Arthur's p.o.v

Pops can be overly belligerent, hardheaded and inconsiderate. I got that stubborn behavior from him and I never thought I'd see the day where I'd be the one calming him down and talking him out of doing something he'll undoubtfully regret.

After parking the car right in the middle of the street last night, I hurried to our apartment. He stood up immediately when he saw the look on my face and he didn't hesitate to throw on his jacket and even pushed three guns forcefully on the back of his jeans. He was ready to end lives.

He kept repeating "That's how it is? They come at you?" after I truthfully told him that I was chased in traffic. "You hurt?" he questioned almost every two seconds as if I wasn't able to handle the situation myself.

We were up till 1 am in the living room typing away on our phones. Pops was making some phone calls as I sat there with my phone making sure he didn't leave until he fell asleep.

I, on the other hand, couldn't sleep with all those unanswered questions in my head and I figured that it wasn't a good time to talk about it. Jake being on my mind 24/7, having dreams about me doing some weird shit to him made me curious and I searched it up on the internet. I ended up reading about intimacy between men, different sexualities and, although it's too embarrassing to admit and might even hurt my pride, I watched gay porn.

And it wasn't bad...

So here I am this early in the morning thinking about Jacob Park, my guilty pleasure. I rub my hand over the durag on my head that's protecting my waves. I lazily move to the other side of the bed to get up when the sudden footsteps in the hallway get my attention. 'Must be pops' I think to myself as I hurry to the door.

Unbothered to greet him, I walk into the kitchen and sit on the chair as I purposely slide the chair around to let my presence known. It's funny how I want to talk without any idea how to start the conversation so I sigh in satisfaction when he starts speaking. "James has some connections working with the cops so we'll be going there today for more info" he speaks with his back facing me.

"You wanna come with us?" I hear him ask but I shake my head feeling surprised that he wants to take me with him to talk about business. "We might pay the Mexicans a visit, that could be an exercise for your mischievous ass" he goes on but stops when I'm not showing any interest.

The loud sound of a spoon hitting the sink echoes through the whole room and he clears his throat. "Aight, what's bothering you! What's got your mind off violence" he questions as he moves the chair loudly right across from me and places his cup of coffee on the table. Speechless and in a dumbfounded manner, I sit up avoiding any eye contact.

"You got one of those nasty lil girls pregnant and now you're rethinking life?" he questions waving one arm in my face making me realize that I was staring at the table. "Yeah, you gone have to take care of the both of them and that shit will teach you that a condom is way cheaper than a motherfucking kid" he spits scaring me.

"I ain't got nobody's daughter pregnant" I answer rapidly to stop him before he starts lecturing me. He never stops when he starts with his words of wisdom.

"Then why are you sitting with slumped shoulders looking off as hell" he shrugs with his arms crossed over his chest. "You killed someone?" and I shake my head with a frown.

"I just.....I think I'm digging someone" I truthfully confess and he stares at me in disbelief. "What I'm trynna say is that....I might like this person." He squints his eyes with his hand under his chin as he looks me up and down. "You ain't have to believe me, It's cool."

"You feeling somebody?" he asks to be sure he heard that right and I nod. "That's what got you worked up? And here I thought you killed someone while making a drop" he scratches his beard with his head tilted to a side.

"Naah, I don't kill them, I teach them a lesson like you" I smirk proudly and he throws me a judging look.

"You told her yet?" he goes back to our main topic and I shake my head. I haven't told him anything yet but I should before I lose it and fuck the shit out of him, damn. "You planning on telling her?"

"It's a little complicated and h- she's shy as hell. I don't wanna scare her and I'm not sure if I like like her or if it's just a phase" I pick my words wisely before I slip up and expose myself. "Maybe I'm just trynna fuck or maybe I like her for real and I don't wanna ruin what we got cause she ain't got anyone else. And if that shit happens, she'll be going right back into that dusty little library I don't want her to be in. H- she swallows everybody's shit cause she's scared to tell them how she really feels. I'm try-"

"You want the crib to yourself?" he cuts me off and a frown appears on my face. "To talk to the person you're feeling cause that shit sounds serious to me. I ain't gone be in your way when you're pouring your heart out."

