chapter 2 - I need to know you
1414 Words
"No, no, no, and no."
My head was stuffed in my phone as I walked home. The sun was just beginning to set, the streets busy with people anxious to get home.
Tinder was beginning to get a little dull, I might have to try Match.com.
"If I wanted to kill you, it would be easy." I dropped my phone as I turned around, Matulo grinning at me. I sighed in annoyance and bent to pick up my phone.
It was broken.
"Great," I murmur, shoving it into my handbag. I decide to keep moving, ignoring him completely, but he follows.
"I apologize, please allow me to buy you another one."
"After you basically threatened to kill me?"
"Although I don't see the correlation, I was only saying that because I've been behind you for the past ten minutes and you didn't even notice." He replies, falling in step with me. He had a trench coat now, his hands stuffed in the pockets.
"Oh," I murmur, "why were you behind me?"
"I'm heading over to my office."
"Where were you?"
"You ask so many questions," he chuckles, avoiding the answer and I tilt my head up at him, staring at him weirdly. I decide to stay quiet, focusing my attention to the road ahead.
"I will allow you to buy me a new phone." I tell him.
"Huh?"
"You said, 'allow me to buy you a new phone,' so I am."
"Oh . . . Okay. Right now?"
"I'm sure most business places are closing right now. Tomorrow is fine."
"The mall closes at five."
"It's merely minutes till five."
"We're not That far away."
"Tomorrow is fine, Matulo."
"Matulo? My name is Tristan."
"Matulo is your surname, isn't it?"
"Yes."
"Then it's your name." I tell him.
"You're very . . . Strange."
"Okay." I was almost home, ready to race up those steps get dressed and go hunting at the peak of night.
"Are you sure you don't want to just - "
"This is me." I tell him, "thanks for walking with me I guess." I never turn back as I climbed up my stairs and unlocked the door, shutting it behind me. I let out a breath before setting my bag on the kitchen counter, and sliding off my shoes.
I pull open my fridge and grab a bottle of water, happily pulling off the shoe lace from my hair.
Tristan Matulo.
What a weird man.
He followed me home, he broke my phone, he spoke a little too much. I'm not sure that I liked him.
Plus he was very shady. All those gadgets and the black car that was subtly following us must've have something to do with him.
He reeked of danger, and danger is what I was staying far away from.
#
"When are you going to give me a grandchild Amari?" My mom yells over face time as she cooks and I glare at her as I strapped on my heels.
"You know, Amar is actually married and over 30 years old, you should probably ask him that."
"We all know your brother is a lost cause, the man has such a dislike for children, I've never seen such a thing."
"You can't blame him, the first one he held vomited all over him."
"Amari, it was a baby."
"And it vomited all over him." I repeated.
"Don't call the baby an 'it'"
"I will never understand why that would be offensive. If I don't know if it's a he or a she, or if I don't want to say baby, why can't I say it?"
"Because it is for objects and animals."
"And babies."
She lets out a heavy sigh before staring at me with a flat face.
I give her a smile and she eyes my outfit.
"You're going boyfriend hunting again?"
"You just said you wanted a grandkid!"
"Not if it has you looking this desperate, every time you call me you're always on your way to some event."
"I'm tired of being lonely," I chuckle, "I have no friends."
"Then make friends. During the day, at a coffee shop."
"Sure mom, because people still do that."
"Your generation is beyond doomed."
"Yes, I am well aware, which is why I'm trying to snag a man that I can experience the end of the world with."
"Is there really nobody to get with? You're a very attractive woman Amari, plus you took my hips, my hair and my smile. Thank the heavens you didn't take anything from your father."
"Can you just let the man Rest In Peace?" She chuckles lightly, placing a hand on her chest.
"Bless his heart," she murmurs, stirring her pot and I sit on the bed, fidgeting with my hands. "If you're lonely Amari . . . You can always move back home."
I shake my head.
"People can't run back to their parents just because their lonely, ma. The world doesn't work that way, life doesn't work that way."
She nods.
"I love you." She places her fingers on the screen and I couldn't help but chuckle, rolling my eyes to hide the tears.
"I love you."
#
"I like big butts and I cannot lie!"
It's like I walked into a 90s bar, old men littered the stools, young women hanging from their laps.
Is this where google wanted to send me? Why would they do that?
Besides the weird music and different demographics, everyone in here looked like money. The men weren't dressed in jeans and T-shirt's, they had Armani suits and expensive liquor. The shoes were polished sharply and their hair nicely kept.
I clutched my purse tightly, taking a proper step in and surprisingly, all eyes were on me.
I'm not sure that I appreciated the attention though, they were all just so old.
I was about to leave when I noticed Tristan almost completely hidden in a booth. He was also staring at me.
He didn't look very happy.
Taking a deep breath, I abandoned my instinct to leave and ventured towards him. He wasn't alone though, another man sat at his side, obviously older than him.
"Tristan." I Greeted.
"Why are you here?" He asks.
"It's a club. It's meant for everyone." He clenched his jaw.
"Alright then, have a good night." A little annoyed, I decided to leave after all. Dressed in a black tube top body suit, and hair waisted jeans with a channel belt, I felt out of place anyway.
"Wait!" Tristan walked out of the club, following closely behind. "Don't come back here."
"Fine. I wasn't planning to." I tell him without turning around.
But he didn't stop following.
"What're you doing?"
"It's late, if you're going home I'd like to accompany you."
"All you're doing is scaring off all the potential bachelors."
"Huh?" I turn around placing a hand on his chest.
"Listen Tristan, right now, I'm boyfriend hunting, and you look like someone who would stuff a man in a can and place him in a grocery store's freezer. That's not what I need around me right now."
"You're boyfriend hunting? Who even does that?"
"I don't care who does that. I do it."
He stares at me, seemingly shocked and I roll my eyes.
"Just go back in the bar, Tristan."
"Why would you have to boyfriend hunt?"
"You're attractive, you're smart -"
"I'm weird."
"I love weird."
"You're not a candidate."
"Candidate? What're you looking for, a boyfriend, or a Vice President?"
"Ha. Funny." I turn to leave and as expected, he follows.
"I'm confused . . . Why do you call them candidates? And why would I be one?"
"I call them candidates because they're all trying to get one spot, or well I'm trying to get them into one spot. My soulmate."
He laughs.
"What's funny?"
"That's not how you find a soulmate."
"What're you? The soulmate whisperer?" I snort.
"That was a really dry joke," he comments, "however, it doesn't take a soulmate whisperer to know that whatever you're doing or trying to do is wrong."
"How would you know?"
"Because you're still single."
Ouch.
"Okay." I mutter.
We continue walking, and I wrap my hands around myself.
"Do you want to get something to eat?"
"With you? Not really."
"Come on, ill buy." He has stopped outside a little 24 hour diner and I glance at it, and then at him.
"I'm not even hungry."
"Then let's drink some hot cocoa."
"It's not cold."
"Okay, then let's have an ice tea."
"I don't like tea."
"Okay then we can just sit." He says exasperated and I let out a loud breath, walking into the opened door. It was empty as expected, Monday night being the night that everyone wanted to be over, the end of a bad day.
Maybe.
We take a seat and the waitress eagerly comes up to us, raving with unused energy.
"Hi! Welcome to Ray's Forever Stop, what would you like to eat?"
"She's not hungry bu-"
"I'd like the mashed potato and the pork chops please, with an ice tea." Tristan smirks at me and places his own order.
"Alright then, I need to know about you."
- Writer
