Not Even Close (A New Generation)

by Elizabeth Reyes

  He handed the phone to Vannah who was already smiling big with anticipation. Nena and Byron leaned in on either side to watch with her.

  “I told him I had to wiz just a few blocks after we left my place.”

  That alone had them snickering, and Vannah was just glad this was apparently supposed to be funny. Because just the fact that this was some kind of hidden video gag on impatient Uncle Romero, of all people, had her going already.

  It started out with Manny and Romero in his car, but the camera was facing Romero and he already looked irritated. “Seriously? How old are you, man? Couldn’t you piss before we left the house?”

  “Just pull over right here, will ya?” Manny pointed out the window.

  “You’re not pissing on the side of the road, Manny.”

  “What am I, an animal?” Manny asked sounding genuinely appalled. “I mean right here, at the gas station.”

  Turning to glare at his uncle, Romero shook his head but grudgingly pulled into the station. “Hurry up,” Romero urged impatiently. “We’re already late because of you, and now this.”

  “I had to get him good and worked up,” Manny explained proudly to the girls as they continued to watch. “To get the best reaction.”

  They turned back to the video. “You want anything?” Manny asked. “I’m getting a hot dog.”

  Romero’s head jerking to look at his uncle wide eyed, as he parked the car, already had them all in stitches. “A hot dog? Are you shitting me? We’re late because you just had to finish every bit of that big trucker breakfast special your wife made you.”

  Vannah leaned against Byron laughing so hard she could barely see through her blurred eyes.

  “Just a little snack for the road,” Manny said as he opened the door and started out.

  “Unbelievable,” Romero shook his head pulling his own phone out and glanced down at it. “Make it fast, Manny, and you’re not eating in my car.”

  Manny got out but before he closed the door, he opened it again and stuck his head in. “You sure you don’t want any—”

  “No, I don’t want anything. Now hurry up before I leave your ass here.”

  Waiting a second as Romero glanced back down at his phone still shaking his head, Manny slammed the door so hard Romero flinched and nearly dropped his phone. The stunned expression was enough to have them all rolling even as an exasperated Romero yelled out for Manny. That would’ve been good enough, but Manny opened the door again. “What?”

  “Why the hell you slamming my door like that?”

  “It slipped.”

  Still glaring at him, Romero shook his head, his expression completely irritated but didn’t say more. Once again Manny waited until Romero was glancing down at his phone, letting his guard down. The door slammed so much harder this time the whole car shook.

  This time Romero did drop his phone. “What the fuuuuck!”

  Vannah and Nena could barely catch their breath, they laughed so hard. Even Romero smirked as he watched them all laughing at his expense. Apparently, everyone at their table had already seen the video because just hearing it from where they were sitting, they laughed heartedly too.

  Manny took his phone back to find the other video he’d mentioned. “This guy’s just too easy,” he said shaking his head and wiped tears away.

  Through his continued wheezing high-pitched laughter, he explained that the next one was him being an influencer. “Yaknow? Giving advice and tips on something you’re a connoisseur on.”

  Romero shook his head after sipping his beer but smirked. “Yeah, this fat bacon lover connoisseur.”

  Vannah and Nena laughed. They didn’t even know what to expect but already it sounded hilarious. Manny handed the phone back to Vannah and again Nena and Byron assumed the position ready to see what they were in for. The video started up. It was heavyset Manny sitting on a weight bench in Romero’s garage, wearing the most ridiculous straight-out-of-the-seventy’s workout outfit. Suspenders, head band, leg warmers, and all.

  At this point Vannah already had a major case of the giggles and she was cackling just looking at the outfit. “Oh, my God!” she wailed with laughter.

  They all watched the video laughing as Manny looked into the camera and whispered. “Here he comes,” he gave a thumbs up and turned the camera to the door where Romero walked out into the garage and immediately slowed, his expression instantly going sour.

