Page 16 of Adonis Gates

“Great.” I mumbled as I walked toward the building and prepared myself for the hike up the steps.

It was only a few flights, but I definitely felt the burn in my calf muscles once I made it to the door reminding me that I’d been slacking on my visits to the gym. I used to go religiously, but I hated going with Derrick because he was so embarrassing. Either he was trying to be macho and checking men when hethoughtthey were looking at me, or he was all over me. I loved PDA, but I hated it coming from him.

I knocked on Adonis’s door lightly once I was in front of it then stepped back and waited for someone to answer it.

When the door opened, I was greeted by the scent of Adonis’s cologne before his handsome face appeared.

“Jru?”

I smiled. “Hi, Adonis.”

“What’s up?” he opened the door more. “What you doin’ here?”

“Someone made a report…” I could tell by his expression that he was about to go off, so I quickly followed up with, “that’s why I’m here. I know what they’re saying isn’t true, Adonis.” My expression softened. “Can I come in?”

His expression was still hard, but he finally relaxed some and stepped back, opening the door enough for me to come inside. I discreetly allowed my eyes to roam the space and noted how neatand clean everything was. There was nothing out of place and that shocked me because it was two guys living there.

“You can have a seat if you’d like.” Adonis said, pointing toward the couch before he turned a light on.

Nodding, I walked into the living room and took a seat on the plush, leather sofa. Everything in there was black and white with hints of gray here and there. I also noted the different works of art on the wall and the entertainment center. It made me wonder if he’d decorated on his own, or if he got help.

“You want something to drink?” he asked as he grabbed a water from his refrigerator, and I shook my head.

“I’m fine, thank you. Is Apollo here?”

“Yeah,” he answered lowly. “You need me to get him?”

“In a second.” I smiled and patted the spot next to me. “Sit down. Let’s talk.”

“What’s this about?”

“Just a routine check-up.”

“Jru, be for real.” He chuckled. “As much as I’d love for seeing your pretty face to be a routine, this ain’t that, baby.”

I quickly tore my eyes from his because he had me blushing like a school girl. Adonis had always been charming, even when we were kids. He’d always noted the small changes that I made and knew just what to say to make me smile even when I didn’t want to.

To ease some of the tension in the room and rid my mind of thoughts I shouldn’t be having about Adonis, I got started with the reason for my visit.

“What was Apollo thinking, Adonis?” I glanced in his direction. “Handling a firearm?”

“I don’t even know.” He sighed heavily. “Four days later, I’m still tryna figure the shit out myself.”

“Did he tell you what happened?”

“Yeah, he told me some bullshit ass story about how he was tryna look out for his lil’ homeboy and shit.”

I smiled and dropped my head thinking back to when we were younger. Adonis was always playing hero for the people that he cared about. I remembered a number of times that he took the wrap for stupid shit that Derrick, or even I, did in class sometimes.

“What’s funny?”

“He’s more like you than I know you care to admit.” I confessed.

“Naw,” he shook his head. “I wouldn’t have done no bullshit like that.”

I pursed my lips as I delivered him a knowing look. “Really, Adonis?”

“Really,” he chuckled. “I know I used to be the fall guy in school for the homies, but them niggas would have worn their own gun charges.”