While We Wait (One Shot Anthology)

Home Body (Erik Stevens)

Nicki blinks as she raises her hand before putting it back down and raises it again. She took her glasses off, cleaning them before pushing them back on her face and looks at the man across from her.

"You scarred yourself for what reason?"

"For each of my kills when I was at war."

Nicki nods, the usually witty woman at a lost for words for the first time this entire date she has been on with Erik. Nicki's brain finally managed to function just a little bit for her to clear her throat and take a swig from the hard cider before her that suddenly tastes just like juice and isn't strong enough for this conversation.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine."

Erik stares at her before Nicki's phone rings, cutting him off from asking a question. Nicki quickly answers upon seeing it's her roommate.

"Trina! Hey!"

"Hey! Sorry to interrupt your date but we have a situation."

"Uh..." Nicki moves the receiver from her mouth. "Can you give me a moment?"

Erik nods as Nicki slides out her seat and makes her way to the bathroom.

"Okay: what's the situation?"

"Nothing. I just had a feeling you needed to be saved. Call it my roommate senses."

Nicki laughs, putting her hand on her hip as she looks in the mirror. She grabs her lipstick from her fanny pack belt and reapplies it.

"Come up with something believable so I can get out of this."

"How crazy is he?"

"A fucking 11."

Trina curses before Nicki hears shuffling. She suddenly hears her dog, a big rottweiler named Elmo, bark in the background.

"Uh...Elmo is...throwing up1 And shitting at the same time!"

Nicki hears Elmo give a confused sound and she giggles.

"Girl it's bad! Real bad!"

"Alright! I'm coming!"

Nicki hangs up before ordering a lyft. She heads back out to where Erik is sitting.

"Hey. sorry about that. My dog...apparently he's being a terror to my roommate."

"Nah, it's fine. I had a good time though."

"I did too," Nicki says with a smile as she goes to pull out a twenty.

"Nah, I got it," Erik says. "Go check on your dog."

Nicki nods as she heads out, waving to Erik as she gets into her lyft. She lets out a deep breath as she rides home in silence.
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"Girl...what?"

"He said he has a scar for every person he killed when he was in Iraq and Afghanistan."

Trina stares at Nicki before looking back at the TV. Even Elmo stopped chewing the bone he had.

"Bitch he crazy. His dick probably good."

"Trina."

"I'm serious. Broke and crazy niggas always have good dick. Don't ask me why but it's just law. And I don't make the law."

Nicki shakes her head as her phone rings. She sees it's a message from Erik. She unlocks her phone and reads the message in her notification centre before blinking.

"Sis..."

"What?" Trina asks as she looks at Nicki.

"Bitch...look at this."