Thy Neighbor

Chapter Eight

This phone call is on pace to pass  the two hours and 36 minute mark. Trevante hasn't been on phone this long since high school. As the hours tick away and his body grows tired, he doesn't want to get off of the phone.

"So tell me about your Dad?" 

She askes and Trevante tells Ciara the entire story. The baseball dreams, the war, the PTSD, the drugs, the death. He opens up about college and his fears of living his family. He tells her why he loves marketing and why he has to get to the gym at 5 AM. It is a lesson he learned from his father.

"Trevante. It's like one in the morning. I think you need to get some sleep if you wanna make that time."

"I don't wanna get off the phone though."

Ciara couldn't contain her giggle.

"That was cute, Ciara."

"Shut up. Look, I ain't going to be one that messes up your schedule. Even though you sometimes mess up mine. "

"What you mean?"

Ciara doesn't want to blow up his spot about the soundtrack to her late nights, about the taps of the headboard against her wall and the orgasmic screams coming from his bedroom. But there may not ever be a good time like this, she figures to go for it.

"You know I can hear you, right?"

Trevante pauses, then remembers, feeling super embarrassed. Although he is sheepishly proud of his work in the bedroom, he didn't realize that Ciara's bedroom is next door.

"Oh wow, my bad. I'm sorry."

"I mean, somebody gotta get some around here. I'm glad it's you. I can't knock the hustle."

Trevante wants to know what Ciara means by that. Was he wrong to ask? After pouring out his heart to her, he decides to go for it.

"I mean... you just threw me a softball. Are you...?"

Ciara wants to be offended but can't. She assesses the risk of letting him know that his trysts pissed her off but also made her zone out at the possibility of her being at the receiving end of one of them.

"I practice celibacy, Trevante. Yes."

"Hmmph. Wow. Okay. Respect."

"That's it? Dudes usually have a lot more to say after that."

"Like what?"

"Like 'would you break that for me?' or "you masturbate though right?' or 'get with me and I'll change your mind.' and my personal favorite 'we gonna get married anyway so let's just test drive this shit.'"

Trevante's large frame curls over from laughter. He never tried those lines before and is kind of shocked that he hadn't.

"Yo, dudes are trash. I'm sorry." Trevante's laughter fails to be contained. Ciara starts to laugh too.

"Trevant,e it is getting late. I should be getting some sleep too."

"Do you have to?"

Ciara doesn't want to say yes but she knows she has to. She had no idea that her night would end with talking to Trevante for hours, laughing about life and getting close. Maybe her dream isn't too far off.

"Yes. I've been doing good about getting to class on time."

"You wouldn't break that for me?"

Trevante knows what he is doing with that question. And so does Ciara and certain parts of her body. His deep voice and underlying sincerity sends her mind in a place that it shouldn't be; to headboards, orgasms and breakfast in the morning.

"Wow, Tre. Good-fucking-night."

Trevante lets out a hearty laugh. "Goodnight."

As Ciara gets up to grab a glass of water, she knocks on her bedroom wall. Seconds later, she receives a text from Trevante. 

Yo. You weren't kidding.