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“Kirby. You?”
“Homeschooled, but I had friends that went to Melrose, Ridgeway, and Germantown, so I went to their games and shit. Went to Southaven’s prom.”
“Are you going to college?”
His head shook before he scratched it and shoved another large piece of cake into his mouth.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do now. What about you?”
“Same. I’ve been accepted to TSU, but I don’t know if I want to go now. I need to make sure my family is okay before I even think about the future.”
“I feel you.”
Sighing, Lavender hugged her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them. “You shouldn’t spend your birthday doing nothing. Even with everything that happened, you should do something fun to celebrate so this day won’t be forever ruined for you.”
His expression saddened. “I don’t think there’s anything that would make this a happy birthday, but being with you has made it bearable.”
“You saved my life, Choyce. Anything I can do for you, I will always do.” Standing, Lavender placed her hands on her hips. “We can’t spend the day sad and depressed. We can do that tomorrow. I want you to smile today.” She looked down at him. “Can you swim?”
The left side of his mouth lifted as he finished the last piece of cake. “Yes, Lavender.”
“Okay. So, we can go swimming in a little while. There are also some old bikes by the side of the house. We can ride those, too. Ms. Rema is making you a birthday dinner later. What else can we do?”
Taking her hand into his, Choyce gently sat her back down next to him. “Just sit here with me. I promise that’s all I need.”
There was a yearning in his eyes that Lavender wouldn’t have been able to deny… even if she wanted to. Nodding, she wrapped her arm around his and rested her head on his shoulder. He exhaled and laid his on top of hers. They sat like that for quite some time… silently enjoying each other’s presence.
When they did move, it was to swim, which turned out to be more fun than Lavender thought it would be. He smiled… even laughed. Their playful exchange in the water led to an almost kiss that Lavender would have lost herself in if Choyce hadn’t pulled away.
Lavender was too tickled to learn Choyce didn’t know how to ride a bike. He swore he was doing more important things as a kid, but it was sad to Lavender. She couldn’t imagine how lonely it felt to be homeschooled and miss out on so many things. Hell, he’d only learned to swim because one of his cousins tossed him in a pool and didn’t know he hadn’t been taught. After that, his brother taught him, but he didn’t bother with it anymore.
Hearing him say that swimming with her was the first time he’d ever done so and it was fun filled her heart with pride again. Choyce may have had a heavy heart, but she was determined to try her hardest to lift his spirit. Not just because he deserved it, but because it was the only way to keep her mind off her family.
After giving him horrible instructions on how to ride a bike, Choyce teased her about never becoming a teacher. Lavender had always been a person who learned through visuals and actions, and she expected everyone else to be the same way, too. Eventually, Choyce caught on, and they were able to spin the block a few times on the bikes… slow and steady.
By then, Rema had finished with dinner. As they officially sang him happy birthday, Choyce fought to maintain his composure. Once he was done eating, he went to his guest room.
Lavender ended up showering and watching TV for hours before he was softly knocking on her door.
“Hey,” she greeted softly, trying not to smile at the sight of him. Apparently, he’d gotten a few items for himself as well earlier. Though she loved the sight of him in his black outfit, Lavender equally loved him in a white t-shirt and basketball shorts.
“Hey. Can I lay with you?”
“Yes.” Her cheeks lifted as she pulled the covers back.
Choyce found his way into the center of the bed again, pulling her onto his chest. “Thank you for today. It really helped get my mind off everything.”
“You’re welcome, Choyce. I’m glad I could help.”
He yawned, tightening his hold on her. “When was the last time you slept?”
“Honestly… I don’t even know. It’s been hard to keep track of the days. I stayed up until I crashed.”
“I want you to try and get some sleep tonight, okay? I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
Lavender knew that, but it was nice to hear him say it.
“Talk to me,” she requested after he cut the TV off. “The silence makes my thoughts scream.”
“What you wanna talk about?”
“I don’t know. What do you like to do?”
Their conversation shifted from one thing to the other until she heard sleep coating his voice. She didn’t want to admit it, but Lavender was tired, too.
“Choyce,” she called softly, feeling her eyes flutter before closing.
“Yeah?”
Lifting her hand, she gently clasped his ear. “Thank you.”
She felt his body relax, and only a few seconds later did his soft snores sound. Smiling, Lavender snuggled closer before sleep found her too…
