#insane individual trying to pass off as a chill laid back guy

[macadam]

Throwback to when someone referred to me as the matpat of transformers

[lavenderhyrdrangea]

Leap: Part 2

As we ate on the porch and surveyed torrid surroundings that were once vibrant the future was brought up.  

“This is just the beginning. There’s so many places I’ve gone with out you,” Asra said.

Such odd wording.

“Places you’ve gone without me?”

“Places we haven’t gone together, yet,” he rectified.

After we finished our pudding, we went to the parched basin to clean our bowls. Asra saw it as an opportunity to hone my magic. I was encouraged to turn sand into water. No easy task but with Asra’s gentle guidance I was certain I would get it. First I tried on my own using a tip he’d given me: seeds in desperate need of water. The visual was enough to get a spurt of dirt and then to fill the basin with a pretty convincing thing that looked liked water yet was still sand. Magic was so tricky. He figured I needed another element to learn the lesson. Hands over mine, he gingerly snaked his magic along my skin and allowed it to thrum deep within my veins.

“Somebody is coming this way,” The beast said suddenly.

The aura withdrew. Asra scanned the horizon. “Coming this way? Weird...”

I spotted a figure approaching from a dirt path. The closer it came the more apparent it was   that It was a man. He cast about every which way, eyes darting and brows furrowed.

“Excuse me? Are you lost?” I asked.

He noticed Asra immediately. “Oh, great wizard Asra! You’re back! Do you remember me?”

“Maybe I do. Who’s asking?”

“You don’t remember? Saguaro!  We met at the painted daisy festival?”

His dialogue had an untold story woven around it. One if Asra’s, reaction had been any indication, would be an interesting one if he had any intents on sharing it in the future.

“Ooooooh Saguaro? Wow, it’s uh...it’s been a while. How have you been?”

“I’m getting by. Shriveled up. Been coming by every now and again, hoping you’d be around.”

Huh. An old friend. Possibly more? The conversation required me to take the empty spaces and fill them in with my   assumptions.  I’d been doing that for some time anyhow.

“Great wizard, you are our  last hope. The spring has gone dry. We won’t last much longer… Times are tough, so we don’t have a lot to spare. All I can offer is a hot meal and a night of music.”

“Well, that all sounds good but we did have plans. It’s up to my companion here.”

I felt their gazes fall upon me.

“What do you think? What do you want to do?” Asra asked, expectant.

I was surprised this was even a question.  

“Come on. Let’s go up out the village.”

Saguaro's face lit up, while Asra shed the anticipation once rife within his frame .

His eyes were tender. “Oh, Izzy. Always with your head on straight.”

“One of us has to be the voice of reason,” I said with mock superiority.

Asra looked at Saguaro. “Sounds like you’re in luck, friend.”

“Woah, really? Such kind Wizards. I totally thought it was gonna be harder than that! You guys are something else. Both of you. I get some really powerful vibes off you.”

“No need to flatter us. We’re already helping.” I reminded him.

“It’s not so much flattering as it is calling it how I see it, Dear wizard.”

“You're perspective. I’ll be right back,” Asra said.

After Asra retrieved his satchel, Saguaro quickly led us to town. Like the surrounding areas of our cabin, much of the ground had been long dried out and any soil that once offered vegetation was dead. How could a town survive this long without water? I peeked at some of the townsfolk, as we passed through. A man stuck his head far out his window in hopes of catching a cold draft. Children tried to play a game of marbles in the diminishing shade. A woman mindlessly and sluggishly ran her hand over her cow’s coat, the aforementioned animal  laid on it’s side and stared off into the distance.

We stopped in the town square, in front of where the spring once was.

Asra asked, “This is where it was? The spring?”

Saguaro nodded. “Yup. You wouldn’t know it, but it used to bubble up from the middle there.”

“Wow and now it’s just...” I said.

Asra carefully stepped into the empty pool, and beckoned me over. We crouched at the center of the pool.

“Is it the same deal as the basin? Search for the water? Draw it up?”

“This spring is dry as bone.” Asra tilted his head and tried to figure out how to tackle the problem.” Not sure if we can draw anything up this time around.”

