We sat in Elvis' apartment living room as he placed the questions, well-folded, in a little tin. Aaliyah sat beside him, and I sat opposite both of them.
We were exactly on the floor, which was embraced by nice grey fluffy carpets.
"Truth or fist, Hayzen!" Elvis started before we could even decide the order in which the game would follow. "Oh, sorry!" he added and then started again,
"The rules will be one question for all. Whoever feels uncomfortable answering will either take a shot or a fist for my brother here." Elvis finished, his eyes looking at me as if he would kill me if I dared say no to his authoritative statement and rule of the game.
Elvis!" Aaliyah tried to speak, but was shushed again.
There was something in Elvis' eyes towards Aaliyah. I don't think he viewed her as a brother; I think he protected her more like a father. I never found myself being this sort of protective toward my sister. I felt he was being too much, but...
"What's your body count?" he stated, making me shift from my thoughts. He did not even pick any piece of folded paper from the little tin. I wondered what games he was playing; was he really so determined to hit me?
"Brother, you did not even pick any paper," Aaliyah stated in a rather worrisome voice.
'Was that fear I was sensing?' My thoughts questioned.
I needed to be strong for myself and just embrace the game.
After all, I had done lots of erroneous acts, and the fact that no one had ever made me pay for them made Elvis quite a good subject to make me physically hurt for my irresponsible deeds.
"I wanted to know if the doctor understands the rules!" he stated, his mouth moving rapidly on every syllable and word he pronounced.
"Elvis! I'm not playing this game if you keep acting this way!" Aaliyah stated, locking her eyes with her brother, and I saw a twinge of emotional softness show on Elvis' face before he plastered on a smile.
"It's not your fight, sister." Looking between me and Aaliyah, "You can watch us play." He finished and placed the tin between us –me and him.
"I believe it's me and you, brother." Eyeing me "You see, in the marines, we were always told to protect the marine as if it were your only living beloved." Shaking the tin a little, "Did Aaliyah ever tell you that our father remarried and our mother passed a long time ago?" he questioned. Not even waiting for me to answer, he continued,
"You see, Hayzen, I have no big deal with you. I like the buddies we are. But being buddies makes the line between friends and enemies much thinner, especially when the buddy tries to play innocent with the friend's sister." He took out one of the folded papers, opened it, and started, "Pretty simple," he laughed,
"What are your intentions towards Aaliyah?" The question was specific, I thought.
'What are your intentions towards Aaliyah?' the question repeated on my mind. 'Did I want her?' my mind questioned. 'Did I want us to be something?' my head repeated. Why was I puzzling my mind with these kinds of questions? It should be a yes or no, my thoughts screamed. I liked Aaliyah; of course, it was undeniable; my thoughts totally agreed with me. My mind was just helping in trying to break down what I really wanted between Aaliyah and me. I did not even notice what Elvis had said. I'm sure he stated, like any brother, that he was watching out for the best for his sister. He did not want her to settle for someone who would break her heart.
"Hayzen," Elvis called out, and it was my turn to answer.
"I... uh," I started, but Elvis' clenched jaw and sharp eyes that barely broke eye contact with me meant that in case I fumbled through my words, I was in for the worst fist.
"I like her," I said simply, and he shook his head.
"No, you don't get to answer that question with such a lame answer. Give me an answer. What are your intentions?"
"I would love to... uh! I know she has a boyfriend, which I respect." I started, paused to swallow the saliva that would somehow aid my thinking process, and when my mind was clear, I started again,
"My intentions are clear, Elvis. I do not wish to hurt her. I know she has a boyfriend, which I respect, but I just can't fathom the thought of her being around another. I constantly think about her, and like you, Elvis, I gratefully accept the fact that you are being protective over her. I would literally do the same thing if it were my sister."
The clap from Elvis made me look up. I had not realized I was speaking while looking at the tin. My thoughts flowed freely and were not distracted by anything. I was, for the first time, surprised with how easily I had said the words. I did not even want to look at Aaliyah at the moment.
