VII | Golden Hour

"As soon as I saw his punk ass reaching behind him, I blasted!" Chiko mimicked the action of shooting a gun with his fingers before plopping down in the dark gray lawn chair.

"Gotta be quicker than that!" Izzy sang, crushing his weed on a rolling tray.

Frankie belly laughed at his grandsons' shenanigans, and stuck some tobacco into his jaw when he calmed down. "I'm just glad that you boys got out of that okay. Hopefully folks'll mind their business, and if they don't, you were protecting yourself, dammit."

"Plus, we got bail money," Izzy added. "They should've never put up eighteen bands if it was gone hurt 'em that bad."

Both of the Fontaine brothers knew that the triple or nothing deal wouldn't go down smoothly if Chiko managed to win, so they came prepared as usual. And in the end, they won in every way.

"Facts," Chiko agreed, pressing send.

You crazy. The OG movie is wayyy better

Halle

Ehh.

Maybe I like the second one better because I use to get high all the time and watch it.

"How do they even know that was blood? Taz was probably lying in a pool of hair dye for all we could tell." Izzy snickered, earning an amused pat on the shoulder from his grandfather.

They were in Frankie's impressively renovated garage, taking a break from the mechanical maintenance that they were performing for the majority of the day. He lived on a few acres of land in the countryside funded by Chiko and Izzy's earnings. The property was the perfect storage unit for their plethora of vehicles, and it acted as a getaway from their chaotic lifestyle in the city.

Frankie Fontaine was a silver fox with a mahogany complexion, who had already indulged in his fair share of police chases and in illegal dealings in his youth. Now, he was retired, and his late son's twin boys were the joy of his life even more so than they were growing up.

Wait, you smoke?

Halle

I used to.

Why'd you stop?

Halle

It.. lost its appeal

"Should I fry up some chicken wings?" Frankie grunted as he pulled himself up. "I bought a pack or two just yesterday."

Izzy carefully grabbed the unwrapped blunt. "Yeah, that's fine, granddad."

"Uhh... yeah. S-sounds good." Chiko briefly met his eyes, failing to fight the smirk creeping on his face as he reread the text message.

You didn't answer my question from earlier.

Halle

Which question? You've asked so many.

Whatchu tryna say? I talk too much

[Halle laughed at "Whatchu tryna say? I talk too much"]

What were you thanking me for at the pond?

Izzy observed his brother's expression, patting his own pockets in search of a lighter. Seconds later, a small flame was put to the end of the tobacco, and he deeply inhaled. "You smiling at that phone like a hoe."

"Shut up," Chiko absentmindedly fired back.

"I'm just saying, turn the music back up I don't wanna hear you giggling under yo' breath."

Halle

The compliment and the ride

I thought you would be too scared to admit it

Halle

Ha. Never

The smell of marijuana permeated the space heavily, and it was later joined by the sound of crisp chicken wings and homemade fries being ripped apart. After their meal, the trio picked up where they left off, cleaning, oiling, and aligning various vehicles until sundown.

"How's that Harley drive?" Frankie threw a hand towel over his shoulder, and pressed a button on the wall. The garage door slowly descended.

"Real good." Chiko stroked his jaw, eyeing the polished bike. For him, it had done everything and then some.

They all headed through the house and out the front door, the younger two dapping each other up to say their goodbyes while Frankie waved from the porch. Izzy was the first to speed away.

Chiko's phone connected to the aux automatically when he got behind the wheel, and another incoming text temporarily lowered the song playing, and kept him stationary.

Halle

I actually love singing even if I suck at it lol

Oh yeah? Let me take you somewhere tonight

ꨄꨄꨄꨄꨄ

"Rowan, come on in." The burly man stepped aside for the couple to enter his corner office. It was at the top of the building, and overlooked a good portion of the city. "I see you've brought this beauty with you. Hello, my dear."

"Of course." Rowan nodded, extending his hand. The golden hues from the lowering sun beating through the massive windows made him squint.

"Hello, Spiffy." Halle smiled bashfully, and followed her boyfriend.

They sat in the guest chairs across from the realtor, where the males continued to exchange pleasantries. She removed her phone from her back pocket to check her notifications, and of course, he'd replied in under two minutes.

Chiko

Wait, you smoke?

I used to.

Chiko

Why'd you stop?

