Girls Need Love

12: What if I see you

The first time I saw Kinsé, she was sitting on a park bench round the corner of Jay's supermarket.

She had these tight ass leggings with a large tshirt and some slides. I don't know what it was that brought her to my attention, but I was just stuck.

I remember passing on the opposite side of the road, with my niggas chattering and man, I wasnt hearing a thing. She threw her head back to laugh at something her friend said and I think that's when I fell in love.

Cause that's when her eyes met mine.

Brown. Honey and milk, sugar and gold, well maybe I'm going a bit overboard but I'm telling you there was something about that girl.

I noticed the way she slowly quieted down, and suddenly became a bit self conscious as she avoided my eye.

Dammit, I nearly ran into a f*****g lamppost watching that girl.

Kinsé Maarten, she had my heart before I knew it, before she knew it, and there was nothing i could do.

#

"Aye mami, let me holla at you!" Quan was always tryna scream at somebody's child, it irked my soul endlessly.

"Man you got a girl, a bad one, what are you doing?" Finally, Yoshon spoke my thoughts only to have quan sick his teeth.

"Gwen been acting up. That girl been going on like she ain't got no damn sense."

"So, you just decide to go on and cheat?" Yoshon replies, dragging the joint out from his lips and I curl my lips in disgust as the spit drags along with it. He moves it to my direction but I shake my head.

"I'm cool."

"Since when?" He raises an eyebrow.

"Since you started drooling like a ugly asa baby," I mutter under my breath.

"Huh?"

"Nothing man, I'm good."

He shrugs and passes it back to Quan who happily takes it.

I was tired, and ready to head home. The streets were cold and empty, except for the distant trap music that played somewhere in the background.

"Welcome to the city!" Written in black and purple graffiti on the walls near us, as the night sky barely gave way for any happiness.

Welcome to the city indeed. The city of drugs, s*x, money, and death. Sinatti.

"Aight man, I'm about to get up out of here." I dap up the boys, tugging loosely at the hem of my pants as I walked towards my car.

#

I liked the sound of my keys dropping against the stainless steel that was my kitchen counter.

My crib.

Being who I am has it's perks, just your average drug dealer? Maybe.

I tiredly sigh, rubbing my head as I peel off my shoes. A yawn escapes my lips as I pull a bottle of water out from my fridge, and I cant help but be comforted by the thought of crawling into bed.

Sadly, my thoughts are interrupted by sudden knocking on my door. I raise an eyebrow, and secure a gun in my back pocket. The knocking becomes more frantic as I approach the door.

"I'm coming, damn."

As soon as I pulled the door open, a huge head of hair just comes flying towards me, and shuts the door too!

"Yo, what the fu—,"

"I'm sorry, in sorry, I am so sorry."

Whoever this female was, I was about to cuss her out, until . . .

The girl from the bench.

It had been two weeks since I've seen her, and I'd be lying if I said I hadn't passed near the bench many more times, unnecessarily just to see if I'd find her again. But she was never there.

"I'll be out of your way soon . . . I'm just. . . " she lets out a breath, running a hand through her crazy amount of hair that was just . . . Wild.

"What's up with you? Are you running from sum'?" She let's out a little sigh, shaking her head.

"I dont think I'm in danger or anything. My brother . . . He's a little mental and he has these episodes." She explains.

"Right . . . Seems pretty extreme if you have to run into a complete stranger's house for refuge."

To my torture, she bites her lips as if debating something.

"Yoire right. But I can handle myself."

I snort, "Clearly."

She was wearing shorter leggings this time, with a tank top and her slides. And she looked good. So damn good.

But then, "what's up with your hair?'I ask her.

"Oh, it's a wig," she says nonchalantly, and I lid you not, homegirl completely pulls her hair off her head!

"Shawty, are you sure you're alright?" At that point I was scared.

She chuckles at my reaction. "It was hot under there anyway. I'm Kinsé." She outstretches her hand and I take it.

"Don."

"Nice to meet you, Don." She winks and i raise an eyebrow at her.

"Yea you too kukoo."