“I’ll try.” I declared.

The ground felt cracked beneath my  fingers. No water. Was my magic searching deep enough?   Visualization was the key. I thought of waterfalls, and rivers and ponds. I closed my eyes and all I saw was red. The more I tried to put a hold on it the more red everything got. Soon the red bled over the entirety of my vision. Dread’s icy touch sent a shiver down my spine.  Forcing my magic deeper, I pushed through it.  However, the frantic squirming told me it couldn’t be water.

Asra’s voice pulled me out.

“...drawing a crowd. I have a bad feeling about this. I’d rather you left this one to me.”

“You can join in if you want but I’m not letting this one go. I’m already so close. Let me help.”

He hesitantly laid his hands next to mine. I feel his aura ease into the earth.

“There!” I said “That movement. it’s definitely not water. Right?”

“Keep going.”

I nodded. Perhaps the water was further down.

The ground suddenly tremored. Asra and I looked into each others eyes to steel ourselves  as red spewed from the ground  and poured up into the sky. Had I drawn fire instead of water somehow? I fell back. I hoped I hadn’t summoned something far beyond our expertise. Cacophonous clicks  grated upon my chilled nerves.

Beetles!

They smothered the sky in droves. Once the ground spouted the last of them, they fanned out and scattered.

“Izzy!”

Asra gripped my shoulders in a flash. Our eyes met as the gravity of the situation dawned on us: Lucio was up to something. I read something else in his eyes.  Something almost pleading.

“I’m fine if that’s what you’re silently driving yourself mad about.”

Saying nothing, he pulled me into the  strongest embrace I’d ever been in. I gave him a squeeze back just as strong. It would tell him everything would be alright. I just knew it.

“I don’t believe it! Magicians the spring!”

“The spring...” Asra said, bewildered.

Fresh water bubbled at our feet. We’d done it!

“Thank you, great wizard! We won’t forget this! Please, let us cook you up a feast like you wouldn’t believe.”

A vivacious burst of joy  fluttered around the town. It was as if they were cocooned in trepidation and now they were free.  They cooked up a feast while we looked over an artist’s display. We had an assortment of clay figurines to chose from. I couldn’t really find anything that drew me in entirely. Asra on the other hand, surprisingly chose a sly purple fox rather a snake. He told me he identified with it better. It surely did seem to have his bearing somehow. The celebration intensified  once food and dance  were introduced. Asra opted to feast under an aloe tree overlooking the festivities. I mangled amongst the townsfolk.

Saguaro leaned in to speak to me. “Say,Izzy, Do you dance like your companion? I’ve feasted with Asra before. He can dance all night. “

Oh, that I had to see. Asra was zoned out when I got to him. The dilapidated sunlight cast a gentle glow about him.

“I’ve been told you’re quite the party goer. ”When he remained deep in his own head space, I tried again. “You can dance all night?” Still nothing. “I’m not sure I should take his word for it. How about you show me, me? Want to dance? I know I do. I need to dance some of the cactus off. Who knew it could be so heavy?”

His unseeing eyes came to. “Sorry what? Nadia’s wondering about us to Portia at the palace. Who’s Portia?”

“She’s… I don’t really have time to explain. “Asra popped up his brow. I veered back to my original question. “Do you want to dance or are you chicken?”

“That really is what you said. I thought I imagined it. You want to dance? I’d love to.”

“Yes!”

I jumped up and pulled him by wrist towards the dancing crowd. Music blaring, he wrapped his arms around me and swayed for a bit.  “Heh. I didn’t know this something you wanted to see so badly.”

“You’re already such a captivating individual. You excel in magic. You’re charismatic and handsome.”

Pulling back and making sure our were  fingers interlocking, I looked into his eyes and said,“Since the universe had to be fair. I was hoping Saguaro was lying for your sake and  that this was  actually your biggest flaw.”

He chuckled. His blush became more apparent. “My biggest flaw?”

“Everybody has one. Or two. Or three. Even more.”

He spun me around. “I hope I’ve been a disappointment  in that regard then.

“Oh, shush. I’ll get you one day.”

After the dance ends, our host thanked us for our assistance.

