I guess this is the part where I introduce myself, right? My name is Lenna. Actually it's Aleena Robertson, but most people call me Lenna. But to Justin, I'm just Lee. He wanted something for himself, that no one else would call me besides him. I don't really have a name for him, he's just Jay.
We met at a party throw by this guy Tony. Tony grew up up the block from me and we go way back. He was celebrating his baby's Mama doing.... something. I don't remember. I just remember being posted up on the wall with some guy trying to spit his game at me, when Mr. Timberlake comes walking up and starts cock blocking. He called himself "saving me". He had on these baggy black jeans, a white wifebeater, and an oversized sweatshirt, and he was smiling down at me like he was hot shit and he knew it. He looked so damn fine.
I guess it was a case of opposites attract. He's white, aha, I'm not. I go to school and work a legit job, he doesn't. But we're working on that one. We both wanna get up outta here one day. Living in the part of the city with the highest crime rates is no way to live. Justin's not sure where he wanna go yet, but for me, it's anywhere besides here.
I work as a hairdresser in shop downtown. My room mate/best friend Erika works there too. We met in high school. Turns out you meet alot of interesting people if you're in detention everyday. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't a bad kid, I was just always stuck in the wrong place at the wrong time. Anyway, when we started college we moved in together. It's a small place, but it's ours. No Moms telling us to be back before the street lamps come on. Erika's been on my case about Justin since the day I met him. I don't know why but she's got it in for him.
She swore up and down that he was messing around on me before we were even technically together. He had a past reputation of being ruthless with females. Running the streets all night long, spending all his money in the club, taking different girls back to his house and putting them in a cab at 2am. Justin swears that's not how it was, and even if it were true, that's not who he is now so what does it matter? He says I shouldn't worry about his past and who he was with before because all it's gonna do is make people hate on us more.
Justin's doing okay for himself. He's got his own place, and due to his hatred for Erika, I stay over there more often then he stays over at my place. I don't know exactly what it is he does to make money. He tells me he hustles but, that could be any damn thing. I've been slowly coaxing him into getting a legit job, you know, that kind the government knows about. He's not to hyped about that. He's got his diploma, but he ain't in school, and everytime I ask him he says, "Ain't no way in hell I'm working anywhere for eight bucks an hour."
"Justin, what the hell are you gonna do for the rest of your life? You gonna be out there on streets till 3am with your walker when you 98 years old? If you live to be that old." I was curled up on his sofa in gray sweats and socks.
It was late into the evening and I was ready for bed. Justin had stripped off his trademark sweatshirt and was standing by the TV putting 'Hostel' into the DVD player wearing blue jeans and a black teeshirt.
"Ha ha, you're so damn funny Lee," I could see him rolling his eyes through the back of his head, "I got plans girl, big plans."
"Oh yeah? What are they?"
"I'm not telling you," he turned back to me, tossing the remotes onto the cushion next to me.
"Cause you ain't come up with them yet?"
"Cause you ain't ready to hear them yet."
"Yeah right Jay."
"Damn woman would you just get off my back? Shit. You worry about doing hair, and keeping up with school. I got me."
He didn't sound so much upset as he did annoyed. I decided to drop the subject. Arguing with him wasn't easy. He had this way of making things go round and round in a circle, having an answer for everything. It was easier to let it go and attack him another day.
The movie started to play and Justin settled into the couch next to me. I was annoyed with him, but that didn't stop me from cuddling against him anyway. He put an arm around me and I instantly felt protected. Something about him always made me feel safe. Maybe it was the way he always had my back, or maybe it was because he knew people around town, or maybe it was those big ass muscles hidden under his shirt sleeve.
As I was trying to put my finger on it, I felt some foreign fingers putting themselves on other things. I looked down to see a masculine hand making it's way towards my chest.
"Justin!" I sat up straight and pushed him away.
"What?" he raised his hands innocently.
"Don't be tryna cope feelings with me."
His face remained innocent, "I don't know what your talkin about."
"You know what I'm talkin about," I cautiously settled against him again, keeping a close eye on where his hands were.
It wasn't that I minded him touching me, I just liked giving him a hard time. But it was okay, because he liked giving me a hard time too. It wasn't three seconds later that he muttered to himself.
"Jumping around here like something bit you."
"Well don't be feeling me up-."
"Shh," he put a finger to his lips, "Pay attention."
Before I could come up with a smart quip the front door swung open and in walked Raymond, Justin's bestfriend and an official pain in my ass. Justin's relationship with Erika, was pretty much my relationship with Raymond. Jay and Ray had been boys since birth, they were a tag team like nothing else. Raymond didn't like my being with Justin because I was tryna set his ass on the straight and narrow. Raymond liked whatever 'hustling' they were doing on the side and if Justin went legit, he'd be out of income.
I rolled my eyes as Raymond welcomed himself into the apartment and headed for the kitchen.
"What are you guys doing?"
"Watching a movie, Ray."
"Which one?" I could hear him digging in the refridgerator.
"Hostel."
"I heard there were titties all up in that movie."