  “What are you doing? What the hell are you wear—”

  “Shut up,” Manny said. “I’m shooting a video here for all my followers.”

  Since Manny was holding up the phone in front of him it was clear Romero thought Manny was videotaping himself not him. “A lot of yous have been asking about my diet, workout regime, and how I stay in such great shape.”

  Romero’s head literally jerked back, and Vannah and Nena nearly fell off their chairs laughing. Even Byron was cracking up now.

  “The hell?” Romero asked. “You’re in great shape? And what followers—?”

  “Let me finish this, will ya?” Manny said as Romero continued to gawk at him in utter disbelief. “First of all, I don’t eat any junk ever. Nothing but salads and healthy shit all day long. I wake up every morning at four AM sharp, and go for a five-mile run. Then—”

  “Get the fuck out of here!” Romero finally laughed which immediately had Manny wheezing in both the video, and as he stood there watching them all laugh.

  “Holy hell! This is great.” Nena said clutching her chest still laughing and wiping away tears.

  Both sisters could barely catch their breath, they continued to laugh so hard. Vannah had seen the challenges online before, but Romero just made such a perfect candidate for these. Especially it being Manny who pulled them on him. Over the years, Vannah had witnessed the countless times Romero had lost his patience with his uncles. No matter how annoyed Romero got, it was always so amusing to watch and listen to them go back and forth.

  Already sending Manny her email address, Nena assured him the videos would be up within the next week. They watched them a few more times getting just as big laughs as the first times. Byron even had to help Vannah wipe her runny mascara she’d laughed so hard. That workout outfit Manny wore was just classic, and watching Manny purposely get Romero more and more worked up in the door slamming one, was just too hilarious.

  Aside from the videos giving them all a good laugh, Uncle Manny bringing out his phone had unintentionally served another purpose. Vannah couldn’t have been more thankful for it either. Despite her trying to reassure Byron that today would be far easier than yesterday, there was no hiding how tense he’d still been when they’d first walked in. Romero’s in-your-face spiel about hunting people down hadn’t helped. But the videos and laughs they’d gotten both while they’d watched and after when they continued to discuss them had given them a welcome distraction from everything else going on around them.

  Other than a few more tense-ish conversations with her dad and his brothers, the rest of their time at the party went smoothly. Even so, just like yesterday when they got back to their room Vannah gave Byron a much-needed massage to help alleviate all the tension that’d mounted in his hard muscles as the day had passed. Despite Vannah thinking the day felt much easier than yesterday, Byron confirmed the only time he’d been completely relaxed was when they’d been cracking up at Manny’s videos.

  Straddling Byron on his back, Vannah worked the tension out of his neck and shoulders with her fingers as best she could. Hearing him moan made her smile and at the same time feel a little guilty. Obviously, this weekend hadn’t been easy for him. And they’d still be having breakfast with her parents’ tomorrow morning before heading back to Los Angeles.

  Just thinking about everything he’d been put through so far with her family and what a trooper he’d been about it, never once complaining nearly had the words, I love you, slipping out. She wouldn’t say it even if she was sure she felt it, because it was way too soon. If her overbearing family hadn�
��t spooked him off yet, that just might. But she leaned down and kissed the back of his neck softly.

  “Thank you,” she whispered against his ear.

  Byron lifted his head a little. “For what? You’re the one giving me a massage.”

  “For everything you put up with this weekend.”

  This time he lifted his head further, and then turned around making Vannah have to slip off him. Pulling her in his arms, he gazed into her eyes. “Totally worth it.” He kissed her softly. “And I already told you, Savannah. I get it. Your dad’s threat, your uncle reminding me what I’d be dealing with, if I so much as ever make you cry. Your other uncles’ obvious lack of trust this soon. I can’t even imagine what me or my brother would do if we ever saw one of our Littles cry because some fucker broke her heart.” He chuckled before kissing her again. “Sucks being the would-be fucker, on this end of the scenario. But I’m glad you have so many backing you up. You’d be surprised. I’ve known girls whose families are the ones they have to be protected from. I love—” He seemed to catch himself as Vannah’s heart walloped. “I love knowing that even if things don’t work out for us for whatever reason, there’s plenty of others with genuine concern, that would gladly step up and kick some ass for you.” The sweet smile morphed into a smoldering one, as he lifted her blouse and peeked at her braless breasts. “But, if you really feel so inclined to thank me even though you don’t have to.”