“Well I am most delighted with his food. It wasn’t any trouble, Saguaro.” Asra replied. Although, I won’t speak for Izzy. Beetles were a surprise.”

Saguaro turned a ghastly shade of white as he went on to explain the beetles presence. The town had known that they were there, and had an understandable fear of the Vesuvians that put them there. They were offered protection in exchange for one third of their cactus crop. The offer was declined and suspiciously, a great red beetle showed up that evening. The same Vesuvians stepped up to help and handled it in exchange for two thirds of their cactus crop. An increase from their last offer. Lucio dealt the last blow. Asra laid a comforting hand on my shoulder when this part came up. The larger beetle shattered into many and they burrowed into the ground.

“And the spring’s been dry ever since? For that long?”

“That’s insane.” I said.

“But now it’s come back. The count is gone, and things are finally turning around!”

We made it away from the festivities unnoticed. Our friend the beast was already waiting for us.

I said after Asra helped me onto his back, “He seemed happy about the fact that Lucio was gone.”

The beast  sprang into action.

“I mean, most people would be. He wasn’t the nicest  guy.”

He purposefully missed my point but I was flexible. I could drive it back.

“They’re going to be so crushed when they find out that’s he’s back.”

“We don’t know that yet.”

“Magicians trust that their gut, right? Mine says he is. Plus, I told you what I saw back at the palace and you were there with me in the forest.”

“It was an apparition.”

“He could be just as dangerous as a ghost as he would be with a body...”

“Something’s wrong.” Asra concluded slowly. “I can’t deny that but we can’t jump to conclsuions.”

“You don’t want to believe he’s back.  Denying his return won’t stall whatever he has coming.”

“It’s not about what I want. You’re right though. We can’t stay in limbo about this. We need answers. It’s  why we have to go back to the source.”

“Back to the palace?”

Asra nodded. By the time we made it back our tension receded and the beast had been/was thirsty when we arrived to the little cabin. He groaned for water.

Asra happily obliged, walking over to the dry basin.

“Mind if I try to draw water again?” I asked, trailing his steps.

“We should do it differently this time.”

“What will be so different about it?”

“I’m always giving you words to think about, but obviously the strongest spells are words of your own. So this time, try to empty your mind. The will words will come.”

I knelt in front of the basin and hovered splayed hands over it. I try to bring my thoughts back to the helpful streams, rivers and waterfalls. Clean, clear waters. I imagined the sounds, the splashing, sloshing, and feel. The water would be cold between my toes and lap at my ankles. Upon opening my eyes I see water...or something like it. A closer look revealed to be red.

“But I tried not to see the blood.” I murmured.

“What were you thinking, Izzy?”

“I thought of water surrounding me.”

He pointed out the beetles had also surrounded us.

I shuddered. “They were red too. I might be stuck on that for a few weeks.”

“You’re not the only one.”

He waved his hand over the water and like that it was  red no longer The beast beast fell to upon the water, slurping it up greedily with his tongue.  Silently. Asra walked into the cabin. I followed.

Trying to find  the right words, Asra sputtered. “The beetles are sign.”

“Makes sense.”

He gulped, nodded  and went on  reluctantly, “I haven’t seen one in years, not before...”

“Before?”

“They used to be a real problem in Vesuvia”

He dodged yet another question.

“How bad of a problem?”

“ They’re not of this world, but they can pass through it. And they cause a lot of  damage when they do. There’s no saying what we’ll be walking into when we had back to the city.

“If there’s a chance of this becoming bigger than the both of us... You’d know I rather die than hide away until everything’s over.”

“Don’t say that. That will never happen.”

“You’ve also told me that Lucio couldn’t reach us here and look-- now we’ve got beetles.”

“I’m sorry.”

I closed the space between us so that I was next to where he was near the bed. I wanted to hold him.

“Don’t be. The cards or no, you can’t account for the hiccups in our path anymore than I or anyone else can.”

He reached out to me and I fell into his touch. His  caress upon my cheek  was gentle and fervent.

“None of this would’ve happened if I stayed. I should’ve.”

“What did I just say? You don’t know that. The only thing different would’ve been that you would’ve been at the palace with me.”

