Every Soul (18 page)

“But what if I don’t make it, or I’m not the same on the court anymore?”

“You will be. I know for a fact, son, raw talent of your degree doesn’t change. Yeah, you’ll be a little rusty, but a few weeks of workouts and you’ll be back to how you were.”

“If we do this, do I have to go back to school?”

“No,” he firmly replies. “You have enough credits to graduate. Guys join the NBA all the time after a few years of college.”

“How do you know so much about me?”

“You’ve always been my favorite kid. I’ve kept tabs on you over the years and after your sister passed, I made sure that you leaving school wouldn’t impact your degree. I’ve always known the NBA would want you, I just didn’t know they would project you to get drafted so high.”

“I can’t believe that’s what they are saying.”

“I know, but with Conner out, you’re it. Your time’s now, Bain.”

“Damn. Okay. I hear all that you’re saying, I really do. I do feel I wanna give it a try, but I need to see how I feel on the court.”

“I can get you into a few pick-up games.”

“Fuck no,” I blurt out, “Not if everyone has their eyes on me. Not yet anyways. Let’s get some practice in first, let me shake the rust off.”

“I was hoping you were going to say that. I talked to Damian Millani – you remember him, don’t you?”

My mind flashes back to the seven-foot-tall ex-NBA all-star himself. “How could I not remember him? He’s a legend.”

“He a very good friend of mine. He said if we’re interested he’s happy to let us use his private gym.”

Staring at James point blank, I simply ask him, “How did you set all this up? I mean, what if I would’ve said no?”

“I’m methodical, and I knew you wouldn’t let me down. Come on, let’s get going.”

“What about lunch?” I complain.

“That’s right, you do need to put some weight back on.”

James calls the waiter over and we both order burgers. Then spend far too much time reminiscing. Going back reminds me why I love the game so much, and James too. He really molded me into the player that I am today.

Driving back home after one hell of a day of practice, I can’t help the smile that’s on my face. It’s ear to ear and I’ve never felt better. Well, if it weren’t for the nagging background noise of my body starting to wear down from not having any pills. But my shooting from within the paint was ninety percent and my free throws were on fire. My phone rings and the screen shows it’s a private number.

“Hello,” I answer.

“Bain, sweetie, is everything okay?” my mother asks in a panicked tone.

“Yeah, of course mom, why?

“It’s your dad. I can’t get a hold of him.”

“Come on, Mom, you know how busy he is. I’m sure he’s been in meetings or something.”

“I don’t know, Bain. I have a bad feeling.”

“I’ll talk to him soon and tell him to answer next time you call whether he’s busy or not. I promise he’s been good. Just working a lot.”

“Okay, thank you, dear. I’m sorry to call in such a tizzy. It’s just…I…I can’t have anything happen to my guys.”

“It won’t. I promise we’re good. How have you been?”

“Good, really good. I’m starting to feel like myself. How ’bout you? What have you been up to?”

“Not much. I actually practiced some basketball today with Coach Lawrence.”

“Oh my God, honey, that’s great news. How was it? How did you get in touch with him?”

“I ran into him at a Knicks game the other night.”

“Really? Who did you go with?” she asks surprised. I know why her tone is the way it is. Although she was a drunk for the last six months, she knew I was in a slump and had pushed all of my friends away.

Should I tell her about Arion?

“Uhh, just a friend.”

“Bain…”

Her tone is long and drawn out, reminding me of the way she used to get when Kinsey and I would get in trouble.

“It’s just a girl, Mom.”

“Really, just a girl?

“Yeah, really.

“Bain, you haven’t dated a girl in months. If you’re spending your time with one now and getting back into basketball, something has happened.”

“Time’s up, Renee,” I faintly hear a woman in the background say.

“I gotta go, sweetie. You should bring her down here. I wanna meet this girl.”

“We’ll see. Goodbye, Mom. I love you.”

“Love you, son. Bye,” she says and we hang up.

Not only hearing my mom’s voice, but hearing her in such good spirits, makes today one of the best days I’ve had in a long time – a really, really long time.

“Do you want another glass of wine?” Anthony asks me.

“Are you trying to get me drunk?”

“Never,” he says pouring me another glass without waiting for my response. I smirk at him, sipping on the deliciousness that he’s serving me.

“What is this?”

“It’s a Pink Moscato. You like it?”

“I love it.”

“Good. So tell me, what are your goals after you graduate?”

Staring into the corner of the room, I contemplate his question. What are my goals after I graduate?

“I really don’t know. Jesus, that sounds horrible. I don’t have a plan for my life yet.”

“It’s not horrible; you’re young. I felt that way at one point too, but I discovered that I had a talent and I could share that with emerging photographers like you. What do you like to photograph?”

“Don’t laugh, okay?”

“Never, this is your life we’re talking about.”

“Sports. My brother plays basketball and I love taking pictures at his games. It honestly doesn’t matter the sport though, just catching the action in the moment is amazing.”