"Nice one, brother," Elvis stated as he opened another folded paper. It was clear that I was not being included in the game; he just wanted to be the one who picked the papers. Any opponent would state the game was not fair, but I just sat there.
"What's your body count?" he stated, smiling slightly and looking straight at me.
I lost count of my body count a long time ago. It's not three figures, though, I'm sure, and neither one figure; it is between the former and the latter. I did not know what to answer.
"I don't know," I stated, making Elvis' jaw clench.
"What do you mean you don't know?"
"They were rough years, Elvis. I was usually excessively drunk more than expected., And..." I wanted to say I would leave early in the morning like a thief, but I knew this was not just a small piece of a game. It was more like a winning trust session. I needed Aaliyah never to get to know this worse side of me. I needed her to really concentrate on the fact that I was here.
"Elvis, I have to go," Aaliyah stated, checking her phone making all of us gaze shift.
"Where to?" We both asked in unison, which almost made both of us chuckle. It was clear that despite the blood boiling between us, the twinge of friendship was still evident. At least I hoped.
"Do y'all care? Aren't you playing a game of fists?" Aaliyah questioned, and this made Elvis stand up to meet Aaliyah's full face.
"Where are you going?" he asked softly, almost as if he were talking to his girlfriend or someone he was so in love with.
"To meet Larry. There is a party at Lockwood Place," she directly stated.
There was something between these two talking that I came to understand at the moment. Elvis was the controlling brother but softened once Aaliyah would speak out her opinion. It was, of course, obvious; they had grown together, and additionally had a really small age gap; they totally understood each other.
"Hayzen!" Elvis suddenly turned to me, "Make sure she is safe." With that, Elvis just kicked the tin we were playing with and headed to his apartment balcony. It was as if he was a little bit mad, but just could not show it. I looked at Aaliyah, but she just lip-talked the word, "
He'll be okay," and I nodded.
After ten minutes, Aaliyah was ready to leave.
It was now six pm.
From the apartment to the elevator, down to the parking lodge, Aaliyah led the way, and straight to my car she stood, waiting for me to open the passenger door.
She was wearing a glittering black dress that hugged her whole body and barely covered the full height of her thighs. If any of her items fell onto the ground, I wondered how she would bend to collect them. She matched the outfit with a nice black handbag and some nice, lengthy high heels, making her a little taller.
Checking her out, I realized she too was scrutinizing me from the silence that followed. Thus, I cleared my throat to dilute the air we were trying to elude. I had already directed the car remote to unlock the car doors, and so, being a gentleman, I opened Aaliyah's front passenger seat first and then embarked on my side as the chauffeur.
"I'm sorry about Elvis," Aaliyah stated, and I just smiled as I fastened my seat belt and started the car.
"It's normal for him. I would do that for my sister," I stated.
"You have a sister?" she questioned, "and not Kate," she added the last part in a serious tone.
"Kate is past tense," I stated as I approached the tarmac and then aligned my car towards Aaliyah's little party way destination. My last party was that day I met Aaliyah. Time flies for real. Look at us now, I found myself thinking. As I was driving, I started looking for my driver's license, which was situated between Aaliyah's passenger seat and mine, eyes still on the road. Right when I placed my hand to look for it, I was met with Aaliyah's hand, which was idly settled there. Our eyes made contact for a moment as I shifted my head to the road. I expected her to remove it, but she seemed to really enjoy the little skin that was embracing each other. I even forgot that I was checking my driver's license.
"Kate means nothing," I added, after she removed her hand. She did not say a word as I entered the party area she had told me about. It was someone's home but was well-built. After parking the car, I looked at Aaliyah, and she looked at me.
"Enjoy," I stated, "I will be here waiting for you." I finished, my mind clear of what Elvis had stated, 'to protect her'.