“It would’ve been better that way.”

“Not really. We would’ve still had Lucio running amok. Besides you crazy magic man: You. Don’t. Know. that.”

The way he stared at me looked like he did. Like he was hiding something. He dropped his gaze and though he lowered  my hands, he held them  tight.

“Izzy...wait. Faust hasn’t said anything yet. We could stay a little longer, at least to get a good night’s sleep.”

“That’d be nice but you know we can’t.”

“Right, we need to get there before the beetles. Now’s the best time to leave. But if I bring you back and something happens to you, how can I forgive myself?”

“What happened to that would never happen?” I joked but it was obvious he wasn’t in the mood.  I fixed to reassure him, to tell him that I wouldn’t die. I really did. However, morbid as it was  to realize, with Luccio was becoming more and more of the bogeyman I’d imagined him to be neither he nor I could make those type of promises .  I shoved the thought  to the back to my mind. Nonsense. There was no room for two fatalistic nail biters. He brought me comfort whenever I felt lost and overwhelmed, and endeavored to do the same. I kissed him.

“Thank you.”  He took a sharp intake of breath. “ I’m crying over things that haven’t happened yet”

“It’s nothing.”  

“Guess we should wake the beast.”

He’d been really apologetic about waking the beast again but, great sport he was, the beast was roaring and ready to go. Asra  gently ushered me onto the boar.

Though it looked like our leap ended up with us falling flat on our faces. I was ready to start anew. This time we wouldn’t run. We would do it in Vesuvia.

[eyez-ff-blog]

○○ eyez | outtake four

Prompt: “Eyez,” Chapter 1, Alternate Universe

December 2014, New York

Was Jermaine ever into the party scene? Not entirely.

Even back when he ran the streets with his friends, he was a bar and lounge type of guy—an Ice House was ideal, because he didn’t have to dress up too much. Even when he did dress up, he just didn’t want to feel as if he was showing out too much. Subtlety was his niche, and in New York’s club scene it was pretty bad when it came to people always trying to get seen and always trying to get chose. If it wasn’t someone trying to get their mixtape played in the club, there was some groupie trying to sink her teeth into the flavor of the month rapper of choice. Fucking annoying. Either way, he did actually want to look nice for the evening.

Jermaine Cole had been working in close proximity with Dreamville Records for about seven months—after finally deciding to ditch his job as a middle school basketball coach down in his hometown of Fayetteville, he moved from North Carolina to New York to try to follow his dreams of being a famous producer. After his cousin put in a good word for him with the label’s president, Lauren Winters finally gave him a chance, but not without some “training” first. That meant only one thing; he’d be an intern for a while. An errand boy, for lack of a better word.

Despite the fact that he was running about getting coffee and other things, he was working closely with two of the artists on the roster. Courtney and Cody—better known as Ari and Cozz to fans—were younger than him, but they both had immense talent and he was happy to help them make tracks that they’d hopefully release into the world. It would be a proud day of when he finally could see a track ‘Produced by J. Cole’ and would know that his hard work paid off. But the running joke of he and Courtney being an ‘item’ wasn’t anything short of awkward.

But tonight, he would be relieved of his duties and would be just able to celebrate a special night. Tonight was the release of 8017 Rushmore Ave.—Beija Demarco’s third studio album, and a big project that everyone in the camp had been excited about. The funny thing about this outing was that J would be meeting the woman for the first time. Because of conflicting schedules, he had yet to meet the ‘face’ of the label. Then again, he might have been avoiding her on purpose.

She was so fucking intimidating. He felt so ashamed to be damn near 30 years old, and letting a woman cause him to feel shy. He was a fan of her neo-soul R&B vibes, and often found himself making beats inspired by her, but he wasn’t sure how he’d act when they would finally meet for the first time. He just didn’t want to make a fool of himself.

“Jesus Christ, man! You take longer to dress than a female,” Cody complained, and Jermaine glanced up at the young man as he laid across the bed.

“Uh, fuck you. I gotta match, unlike your helter skelter looking ass,” J chuckled before he glanced down at the array of sneakers in front of him.

