Alliyah

“Since Ocean is paying, I’m gonna go order some hot wings before the pie." Alliyah winked. "What’d y’all want?”

“I want tacos!“ Blue quickly replied.

“Nothing.” Ocean glared. “We’re here for pizza and nothing else.”

“Good thing I already got your credit card.” She beamed, poking her tongue through her teeth.

“I want nachos! It’s my favorite food to eat when I’m high.”

“We know, Colson, you tell us that every single time you get high.” Ocean smiled softly.

The game they were watching had started and ended. Colson had left twice to smoke joints in the bathroom.

“Okay so, what do you guys think hurts more - getting shot in the foot or stabbed in the hand?” The dark blonde boy was, by that time, not only high but also drunk.

“Shot in the foot, obviously!” Malcolm didn't skip a beat.

“I don’t know, dude. I’ve been stabbed, and it hurt like hell. It’s not like in the movies.” Alliyah took her hand to her ribs, where the stabbing happened.

“Sweets, you can’t just say you got stabbed and not tell the whole story.” Blue demanded in his thick English accent.

“Oh… Well, it’s a long story. I don’t wanna bore you guys.”

She took a sip of her beer, in hopes they would let her off the hook.

“Okay, so what hurts more - falling off a building or being hit by a bus?” Colson moved on to the next dumb question.

“Well, it depends on the building’s height and the bus speed.” She quickly replied before anyone could switch back to her story.

“Okay, one more. Last one. I promise.” Colson continued.

“I’m having fun with this.” Malcolm admitted.

“Getting hit on the nuts or giving birth?”

Alliyah facepalmed:

“Are you dead-ass right now?”

“Oh my God… Out of all the dumb questions you've asked while high, this one takes the gold. In the worst way possible.” Blue shook his head.

“What?” Colson asked in his aloofness.

“It’s obviously giving birth.” Blue replied.

“It's not that obvious!” Colson shrugged.

“Yes, it is!” Alliyah protested.

“It can’t be worse.”

“Now you're denying it?" Malcolm raised his thin, waxed eyebrows. "Honestly, I can’t believe we’re having this discussion.”

“Colson, don’t be such a bloke.”

“As someone who’s experienced both…” Ocean finally chimed in. “It’s worse. There’s no comparison.”

“I told you!” Blue grinned before taking a bite of pizza.

“Everyone knew but the white guy.” Malcolm chuckled.

"Wait a minute." Colson’s mouth was wide open and his speech was slurred. “Bro, you had a baby?”

Ocean just shrugged:

“Yeah. Some years before I transitioned… I don’t really wanna talk about it, though. Just know it’s really painful.” He chuckled before finishing his drink.

Colson nodded, looking absentminded.

“Well,” Ocean got up. “I gotta get ready to work...”

“I’ll leave with you.” Colson snapped out of his trance.

“Same.” Alliyah added.

The three of them said their goodbyes and went their separate ways, leaving Malcolm and Blue at the bar.

Ocean worked the night shift as a paramedic; Alliyah and Colson, on the other hand, worked from home and didn’t stick to schedules.

When she got home, Lamar was playing an old game on a beat-up console in the living room, sitting on the floor, in front of their 'antique' greenish couch. Neither of them liked it much but it fit in with the rest of the house.

Despite being an interior designer, she didn't care much about her own decor. 'As long as it's functional.' She would shrug off the fact that almost every piece of furniture was bought second, third, fourth hand. But people tipped their hats to the fact that she did find a way to make everything look like it belonged together in its own odd way.

The ugly greenish couch matched a green chair and the multicolored rug underneath the coffee table.

“Hey, kiddo." She greeted, throwing her keys on the small, round dining table. "Want some cold pie?”

“Nah, I’m good. Leave it there for breakfast, so I don’t wake you up in the morning.” He replied without taking his eyes off the small TV screen.

Rusty, their cat, came running, meowing at her and head-butting against her legs, getting her black fur on Alliyah’s blue jeans.

“Someone missed me.” She smiled down at the feline. “Or someone didn’t feed you.”

“She has dry food in her bowl.” Lamar protested.

He wanted the cat… But not the responsibilities. Alliyah sighed while steaming some vegetables.

“I have to work soon so you’re gonna have to give me some room over there. You can keep playing if you want, just turn the volume down. You know the drill.”

“Don’t worry, I’m going to draw or write before bed.” He smiled at her, melting her heart.

As the dogs realized that she was cooking, they joined her and Rusty in the kitchen. Snow, the black Doberman stretched her long legs, stepping on Alliyah’s feet whilst Arrow went for a drink.

While she was feeding the cat and dogs, Lamar got up and turned everything off:

“I’m gonna go now.”

“Okay, goodnight. Let me know if you need help with anything.”

“Will do. Goodnight.”

As she was pouring the vegetables in separate bowls that had each animals’ names on them, Ocean called her. She put on earbuds and accepted the call.

“Breakfast at Tribbiani’s tomorrow at 10?”

“Dude, shouldn’t you be at work?”

“I am.”

“So, a lifesaver EMT is calling me from his ambulance?”

“I’m a lifesaver paramedic. There’s a difference, whether or not you believe it.” Alliyah could imagine him adjusting his glasses while protesting. “No, but really, I just got here and there hasn’t been a call so I thought I’d ask.”

“Well, if you’re paying…”

“I didn’t say that.”

“But my hot lifesaver paramedic friend is such a gentleman…”

“Fine. I spoil you too much.”

“You’re a sweetie.”

She heard a commotion in his background - sirens, engines, and people shuffling around.

“Gotta go. Tribbiani’s at 10. Bye.”

Alliyah took a deep breath and made herself a large dose of coffee. Then, organized all the paperwork needed at the coffee table, and finally sat down to work.

Her face scrunched up whenever she took a sip of the bitter beverage because she never used sugar or cream, insisting she enjoyed the ‘natural flavor’ of it.