"I don't think that's a good idea either.....This shit makes me look like a punk for how complicated it is. I can't just get up and do it cause there will be consequences for the both of us, especially her."

"She a white girl?" he asks firmly.

"She's Asian and her parent don't like me. You got a problem too?"

"I ain't got anything against it, I'm cool with that as long as you're cool" he tells me and I throw my head back looking up at the ceiling.

"But on some real shit, nothing's too complicated, son. You just gotta do what your heart feels and take a chance. I ain't raised no punk and shit like this isn't supposed to scare you, it's supposed to make you curious and want more. I've been living with you for a while now and this is the first time I've heard you talk about someone as serious as you just did and to be honest I'm proud. That's why I'll leave the crib to you so you can persuade this special person" he shrugs and it's surprising to see him act so understandingly. That's how parent always are until they find out the person is the same gender as you, according to what I read...

"I appreciate it but I don't think anyone will accept it."

"Arthur, Acceptance and forgiveness comes naturally when you're family loves you and you're my son. We only got each other so disowning you or some shit like that ain't gone ever happen. There are only two of us and if you feel like adding one more to the family, I'm down. Just don't talk about the business we do, don't hit raw and we're cool" he assures me and I take a deep breath. I needed to hear that.

I could care less about what anyone says but when it comes to pops, I want him to be proud because he's truly the only one I got except from Jake if he's willing to accept me as I am.

"Invite her over" pops exclaims from the living room. "No drops until we find out who's been chasing you. I don't want our plan to be ruined and you ain't got no business in jail" he warns me and I agree to everything he just said feeling light. It's as if I was walking around with something heavy on my shoulders and pops effortlessly lifted that shit up.

"I'm out. Take the other car, James is picking me up" and I hear the front door close. I turn my phone on to send Jake a quick message and I wait for him to reply because he's usually with his phone at this hour.

Me: hey, I'm coming over

Dollface🤗❤: •••

I impatiently watch the three dots indicating that he's typing until they disappear and get worked up when I don't receive any text. I send him another message and he doesn't even bother opening it this time. 'Now that I'm trynna get you, you leave me on read?' I think to myself as I tap my foot on the floor. I wait for a minute and then press the call button.

~~

Jacob's p.o.v

I bite my inner cheek as I stare at the people walking around in full angst. Deandra asked if I wanted to join her to the mall and since I haven't  been in contact with her, I couldn't say no.

It's been a fun day so far. We ate ice cream, bought a lot of clothes and talked about whatever although she does more of the talking. Deandra is a very nice girl and I wish we went to the same school when I was younger because she'd definitely encourage me to beat up my bullies. She can brighten anyone's day or make it a living hell if she has to.

I smile when I see her coming back to our table with two glasses of colourful drinks and thank her when she places one in front of me. "We're celebrating your fine taste in men today, honey."

I laugh at her playfulness and try to take a sip but I only end up couching it all out. "Is t- this alcohol?" I ask through coughs and she laughs loudly.

"Boy, that's a cocktail and it has a little bit of wine in it but don't worry about it. Look at the rainbow color and enjoy it if you don't wanna drink it" she smiles while I wipe my mouth first and then the substances of the drink that fell on the table.

"Look, look, look" she hits my hand lightly on the table and I follow her gaze towards a lightskin guy with curly hair. She's been showing me guys since I told her about my confession to miss Alyssa and all she said was, 'you're the only one that didn't know' and laughed. I guess my brain processes stuff very slowly, I just can't help it.

I push the drink to a side as carefully as I can and listen to her blabber away until my phone vibrates in my pocket and I fish it out. I feel a smile creep up on my face when I see the contact name and I can't help but blush ferociously. I've missed everything about him.

I bite my bottom lip out of nervousness as I let my finger hover over the answer button. I'm being unreasonable again and it's nerve-wracking. I feel like he'll find out that I have a thing or two for him if I answer.