“Nigga? I match. I always match,” Cody chuckled as he got up from the bed. “But hurry up. At this rate, we’re gonna miss the entire party,” He complained.

“Help me then, man—the black ones or the white?” He asked.

“Black. Actually, put on the timberlands,” Cody suggested, and Jermaine nodded as he began to slip on the boots, and laced them up quickly. “I can’t wait to hear B’s new shit. Mama’s got pipes on her and I know this new material is gonna be amazing,” He explained.

“I heard it was good. Everyone’s been hyping it up enough,” J mumbled.

“And I know she’ll be delighted to meet you. You’ve been ducking her for long enough,” Cody laughed softly.

“...Ducking who? Nah. If she wanted to meet me, she’s had a chance to. Let’s not even go there,” J chuckled as he checked himself out in the full-length mirror that sat on the wall. He tilted his head as he dusted off his white t-shirt, the black jeans and wheat-colored Timberland boots giving himself a simple yet club-ready look. He grabbed his black ‘SINNER’ snapback, and put it on, turning it backwards before he put on his gold chain and matching Rolex watch to finish off the look. “Let’s roll out,” He said.

“Fucking finally,” Cody retorted.

An hour had passed between the two of them leaving the hotel and getting to Empire 103, and when Jermaine and Cody arrived the amount of people seemed to nearly shake the walls—Jermaine couldn’t help but to feel apprehensive. From what he could hear, they were already halfway through the album. “Told you not to take so damn long to get dressed!” He heard Cody speak to him over the music and he shook flipped up his middle finger as they made their way towards the roped off VIP area where the rest of the camp were located.

Jermaine adjusted his hat out of nervous habit, turning his hat forward as he glanced up to give respective greetings to everyone who had already arrived. “Jermaine Lamarr Cole!” He cringed a bit at the melodic yet shrill voice as his whole name was recited. Suddenly, he felt an arm around his waist, and he glanced down at the flurry of black hair. He smiled softly at Courtney as she glanced up at him with a smile of her own. “What’s good, gramps?” She joked.

“I done told you about that ‘gramps’ shit. Not a thing, though—decided to come out and be social...or Cody wasn’t gonna leave my room otherwise,” He chuckled softly.

“Good! You stay trying to be in the cut like a dusty ass nigga. Come on, though; the party’s over here,” She smirked before she gently pulled him towards one of the couches that already seemed to be occupied with individuals. Among those was the woman of the hour.

He had seen photos of this woman, from her entrance into the game as a bright eyed 20-year-old, fresh from her rumored college dropout. But he would have never for a moment thought that she’d look this radiant. Her ebony mane, usually in a mess of curls, were flowing down her back like a waterfall of silk. Her brown skin seemed to almost glow under the club’s lights. She was dressed simply in a black club dress and heels, and her gold accented jewelry made her look absolutely exquisite. She was known as a ‘dressy’ woman, but even in such a simple outfit, she looked absolutely breathtaking. She’s beautiful, he found himself thinking.

His eyebrows furrowed as he stepped forward, still seemingly within his trance. And with that, he already fucked up for the evening—he nearly knocked Beija down from bumping into her. Thankfully, he caught her before she could make it to the ground. “Oh, fuck! I’m so sorry,” He said as he held her in his arms.

“You’re good. Be careful though. Do you I need to call you a cab already?” Her voice was melodic, and even in her playfulness, Jermaine found himself completely immersed in his jitters. The height difference was starkly noticeable; even in her six inch pumps, Beija was still small within Jermaine’s grasp. She cleared her throat before he quickly let her go. She ran a hand over her hair, and he noticed the platinum wedding band on her finger. “You’re Jermaine, right? Or they call you Cole around here,” She assumed.

“Oh, yeah. That’s me,” He gave a small smile as he held out his hand. “And you’re Beija Demarco. It’s a pleasure,” He said politely.

