You Before Me [dave east]

| eleven

Xiomara;

It's Sunday afternoon and Dave and I are spending it walking around Downtown Los Angeles right after we already got some lunch.

"Let's get some ice cream." I say, spotting an ice cream truck across the road.

"You ain't just ate?" Dave says and looks at me crazy, clearly trying to draw me out.

"Boy don't do me." My eyes playfully roll as I take his hand, leading us over to the truck. I get a popsicle while he gets an ice cream on a cone with sprinkles and blue bubblegum sauce. "What a gentleman," I coo as he insists on paying for the both of us.

"What is that flavor anyway?" He asks me.

"Try it." I hold my popsicle up to his lips, letting him have a taste. "It's good?" I ask and start laughing as he squeezes his face, getting a brain freeze. "And that's why you don't bite popsicles, weirdo."

"Nah but that taste good though, shorty. You tryna trade?"

"Sure." I shrug, swapping with him since I don't mind. It isn't like I bought it anyway.

Dave and I walk away from the truck and start heading down the street again. "So where haven't you been in LA?" I ask randomly, having learnt that he's only stayed here around seven months so far.

After doing six years in prison, Dave only did a year of parole in New York even though he was supposed to do five but that was before he was cleared of all charges. As soon as his conviction was overturned, he came right over here and ended up staying with Ari.

"Nowhere, really. I'on really feel like I'm missing out on nothing though."

"Excuse me? Hell nah, you definitely missing out." I say, wondering what I should do with him first.

"Like what?" He chuckles.

"First of all, parties on the beach are the littest. Especially when it's dark. Then there's Double's Burgers and Wings which is where everybody likes to chill and watch rap battles which are actually way more fun than they sound. And if you're local, you'll know about watching street races and I'm talking about some real Fast and Furious type shit."

"Word?"

"Hell yeah. It's not all about the Hollywood sign and the Walk of Fame or whatever, you know? Shit, I lived here my whole life and I ain't never been there." I say laughing.

"Nah but that shit sound mad fun though. That's how y'all get down over here?"

"Mhm. But since it's still afternoon, I guess we can just hit the pier." I say since none of the shit I mentioned never goes down until night. I don't usually see street races often since you can get arrested on some aiding and abetting shit but I wouldn't mind going just to show Dave around.