 

"Can me and my daughter and Layla come stay with you for a while until we can all get back on our feet?" I asked, barely audible and quickly. 

He scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, definetly." 

I sighed in relief and debated on if I should give him a hug or not. I decided against it, there was no reason to hug him yet, we haven't even developed an actual friendship yet. Maybe I should hug him, to show some sort of thankfulness. No, No. That's not needed, just say thank you and get your life together. 

"So, you gonna get in the car?" He laughs at me. 

"Oh, yeah." 

I wave Layla over and she brings the carseat and stuffs it into the backseat while I quietly grab our few suitcases and ask Daniel to pop the trunk. I hear shuffling from inside the house and start to panic. 

"Hazel, calm down." Layla comforts me. 

I nod my head. 

"Lotus flower bomb, firefly." I recite a few words to one of my favorite songs, and I bob my head, also taking deep breaths.

Layla takes a seat in the back seat and I take shotgun, by Daniel. He smiles at me and starts the car, resting his head on the seat as he drives. He drives with his right hand on the wheel, and taps his left on his knee, going along to the beat of the song. 

***

Azura and Layla are sleeping in the guest room while Daniel and I sit in the kitchen and discuss living arrangements. I told him that I'd sleep on the couch, and we argued for a few minutes because he 'refused to let a pretty guest sleep on the couch in his house' and I 'was a low life who's renting space, so I'm sleeping on the couch.' 

"Okay, so I'll pay you two-hundred a month for the rent or whatever, yeah?" I asked him, looking at the table. 

"Nah," he began, "You don't owe me nothing. Just be here and come back everyday and I'll be fine." He smirks, leaning back in his chair, streching. His muscles pop out from under his black tee and I can't help but look. He's perfectly made, but I refuse to let his looks get to me. 

"Enjoying the view beautiful?" He teases me, smirking again. 

"Whatever," I mumble "Anyways."

"Are you going to bed anytime soon?" He asks me out of the random. 

"No." I reply, confusion and question in my voice.

"Great," he stands up and grabs my hand, "Come on lil mama." He smiles and pulls me up to the top floor and tells me to say where I am. He disappears for a while and then comes back with two blankets and pillows. 

"Do you need any help?" 

"Nah." He grabs my hand again and we step in the elevator, that take us up to the fence guarded roof. "Alright." 

He huffs and sets the blankets down, and the pillows away from each other. "Bernard,"  he speaks to the slim old black man standing by the door that I didn't even notice was over there. "Can we get two hot chocolates with marshmallows?" He asks.