“You have a girlfriend?” Brandi interrupted.
Allison wasn’t technically my girlfriend—yet—but I felt like my heart belonged 354/727
to her from that very first day in the diner. I lied to Brandi anyway.
“Yes, I do, Brandi. I am sorry,” I said.
“Okay, Cedric. From what I had heard about you, I didn’t think you were the girlfriend type. But if you say so, that’s all I need to hear. If you change your mind, you know where to find me. You won’t regret it.” Brandi kissed me on the cheek, handed me her card and walked out the door.
I had lost track of the time. It was past ten.
I looked at myself in the mirror and realized I had a lipstick mark on my cheek.
Even though it was time to call Allison, I ran into the shower and took a quick one, washing my face vigorously and wetting back my hair.
When I got out, I wrapped a towel around me and immediately heard the computer ringing on Skype. I knew it was Allison, probably wondering why I was online, 355/727
but not calling, so I ran to the laptop, out of breath, but excited and picked up. It took a few seconds for the video to load and when it did, she took my breath away.
“Hey, beautiful,” I said softly.
“Cedric! Oh my God…you are practically naked!” Allison laughed.
I truthfully was so excited to hear the phone, I had forgotten I was only in a towel and dripping from the shower.
“Yeah…about that. I was just getting out the shower, but I didn’t want to not pick up, so, yeah…I am only in a towel.” I laughed at myself as Allison chuckled along with me.
Her laugh was wonderful.
“Hold on, okay?” I said as I got up and returned to the bathroom, coming out in baggy flannel pajama pants and a white wife beater shirt.
“You didn’t have to get dressed on my account,” Allison said.
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“Well, I figured you already had enough of a show for one night.” I laughed.
“I didn’t mind. You have a nice body, Cedric and I like your tattoo,” she said.
“Thanks.”
I was hoping she would drop the subject of the tattoo. I didn’t want to have to lie to her about its meaning.
“What does the tattoo mean? I actually first noticed it when you were changing that light bulb in Callie’s room. It’s some sort of cross and the word ART?” Allison asked.
Fuck.
Her
inquiry
was
innocent.
She
couldn’t have known the meaning of the tattoo. I hated lying to her.
“Yeah, it was just a stupid thing I did one night. It’s kind of grown on me, but it better because I am stuck with it, right?” I attempted to avoid having to explain the meaning of ART.
“What does ART mean?” she asked.
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Here we go.
“Ugh…it’s kind of a long story. I’ll explain it to you some other time.” My heart pounded hoping she would drop the subject of the meaning. It seemed the Gods were on my side tonight when she playfully asked, “Can I get a closer look?”
“I don’t know about that. If I show you mine, you might have to show me yours.” I hoped she knew I was joking.
“Okay. I mean if that’s what you want, we can do that.”
Holy Shit. She wanted to play.
Allison gave me a look that was an exact cross between innocent and naughty and I could tell she was half serious.
She was wearing a tight tank top with nothing underneath and I could feel my dick getting hard from the mere thought of seeing her bare skin. Lying in bed and being this close to her, even just on Skype, was driving me mad.
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“Okay, you want a close up of my tattoo?” I said mischievously.
“Yes, please.” Allison smiled.
I lifted my shirt and moved the laptop camera, so that she could see the side of my torso. “What do ya think?”
“I think it’s gorgeous,” she said.
“Well, I think you’re gorgeous,” I said as I pulled my shirt back down and repositioned the computer.
“Thank you,” she said sweetly.
After another moment of us just starting at each other smiling had passed, Allison spoke. “Cedric, tell me something about yourself that would surprise me.” My eye twitched as the irony of that question hit me.
God she had no idea, but I wasn’t going to let my mind go to that dark place tonight. Not tonight.
“You first,” I said, giving myself time to recover from that question.
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Allison smiled and closed her eyes to think for a second.
“Okay…well, let’s see. Something that would surprise you…okay…well, I was once in the Miss Massachusetts pageant!”
“No fucking way…you…a pageant girl?”
“Yeah…my mother convinced me to enter and I actually placed third runner-up.”
“Third-runner up? There is no way that pageant is based on beauty then, cuz you would have won if that were the case.”
“Aw, thanks…but no…see, there’s this little thing called talent? And well, I guess they didn’t appreciate my rendition of Wind Beneath my Wings.”
I threw my head back. “You did not sing that song?”
“I did…and it sucked ass.” I lost it at her use of that term, which I used a lot too.
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“Hey…but still third runner-up, it couldn’t have been that bad!” I said, wiping my eyes.
“Your turn,” she said.
I closed my eyes and thought about it.
“Okay…I
know…something
that
would surprise you is that I have a bit of a musical past myself.”
“Oh yeah?”
“My brother Caleb and I used to rap, actually. We had an amateur rap group as teenagers called Triple C.”
“Triple C?” she asked.
“Yeah…Triple
C
for
Cedric…Caleb…Callahan. We thought we were the shit. I used to write the lyrics and Caleb did the beats. We had the baggy jeans falling off our asses and everything…Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch wannabees.” I chuckled shaking my head at the thought of how ridiculous we were.
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Allison covered her mouth and shook in
laughter,
then
shouted,
“Rap
me
something!”
“Seriously?” I asked.
“Yes! Come on…show me what you can put together in three minutes,” she said.
My head fell back in disbelief and laughter. She was actually gonna make me do this?
“Okay. Three minutes…hold on,” I said.
I walked over to the hotel room desk and grabbed the pad of paper and pen.
Returning to the bed, I began to write down some lines, laughing to myself at how stupid this was, but I wanted to make her laugh and show her I was up for anything.
Allison stared at the screen for those few minutes smiling and giggling watching me write.
I looked at the alarm clock…my three minutes were up…so I returned to the 362/727
screen. “Okay…ready? This is for you, sweetheart.”
I quickly grabbed my sunglasses and put my baseball cap on sideways and began to sing, gesturing with my hands.
I met her in a diner.
Never seen a girl finer.
She gave me such a thrill.
I left a fifty-dollar-bill.
Left my credit card behind.
But you know I didn’t mind.
Took a Ride Unplanned.
Wrote her digits on my hand.
Found Out she works with my SIS-ter…
Before I even kissed her She tasted so divine.
Now, I want to make her mine.
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Allison’s face was in her hands and she was laughing so hard, that she had to wipe her eyes. I loved being able to make her laugh.
She
lifted
her
blushing
face.
”Cedric…Oh My God…I can’t believe you put together in three minutes! Thank you…that was awesome!” she said.