Shut Up & Listen - Chapter 73: Chapter 73

| jah, 26|
August 17, 2022
5 pm
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On the same sheets Lonnie fixed onto Cole's bed, Jemaika laid, caressing Cole's bare chest. Running her fingers over the black ink that was starting to fade. "When are you gonna tell me what these letters mean?" She asked curiously.
"I'm not." He smirked.
"It's a secret?"
"I wouldn't call it a secret."
"So, you just don't wanna tell me then."
"I haven't told anyone. And I don't need to."
"I can get it out of you." She challenged. In a matter of moments, he was inside of her and she was sucking on his neck, moaning.
"Fuck, hol'on." Cole hissed. "I don't want Lonnie to hear us."
"Well if he don't wanna hear maybe he should leave." She said, not slowing down at all.
"You really ruining the mood baby. Just be a lil quieter like damn. That's my friend."
"Its only awkward if you fucking him tooooo." She sang with a wildly facetious laugh at the end. She paused, quiet and unmoving, staring him in the eyes. "You got something you wanna say?" She crawled up over him, putting her face closer to his, lining her eyes up with his eyes. He didn't respond with anything but an irritated huff. She lowered her face and kissed him on the mouth. "I'mma get my nigga frank on yo ass if i find out you be fucking yo friends."
"What his soft ass gone do to me?"
"Just put your hands on this soft ass and stop thinking about other niggas." She kissed his neck. "Just be quiet while this nigga..." She trailed off, moving down his body until she heard footsteps in the hallway. "What the Fuck?!" She mumbled, sitting up at the soft knock on the bedroom door.
"Can I come in?" Lonnie asked through the closed door. "I just wanted to know if y'all was hungry. I ordered some Soul Food from down the street."
"Thanks, we'll be down." Cole answered.
"So I can't come in? What y'all doing in there?"
Jemaika sighed, grabbing her panties from the edge of the bed. Cole laughed at both J and Lonnie.
"Mind your business dude."
"The food getting cold."
"Then put it in the damn oven Johnny." J complained.
"It's" he laughed, "it's Lonnie." He smiled on the other end of the door, you could hear it in his voice.
"His name is Lonnie." Cole smirked at Jemaika. She huffed. "You gotta relax boo. He's a big fan of you so be nice."
She mumbled under her breath putting her pants back on and sliding her feet into Cole's house shoes. Cole shook his head, dressing himself. "I'm not even hungry." He heard her say in the midst of her rambling.
"You don't gotta eat, you can stay here and i'll be right back."
"If I go out there, Colin I'm leaving. And I'm not finna stay in here by myself. So you choose."
"Why you doing all'at? Somebody thought of you and you doing all this?"
She huffed out an airy, irritated chuckle.
"I'm going home." She said, digging around in the pocket of her pants where she found a pill she put there earlier. Dropping in past her tongue, she faced her boyfriend, "Wasn't it you begging me to give you another chance?" She asked matter of factly, getting no response. She picked up the green mountain dew bottle from the night stand, still hearing nothing from Cole.
"Nigga." She mumbled, kicking off Cole's house shoes replacing them with the tennis shoes she came in with. She tied the strings and grabbed her purse and jacket. "And yo ass don't even give a damn if I leave."
"Because why are you even leaving?"
"I'm tryna spend time with you but the only thing on your mind is what mr.lightskins is doing out there. So i'll leave so you and that nigga can have y'all li'l space."
Cole rolled his eyes.
"So you ain't tryna stop me from leaving?" She shook her head, pushing Cole over to grab her phone from underneath the pillow. "Bye."
"Bye." He mumbled, still not moving. Moments later, Lonnie reappeared at Cole's door.
"I don't like her for you." Lonnie judged, met with Cole's raised eyebrows. "Y'all don't match. Wrong vibes."
"You just saying that shit 'cause you want me."
"Hell nah, i mean hell yeah but hell naw. I'm a big fan of Jemaika, but it don't seem like she a big fan of you." The twenty-five year old offered his observations.
"We have fun together."
"Oh yeah?"
Cole nodded.
"So you like 'er." Cole nodded. "Do you love her?"
Cole shrugged. "I think she love me."
"You saying that like it's rare or some shit. Like you gotta settle because she the only one who love you. She not the only one that love you. IF she even do."
"Okay?"
"I been hearing about you." Lonnie started, changing the subject, "You okay?"
He shrugged.
"You want me to leave too?" Lonnie asked, noticing Cole wasn't into the conversation.
Cole was quiet. He didn't respond. But, he was observing Lonnie's body language. His eyes which were low and darker around the bottoms than usual. His freckles popped more against his washed out, pale skin. His hair was grown out longer than his usual clean fade and tidy line up. He seemed as if he were half there. "Where you been at?" Cole asked.
Lonnie scratched the top of his head and leaned against the wall facing the bed where Cole was sitting up, resting his back on the headboard. The younger man continued to watch his body language as he stood there before him.
"You wrote that letter like you was tryna check out or some shit then you end up in the hospital. Now you here asking me if i'm okay."
"I am okay. Just worried about you."
"Don't. I got enough people worried about me."
"I heard about Cobe too." Lonnie changed the subject, lifting himself off of the wall. "It was on the news the other night. I ain't know his dad was famous. I also didn't know how important he was in the community. I feel like I didn't really know him how I thought I did."
