Shut Up & Listen

the check up (intro):

It's a cold day in February when Dame gets a notification from his social media while he's in a study session for his MFA program. Putting his ear buds in, he presses play on the video. Immediately, he feels like something is wrong because the video is pitched black. After a few seconds, he could hear Cole's voice. It's a little after two in the morning and he can hear in Cole's voice that he's in distress. He turned the audio up so he could hear better as he played it again.

"Aye... aye... uh bro"  Cole exhales with a nervous laughter that was obviously covering up how he really felt. "I need... I'm lost bro. Ion know man... I uh...I I don't know..." he pauses for a second catching his breath. Then with a low whine he continues, clearly intoxicated, " I'm so dumb.. I can't do this. I.... I can't. I think I messed up and I don't know what to do... can you.... ugh bro what am I doing? I'm goooooood... yeah I'm good! Don't worry bro I'm good... ughhhhh damn bro wait how..." *video cuts.

He shook his head, grabbing his laptop and books, tucking them away in his backpack. "Yooo imma have to dip bro. I gotta get home man. My bro going through some shit." He told his study partner. Who looked at him like he was crazy.

"Nigga we got midterms next week, you can not go home right now..."

" I'll be back by then. If not, my professors chill dawg, they'll understand. I gotta go make sure he good. He not the most stable person. I just... I got a bad feeling about this." He shrugged, grabbing his charger out of the wall, leaving the library and running to his apartment.

Later on the same day, around 3:40 in the afternoon, Dame pulled into the parking structure of Cole's luxury loft apartment. Opening the door to Cole's loft, he see's him asleep on the couch where he knocked out after Dame an SOS last night. Still wearing his clothes from the night before, he's moaning in his sleep clearly having a 'good' dream.

"COLE! NIGGA WAKE THE FUCK UP" Dame yells as he slaps his back before he sits across from him on the other couch.

"Shit, why you yelling bro"

"I had to make sure you was gonna hear me over your sex dream. Shit sound like you was the one getting fucked. Hahh!"

"Whatchu doing here?" Cole mumbles still half asleep.

"You snapped me last night, I had to come check on my little bro. You sounded smacked. What's going on witchu?"

Cole sucks his teeth " maaaan ain't nobody call you nigga! I'm good."

"Oh really? So you was REAAALLLY gone then"

Dame takes out his phone and scrolls through his messages on Snapchat to show Cole the video. Cole watched the video clearly confused. He scratches his head trying to remember last nights events. That's when he recalls what led up to that phone call...

Cole stands up and unaware that he was noticeably erect, he raises his arms to stretch and he lets out a low moan.

"Nigga put that shit up" Dame mumbles while walking into the kitchen to eat the breakfast he brought from a Coney Island down the street.

"My B. Imma jump in the shower right quick."

In the shower, as the warm water runs over his body, Cole begins thinking about what happened the night before. He groaned in remorse.

"I'll fuck you up nigga! Shit! Back up the fuck up off me" Cole yells in the face of some dude who bumped him making him spill his drink.

Cobe calmly directs Cole towards an empty bedroom  at a house party hoping to deescalate the situation. Cole has been fighting like he's got nothing to lose recently which is unlike his usually charming and easygoing nature. Pushing him up against the wall after slamming the door Cobe looks Cole straight in his eyes and tells him to chill.

" You like on ten right now Cole! What the hell are you on?"

"Niggas always playin and shit! Ian do shit"

"Cole..." holding the back of his head keeping his attention, " you trippin, just relax, Damn".

Cole looks up into Cobe's eyes and they're still for a few seconds before Cobe leans down and touches his lips with Cole's . When he didn't pull away he continues as pecks turn into tongue and hands begin to roam. Cole is in a heated make out session with his best friend.

Cole inhales sharply after Cobe pulls away and walks out of the bedroom leaving a stunned Cole speechless and confused. Cole stands in the same spot for five minutes gathering his thoughts before leaving the party all together.

An hour later Cobe walks into Cole's loft. He's high and drunk and completely out of his character. Cole noticed the change, but only as much as he could under his own state of incoherence. Cobe makes the walk from the front door to the kitchen where Cole is having glass of Hennessy. Standing in the threshold of the kitchen, Cobe stares at Cole earning a bothered and confused grimace from him.

" Why you leave?"

" Why you here?" Cole snapped back.

" I want to do it again" Cobe said blankly, catching Cole off guard. He chuckled, nervously.

"I ain't gay nigga. And you ain't either... the fuck is you doing right now?" He asked in a very calm voice that you would use on a child.

Cobe walked up to Cole cornering him by the counter leaning in just like before. Cole, in his heavily intoxicated condition couldn't move away quick enough. Unclear of whether both parties wanted to, the two ended up kissing again until Cobe pulled away, giving Cole undivided eye contact. The two young men stayed in that position for a few minutes just looking at each other.

The moment only broke when Cobe reached down to feel Cole's crotch and that's where he drew the line. After a battle of pushing and yelling, Cobe finally left Cole's loft.

In an attempt to rationalize the events of the night, Cole paced his kitchen while feelings of disgust, confusion, and the urge to throw up flood his mind. After a few more glasses and a queasy trip to the toilet, Cole calls Dame in hopes for some sanity and wisdom. When he doesn't answer, he leaves him a message.

Realizing that he truly made a mistake the night before, Cole took a deep breath and shook his head at himself.