When We Were Young

Chapter Twenty one

Desireé POV

"Anything in here you're welcome to. Mi casa su casa," Odell smiled at me as we walked into his house and he took my clothes upstairs.

After I'd agreed to live with him he paid for my lease to be broken and I the only thing I brought with me here was the contents of my closet.

I wish I could say being vulnerable was an odd feeling for me, but it's not. Not at all, my whole life was in a constant state of vulnerability and quit frankly the shit sucked.

I decided not to focus on that and to look at Dell's house. It was nice, big, but not too big. I was looking around safely until a big ass dog came from the kitchen.

Oh. My. God. I don't fuck with no animal but a damn goldfish.

"Look, I'm cool, we can be friends," I spoke to the dog as I backed away but it was still following me. "I'm cool, we cool just be cool, cool?" My dumbass backed into a fucking corner.

The dog finally got to me and I squeezed my eyes shut only to feel a warm tongue on my hand. Is it... Licking me?

I opened my eyes to see that he really was licking my hand, at least it wasn't ripping the shit off, that's a good sign I guess.

"I see you met Tzar," Odell smiled but then looked at me like I was crazy, "why are you in a corner?"

"I thought he was about to kill me or something, but we see that didn't happen." looked back down at the dog that was now sitting on my foot, "He's... cute, I guess." I patted his head awkwardly before moving my hand away.

He just laughed at me, "Don't be scared of him, he won't hurt you," he rubbed his huge head, "unless I tell him too. Ain't that right?" He asked the dog and it licked his hand.

"Okay, whatever you say, excuse me," I moved my foot from under Tzar before turning to Odell, "Where's the bathroom?"

"There's one right there," he pointed towards a door, "across the the way."

I went to the bathroom and washed my hands from Tzar licking them and looked myself over in the mirror before heading back out to Odell.

He took my hand and guided me up the stairs, "Come on I'll show you around," he took my hand and guided me up the steps.

"You're house is really nice Dell, I like it," I smiled at him.

Who would have thought that the first actual house I'd live in would be Odell's. I'd only lived in apartments my entire life. I wasn't used to all this... space.

"Here's your room," he opened the door and stepped in and I followed.

It was huge, there was a TV mounted on the wall, there was a huge bed, it looked so comfortable. I low key wanted to get in it right then.

"There are rooms bigger than this?"

"Nah, I let you get the master, don't worry, the bed is new," he laughed and I just rolled my eyes before joining with him.

"Good, I'm not tryna catch nothing," I stuck my tongue out at him before flicking him.

"I moved my all my stuff into the room down the hall. Look I gotta go to practice, but like I said anything in here is yours, so do whatever."

"Wait, I have to work today, and from what I see buses don't really ride out this way," I spoke as I looked out of the window.

He just sucked his teeth, "What you need to work all them jobs for now," he asked as he came up behind me.