“Well damn…”
“What?” I asked, pretending not to know.
“Lev’s ass finally decided to leave work alone for one night.”
I looked up. “Cousin?” I said playing it off.
“Yeah.”
He leaned back in his chair with the biggest grin on his face. “Yeah, you remember him from the hospital? That’s Lev.”
Before I could say another word, he lifted one hand into the air. “Aye Lev!”
I immediately closed my eyes. Lord… Please don’t let this man call him over here… Too late. Lev turned toward the sound of his name, spotted Marv sitting across from me, then looked directly at me for the briefest second before something almost amused crossed his face. He leaned down, said something to the woman on his arm that made her smile, and together they started walking toward our table.
Marv shook his head before they even reached us. “Boy… everywhere I go, your ass gotta show up.”
Lev stopped beside the table, looked Marv over from head to toe without saying a word, then reached down and dapped himup. The two of them pulled each other into one of those one-armed hugs men gave before separating again.
“I was thinking the same thing,” Lev replied, dragging the empty chair out with one hand. “You done got shot, survived, and still won’t sit your ass in the house.”
Lev looked him over again, taking in the way Marv still shifted carefully every time he moved.
“And you still moving all stiff and shit, now how you gon’ be up on your shit if you can’t even move?”
“Well what you want me to start doing cartwheels?”
“Nah.” Lev shrugged as he lowered himself into the chair. “I’m just making sure you ain’t forgot you got holes in you and I’m not trying to hear BJ’s shit. She always send the heat my way.”
Marv laughed before immediately pressing his palm against his side as soon as he did.
“See…” Lev pointed without an ounce of sympathy. “That’s exactly what the fuck I’m talking about.”
The woman beside Lev smiled to herself before extending her hand toward me. “Hi, I’m Milan.”
“Hi, I’m Navy.”
“It’s nice to finally meet somebody that can tolerate these two.”
I laughed. “I’ve only been here an hour.”
“Then you still got time to escape.”
Marv looked offended. “Why everybody acting like I’m always the problem.”
Lev leaned back in his chair, picked up one of the breadsticks from the basket sitting in the middle of the table, and broke it in half. “Because nigga you usually are.”
“I’ll give you that one.” Marv grinned like he’d just won an argument he’d been waiting weeks to win. “I be on bullshit.
I found myself smiling without realizing it. Watching the two of them together explained a lot. They carried themselves differently, but the chemistry was impossible to miss. Marv was louder, rougher around the edges, always looking for the joke. Lev barely raised his voice at all. He sat back, listened more than he spoke, and somehow still controlled the conversation without trying. Even when he wasn’t talking, people naturally looked his way.
His eyes drifted over to me for a brief second before he nodded toward my plate. “You ain’t let him order for you, did you?”
I frowned. “What?”
He motioned toward Marv with the piece of bread still in his hand. “Because his taste in food just as bad as his taste in decisions.”
Marv looked over at me with disbelief written all over his face. “Don’t listen to this nigga.”