I pressed my face into Justin's chest as the villian put a pair of scissors up to a woman's toe.
"I think we're past that part," I heard him rumble.
I turned back to the TV as Raymond came around the back of the sofa. He had a soda in one hand and a bowl of ice cream in the other. How he could eat that I'll never know because it felt like it was about 10 degrees outside. I was wearing sweats, huddled under a blanket, cuddled up to my man, and still cold. Raymond came around the sofa, and being his usual self, ignored the fact that I was there. That fool sat down on my feet, and acted like he didn't even notice when I kicked him. His eyes never left the screen as he moved over and I got up from the couch, stomping my way into the bedroom and slamming the door behind me.
Justin was the calm one in this relationship, not me.
"You need to check your female Jay, she trippin."
I pulled open the door, prepared to give him an ear full about who exactly was the one trippin here, when Justin did it for me, in his own way.
"You need to stop irritating my girl and worry about getting your own. I don't know why you gotta be such a dick to her."
"She starts it. Did you see how she just walked away and slammed the door as soon as I sat down?"
"You sat on her."
"It was an accident. And did she say, 'Ray, you're sitting on me'? No, She didn't say shit."
Justin shook his head as he stood up, "Keep messing with her. She's gonna sock you in your damn head one day and then you'll be sorry."
"Whatever man."
Justin noticed me standing in the door way and he strolled up to me, leaning down to kiss me. My toes curled in my socks and I forgot all about Ray.
"You coming to bed?" I pulled on his tee shirt and tried to look innocent and fragile, a look that usually got his hormones going.
"In a few, I gotta get rid of this fool. You get in and warm it up for me," he smiled and I smiled back.
I couldn't help myself. I was into this guy, puddy in his palm. I turned on my heel, preparing to lie down in the middle of the bed as instructed when I felt a sharp smack on my behind. I turned back to see Justin with a devilish grin across his face.
"And take those off before you get in. Save me the work."
I loved mornings after being with Justin. A night of heated foreplay and smoking hot sex was enough to make a woman wake up with a smile and just want to spend the rest of the day in bed curled up to her man. Fortunately for me, I had found me a man that was actually there when I woke up. I felt Justin's naked body pressed up against my back and his arms wrapped around me lazily. I adored this man. I turned around slowly, being careful to not wake him up, and I saw his face planted in the pillow and his mouth wide open. I tried to hold my laugh down, but my body began to heave and jerk a little.
"What the hell is so funny?" He mumbled.
He squeezed his arms around me as he laid with his eyes still closed.
"Nothing," I chuckled loudly.
"I was sleeping with my mouth open again?"
"Yeah."
He licked his lips and opened his eyes slowly, "Don't talk, looking like a damn electrocuted chicken."
"So. I'm a black woman, what do you expect?"
"You're a black woman, who works on people's hair. What do you think I expect? Wrap that shit up or something." He rolled over, unwrapping his arms from around me and laid down on his stomach with his face turned the other way.
That is what we did the morning, we picked on each other about how we looked. It was something of a ritual for us. I sat up slowly and lied my upper body against him, my breasts flattening against his back as I kissed his shoulder softly, "What are you doing today?" I asked.
He groaned softly, "Me and Ray are going to go do some work later on tonight, maybe hit up a party Tony is supposed to be throwing afterwards, but this--," he sat up and looked at the clock, "morning and afternoon I'm all yours."
"Good, lets go grab some lunch or something. I need to get home and change."
I climbed out of bed and the cold air hit my body, sending it into a slight shock.
"Shit, why can't ya'll turn on the damn heat!" I scrambled to put on my clothes quickly.
"Ray doesn't get cold easily."
I rolled my eyes and grabbed my purse from the chair in the corner of the room. Pulling out my mini purse, I grabbed the brush and started on my hair.
"I need to get home and clean myself up, and you need to get up to come to my place when you get done."
I walked over to the bed and leaned down over him kissing his neck.
"Shit, let me get up now."
He groaned as he turned over and threw the covers back and I stepped back out of his way. He stood up buck naked infront of me. I was surprised at my will power to just stand there as he reached his hands up into the air. Every muscle in his body flexed as he stretched.
He looked down at me and kissed my forehead, "Head out of here. I'll be there as soon as I'm ready. I might need to run a few errands first."
"Errands? Don't be gone all day Jay."
He kissed my lips reassuringly.
"I'mma be there."
I turned on my heels and headed out of the bedroom, then out the front door, wondering what kind of errands he had to run. My doorbell rang around 1p.m. that afternoon and Erika jumped up like a dog in heat to answer it.
"I'll get it. It's probably just Darrell coming to--Oh, it's you."
I assumed 'you' was Justin, but I couldn't tell because I was in the kitchen, cleaning up the mess I'd created while making a Mississippi Mud cake. Mississippi Mud is a mix of chocolate cake with coconut and pecans, topped with Marshmellow and Chocolate frosting. I know, it sounds kinda... weird, but it's good, and it's one of Justin's favorites. My suspitions were confirmed that it was him when his voice echoed down the hall.
"I got a name, Erika."