  Byron leaned in and took her breast in his mouth, sucking firmly and making her already trembling body, heat with anticipation. “There’s other ways I’d gladly allow it.”

  His mouth moved to her other breast as he proceeded to suck a bit more feverishly and groaned. They’d only been making love for a few days now, but already Vannah knew, they’d likely never go another day being around each other that it wouldn’t happen. Just the thought had her breathing in deeply with a smile as she ran her fingers through his hair, so ready to have him in her again.

  Twenty-Four

  Richie

  Byron

  It’d been over three weeks since Savannah’s grandparent’s anniversary party. In spite of her taking him home to meet her entire family and even Beast and Ali agreeing that was huge in a relationship, fact remained she’d introduced him as her friend to every one of them. She’d even made a point of reiterating more than once that weekend to different family members, that her main focus right now was school and getting her goals mapped out. Byron was all for it, and he thought he was done obsessing about whether or not she thought this relationship might be headed anywhere, or if once done with school, she’d head home and never look back. But it felt almost silly to start asking this soon. That was four years from now. Even he didn’t know where his life would be by then, he had so much going on.

  Taking a break because he noticed the missed call from Savannah, Byron went upstairs to call her back. “Hey, you,” she answered, and he could already hear the smile in her voice.

  Of course, it had him smiling big too. Albeit nervously because what hearing what this young girl’s voice did to him now, hell what just seeing the missed call from her did to him earlier, scared the fuck out of him. Despite how heavy things seemed to have gotten between them, he wasn’t sure if his insecure heart was imagining it, but it’d begun to feel like she might be pulling back. In the past couple of weeks, she’d made sure to sneak in every few days how she’d had to reassure her mom or sister that she wasn’t expecting too much from this. That she was perfectly fine with his being even busier now that they’d finalized a deal for the shop’s reality show. Which meant he’d be even busier. He only hoped her answering like she did, meant she was still feeling the same ridiculousness he’d been feeling this whole time.

  “Hey.” He smiled big. “Missed your call.”

  “Yeah, I’m getting ready to leave to the market to pick up what I’ll need for you tonight.”

  Glancing at the clock on the microwave he saw it was near closing time already. “What time you getting here?”

  He heard her hurried footsteps and then what sounded like the chains on her dorm room doors lock. “I’m literally walking out—”

  “Hey, Vannah glad I caught you.”

  The guy talking had to be close because Byron heard him perfectly. “Who’s that?”

  She didn’t respond at first and the phone was muffled for a moment. While a bit inaudible, Byron still made out what she said. “I’m in a hurry right now, Richard.”

  Whatever Richard said Byron couldn’t make out, but he did make out what she said. “I can’t right now.”

  Richard said something else Byron couldn’t make out and then the phone was unmuffled and she spoke into it this time. “Byron, let me call you back.”

  “Richard, your ex?”

  “Just . . .” She huffed a bit then went on in a lowered voice. “I’ll call you in a little bit when I’m in my car, okay?”

  The phone clicked, and the call ended. Byron glanced down at the phone instantly feeling hot. The hell?

  Instinctively, he almost hit send to call her back—demand answers—but he didn’t. Instead, he took a deep breath. Nine’s theory about young college girls had long been something he’d stopped rethinking. It didn’t pertain to her anymore. Not after they’d gotten things straight that first night he’d had dinner with her parents. Not after everything that’d happened since then. Savannah couldn’t just go home with a clean slate anymore. That was not a family you brought a different guy to every few months.

