Write In The Middle Of It

“Whoa”, Erik said through a chuckle, “Heavy talkin? About what now?” Erik took his platter over to the pillows and turned up the volume to the television hearing the familiar theme song of Law and Order filling the loft.

“Mekayla took her soup over to join him, “No, we are gonna eat, blaze up, then talk.”

Erik shrugged, “Aiight.” He took a bite of something that resembled a hamburger, which caught her by surprise.

“Um, what is that you’re eating?” She asked.

Through a mouthful of food Erik responded, “Veggie burger.”

“Ugh.”

“Actually, they are pretty good.” Erik said still eating.

“How would you know?”

“Cuz I’m eating it.”

Mekayla rolled her eyes, spooning soup into her mouth “No that’s not what I meant. You have never eaten beef right?”

He nodded.

“Then how do you know that the veggie burger is good if you have nothing to compare it to?”

“Because even my meat eatin friends have said that the deli’s veggie burgers are good.” Erik replied defiantly.

She smirked, “Well that’s because they have eaten meat before. With you it’s like explainin to a virgin how good sex is.”

He sighed and took a sip of his ice water, “Lawd, you and your comparisons.”

“Am I wrong?” She asked sarcastically.

“I know me being a vegetarian isn’t what you wanted to discuss.”

“No, but like I said we’ll wait until after we graze and blaze.”

They both chuckled.

Basically, she wanted the time to reflect on what she was going to say to Erik. For what ever reason, Erik did not like Brett. And for another reason, Mekayla was really attracted to Brett. She was wondering in her own mind why she didn’t mind Brett’s pursuit of her, which led her to reflect on her own relationship with Kevin. It’s not that the relationship was ever bad it’s just that lately the distance became unbearable. Mekayla craved attention. She has self-diagnosed herself several times about her constant need of affection and correlated it to the lack of attention she received as a child. Her sister Madeline was always the favorite and Monica was always the problem. Mekayla always assumed she had a bad case of middle child syndrome.

Because of her syndrome combined with her father dying when she was young, Mekayla consequently made poor choices in the opposite sex. The men in her life seemed to have issues that they themselves didn’t know they had, but were apparent to her. Then along came Kevin, who was everything Mekayla ever wanted in man, but was strategically placed just far enough away from her to be inconvenient.

Then there was the whole sex issue. Mekayla always thought that because she wasn’t shown much physical affection as a child that she would reject it later but subconsciously did the opposite. She was known as the touchy feely type to the point it made some people uncomfortable. Unfortunately, she melted whenever a man kissed her just the right way. Brett had that skill and also the luck of catching her during a drought and a bad case of writer’s block. Both of which were building up inside of her to the point that she was going to explode. As unladylike as it sounded, she either had to write or fuck, and at the point when she first kissed Brett it didn’t matter which one she did.

She used to be able to tell Erik things like that. Erik would at one point just laugh and tell her to do her thing. But lately, his personality has changed, it’s like he almost is protective of her relationship with Kevin.

That was one of things that she wanted to discuss with him. Another thing was Erik’s obvious contempt for Brett. She didn’t understand it and she needed to understand if she decided to let Brett to become a part of her life, which she was seriously contemplating at this point, even if it was just for the physical gratification.

They finished their meals and automatically headed to the fire escape. Mekayla held her breath in the off chance that Brett was out there but when she looked down the alley she was quite relieved. As the blunt passed back and forth between the two Erik decided to be the first to speak.

“So how long are you going to keep me in suspense?” He asked her.

“I was just waitin to become relaxed,” she answered. “What do you have against Brett?”

Erik wrinkled his nose. “Just don’t like him. I don’t like the fact that he was stalking you. I don’t like the fact that you told him that you had a man and he still pursued you. He’s got balls with women but a bitch around men, and you know how I feel about bitches.”

Mekayla stood there half smiling, “Tell me how you really feel.”

Erik’s sour expression did not change, “I hit him the other day.”

Mekayla tried to look surprised, “You did what?”

Erik all of a sudden appeared like a little boy to her as he puffed out his chest.

“You heard me, I hit him.”

“What the fuck you do that for?” Mekayla mocked anger.

Erik took a long hit, “He’s just a bitch.”

“Jesus.” Mekayla muttered as she was feeling her high.

“What?’ He asked sharply.

“If I told you that I was digging him, what would you say?”

“I would write you off.” Erik responded without hesitation.

Mekayla examined Erik’s expression for some hint of a smile and found none.

“You’re serious aren’t you?”

“Dead serious.”

“I don’t understand that. You are my best friend, why wouldn’t you have my back?” Mekayla snatched the blunt back.

Erik began to smirk, “Don’t fool yourself, I would have your back regardless and I think deep down you know this. But I could not sit idly by and watch you be involved with someone that doesn’t deserve you.”

Mekayla felt her heart race because at this point she was forced to make a decision between Brett and Erik. What was confusing her was Kevin, who she was really in love with, wasn’t a factor. Erik then opened the door and walked inside the loft. She followed him with the blunt still lit.

“Hey I wasn’t finished.”

Erik put on his coat, “I am, before I get really pissed off, I am ending this conversation.”

“Well shit Erik, if Kevin and I are over and Brett doesn’t deserve me, who the hell does?” She shouted.

Erik walked up to her, grabbed both sides of her face and kissed her so deep and passionately that her knees buckled. When he stopped he looked at her in anger.

“Go to hell.” he said and he walked out leaving her stunned and the blunt burning.