24

𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓

  ❧ After Hakeem finished shopping at H&M and you finished shopping at (f/s), you and the three other boys passed through the food court. The aroma of food in the air caused your stomach to make noises out of hunger.

"Y'all wanna eat anything?" you asked, walking through gaps of crowded people.

"Can we get some subway," said Shawn.

"Ew no," Hakeem looked at Shawn with disgust, "We're getting Chipotle." You all automatically agreed and stood in the line behind other people that were ordering from Chipotle.

"I can pay for y'all?" Kendrick pulled out his wallet, already pulling out his card.

You shook your head, "Nah it-"

Hakeem quickly slapped his hand over your mouth and gave Kendrick a smile, "I mean if you insist, thank you Kenny."

You licked Hakeem's hand and watched him look at his hand, letting out short scream of disgust, "Bitch I know you did not ju-"

"Next up please," the employee at the register called out to the four of you.

❑  ❑  ❑

  ❧ "So, uh, y/n," Kendrick cleared his throat as he picked around his salad with his fork. You looked up from your phone and finished chewing before speaking, "Yeah?"

"You live in New York now?"

"No, I live in a box...yeah I live in New York now," you gently stabbed your salad with your fork, "I came here for my, fashion design courses, like the one y-"

"I told you about," he finished your sentence. You nodded at him while rubbing your lips together as he only chuckled,"How is it though?"

"It's great, actually, I met a lot of friends."

You heard Hakeem clear his throat and cough after you mentioned friends. You and Kendrick both gave Hakeem a concerned look.

"You good?" Kendrick asked, raising his eyebrow at his friend.

"Yeah I'm straight, wait no...not straight, I'm good," Hakeem formed his lips into a straight line as his eyes moved slowly away from the two of you.

"You still going to school though?" Kendrick took a napkin that was setted up on the table and gestured his fingers for you to come closer, "You got dressing on the side of yo' lips."

"Oh thank you," you leaned forward, feeling the napkin gently pat against your mouth. You pulled back after he finished and began to answer his question.

"Yeah, I just take online classes while I also attend my other course," you covered your container and placed your fork on top, "But what about you? Whatchu doing now?"

"Right?" Hakeem butted in your conversation, "Ain't yo ass suppose to be up in Yale?"

"Nigga I linked with you and Shawn last week," Kendrick slowly turned his head to look at Hakeem, who was giving Kendrick the side eye, "You already know why i'm out here."

"Ion remember that," Hakeem lied still looking at Kendrick, as if he's instagram didn't say much already.

"Wait you were here?" you asked.

"Hakeem told me you was hanging out with somebody and so he called me due to boredom," Kendrick drummed his fingers against the table. Hakeem took a sip of his sprite as he looked at you in the corner of his eyes.

You blinked your eyes, trying to remember what you were doing last week and suddenly remembered that you were out with Eren.

"Oh yeah...I was," you kept thinking of ways to start another conversation just to avoid Kendrick from wanting anymore details about whom you were hanging out with, "Uh like I was asking, whatchu doing out here?"

"I'm also taking some online classes while I'm out here doing Photography."

You hummed and nodded your head after taking in everything Kendrick said, "Oooh so you actually became a photographer?"

Hakeem butted in again, "Nope, he's an assistant."

"I mean, that ain't so bad...right?" you sipped on your (f/d).

"Nah," Kendrick shook his head, waving his hand in the air, "I get to travel so that's cool."

"Mhm," you clicked your tongue after taking your last sip from your (f/d). All four of you sat in silence as everyone but you finished up eating their food. You were too busy looking down at your phone to even notice the quick glances that Kendrick made at you. Hakeem was the only one that noticed the looks Kendrick was giving you.

Kendrick sighs quietly before speaking up, "You got the same number, y/n?"

"Nope," you answered him without looking up from your phone. You honestly knew that he was gonna end up asking for your phone number, you weren't surprised, "If you wanted it, you should've just asked."

"I kinda am asking," Kendrick took his phone out of the pocket from his hoodie, "You mind?" his upper lip curving into a smile as he pushed his phone across the table towards you.

