Justin
I really wasn’t stalking her, I had no idea the girl that Trace had been talking to recently was Lani’s roommate, Rae. I couldn’t help but laugh at the expression on her face when she saw me.
“Lani this is Justin and Trace. Guys this is my roommate Lani.” She smiled weakly and turned out of the living room and made her way down a long hallway before we heard a door slam shut.
“Sorry she’s sort of anti-social today, she’s got a lot going on right now.”
“No problem. So we brought over Inside Man and Wedding Crashers, which one do you want to watch first?” Trace pulled the movies out of a plastic bag and held them out for Rae to look at. She was in deep thought when I broke her trance.
“Where’s the bathroom?” She pointed down the hallway Lani had just stormed down and went back to reading the back of one of the movie cases. Completely bypassing the bathroom I walked over to the closed door that was decorated and looked at it for a few minutes.
The last time I saw someone decorate their door was in college, and I had no idea people still did that. Her name was written in large graffiti letters in the middle with pictures and phrases surrounding it. A lot of the pictures looked like a professional took them until I got down towards the bottom of the door where I have to say I was sickened by what I saw. There was a black and white picture of Dominic lying in a bed on his back sleep with a sheet draped over his little friend (and I’m saying little because let’s be real, no one comes in comparison to my junk). It was apparent at that point that they were together, but that was okay in my eyes; I live for challenges.
I don’t think Lani had any clue that I was standing outside of her room because when I pushed it open further she didn’t even turn around to see who was there. I was going to say something to her, but I heard her talking on the phone; I may be an arrogant ass, but I know it’s rude to interrupt someone’s phone conversations, my momma taught me better.
“Daddy please be careful. Send Gianni over to Dom’s house for the night, he doesn’t need to be around all of that mess. I’ll text Dom and let him know to expect him when he gets home from the train.” She paused, probably to listen to what her father was saying, while wiping stray tears that were falling. There was a brief pause before she responded to whatever he said.
“I know Daddy, but I’ve been really worried about all of this. I know I don’t usually get involved but something feels off, you know? I’ll let you go though, Rae has friends over and I feel bad because I was just really rude to them. I love you too. Call me when everything is over okay?” She laughed and looked down at the tattoo that wrapped around her wrist.
“I’m the woman of the house, you know it’s my job to worry. I just don’t see why you have to do things this way though.” She paused again, damn her father is a talker.
“Okay, okay. I get it okay Babbo? Meglio essere invidiati che compiatiti, I get it damn. I don’t see how envy is going to change shit though. Envy just makes everyone do stupid shit, it’s just like greed, but whatever. Just call me when you get back home. Make sure Gianni leaves, please. Ti amo.” She hung up her phone and then swung the screen open and started to text message, I’m assuming she was texting Dominic. After she finished texting she placed her phone on her desk and opened her night stand drawer and pulled out a gun and let it rest in her palm for a second before wiping away more tears that had fallen.
“Do you always whip out your gun when you have guests?” That proved she didn’t know I was standing there; when I spoke she practically jumped out of her skin.
“Do you always intrude in people’s bedrooms? You are a fucking stalker, I swear to god don’t you ever fucking quit pretty boy?” She wiped her eyes and put the gun back in her drawer underneath everything. The vulnerable girl she was two minutes before that turned back into the cold bitch she had been every time we came in contact with each other.
“I thought I’d come see if you wanted to watch the movie with us, but I see your busy, so I’ll let you be.”
“I’ll be right out. I just need to do a few more things.” I sat down in the loveseat that was by her closet and propped my legs up on the foot stool that was in front of it.
“I thought you said you weren’t Italian?”
“People lie.”
“It’s better to be envied than pitied, that has significance?” I could tell that she got tense when I asked that question. Touchy subject I’m assuming.
“My dad always told me and my little brother that growing up. Gianni, my brother, and I got matching tattoos a few months back. I guess it’s a way of showing dedication and loyalty to the family.”
“Just like you Italians to be so dedicated to family. Don’t you get tired of being so involved?”
“You only have one family. I never get tired of mine, they’re my backbone.”
“You don’t look full-blood Italian.”
“You’re very nosey, has anyone ever told you that?” She got up from her bed and sat down at her desk by her window and opened up her laptop. She immediately got onto AIM and started typing away.
“It’s rude to speak to other people while you’re talking to someone else. Hasn’t your mother ever told you that?” There she goes with that tensing up again. What is with this girl?
“My mom’s told me a lot of things, doesn’t mean I listen. How’d you see what my tattoo said anyways?” She closed her computer and swiveled around in her chair to face where I was sitting.
“I’m an architect; I’m a stickler for little details. Just like I noticed that you aren’t a full blood Italian, so you care to enlighten me?”
“My mom is black; Dad’s straight off the boat from Italy.”
“Straight off the boat?” She laughed before answering me.
“Well plane. Came here about 30 years ago when he was 15 with my Nonna and Nonno and my Uncles Tony and Sal.”
“What about your mom? Don’t even roll your eyes at me because I know you’re about to.” All Lani did was blankly stare at me, “I told you I’m a stickler for detail. I’ve noticed every time I ask you a personal question you roll your eyes or play with your wrist.”
“My mom isn’t in the picture, plain and simple. What about you Justin? You’re asking me all these personal questions and I barely know you. Who are you?” I smiled and placed my hands behind my head, she was finally caving.
“Well I’m 26, originally from Memphis Tennessee. I’m an architect that loves southern cooking and his momma. Speaking of my mom, I was raised by her and my grandparents. Not much else to tell really.”
“Where’s your dad?”
“I’ve just gotten close with him in the last few years, he’s around.” Yeah, I just wish I knew where.
“No girlfriend?” I’m guessing I made a face at her comment because she laughed and shook her head.
“I’m not a relationship type. I never have been. What about you? Who’s that NSYNC wannabe you were hanging out with earlier?”
“Good friend from home, basically like family.”
“Do you always hold hands and kiss up on family? I knew you Italians were close, but damn are you that close?”
“We used to date. He understands my life and we’ve known each other since before puberty.”
“So you’re fuck buddies?” Lani got up and walked towards her bedroom door.
“No. Not that it’s any of your damn business, but we’re not. I was with him since I was 12 up until I was 21 so I’d like to think it’s more than that.” She turned off her light while I was still in there and went back into the living room to join Rae and Trace, who I’m sure weren’t really watching the movie. Before following her I got up and walked over to her night stand and opened the drawer she threw the gun into.
I pulled my long sleeved shirt down past my hand and grabbed the barrel of the gun and examined it carefully. After about a minute of looking at it I realized I had seen something similar to it before, but I couldn’t think where. I put the gun back where I took it from and started to walk out of her room when something caught my eye on the wall over her loveseat.
Walking over to the door I saw a bunch of family pictures hung up on the wall to the left of it and looked at them. “No fucking way”, was all that was going through my mind. I may have not known much about the business my dad was in, but I knew enough to know who was in that picture.
