Dallas
“I shouldn’t have never let you talk me into this shit.”
I looked back laughing at Halo. “How do you complain when we are sixty seconds from reaching the top!”
He and I were on a hike this morning and we were going to Lafayette Coney Island to eat. A week and a half ago Halo and his brothers came into Lazy Daze, and he was more talkative than normal with me. I was feeling myself like crazy and figured God was giving me what I always wanted.
Before he left, we exchanged numbers! We even texted and the conversations were good.
I haven’t gotten him on the phone or video chat just yet, but I was patient when it came to Halo.
On Saturday we were all at the club, minus Halo, and Golden told me that he talked his brother into having female friends. A
friend was something I never wanted to be with Halo. But Golden talked me into it, he told me his brother needed intimacy and experience first then I can get what I want from him which is him as my man.
Golden wanted his brother to be like him and Greek. Little did he know, I was not about to have that. Once Halo was mine, I’d beat a bitch ass if she came near him. I wasn’t here for a good time but a long time.
“I gotta say, the view is nice as hell. This was a good idea, Dallas.”
“Told you. I do this once a month and it’s like the first time every time.” I told him then drunk some of my water from my Stanley cup.
He drunk some of his water from Under Armour water cup. This man was so chocolate and fine. He had a pair of dark blue basketball shorts with a matching beater. The muscles in his arms were glistening from the sun and sweat.
His blue New Balance gym shoes matched his long over the calf socks. Halo’s long hair was down, and he had a dark blue bandana tied around his head.
“You look like there is a lot on your mind. Wanna talk about it?” I put my water cup back in my book bag.
“Let me ask you something. Have you ever been in love before?”
“Yeah, twice. Why?”
He went and sat down on the bench, and I sat next to him. There were a few hikers who walked past us.
“Did you tell them first or they told you first? How long did it take for you to say it back?”
“The first one I did not say it first. It took me a few days to say it back. The second one, well, let’s just say we never got to that point, so it was never said.” I did not want to make it obvious that the second one was him.
“But it did not take you two damn months to say ‘I love you’ back. I knew it. This shit ain’t normal.” He looked pissed off.
I knew this was about that bitch Story. Oooo, I hated her so badly because she had Halo and he was all about her. He went from being the quiet one Stone brother. The one who falls back, and everyone assumed he was gay or bisexual. He barely said two words to anyone outside of his family.
And now he had Story all on his IG, he tagged her in every video and pictures.
That’s why he wasn’t at the club on Saturday because he had a date with her.
Most of the time when me and Halo hung out, he would bring her name up in some way.
I had to pretend to be the supportive friend who listened and gave suggestions.
“Start from the beginning Halo.”
He closed the top on his water and started talking. “I told Story I loved her two months ago and she has yet to say it back. We talked about her ex, and she could say it to that nigga easy. But with me she won’t say it at all.”
I wanted to leave and go beat her ass just for having him stressed the way he was.
But Halo needed to see on his own that she wasn’t the one for him.
I could have started trash mouthing her, but Halo made it crystal clear that he did not play when it came to Story.
Our little friendship would be over fast if I went that route.
“First let’s not overreact. There could be reasons why she hasn’t said it back.”
“The number one reason could be she just doesn’t love me and never will. I’m too fucked up for her…this shit got me about to lose my mind. I love that girl so much and just want her to say it back. But I want it to be willingly, not because of pressure.”
“Do you want to break up with her?”
He looked at me with the most twisted up expression. “Hell, fuck no I do not want to break up with her. You’re a woman Dallas, tell me what’s up.”
Dump that bitch and be with me! That’s what I wanted to tell him.
“Halo, the only thing I can tell you is you’ll have to be patient. Just because you feel a way doesn’t mean she will. She’s more cautious because of her past and she wants to really make sure.
Stop looking at her, not saying the words and look at how she acts. How she treats you. If you focus on that then you won’t care so much about what she isn’t saying.” I surprised myself with that feedback.
“I hear you and swear to God it makes sense. But I want her to say it, I need you to say it.”
There wasn’t much more for me to say because I was green with envy. I started fiddling with my phone.
“Aye, my bad.” He moved a little closer to me, not enough that we touched but it still was a move.
“You gave some solid words and I appreciate you, Dallas. Story just makes me insane, and I panic a lot when it comes to us. Man, sometimes I think Golden is right about my lack of experience. I sound like a female bitchin’ about the same thing. I’on like the way this makes me feel.”
I put my hand on his arm and sympathized with him. “It’s okay Halo, dating and relationships are a lot. We’re nineteen years old with all these emotions and new maturity that we’ve only been in for a year.
If it were me, I wouldn’t have gotten in a relationship just yet.
Golden says a lot of wild things, but he has a point about experience and just having fun.
But I know that’s not what you want. You’re in love and want your relationship.
I’ll advise you the best way I can.” I had to plant a seed in his head one way or the other.