"Oh my God, you're face is adorable, look how red you are" Deandra's voice pulls me out of my daydream and I pout a little when I realize that I haven't picked up the phone. "Arthur send you a dickpic? I want to see how big it is, you can't keep all this info to yourself" she teases and I shake my head embarrassingly.

"N-no, he was calling m-" but the vibration of my phone stops me midway. "Oh, it's him again." I show her the screen before answering.

"Hi"

"You were asleep?" his low and smooth voice beams through the phone and I unconsciously bite my lip.

Deandra starts making funny things with her face and hands causing me to giggle but I quickly close my mouth with my hand. "No" I answer his question when I finally get the hang of myself. "I'm at the m-mall with Deandra."

"You having fun?"

"Lots of fun. We bought lots of nice clothes and cocktail.....oh I bought you something."

"What did you get me."

"It's a surprise" I giggle at his eagerness to know. "Where are you" I ask him when I hear cars honking in the background.

"I'mma go hang out with the homies since you're shopping and having fun. I'll come get you later on to see the surprise."

"You're going to the trap?" I ask to be sure and he hums on the other side. "Y-you could come get me now, we've finished shopping and you'll get to see your surprise" I say quickly to prevent him from going there.

Two officers came to ask me some questions about Arthur last night and I managed to lie somehow. The man, officer Banks, and the disrespectful woman, officer Mason, that he came with were pressuring me to tell them certain things that I don't even know.

At some point they even tried to threaten me with my father, how they know him is beyond me, and the craziest thing they did was the way they described Arthur to me. They made him sound like some murderous drug dealer that traps people so raising suspicion is the last thing he should do. That's why he shouldn't go there because they might be following him.

"Oh, you want me to come get you now, huh?" he asks and I swear his voice got appealingly lower than it usually is.

Flushed and clueless what to do with myself and my sweaty palms I answer "yes?" and he chuckles a little.

"Aight"

"Aight as in you're c-coming now?" I ask getting down from a high I'm not supposed to be.

"Yeah, I'mma take you to my house to unwrap the gift and you're spending the night" he states casually and the line cuts off.

What!? Spend the night at his house!?

"Art?.....Arthur?" I call out to him and look at the screen, he hung up.

Is this bad luck? Why would he invite me there when it's not even been a day since I've found out that I might be gay. How in the world will I survive a day with Arthur if every little action of his gets me heated to the point where I feel like exploding. I'm sure I'll sleepwalk into his room just to stare at him while he's asleep. Wait....what if we sleep in the same room, I'm done for.

"You're sweating and it's making me nervous" Deandra voices and I start shifting around in my seat. "What's wrong."

"Uhmm Arthur s-said that I'll spend the n-night at his house" I repeat his unbelievable words to Deandra and she yells like a little girl into her hands. "Is it t-that bad?"

I watch as she claps her hands seemingly enjoying herself when I'm here panicking. "Bet you ain't coming back......." she snorts and stops mid-sentence to take a deep breath, "Bet you ain't coming back with the same walk" she finishes and laughs once more.

"I r-really don't get it" I breathe out getting more nervous with the second.

"Okay, okay, I'll stop" she wipes a fake tear carefully not to mess up her make up. "What exactly did he say, like I wanna hear the whole sentence" and I tell her exactly what Arthur said before he hung up in my ears.

She nods as she thinks about something for a moment and takes my hand in hers when she's done. "He meant you when he said that he'll unwrap the gift, baby" she sighs, "I wish I was a fly on the wall, Jesus."

"N-no, I bought him something. That's what he meant with gift" I clear up. "I'm just worried about spending the night because I'm s-scared? What if I t-tell him how I feel."

"First of all, you are the gift and second of all that nigga likes you. Good thing we bought those shorts, you can wear them as soon as you get to his house" she says excitedly and I regret giving into her when she convinced me to buy matching shorts.

"Do you shave?" she questions so bluntly that I'm the one blushing. "Like your whole body, not just your armpits." How can she be so blunt.

"Y-yes" I answer thrutfully because I shave my body sometimes. The only place hair is growing on my body is my head. I'm so gay...