"Nobody really knew 'im. He only gave little bits here and there. Don't take it personal." Cole shook his head, still observing the tall man. "I'miss his crazy ass."
"He was my friend too. And I loved him like crazy. Probably the biggest thing we have in common."
"Fasho. He felt the same about'chu. I know'e
did. But damn, baby boy was my backbone.
Lonnie nodded. "So who got'cho back now? Let me be that person for you."
"You tryna replace Kwabena?" Cole asked, taken back. "The way you just said that shit sound real suspect." He grazed the side of his face with his nails.
Lonnie stared at Cole. No words left his lips but his face, though blank, said it all.
Cole looked away for the first time in this conversation, "I mean..."
"What do you mean?" He questioned him with mild aggressive undertones unseen in the physical but surely felt in the air. Felt enough for Cole to throw on a fake smile and change the subject.
"What kinda food you said you got out there?" Cole asked, standing from the bed, leaving the room.
"Soul food." Lonnie answered, following him down the stairs. "From Savanna Blue. You been there?"
Cole shook his head. "Heard about it though."
Outside, coming down Woodward Ave, a couple of young African Americans and their son debated on their upcoming arrival at the Adebanjo loft. The matriarch of the trio wondered why they waited so late while the father thought it best to give his brother some time before barging into his life again.
"Hasn't he told you. Nevermind." Cheyenne tucked her words away, looking back to check on her son in the backseat. The seven year old was busy watching youtube with his headphones covering his ears.
The car ride was silent then until they turned onto Broadway and found a parking spot in the garage. Cecil Jr., Cheyenne, and Cecil III unbuckled their seatbelts and emptied the car.
"How come we couldn't stay and grandad's house anyway?" C3 asked.
"So that we can help Auntie Sadé and uncle Dame with the baby." His momma answered.
"It's way too many people in that house and just too loud." C3 complained, walking towards the door, already knowing his way. "I think I wanna stay here instead of going back to Uncle Dame house."
"You ain't making the calls Three." Cecil fussed, "You stay where your momma stay."
"Well where are you staying?" He asked his dad.
"At a hotel for now."
"I like hotels." C3 challenged. "Which one? Is it a nice one?" He asked, his mother also looking at Cecil. A smile threatened to spread across her face and instead of showing, she left the boys, calling for the elevator. Behind her, she could hear Cecil giving in to his son's request to stay at the hotel with him.
"It feels like we haven't been here in years." Chey exhaled as the elevator doors closed. "Time been moving so slow."
"It's like that every time for me." Cecil replied, not fully understanding where she was coming from.
"I think he was here the last time I was here." She looked up, thinking about Cobe. "Yep, he had went to the store for me." She smiled, a sad and conflicted one, "I'm glad me and C3 got here in time to meet him." She rested her arms around her sons shoulders.
"Me too." Cecil agreed.
When they arrived on the floor of the loft, there was someone else walking to the door. He was tall, on the darker end of caramel and braided up top. He looked back at the sound of footsteps, "Cecil, what up." He lifted his head in greeting.
"Jah, You here to see Cole?" He asked, unlocking the door.
"Looking for my brother." He answered, reaching out for a side hug from Chey and ruffling C3's hair. "He ain't where he supposed to be."
"Shit, where's that?"
Jah didn't answer. They walked into the spacious two level loft which was now empty. Food containers from takeout were still on the stove and slightly warm.
Jah pursed his lips in frustration. He shook his head.
"Whoah, what the hell?" Cecil slowly spoke in shock. Standing in the center of the living room. Although the mess was cleaned, the television was still busted and Cecil sr.'s chair was still ripped up. "What the fuck?" He began walking through the home noticing bits and subtleties that showed proof that someone had vandalized the place.
"You think Cole did this?" Chey asked.
"Maybe someone broke in." The seven year old reasoned, "He wouldn't destroy his own house. Plus he's famous."
"Naw, if someone broke in, Cole would've said something." Cecil added.
"Maybe that's why he was fighting and got arrested?" Chey added.
Cecil shook his head, it wasn't adding up for him. "Well, he was just here. I'm gonna wait for him to come back."
"You don't have his location?" Jah asked. Cecil looked at him with his face turned up. "I have Black's location. And the rest of my family. For safety reasons."
"Well, we not close like that. I don't wanna know what this nigga be doing that bad."
"To each they own. If y'all hear anything from Black, let me know." Jah said, getting ready to leave the home.
Cecil stopped him by asking, "You got his location, right?"
"He'on got a phone right now."
Cecil nodded and walked away to further investigate the damages. C3 went up the stairs to the game area leaving only Cheyenne and Jaleel downstairs in the main room. She looked at him. He looked at her.
He put his hands in his pockets.
"Watching somebody die is traumatic." He offered. "You doing aight?"
She nodded too quickly. Looking to the side, up at the ceiling. Her bottom lip quivered in a frown.
He nodded softly. "It gets easier over time. The dreams come less often. Sudden moves and  noises don't bother you as much." He started. "The smiles become real again."
She rolled her eyes, and streams began to roll down from each eye.
"If you need somebody to talk to, you got me, family." He nodded. "You need anything, you come to me." He offered. He put his arm around her shoulder in another one armed hug paired with a nudge of his nose on the top of her head. He rubbed her shoulder as he let go. "I'm gone C!" He yelled as he gripped the door handle.
"Aight!" Cecil answered from elsewhere.
Jah looked down at the five and a half foot tall woman with sympathetic eyes before closing the door behind himself.