You watched Kendrick continue to push his phone with his finger until it reached beside your hand. You took a pause and stared at Kendrick's phone before dialing your number.

"Here," You handed him back his phone, "Don't blow up my phone."

"I won't."

   

❑  ❑  ❑

    ❧ Kendrick had his back leaned against Hakeem's car, watching you put your shopping bags in the backseat of the car.

"It would be nice if you helped me with these bags you know," you continued to pick up shopping bags from the ground and putting them in the car.

"You shouldn't have bought so much stuff."

You rolled your eyes and finished putting your bags in the car. You placed your hands on your hip as you took your deep breaths, slowly closing your eyes. You opened one of your eyes to peak at Kendrick, who was still looking down at you.

"You think you cute or some? Stop looking at me like that," you slowly turned back around and closed the car door.

"Sorry," Kendrick apologized.

"Kenny," you exhaled a laugh, pinching the bridge of your nose, "I was joking."

"Right right, I knew that," Kendrick shrugged, brushing off the imaginary dust off his shoulder. your lips formed into a straight line as you shook your head at his goofiness.

"Kenny get off of my car," you watched Hakeem shove Kendrick off of his car by pushing his neck, "Stop tryna look cute by leaning against my car, this shit cost more than just coins."

"Hakeem leave the man alone, He ain't do none," you shook your head and started walking to the passenger side of the car. Kendrick and Shawn stayed behind to talk to one another while you snd Hakeem were already in the car, waiting for Shawn.

"Aye bro I'll see you later?" Shawn raised his hand a bit, waiting for Kendrick to clasp his hand with his for their handshake.

"Yeah," Kendrick nodded. Shawn walked to the backseat of the car as Kendrick walked up to your window. You rolled down your window after hearing a knock.

"Yeah?" you buckled your seatbelts before looking back at Kendrick. He had his arms rested on the window leaning his head a bit inside the car.

"Hakeem, this a nice car you have here," Kendrick still studying the inside of the car, "Stripper cash did you well?"

You slapped your hand over your mouth and started laughing as soon as you realized what Kendrick meant, a smirk growing on Kendrick's face.

"Kenny noooo, it's the onlyfans cash," you patted his arms as you kept looking back at Hakeem, trying not to laugh even harder.

"Y'all think this shit is funny huh?" Hakeem glared at the two of you, "Keep akekeing and i'll give you something to akeke about."

"Okay Momma Keem," Kendrick drummed his fingers against the inside of the car door, "It was nice seeing you Y/n," he flashed a smile as he kept looking at you. The lines appearing on around his lips once again.

"It was nice seeing you too, Kenny," you returned a smile. Kendrick moved his arms off of the window and slowly backed up away, doing a short and quick milly rock dance move. You playfully rolled your eyes at him up as you rolled up your windows.

"You gon tell him about leather jacket or what?" Hakeem asked as he started to drive out of the parking lot.

"Who?" you looked at him in confusion.

"Man bun."

"Hakeem," you tilted your head at him and pressed your lips together.

"White boy."

"Why do you refuse to just say Eren," you raised your hands in the air.

"Because it's funny calling him everything but his name...now answer my question, are you gonna tell him about, Kenny."

"I don't think I need to," you responded, unlocking your phone, "It's not like we're dating so it wouldn't be that serious."

"Girl," Hakeem pressed his lips together as he looked from the road and back to you, "You're instagram says otherwise...Shawn what do you think?"

Shawn replied, not even looking at his phone, "About what?"

"About Eren and Y/n."

"Who?"

"White boy," Hakeem corrected himself for Shawn's better understanding.

"Oh um ion know," Shawn shrugged. Shawn generally thought it wasn't his business so he really didn't have much to say. But he clearly was aware of what was going on between you and Eren because of a Hakeem.

"They not dating but they probably fucked...sounds like a friends with benefits type shit to me," Shawn said as he got his point across. You sat back but not saying a word as the thought of having a friends with benefits relationship, running through your mind.

"Oh? Shawn's spittin," Hakeem snapped his fingers in the air.