"Yeah, ignorant."
"Kiss my light ass. Where my girl at so I can get the hell outta here?"
"I'm in the kitchen," I called out, wanting the not-so-playful bantering to end. I swear those two fought like siblings and it was damn annoying.
His heavy boots came down the hall and moment later he appeared around the corner lookin fresh in his low slung dark demin and tan and white layered tees.
"Hey."
"Hey," he kissed my cheek before running his finger along the side of the mixing bowl on the counter, "What is this?"
He stuck his finger in his mouth and thought for a moment before stepping back and looking at me suspitiously, "Is this Mississippi Mud?"
I nodded with a smile. He grinned and started to look around.
"Where is it? Where'd you put it girl?"
"It's still cooking," I stepped in front of him when he made a beeline to the oven, "Stop that. I just put it in there. I'll bring some by when I come over tonight."
He started to pout and I turned away from him. It was rare that I could look at those puppy dogs and keep standing my ground.
"Lee, come on."
"No, you are not standing in my clean kitchen and eating cake batter. Now go grab your jacket you left here the other night outta my room so we can go."
He turned on his heels and started down the hall towards my room.
"And quit stomping, you're gonna make the cake fall."
I could hear him muttering to himself, probably mimicking my words. While Justin was in my room rummaging through my closet for his jacket, Erika came over to me with her arms crossed over her chest.
"Where are you two going?"
"To get some lunch, probably up the street at Willy's."
Erika narrowed her eyes and sucked on her teeth. She was about to go into one of her 'I hate Justin' speeches. Speaking of him, he came around the corner and stopped in his tracks. He could tell what she was about to say by her body language, so he stood behind her and copied her body movements as he made faces.
"Leena," she started, "You don't need to be spending so much time with that fool. I've already told you what he be doing when you're not around."
Justin put a hand on his hips and snapped his fingers like some ghetto queen off the TV. I don't know how I kept a straight face.
"No, you told me what he used to do before he met me. Now we're going to Willy's, do you want something?"
I moved past her and over to Justin, mouthing 'knock it off' once Erika couldn't see my face. I pulled him infront of me, putting my arms around his waist.
"No, I don't want nothing."
I could tell Justin did something immature, like stick his tongue out at her, by the way her eyes narrowed and her hands balled into fists. I think if he had been at the top of a flight of stairs, she would have pushed him.
"You sure? Justin's buying," I said. That earned me a stern look from him.
"Nope. I'm good."
"All right. I'll be back in a couple hours then."
Justin grabbed my hand and yanked me out the door before I could say anything else.
"Damn, I don't know how you stand living with that girl."
"If you would stop aggitating her then she wouldn't be so mean to you."
Justin shook his head as climbed into the car and put his seatbelt on before speaking again.
"Are you crazy? If I was running down the street with five pitbulls chasin me, she'd lock the door and let them eat my ass."
I giggled to myself, because what he said was the truth.
"I wish you two could just get along."
"I wish you and Ray would just get along."
"We're not gonna talk about him. He's the one who starts shit with me."
"I know it. But you don't gotta give him the satisfaction of getting mad about it."
"It ain't my fault he gets off on anger. That's your boy anyway, I ain't got worry about his feelings."
"And I ain't gotta worry about Erika's."
I rolled my eyes as we pulled into the parking lot of Willy's resturant. See what I mean about his way of making conversations go around in a circle?
"You're missin my point Jay," I said as I met him at the back of the car.
"Do you have one?" he took my hand in his larger one and pulled me along as we headed for the door.
"Yes."
I took a moment to think about what exactly my point was while he asked for a booth for two. His change of topic from he and Erika, to me and Raymond, had thrown my mind off track. What the hell was my point? Oh yeah....
"My point is that you and Erika could really learn to like eachother if you could learn to atleast get along-."
"Can't we all just get along?"
I curled my lip at him as he laughed to himself. He really thought he was funny. Jerk.
"I hate when you do that," I said once he'd calmed himself down.
"What? I didn't do anything."
"Then what was the Rodney King quote?"
"What Rodney King quote?"
A young girl came up to us and told us our table was ready. Justin again took my hand and pulled me along, talking to me over his shoulder as we walked.
"You mean Martin Luther King? I have a dream?"
"Don't play with me," I warned, "I'm trying to have a serious conversation with you and you're cracking jokes."
"It was a joke woman, laugh."
I faked a laugh and waited for him to say something smart, but I realized that his attention was no longer on me. His eyes was focused on two men sitting at a table by the window. I looked over at the two black men, wearing black leather jackets, and staring back at Justin hard. My curiousity was sparked and I wanted to know how these men were and why they were wordlessly staring at my man like they wanted to jump him. Did he have beef with someone that I didn't know about?
Justin stayed silent and so did the strangers at the table, but their gazes barely waivered from eachother. When we reached our table Justin motioned for me to sit on the right side, giving him the left side, and a view of the men who were now behind me. The tension in the air was so thick I could have choked on it. I knew it had something to do with his choice of occupation, and I had a feeling something bad was about to go down soon.
Email: Coffee