“Ha, just call me Beija! No need to be so formal,” She grabbed his hand, and a jolt of energy seemed to consume Jermaine. Her hands were so soft, and he expected nothing less from a woman who looked so gentle, so delicate... Chill, he thought as he pulled his hand away slowly. He could still smell her sweetened perfume linger against his clothes; it complimented his earthy cologne. “So I finally get to meet Courtney’s boyfriend, huh? She has good taste,” She laughed, and Jermaine’s mouth widened slightly. This woman exuded confidence out of this world, and her straightforward personality was overwhelming.

“Wait, no—no! We’re just friends,” Jermaine had to thank the universe for the club being a bit dimmer than most places, or his flushed face would be completely noticeable. “I swear, I’m starting to think that’s the only reason why Lauren hired me,” He sucked his teeth with a laugh.

“Knowing Lauren’s matchmaking ass, she probably did. But Court ain’t ever gonna pull away from the chocolate men anyway,” Beija waved her hand slowly before smiling. Her smile was infectious, and it caused him to smile. He had grown to embrace his crooked smile, but in her presence he completely felt the need to restrain himself. “But on a serious note, if Lo brought you to Dreamville, that means you must be pretty good. What do you do again...produce?”

“Yeah. That’s been my dream for the longest. I’m trying to be y’all new Kanye West...without the insanity of course,” He joked. “I’ve been listening to music all my life and I knew my heart was in making beats,” He couldn’t help but to sound excited as he talked about what he loved.

“Your passion...I feel it. I absolutely love it,” Beija nodded as she smiled. “So you think you got what it takes to run in this industry, though? Shit can get crazy and you can lose yourself if you’re not careful,” She crossed her arms over her chest as she spoke.

“You mean the money and the fame, yeah?” He answered the question with one of his own, and Beija nodded slowly as she kept her eyes upon him. “I can handle it. But I mean, the ideal is that people are supposed to have the whole package and not just what’s marketable,” He explained.

“True enough, Jermaine. But you and I both know that it doesn’t always happen that way,” Beija countered.

“Right. But I know that here at Dreamville, it’s different with you guys. It’s really not about the money—I mean it helps, but that’s not the main idea. It’s about the talent, the passion,” J nodded. “That’s why when Lo called me up I took the offer right away. I know this is where I wanna be.”

A moment of silence seemed to overtake them as Beija looked Jermaine over, her arms still crossed over her chest. Jermaine noticed the fire dancing within her brown eyes, and she made the normal color seemed to be filled with life. Even with that fire in her eyes, he couldn’t tell what she was thinking. There was a boundary there, and it made him a bit nervous. What did she think of him? Maybe she respected his words, or maybe she thought he was full of shit. He just wasn’t sure. “Nice to know that you wanted to be here, Jermaine. You might fit in here just fine with that being said. You sound like you know a bit about the industry and your work, so I’m intrigued to see you in your element soon,” She said.

“Hopefully. I’d love to work with you soon, but I know that Lo is making me go through the ringer first. She seems to take her time with trust,” Beija and Jermaine both glanced over as they watched Lauren and her husband—his name was Abbas, if Jermaine remembered correctly—as they talked and laughed with some of the other partygoers. Jermaine took a moment to listen to Beija’s intoxicating tone as they flowed through the club, and he took the time to look around. Everyone seemed to be really enjoying thr new material.

“It takes her a little while, but she’ll come around,” Jermaine’s attention directed back to Beija once she began to speak again. “My advice is to be yourself. We’re more than a label; we’re a family and if you have a good heart, everyone will embrace you. I personally think you’ll be just fine,” Beija said.

“So you think I have a good heart?” Jermaine asked curiously as he held his hands in front of him. Beija simply shrugged before she smiled.

“You give off that vibe so far. We’ll just have to see if you prove me right,” A bottle girl from the club had come into the area and a bottle of Hennessy was placed within the duo’s vicinity. Grabbing the neck of the bottle, she unscrewed the cap, her eyes focusing on the bottle. “I can’t really tell if you keep avoiding me, however,” She looked up at Jermaine through her lashes, giving one of those smiles that threw Jermaine off—he could feel a flutter in the pit of his stomach and he found himself frowning.

Their eyes met once more and Jermaine felt singled out—for that brief moment, he felt like the only man in that entire club...hell, the only man in the entire world. He didn’t know what it meant, or what she was feeling about him. Was he making a good impression or was he making a complete ass of himself? Either way, he was supremely agitated at the feeling, and it made him smack his teeth. “Nobody avoiding you, woman,” He grumbled.

