Locked.

اثنان

.

"Eva, table 3 needs more napkins."

"Okay, I'm coming," I responded, staring one more time at his letter before folding and placing it inside of my white apron. After grabbing a tray, extra napkins, and condiments from the cabinets, I rushed from the restaurant kitchen. 

My family owned this place.

It's named after my great-great-grandmother on my father's side―Celeste. Here we blended the best of African and Asian Foods. We were always jammed packed with customers. I could only recall one dry business day that we had and that was the day I first laid eyes on Javonte. 

*Flashback*

It was the Fall of 03―I was working the register here at Celeste's. Looking cute while dripped in Baby Phat from head to toe. I wore French tips on my nails, and my long hair was beyond laid. 

That was when he walked in.

Now, I'ma be real.

I paid him no mind at first because that was something my family was extremely against which was me interacting with gang members in our neighborhood. A blue bandana hung out of the front pocket of his baggy blue jeans. And a freshly rolled blunt rested above his ear. He topped this outrageous look off with an oversized blue baseball jersey and white air forces somehow he made it look fly, though.

He looked back and forth between me and the television that was playing sports.

"How can I help you?" I said with confidence.

"Uh..." he lifted the dark shades he wore and glared at the menu board that hung on the wall behind me "lemme get the umm... pork dinner special with some," he leaned forward, licking his lips as I rolled my eyes getting frustrated with his indecisiveness. "do fortune cookies come with the special?"

"Um, I don't know maybe..." I nervously played with the buttons on the register.

"What about your name?"

My eyebrows lowered as I realized I wasn't wearing my nametag. Anybody who has ever worked in a restaurant would know that that was a huge no. I'd probably be fired if my family didn't own. Of course, I couldn't let him know that.

"Why?"

"Because I'm trying to see how it'd sound next to my last name," he replied, so smoothly like I didn't even catch what he meant by that quick enough to react.

"We only sell food here not brides." I sassed which made him laugh, his laughter was so fucking cute to me, ugh, I mentally cursed my teenage hormones.

"Aight! Then I'll just take my meal to go."

"Sure thing."

I wrote down his order on a sticky note then escaped into the backroom as my Uncle Lee was working orders I added the stranger's order to the list. 

"You just left me up here with the register." He teased once I had returned. "I could've done anything."

"Look! If you want an application to work here then, you might as well just ask." I folded my arms over my chest while eyeing him. "If not then please don't tell me how to do my job."

He raised both hands, "can I just get my food then."

I went to the back again as Uncle Lee handed me the bagged meal and I brought it to the front. "It's Eva."

"Huh?"

"My name is Eva."

He handed me cash in exchange for the dinner special. The skin of our hands brushed together briefly from that transaction "well, Eva you're Silk from now on."

I was at a lost for words.

*FLASHBACK ENDS*

I took the letter from my apron pocket again. My fingertips trailing over the bleeding heart sketch he had drawn. Just like Javonte to wait until he's locked to reveal his creative abilities.

Move aside, Picasso & Basquiat.

His name is Javonte Raul Wells.

My first everything.

My first REAL love.

"Mama, Eva is acting weird again." My sister Evelyn shouted as she brought a tray of dirty dishes into the kitchen.

I sighed.

"What is it?" Mom appeared in the doorway with her hands placed tightly on her hips.

"Nothing," I answered, then sat in one of the chairs that aligned the walls. "It's just that Javonte wrote to me and to know he's going through what he is in there has me a bit down in the dumps."

"I wish I knew the right words to say to make it feel better. But if he's really a man then he'll survive because that's in their nature," she said. 

"He didn't do what they were accusing him of so why does he have to do the time?" 

"Sadly, I don't make the rules, dear."

"It's unfair."

My teardrops landed on the sheet of paper smearing away the ink. Most of the letters he sent to me were ruined by my tears. They said slavery was over, therefore, all men are created equal here in America but then they do stuff like this to innocent people.

So tell me how could he be an accessory to a crime that he had nothing to do with?

.

.

A/N: 5 chapters of this story were updated today so please go read them all and leave feedback―Thank you.

It took for me to reread this story to see how overly dramatic it is lol