Halle's explanation came fluidly, and within three blinks, she'd typed a paragraph about her history with marijuana, something that she considered to be akin to her first love. It was another thing she'd given up to make herself more palatable. Before she hit send though, a thought entered her head.

I'm talking way too much! Nobody cares. Keep it cool.

So, she deleted it and decided on that a simple set of words.

It... lost its appeal

[Chiko questioned "it... lost its appeal"]

Halle ignored his curiosity and changed the subject. She felt strange attempting to have a conversation about someone who was right next to her, so she didn't want to go into detail.

"So." Spiffy clapped once, reclaiming her attention, and leaned back in his seat. "What brings you two in, especially at this hour? It's about time for me to meet up with the wife."

"Right, right, I'll be quick," Rowan promised, checking his wrist watch. "We were on our way home, and I was mulling over the floor plans that I received from the builders. The thing is, I'm no longer satisfied with the square footage that I initially agreed on."

"Oh, and why is that?" He pressed his meaty fingertips together. "Too small?"

"Well, yes, actually. I feel like we need more..." he glanced at his girlfriend. "Growing room."

"You little rascals!" Spiffy cracked a cheeky smile, and Halle bowed her head as she blushed at the implication. She couldn't help but to notice the assortment of photos that he had of his spouse plastered all over the place.

I wonder if Ro's desk reeks of me like this. It's been a while since I've swung by.

"You want a family sized home. Something for the future little Belliairs to run around in someday. I've got just want you need." He pulled open one of his desk drawers and unfolded a large blueprint, and then swiveled around to collect a thin stack of papers from the printer. "Let's see, three-story home plan, six-bedroom floor plan, a few large residences that are already standing... it's all here! Take your pick. I can schedule a tour of every location very soon."

"Thank you. I knew i could count on the Spiffy Jones to make things happen." Rowan accepted all of the documents with delight, skimming over the details before tucking them in his armpit. "I guess we'll be on our way then."

"Absolutely. Please let me know your thoughts." Spiffy stood, and the men shook hands again. "You have a good day too, ma'am."

"Same to you." Halle's left palm griped her right elbow as she entered the hallway. The thought of Rowan desiring to experience parenthood with her made her giddy inside, and it was impossible for her to play it off. "I'm so glad that you're thinking so positively about our future, Ro."

"Just a second there." The realtor stuck his head out of the doorway, his blue suit appearing darker from the back lighting. "I forgot to mention that we're due for a bit of maintenance on that side of the building so all of the bulbs are blown and the cameras are out for now. Please precede with caution."

"Will do." Rowan dipped his chin, and got in front of Halle to led the way. His eyes were glued to his phone as his thumbs vigorously swiped across the screen, and she could feel her previous excitement slipping as she worked to keep up.

"Ro?" Halle cleared her throat, offering an employee a closed-mouth smile when she walked past them. "Ro!"

"Yeah?" He half-turned his head to view her.

"Can you slow down some. You're almost running."

He slowed his pace abruptly, causing her tinted lipgloss to stain the back of his button-up. "Sorry, Hal. I've got to hurry home so that I can grab my equipment, and you know..."

A new email appeared at the top of his screen, stalling his speech.

"Get to the office. I understand." Halle finished, grabbing his arm to turn him around.

She kissed his lips, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Rowan reciprocated the affection for a moment, pecking at her neck while gripping her waist. Halle looked to the ceiling, noting the powerless camera located above them and a mischievous smirk decorated her face.

"You know, nobody's around," she whispered. "We could duck into the bathroom or something."

"For what?" Rowan jerked his head back to look at her face. "We're literally on our way home."

"Because it would be fun." She shrugged. Just the idea of some spontaneity in her relationship boosted her mood again.  "Wouldn't it?"

"You are funny. No." Rowan released her, and headed for the elevator.

Halle sucked her teeth, and entered the metal box. They traveled to the first floor and into the parking garage to load into the Tesla. The dwindling golden hour kissed her face through the tinted windows, so she pulled down the sun visor as they rode through the line of palm trees on either side of the street.

Her pocket vibrated twice, and she cocked her head to the side when she read the newest message.

Chiko

Oh yeah? Let me take you somewhere tonight

Where?

Chiko

Just throw on something casual. It'll be a vibe.

Twenty plus minutes passed before they were out of the post-work traffic, and she figured that it was an appropriate amount of time to reply.

Okay. Give me an hour.

~

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