Page 37 of Delirium 2

What if she started to talk again.

What if she was lucid.

What if Sereia ‘fixed’ her.

I thought about it too. First day I noticed a couple changes, I thought about it. I didn’t let it consume me though. I was a live in the present moment type of nigga and just wanted to take things a day at a time. I didn’t like expectations, but hope? Hope was straight. It was aight to have hope. Faith, honestly. And that’s what we had. What we’d always had since the decline of moms’ health. The way life was set up… with certain events leading to specific things… What if?

* * *

“What up, baby?” I said, answering Sereia’s call, getting into the car.

She paused. Baby might’ve caught her off guard. I didn’t mean it as a term of endearment. I just said it. Shit came out as smooth as butter, for real.

“I, um,” she paused. “Was wondering if First Lady had any allergies.”

“Hell naw. Clean as a whistle,” I told her, as I pulled my seat belt on. “Why? What you on?”

“I’m craving seafood pasta so… I’m going to make it. I was also wondering if,” she paused. “If we could go to the store instead of sending ol’ boy. He don’t know how to shop for real, and I want to get her out in public. I mean, if…if that’s okay with you.”

I shook my head, took a deep breath and started the engine. “You don’t have to do that.”

“Do what? Go to the store? I want to. I’m not⁠—”

“Nah, not that,” I interrupted. “Be timid to ask me things, Sereia. You want to take my ma to the store. Cool. It’s been years since she’s been anywhere outside of the house besides appointments or whatever. I’m cool with it, baby. Don’t be scared to ask me shit. You hear me?”

She hesitated again. Baby had her stumped. I smirked, deciding she’d be baby all of the time. It wasn’t easy to stump Sereia. She might’ve been a little hesitant to ask to do shit where moms was concerned but her ass was fearless for the most part, speaking her mind. The fact that one word kept catching her off guard was cute as hell to me. She wasn’t as tough as she led on. At all. I knew that from the jump though. She just had a couple walls to knock down.

“I hear you,” she mumbled. “Should I call Rocc? We’re ready.”

I pulled out of the driveway and swiped at a text message from Jada’s dumb ass. “Nah, don’t call Rocc. I’ll take y’all.” Gripping the steering wheel, I made a right out of the driveway, shifting my eyes to the time on the dash. “Give me two hours.”

“Alright.”

“If it weren’t for somebody keeping me on the jack all night, I would’ve been wrapping my day up by now,” I joked, smirk on my face.

She sucked her teeth. “I don’t recall it being like that. I vividly remember somebody sayin ‘why you tryin to get off’, every time I yawned and mentioned how late it was.”

Facts.

She didn’t lie.

Staying on was partially my fault. Partially her fault too because she had good conversation and her sleepy voice was sexy as hell. Yeah, I was tweaking. Tripping for real. Falling for girl like I didn't know any better. It was innocent though. Different from anything else I’d caught myself in. I hadn’t had a ‘crush’ on a chick in a nice little minute. A crush. Hell naw. This was some ol’ elementary, middle school type shit. And instead of running away from it, pretending I didn’t feel what I felt, I leaned in. Fuck it. The shit… it made me feel good. Made me feel alive.

“Yeah okay,” was all I could say, with a sly smirk on my face.

“Mmhmm. Let me get ready⁠—

“I thought y’all were ready.”

She paused. “We are. I just⁠—

“Wanna get cute as fuck for me,” I interrupted, fucking with her.

Up until now, it’d been pretty innocent. I threw a couple jabs in there every now and then but nothing as bold as what I’d just said to her.

As expected, she sucked her teeth. “Ain’t gotta get cute. I’m already that.”

“Facts tho’,” I said.