Beija let out a loud laugh before she finally opened the bottle, grabbing what had to have been her glass before she filled it up. Once she got her own glass, she passed the bottle to Jermaine before she grinned, her cheeks showing their fullness as she showed her jovial expression. “I don’t believe you, Mr. Cole! You’re gonna have to prove that to me.”

Jermaine chuckled softly before he held up the bottle to toast to the occasion; Beija held up her glass, and the two ‘toasted’ before quickly downing the brown liquor.

The party went on well into the night—the people seemed to absolutely love Beija’s new album. Jermaine knew he’d have to listen to it on his own, but from what he heard it was pretty solid and would do well against the test of time. The club was alive with people and even sitting up in VIP, J felt this undeniable positive energy that seemed to be the result of the guest of honor. Throughout the night, Jermaine got to meet more artists on the label; of course, there was Lauren’s husband Abbas, and there was Damon, who happened to be married to Beija. But even as Jermaine drank and partied through the night, he found himself gaining the feeling of being watched. Every time he confirmed his suspicion, he found that Beija was the one watching him. He couldn’t place a finger upon the feeling he’d get from knowing that her eyes were on him, but it was almost thrilling. He couldn’t help but to look at her as well. She was a star in every sense of the word—she commanded the room, and she had earned that right.

Once the club closed for the night, people made it to their final destinations—some took flights right back to their respective homes, and others just bummed in hotels for the night. Jermaine himself decided to head back to the hotel room he had booked near the club; he could have easily went back to his apartment in Staten Island, but the trip would take way longer and he was just tired and ready to lay down for the night.

Jermaine yawned once he entered his hotel room, and he tossed his wallet and the crumpled numbers he had gotten from women onto the night stand. They were numbers he probably would never even call, so he’d leave them for the housekeepers to deal with. He proceeded to undress, shower and prepared for bed. As he exited the bathroom, he noticed his phone vibrating on the bed. Tightening the towel around his waist, he walked over to the bed before taking a seat, tilting his head as he grabbed his phone and unlocked it. He read over the text quietly: “Hey Jermaine, it’s Beija. I got your phone number from Courtney. It was nice to meet you! Let’s meet up again soon,” The text came from 646-985-3307.

“Fucking Courtney,” Jermaine mumbled. Sure, he didn’t mind Beija having his number, but he wished he had gotten to give it to her himself. Plus, now he felt stupid for forgetting to give it to her. But nonetheless, he saved her phone contact and shot her a text in return: “Nice meeting you too. I’ll try not to be a stranger.”

J left the messaging app before opening the iTunes app—Beija’s album seemed to be already downloaded to his phone since he had already preordered it. He got up and put on a pair of boxers, basketball shorts and a t-shirt before returning to bed, staring at his phone. After some hesitation, he grabbed his Beats headphones and plugged them into the jack before laying down in bed. He pressed play on the album, and he laid across the bed before turning off the lights and allowing himself to listen to her voice in the darkness of the room. Eventually he succumbed to his exhaustion, but even as he was lulled to sleep by Beija’s voice, he could see her within his mind. Even behind closed lids, she was staring deep into his eyes.

The next morning, Jermaine packed his things and checked out of the hotel before making his trip back home. Work wouldn’t be too long from then, and he had to get his mind right. After returning to Staten Island, he got to his apartment and unpacked before he heard his phone ringing. It couldn’t be anyone else but Lauren—she never did like texting. He grabbed his phone before he yawned slightly, swiping the phone before he pressed it to his ear. “Hey Lo,” He said.

“First of all, act like you’re happy to speak to a bitch. Secondly—stop acting like you knew it was me,” Lauren chucked, and Jermaine smirked slightly as he proceeded to take his dirty clothes over to the wash room in his apartment. “Anyways, I need you to come by my place at 3pm,” She instructed.

“What’s at your house at 3pm? Make it 3:45 though, I got shit to do first,” Jermaine began to prepare the washer, putting his dirty clothes into it once he put in the proper softener and detergent.