"Good, you don't have anything to worry about. Let Arthur just do his thang  boo" she says and I get confused when she puts her hand up for a waiter to come to the table. "I ain't even gonna order anything, I just wanna talk to Mr. Fine before we leave." 

"Hey" I hear someone say and my eyes meet with the waiter's  when I look up, he's very tall.

"Come here" Deandra gestures for him to sit down and he sits right beside me. "Stephen?" she reads the name from his nametag and he nods with a small smile.

"That's me but my friend call me Steph. Nice to meet you" He introduces himself as he gives Deandra a quick shake. I hesitate when he turns towards me and reaches for my hand. I try to pull back but he tightens it a little before he let's go.

"I'm Deadra and this is Jacob" she says and he looks at me, "so can you ball like Steph?" I hear her say when I look away. "On and off field?" and he laughs hitting me a little with his wide shoulders.

"I'm good at both, Not gonna lie."

"Ayy that's what I like to hear....look at your arms, they look like some big ass thighs. You lift weight or you're on steroids?" Deandra asks him and it surprises me when he involves me in their conversation.

"What do you think, Jacob?" he nudges me and I move away in fear. 'I think I'm awkward and asocial'  I mentally answer his question.

"I-I... t-think t-tha-" and my cheeks get warm when I catch a glimpse of Art walking to other side. He must be looking for us. "Art!" I exclaim so he can get me out of here faster. This is the loudest I've been around people and even Deandra is surprised.

"You think it's art?" Stefon or Stefin says and I shake my head.

"Not you, Arthur is" I mutter making Deandra snort as I wave for Arthur. When he sees me, he smirks but it fades the closer he gets to the table.

An unexplainable excitement gets me off my chair and I shyly meet Arthur on the way. I swing in front of him unsure of what to do as we stare at each other. "Hi" I whisper biting my lip as I twist one foot on the floor and squeal when his hand finally goes to my waist. I hug him as if we haven't seen each other for fifteen years and when I let go he leads me back to the table with our hands tangled in each other. I sit in my same seat as he sits beside Deandra.

"Jake, you didn't even answer the question" Deandra brings up after an awkward silence.

Arthur looks at her first and then at Stefon, so scary that it would terrify me if he wasn't so pretty. "What question" he asks with his eyes still on  Stefon.

"We were talking ab-"

"Ain't you supposed to be over there?" Arthur points towards the people behind the counter and I reach over to poke him.

"Don't be mean" I mouth to him and try to lighten the mood. "Uhm, Stef-f-ion? uhm your thighs....no, arms are nice" I finish and Arthur's knitted eyebrows go even deeper. I feel Deandra kick me under the table and brings her two fists close indicating that they might fight when I look at her.

"Thanks, Jacob" Stefon nudges me and I flinch. "Liking the cocktail so far?"

"Y-yes."

"Fuck no, how long has your ass been here feeling up on him" Arthur voices loudly and my eyes widen.

"Calm down, bro. Why are so uptight" Stefon throws fuel to the fire.

"Cause your presence bugging me, nigga. Call me bro one more time and  you'll be picking your teeth of this table."

This makes Stefon laugh a little and I look at him as if he has grown three heads. I don't blame him since he doesn't know Arthur but I'm not ready for the outcome.

"Look, I'm not looking for trouble, I don't even know why you're here because we were enjoying each others company until you came. It's okay to be a little worked up...but you have to tone it down, right guys?" Stefon asks us but none of us agree. "See, told you br-"

Bam...

And Stefon becomes one with the table which isn't funny because he's struggling to move away from Arthur's iron grip on his head. "Art, s-stop" I yell and get up to calm him down although this side of him gets me hot. I try to pull his hand away but he gets up with his hand still on the head making Stefon grunt and lets go second later.

"I'mma wait for you in the car" he states and walks away.

"Yeah, we ain't paying for no damn cocktail that we couldn't even enjoy because your bitch ass on steroids couldn't do shit" Deandra rambles as she picks up her shopping bags and I do the same. "I bet you can't ball with them short legs and lisp looks good but not on you. Your teeth have no rights to be that far apart from each other."

"S-sorry" I wave at Stefon who's still sitting there