"Haha, very funny," Kinsé rolls her eyes at me and I chuckle, folding my arms.

"Do you wanna come in?"

"Oh nah, I'm straight." She replies, giving my hallway a quick glimpse.

"So how long you just gon' stand there?"

"I'll leave in a minute or two, don't worry." She offers me a small smile but I couldnt smile back.

I ain't want shawty to leave just yet.

"I think you should stay for at least five, you look hungry."

"Excuse me?" It's her turn to raise an eyebrow and I shrug.

"I said you look hungry," I repeat. "Let me make you something quick."

"You real bold, aren't you Don," she says.

"I mean, you said it."

"How am I so sure you wont hurt me?"

"Shawty you been in my house for more than 5 minutes and I ain't even asked for rent yet. I ain't gon' hurt your cute self." I then turn on my heel and walk off into the hallways, leaving her with no choice.

Well she could've just walked out the door, but she didnt.

"A sandwich and I'm gone." She says sternly, slowly climbing onto the bench stool and I raise both hands.

"I can make it a burger if you like?" I tease and she glares at me, but doesn't decline.

"There we go." She seems annoyed with herself as she shakes her head at me.

I remove the patties from the freezer, wondering where all my sleepiness went as I felt completely fueled.

"So what are these episodes you brother has?" I ask as I season these bland ass burger patties.

"Oh . . . Uh," she does that thing where she curls into a mental shell, just like she did on the bench. I wonder if she remembered locking eyes with me. Probably not. "Well he was in rehab for . . . For cocaine and mix withdrawal symptoms with a fresh batch, what do you get?"

"A new found addiction." I reply and she nods.

"He just lashes out and breaks everything. I was running because this man started chasing me around the house, and then down the street," she brings a palm up to her face and I furrow my eyebrows.

"You live round here?"

"Yeah, just up the street actually, like 5 houses away."

"Are you serious?" I raide both eyebrows and she nods.

That's perfect.

"So he ain't hurt you or anything right?" I ask as I place the patties onto the frying pan.

"Oh no, I'm fine," she replies. "I was running away so I ain't have to hurt him not the other way around."

I cant help but chuckle a bit as she giggles.

"Alright miss, I hear you."

"Do you want some help?" She offers after a moment.

"I got it, just sit there and be pretty."

"You been complimenting me a lot Mr. Don, are you hitting on me?" She teases and I scoff.

"Hell yes, are you only picking this up now?"

Kinsé was something else as she laughed while her hair sat on my stool.

"You know you're in a stranger's house right, aren't you a least bit worried?"

"Didnt you hear me ask if you was gon hurt me?"

"Yea but. . You dont seem uncomfortable."

"Huh . . . I guess I'm not. I'm out here getting food so like?"

"Right, greedy ass."

"Hey!"

"Hey yourself."

#

"And dinner is served."

"Finally," she grunts as I place the plate in front of her. "Thank you."

"You're welcome greedy, kukoo person."

"Stop with that." I cant help but laugh as she gives me a look and I take a seat next to her and her hair.

"Tell me how it tastes," I tell her smugly and she rolls her eyes taking a small bite. I wait till she chews and swallows, only for her to shrug.

"Its ight."

"Its ight?" I mock. "Oh hell nah, you need to take a bigger bite cause you are capping!"

Kinsé really starts laughing like something was funny.

"Girl, I ain't spend 30 minutes under no damn heat just for you to come out and tell me they "ight". No honey they are magnificent!"

"Please, I cant breathe," She starts choking on the bread and I push my bottle of water towards her, tapping her back as she recovers from her laughing/dying fit.

"You good?" I ask and she nods.

"I'm good. And so is this burger. It's amazing. Magnificent."

"Oh, I know." I shrug and she purses her lips at me.

"I think you should put your wig back on, you look like a man without it."

My joke earns me a hard punch and I wince. Although it didnt hurt that much, I could tell that she put in a lot of effort into it and therefore I had to pretend that i was in pain.

"Damn I'm kidding mamas, don't trip."

"You talk too much, that's ya' problem."

Chuckling, we finish the food in silence, and for once in my life I didn't have the lonely walls as company.