  Just like at her grandparents’ barbeque there was likely a perfectly good explanation for this. Richard was a common name. What were the odds this was even the same guy? The guy didn’t even live in the area. Despite the inner debate trying to persuade him to let this be, twenty agonizing minutes later he was just about to give in and call her when his phone rang. When he saw her name on the screen, he picked it up. Even if this was a different Richard, she’d hung up on Byron for, he took a deep breath and willed his patience to hang in there.

  “Hey.”

  “Sorry about that.”

  Byron pressed his lips together and he closed his eyes but nodded as if she could see him. Of course, there was only one thing on his mind now. “Who’s Richard?”

  “My cousin Chava and him stopped by as they drove through LA, and I thought they’d left but he came back a few minutes later as I was walking out.”

  Pressing his lips together even tighter, now that she’d just confirmed this was the same fucker, Byron squeezed the empty water bottle in his hand and threw it in the trash a little harder than he’d intended. “Oh, yeah? What for?”

  “To talk. In private while Chava waited in the car. He umm . . . broke up with his girlfriend.”

  Byron stopped in the middle of the room when he realized he’d begun to pace. “So?”

  “Obviously, he’s aware I’m hanging with someone new now. But I guess he was wondering if I still had feelings for him, like . . . he said he still has for me. But of course, I told him no.”

  Hanging? This close to asking exactly what she meant by that, Byron decided he wouldn’t be a girl about this. She’d told the guy she didn’t have feelings for him anymore. That’s all that should matter, right?

  “Listen,” she said before he could respond to that, and Byron heard what sounded like a car door opening then the beeping sound as if she’d just put her keys in the ignition. “I’ll likely be about a half hour at the market but then it’s okay if I go straight to your place after?”

  Double checking the time on the microwave to be sure he hadn’t mistaken what felt like an eternity between the time she hung up on him and now, Byron confirmed it had been over twenty minutes.

  “Are you just now getting in your car?”

  “Yeah.” She huffed like she had earlier when she’d sounded like she really didn’t want to give Richard any of her time. “Richard can be long winded. I told you I hadn’t talked to him in a while, so we caught up some. But I’m on my way now.�
��

  Biting his tongue because he didn’t want to start this. He didn’t want to demand to know what they were catching up on and why the hell she hadn’t stuck to her initial, I don’t have time, response. Despite it being over two months since their agreement, it was still too damn early in their relationship—if in fact this was what their hanging out was—to start arguing over petty shit. Byron wouldn’t ruin the night over this. But they’d be getting back to the topic of her catching up with Richard for damn sure.

  He went back to her previous question telling her it was fine if she came over right after she stopped at the market. Of course, it was fine. He could hardly wait to see her again. Bottom line no matter how serious she might start to take this relationship, he once again reminded himself of the facts. It’d be at least four years before he could even begin to envision a real future with her. For now, he had her reassurance that what they were doing was exclusive. She’d of course told Richard she had no feelings for him anymore.

  Back the fuck up and just enjoy this for what it’s worth.

  Once back at the shop after getting off the phone with Savannah, Byron tried to shake the edginess her calls had put him in. It wasn’t until almost forty-five minutes later, when he saw her car pull into the parking lot of the shop, that he finally eased up. Just seeing her smile when he walked out, and their eyes met, did what she always did to him now. He was smiling from ear to ear despite his earlier qualms. She wore his 5th Street sweatshirt she’d claimed weeks ago. She’d mentioned making it her own the other day and now he saw how. She’d cut the neck a bit, so it hung off her delicate shoulder, the soft skin of her shoulder and neck teasing and Byron was already having visuals of kissing it from behind.

  It wasn’t even until he met her at the back of her car by her trunk that he noticed. “Your hairs darker.”

  The blonde ends were gone so it was a solid dark brown all over as opposed to her previously highlighted hair.