“I wanna hear the beats you’ve come up with, big guy. You’re supposed to be my student, so it’s time to turn in your homework,” Lauren’s sing-song voice caused Jermaine to laugh softly.

“Oh, for sure. I’ll be by once I finish washing these clothes. Then I gotta shower and shit,” Jermaine explained.

“Well hurry up, will ya?” Lauren scoffed.

“I’ll do my best. I’ll see you then,” The two said their goodbyes before Jermaine hung up the phone.

Jermaine finished washing his clothes before putting them away as best he could—he never could fold clothes correctly, but he tried his best. He took a shower before getting dressed, and he slid on a hoodie before he was out the door again. He had to get a move on—getting to Lo’s Harlem apartment would be no easy journey, and he actually didn’t want to leave her waiting for too long. He walked out of his apartment and locked the door before heading down the hallway towards elevator. His pace slowed a bit, however, when he noticed the new body standing near the elevator, however; Jermaine pretty much knew of everyone who came in and out of his floor at least. He had never seen her before and his curiosity seemed to grow.

He walked towards the elevator and stopped in front of it, sliding his hands into his pockets before he glanced over at the woman. Her skin was a bit tanner than his but she was still fairly bright. Her dark brown hair hung over her shoulders, and she had on a pair of glasses as she read a book briefly as she waited for the elevator to arrive. Her side profile was attractive, and as petite as she was, she had something about her that was seemingly innocent...inviting. “I never seen you around... You just moved here?” Jermaine finally decided to speak.

The woman seemed to be so deep in what she was doing that she slightly jumped, and she smiled softly as she bookmarked her book and gave Jermaine her attention. “Oh, yes I did. I actually just finished moving, finally,” She held out her hand to shake. “I’m Melissa. You are?”

“Jermaine. It’s nice to meet you,” He introduced as he took her hand to shake.

“It’s nice to meet you as well. Do you live on this floor?” She asked as she slipped her hand from his and placed it back in front of her, holding onto her book.

“I live in apartment 319,” Jermaine pointed down the hallway as he glanced in that direction, looking back at Melissa soon after.

“Really? Wow, I live in 318! That’s right across the hall,” Melissa chuckled softly. “Looks like we’re really neighbors—maybe I’ll come by to borrow your sugar,” She joked.

“Oh, you already trying to borrow shit from me? I see how you are,” Jermaine joked back, and Melissa let out a small laugh. She had a pretty laugh...it was light, almost close to a giggle.

“Oh, no! I would extend the same courtesy at least,” She said as the elevator doors parted. Jermaine held the doors open to allow Melissa on first, and he followed her inside before the doors closed. “I actually don’t have a sweet tooth to be borrowing sugar anyway,” She revealed.

“So you’re just wanting to come over my spot? Oh!” Jermaine laughed before he pressed the button for the ground floor. “That’s even better. Already trying to seduce me,” He couldn’t help but to be amused and tease her.

“Seduce? No...never,” Melissa’s face seemed to become flushed. “You are something else. I feel like I’m fucking this conversation up,” She smiled.

“There’s nothing to fuck up—unless you had some motive,” Jermaine said, and she widened her mouth before scoffing.

“Excuse me? Uhm, you started talking to me, Mr. Jermaine. Unless...it’s you with the motive,” Melissa laughed, and she nodded slowly. “Yep, that’s what this is! You’re trying to spit game and do a Jedi mind trick on me,” She accused.

Jermaine shrugged a bit before he cracked a smile. “I just wanted to say hello, miss. But you’re the one that’s trying to get into my house, ma. Now how do you explain that?” He asked as he kept his eyes on her.

“Well—...I mean—...” Melissa huffed as she chuckled softly, shaking her head. “Look—since we’re going to be neighbors, why don’t we just work up to that? I’ll get to know you, you get to know me, and eventually you let me into your place,” The sound of the dinging elevator signaled that they reached their destination, and the doors opened. “How does that sound, hm?” She asked.

“We’ll see. I’ll see you, Miss Melissa,” Jermaine saluted her before smirking, turning around and heading for the front door of the building.