WAY TOO IN DEEP

5

MASON
Seeing Amina made me realize how much I've missed her, it's not like I didn't want to text or call her or even see her every single minute of the day. But that night after I left Amina's apartment to meet up with Emily.

Emily asked me to prove myself to her by cutting ties with every girl including Amina. Deleting all the random girls' numbers off my phone wasn't hard but Amina was my heart my everything, of course, I would never say this out loud to anyone.

I've loved that girl since I was 17 but I "deleted" her off my phone anyway because I wanted to prove something not just to Emily but also to myself.

I slid into the booth Emily picked out for us, "Hey." I said reaching for her hand that lazily laid on the table but she pulled it away.

"What was that about?" She questioned referring to my interaction with Amina. I was not about to do this with her right now, not here.

"It was nothing, I've known Amina since we were kids baby." I tried to convince her, but I could tell she wasn't buying any of it. I sigh and reached out for her hand again and this time she didn't pull it away.

"Look let's have our ice cream and go back to place after?" I said tryna lighten the mood. She's the one who insisted we come here anyway.

"No Mason, I want you to take me home." With that she was out of the booth and heading towards the door, I didn't try to argue I just followed after her.

The car ride was silent, but I didn't mind, my mind was elsewhere anyway, as soon as I pull into her driveway, Emily was out of the car, and walking towards her house.

I know she wants me to get out of the car and chase after her, but I didn't. I waited for her to get inside and as soon as she did I sped to Amina's apartment.

When I got there the door was unlocked, so I just walked in. The apartment was empty though. I walked back outside to double-check that it was the right apartment and sure enough the number 208 was plastered on the door.

I walked back in and examined the vacant apartment, where the couch once had been the last time I was here, was now unoccupied. The 50in flat screen that we got on Black Friday last year after she moved in was gone too. The only thing that was in the middle of the living room was a beanbag with a box of almost finished pizza in front of it.

As I walk further towards Amina's room, I heard sniffles and low mumbles, but as I got closer her voice got clear.

"I can't just leave school and move back home mommy." She explained I'm guessing she was on the phone with her mom.

" I don't know what I'm going to do, I don't have a plan." She continued.

"I was thinking of maybe getting a hotel room until I find someone that's looking for a roommate." Why would she want to stay at a hotel when she got an apartment and a roommate right here?

"I know mommy." She busted out crying again. I couldn't take it anymore so I walked in. Her eyes widen when saw me and she quickly tried to wipe her tears with the back of her hand but it was too late.

"Okay bye mom, I'll call you tomorrow." She ended the call and looked up at me,

"What are you doing here Mase?" She tried to flash me the same reassuring smile she did outside of the ice cream parlor, but I know better.

"What's going on?" I ignored her question and sat down next to her on the bed. She looked away from me but I slowly turn her face back towards me with my finger.

"Nothing." She whispered I was lucky enough to catch it.

"Where's all the furniture Amina, and why are trying to stay at a hotel?" She didn't answer. Why wasn't she answering?

"Where's Tiana?" I asked one final question.

"She doesn't live here anymore?" She finally answers, now I'm confused.

"What do you mean?" I asked dumbfounded.

"She moved in with her boyfriend about a week ago." She then began explaining everything to me, about how Tiana left and she had to put everything in storage because she won't be able to keep up with the rent and now she has nowhere to go.

"Why didn't you call me?" I couldn't believe this, she glanced up at me and quickly look back down.

"I'll figure it out." She tries to assure me, moving off the bed and pacing around the room. I watch her movements, she had on some running shorts and the same tank top from earlier.

Even in her desperate times, like this one. I couldn't help but watch her with pure longing. The bottom half of her body moves with its own quake, as she paces around the room pondering, with a cute frown on her face.

"You can stay with me." She stopped pacing and look at me, as if she was considering it but then shook her head and went back to pacing.

"Until you find a suitable roommate I mean and I don't want you staying at a hotel." I finished. She stops in her tracks and thought about it.

"You sure?" She asked.

"I don't wanna be a burden." She was back on the bed.

"You would have done the same thing for me kid." And I know for sure she would, and I have an extra guest room anyway.

"Come on let's get you packed up, this place looks miserable," I said looking around the empty room with just the bed in the middle of it.

"I don't have to be out until tomorrow." She explained, but I was already throwing her clothes inside a random duffel bag that I found in the corner of the room.

"We'll get some things tonight and tomorrow I'll come back for the rest," I assure her. She looked at me and then at the wall then back at me again.

"I missed you." She mumbled softly.
I stared at her on the bed looking adrift and susceptible. It took me back to when Jamie die that summer fourteen years ago, she had the same look in her eyes.

"I missed you," I said loud and clear making sure she heard me, she gave me a small smile a shook her head.