Habibet Albi (Incomplete)

Chapter 16: Indenial

It was seven o'clock on a Friday night, Jose had Josiah propped on his lap and held open The Cat in the Hat while Josiah sounded out the words. Phoenix sat on the floor folding her and her sibling's laundry.

"Did he invite you over for Thanksgiving?" Jose asked, peering over Josiah's head.

Bewildered, she shook her head, "What are you talking about?"

He shot her a bitch-are-you-dumb look. "The Arabian James Dean." He reminded.

Realization dawned on her; she hit her forehead, "Oh, Malik."

Jose nodded, "Yeah him, Albert Einstein." He sarcastically remarked.

"No he hasn't, I mean why would he?" She asked uncertainty crocheted into her tone. Was he supposed to invite her? But they were not even together as much as she fantasized about him pinning her against the wall and crashing his lips onto hers. That was the thing about fantasy it wasn't reality. The idealized version of Malik she imagined was not the same guy she knew. The guy she knew would never even contemplate commitment. There was no point in building up false hope. She knew she was bound to get hurt in the end and she was not ready for that. Concealing how she felt about him was easier than acknowledging it.

He shot her another look as if she asked him if they needed oxygen to survive, "Because you're his blatino Audrey Hepburn."

An indignant expression captured her features and mirrored her voice, "Why do you always bring him up? Do you even like me for me anymore? If you're so obsessed with him then why don't you go date him?" Her voice unexpectedly rose. As soon as the words left her mouth she realized how immature she sounded.

Josiah looked up from his book in curiosity then resumed reading, completely unamused by them.

"Obviously you've caught feelings boo. Don't be throwing attitude at me just because you can't admit how you really feel about him. I just want you to be happy and I think that he can make you happy. Trust me, if he were a snake charmer I would without hesitation pursue him. He's so straight, he could emasculate Dwayne Johnson." Jose called her out.

Phoenix couldn't lie to her best friend, he would see through it like glass. He was right for the most part, aside from the statement about him making her happy. She was happy with her life, she was grateful every day for her family and her best friend, despite everything. Happiness came from within, it wasn't some magical substance you extracted from a boyfriend or girlfriend and injected into yourself. If you were not truly happy as an individual then how the hell would being with someone make you happy?

A heavy sigh fell from her lips and she tightly gripped the shirt she held. "Whether I like him or not, it doesn't make a difference. Diving into a relationship is only going to complicate things and there'll be a constant stream of drama and stress. I'm content with the way things are currently." She ambiguously answered, her eyes glued to Hakeem's Chicago Bulls jersey on her lap.

An empathetic expression swept over his face, "There's nothing wrong with wanting to be with someone. Not facing the truth is just as bad as lying. You don't have to get with him if you don't want to. I think that if you were to talk about it instead of bottling it up you wouldn't be so uptight."

"I hate when you're right." Phoenix commented.

"I hate when you try to keep things from me."

"Did that hair salon call you back?" She asked, curious.

Jose's eyes lit up with excitement and he plunged into this long and detailed explanation on how he got the job. Apparently, his cousin is friends with someone who is sleeping with the boss and they put in a good word. Scheduled next Monday is his first day on the job. If after the following two weeks he made a copious amount of money then he plans on quitting full time cleaning. Which Phoenix complained about and she said if he quits then she would too. She mentioned that she wants to waitress at the Astoria Waldorf.