“I love it.”

“Starbucks, this is Arion.”

“Hey, you’re still working.”

“Uhhh, yeah,” I respond in a sharp tone.

“I’ve been trying to get a hold of you on your cell phone.” Suddenly I recognize the voice. It’s Bain on the other end and my insides calm. Hearing him worried about me makes all the stress of this crazy day wash away.

“Sorry, I didn’t recognize your voice. It’s crazy loud in here. I didn’t charge my phone last night because someone kept me out all night. So it…ummm…died.” I keep counting the money in the register and almost come undone with his next comment.

“You won’t need your phone tonight either.”

“Why is that?”

“You’ll see. What time are you leaving?”

Glancing at the clock it’s 8:46pm. We close at ten and it’s already slowed down. “I think I’ll leave around nine.”

“Cool. See you soon, then,” he responds and hangs up.

There’s an unfamiliar excited tone to his voice, something that I’m not used to, but I like it. Knowing that it’s not long ’til I see Bain, I wrap up the deposit, ever so thankful that it’s not busy anymore.

“What’s up with the smile?” Sasha asks me as I come out of the office.

“What do you mean?” I look at her with a scowl on my face. “I’ve been smiling all day.”

“Haaahhh!” she blurts out, causing a few customers to look in our direction.

“You are such a bag. We we’re busy today and I was stressed, okay? I’m leaving now, since I was off, I don’t know, four hours ago.”

“You do that,” she quips back. “And make sure you keep that smile with you.”

“Suck it, bag.” I rip my apron off jokingly and snatch my purse before exiting.

“What’s a bag?” she questions as I push the door open with my back. I point at her and she just shakes her head.

The fresh air feels amazing, like my lungs have been deprived all day. Sparking up a cigarette, I hop in my car, pull out of the lot, and speed to see Bain. I know he didn’t say he would be there, but I know he will. That’s just how he is, and sure enough, as I pull up in front of my apartment, there he is. Backed into a parking spot, messy hair and light eyes gleaming at me. He’s got my signature smirk plastered on his face as I pull up next to him.

Flicking my cigarette out, I pop a piece of gum and exit. My stomach is a mess, a mix of butterflies and adrenaline, so new and different than when I was with Nate.

“You need to quit smoking,” he says.

I can’t help but laugh at him.

“I mean it, A.”

“Fine, I’ll think about it,” I respond, glancing at him as he pulls me tightly to him. I don’t get very long to look into those eyes because he quickly nuzzles himself into my neck. “God, you smell good.”

“I smell like coffee.”

Shaking his head he says, “Not right here.” And nuzzles my neck again.

I hold him tight, loving how even when I feel gross, he makes me feel so sexy. “Come on. Let’s head in, so you can change.”

“Do you really think I need to change, or can I just get naked?”

He looks up, like he is contemplating what I’m saying. “Fine. Naked.”

With a firm squeeze to my ass, we head inside. Aubrey is sitting on the couch painting her toenails. The last time she did that, she got more polish on her skin than her nails.

“Hey, guys,” she says and barely looks at us.

“Hey, girl. I’m gonna shower real quick.”

She nods her head with her tongue stuck out, obviously in deep concentration. Bain and I glance at each other and smile. We walk into my room and I shut the door, turning to find him sprawled across my bed. “You okay?” I ask as I begin getting undressed.

“I’m good. I’m tired, but good.”

“What did you do today?” I ask.

“Are you sure you’re ready for it?”

“Uhhh, yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Just checking. Remember James from the game last night? I met him for lunch. We talked about a lot of stuff, about me giving my NBA dreams another chance. Then he took me to an ex-pro’s private home gym and I worked out for most of the afternoon.”

Thinking about his words, I wonder why he went to somebody’s house to work out. “Arion, you have no idea how great it felt to get back on the court.”

“Holy shit, you didn’t tell me you played basketball!”

“Well, what did you think I did?”

“You said ‘worked out.’”

“That’s what we call it.”

I sit next to him, naked, barely able to contain my excitement. He senses just how happy I am for him and pulls me on top of him.

“I can’t thank you enough for giving me the drive to do it. Your words kept replaying in my head today, over and over. And I knew every time I heard them, what I wanted to do. What would really make me happy. It was a battle long overdue and I knew the minute James and I began talking, that I was meant to follow my dreams.”

Crashing my lips against his, I get lost in Bain, in who he is, what we have, and what he gives me. There’s a sense of security about him and knowing that I helped him continue following his dreams, makes me feel proud. With his hands tight around my body, we lie there together, enjoying each other.

“I’m so proud of you.”

“It’s all because of you. Thank you for motivating me.”

“Anytime.”

“Wanna shower?” he asks.

“Please,” I respond, and he lifts me in his arms, carrying me into the bathroom. He sets me on my feet and turns the water on. I can’t take my eyes off of him as he undresses. He’s so tall and muscular and…mine.