Necessity

Chapter Fifteen

Two weeks had passed since the night that Jacob and I spent together and of course there had been several others since then. Before I met Jacob, I would just clock out from work and look forward to spending time in my bed alone watching television or maybe smoking a blunt before bed. But lately, I've been spending whatever free time I had with him often at my apartment. He was quickly becoming a really good friend of mine and honestly, the only other friend I had besides Nique. We would talk about whatever we could think of whether it was work, our childhood, our families, our favorite things, but no matter what there was never a dull moment between us. Needless to say, I really enjoyed his company. God knows I needed it especially after the mess that transpired in Orlando.

In a way, he kind of reminds me of Chresanto when we first met which is a painful comparison to make considering where Chresanto and I stand now. We're right back to where we started prior to the Orlando trip: swapping Deon back and forth like a borrowed car. From time to time, I worried about how Deon would process our separation when he became older and more aware of what was going on between us. But I'm beginning to realize that it's better this way. I have a better mood overall now which allows me to be an even better mother to Deon and a better person to myself. I'm beginning to focus on me and what is best for me and I had no one else but Jacob to thank for helping me come to that realization. Tonight, I was going to his place for the first time because the last time he spent the night, he had brought it to my attention that I had never seen his home before. It wasn't that I didn't want to but my apartment had always been where we did everything and it was just more convenient for me. Honestly though, I was kind of excited to see his place. I've found it to be quite true that you really can tell a lot about a man from where he lives, or anybody for that matter.

Maurice's house expressed his personality to a T. Everything was unnecessarily extravagant because he was motivated by the almighty dollar. Money had made him cruel in every aspect of the word. And though Chresanto's home was very over the top as well, it still had a lot of him in it, especially the bedroom. Pictures of his favorite musicians, artwork that he liked, family photos, everything was him. But I had no idea what I might find in Jacob's home. I know he is passionate about dancing, a great listener, is very close with his family, no kids, and that's about it. I wasn't sure how his home would articulate all of that.

After about twenty minutes of driving, my GPS led me to an apartment complex that honestly looked a hell of a lot nicer than mine. I drove around a bit until I found Building 9 where Jacob lived. I parked in front of it and then proceeded to call him.

"Hey," he said picking up on the first ring.

"Hey, I'm here. Which room?"

"Don't worry about it. I'll come to you. You're parked out front?"

"Yes, sir"

A few seconds later, I noticed a door open up on the third floor and out walked Jacob wearing a black tank top and white basketball shorts. I turned off the car and grabbed my overnight bag out of the backseat. As I exited the car, I watched Jacob come down the stairs until he finally reached the bottom and strolled over to where I stood.

"Hey," he said greeting me with a quick kiss on the lips. "You didn't have a hard time finding the place, right?"

"Not at all. I actually spent more time admiring everything. This is a beautiful neighborhood, Jacob"

He took my bag out of my hand and led the way back to his apartment as we walked to the stairs.

"Yeah, a dancer's salary isn't that bad, huh?"

"I guess not. Especially considering who you dance for."

Jacob shrugged.

"Eh, I'm just a regular guy," he replied which was his way of tooting his own horn.