Shut Up & Listen - Chapter 2: Chapter 2

Cole steps out the shower and stares at himself in the mirror while he air dries.
"Shit, I ain't ever been this off" he thinks to himself. He looks himself in the eye through the mirror and whispers " what the fuck are you doing? Why is this shit happening right now? Oh you a big guy now huh? You ain't shit nigga." He wipes his face with his hand and puts his hand on the bathroom door handle to leave. But then he hears the front door slam.
" MY NIGGA DAME what the fuck nigga! Ian seen yo college ass in years nigga!" He heard Kwabena's voice loud and echoing throughout his open loft.
"Mutha fucka" Cole whispers to himself.
He closes his eyes for a second contemplating his next move. Reluctantly he opens the medicine cabinet and pulls out an orange bottle. Five minutes later he re-enters the living area where he finds Dame talking to Cobe on the couch and of course Kwabena is eating the food Dame bought for Cole.
Hungry ass. Cole thought to himself. Trying his best to ignore his presence, Cole walks past his company and into the kitchen to grab a drink. After downing half, he rolls his eyes and turns back to the living room to face his friend. "Yo why the fuck you let this nigga in?"  He asked Dame, referring to the caramel colored dude sitting on the couch watching Cole with a close eye.
"Yo Charlie you buggin this morning ain't you..." Cobe says looking at him with his eyes low, not sure where Cole's head is at or what he remembers. " last night was crazy, right?"
Dame cackled, "This nigga call you by yo middle name?"
"This nigga bout to get the fuck up out my house is what he finna do..." Cole responded in a low tone looking dead at Cobe. Not backing down, Cobe glared back at him for a minute then threw his hands up.
"Aight B. I got chu. But before I go, I gotta get something off my chest. About last night. I messed up. I was feeling some type of way and honestly I don't know what came over me. I hope you ain't mad. I mean, clearly you pissed at me." He paused, looking Cole up and down. "But what I mean is that I hope you can forgive me.... for overstepping. You my bro." He finished, closing up his to-go box.
Dame looks between the fuming man and the apologetic one wondering what else happened before he arrived.
Cole looks down at the dark chocolate hard wood floors reminiscing on his pops' memory, wondering if he was watching him fuck up from heaven. He then plops down on the couch and throws his feet up imaging his father sitting in the olive green easy chair up against the window.
Something about this moment takes him back to one night with his father in this very room. He was laying on the couch as he is now, watching a movie that him and his father loved. The Wiz. He looked up from the television upon hearing his father calling him. He said," Aye son... get cho lazy ass up and get me something to drink... and hurry up! Your favorite part is coming on!" Cecil hollered as he dragged his cigar.
A few minutes later Cole and Cecil are singing along to the film.. " Slide some oil to me... let it trickle down my spine..."
Cole hadn't realized he'd been zoned out, humming the song while staring out the window behind his pops' easy chair. Out the corner of his eye he see's white and gold Jordan's walking past him. He recognizes the sneakers as Dame's and wonders why he's in his home. "Shit..." he mumbles after realizing he'd fallen asleep. "Damn, when did I go to sleep?" He asked Dame.
" You didn't.. your eyes been open this whole time. You ass been laying there looking crazy for ten damn minutes.." Dame replied from across the room, flicking through channels on the TV.
Blinking wildly, Cole takes another sip from his bottle. " bro stop playing all the damn time. And where yo friend go?"
"Cobe?" Dame asked, bewildered.
"Yeah, that nigga.. did he leave?" Cole asked, dismissively.
Dame ignored his tone and watched his body language for a few seconds before leaning up from the couch asking, " What he do last night?"
" Huh?" Cole asked, totally ignoring the man one year his senior because he got a text mssage from his ex-girlfriend, Jill.
— Jill—
Colin. U drunk txt me last night. Stop doing that shit for I block u babes
— Cole—
Babes? U still got luv 4 me huh?
— Jill—
Drink some tea and get off yo ass. I know u laying down rn u always r. Lazy nigga 😂
— Cole—
I been trying but I can't find my center.. I need you to come balance my chi 😈
—Jill—
🥱🥴 goodbye babes
"... and he was like I'm sorry for overstepping. I love u bro..." Dame said imitating Cobe.
" That nigga ain't say that shit." Cole replied, finally tuning back in to what Dame was saying at the end of his monologue.
"Shiiid" Dame replied.
" So when u going back to school? I gotta work at 11pm so..." Cole asked.
Dame thought for a second while he observed Cole and the condition of the loft. He nodded saying, "Imma stay a while." earning an irritated look from Cole.
"Why? You in trouble or sum?"
"Nah bro I just miss home." Dame lies hoping that he doesn't pick up that he's here to keep an eye on him. Cole hates for anyone to think he needs help, so Dame knows he has to play it smooth.
" You was passed the hell out, nigga" Cobe says coming around the corner from the hallway. He looks down to see Cole flipping him off. He rolls his eyes and peeks out the window.
" I knew somebody was coming, my nose was itching"
" Who here?" Dame asked looking at Cobe while he gazed out of the large floor to ceiling windows.
" CJ" He said exitedly.
"CJ?!" Cole and Dame questioned in unison. Cecil Jr ain't been around for years. Colin hadn't seen him since he turned 16. He missed birthdays, his graduation, and didn't even call to check in when their momma died when he was 19. He even missed their pops funeral. Yet here he was, about to walk into his front door at any moment. Feeling the urge to throw up, Cole slipped away into bedroom before Cecil arrived.
Back in the room, Cole put on his earbuds trying to drown out the loud talking up front. Drifting off to sleep he finds himself back in the same dream. A dream he's been having for weeks now.
The dream starts with him in the kitchen pushed up against the fridge for balance. Cole looks back to see a mans silhouette. Sensing confusion, the silhouette leans forward and whispers in his ear, 'you know who I am'. The motion moving him back and forth is an exhilarating feeling, one he hadn't felt before, except in his dream, this dream. The silhouette waiting for a response repeats himself, 'what's my name?'. Going deeper and harder he hits his spot causing his back to arch and his eyes to roll back. Feeling a similar sensation building up in his stomach, the silhouette leans forward and whispers in his ear, 'can I come inside you?'. The dream was cut abruptly with a bright light. He opened his eyes and quickly shut them back.
" Shiit turn the damn light off" Colin whines as he was awakened from his dream struggling to keep his eyes closed.
" Baby brother" Chimed Cecil with a bright glowy look in his eyes to match the whites of his bright ass smile.
Cole freezes up, stuck still beneath his blanket.
" Baby Brother, can you sit up so we can talk? " Cecil asked softly, sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Stop calling me that shit!" Colin grumbled burying his head underneath his pillow. " The fuck you been any way nigga? Matter fact, why the fuck you come back?" Colin spat, anger building up inside him.
Cecil sighed, tapping Cole's blanketed foot with his finger, " Baby Br- Colin, it's a long ass story, I want you and ya boys to come downtown with me to chill and chat."
" I gotta work at 11." Cole mumbled.
"Call off. " Cecil suggested, earning an irritated grown from the young man beneath the blanket.
" Nigga you come in out the blue after all this time and want me to drop my shit"
" I miss you, and I wanna make it up to you... please baby boy. Just come out with me tonight, let me explain everything, then I'll leave you alone."
" Fuuuuuck. Fine. Okay? Aight." Cole gave in.