Apricity [a-PRIS-i-tee]: The warmth of the sun in winter
Briar Elizabeth Maddox
Became a social outcast over the summer and now her used-to-be friends treat her no better than the dirt under their shoes. But no matter what she's been through, she'...
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It had been a busy day at the car shop all afternoon. Julius was finally able to settle down and relax more as I was wrapping up the work under the last car of the day.
I hear his phone go off again. He had been ignoring it most of the day. "Are you going to get it this time?" I ask.
"What?" I hear his muffled voice from above the car.
I pull my weight with my legs to slide myself out from under the car. "I said are you going to get it this time?"
He gives a lazy look at his phone. "Nah. Voicemails got it."
"You got an attention-deprived girlfriend I don't know about?" I push.
"You got an attention-deprived mother actually. Don't worry about my girlfriend," he says before he shoves me back under the car.
I pull myself out again and sit up all the way. "She's been calling you all day?"
He shrugs. "On and off all week."
I know that bothers him. Julius isn't the type to turn a blind eye to someone who needs help. "You doing okay with that?"
"Just peachy man." He nods a head towards me. "How's Briar doing?"
I click my tongue. "If I can't worry about your girlfriend, don't-" I stop myself right there. Not a second before Julius catches the meaning.
The smirk that snaps into place makes me want to slap it off his face. "Alright, relax. You know I didn't mean-"
"No, no," he cuts me off. That smirk is slowly turning into a full-on smile. "Go ahead, Roman. Say what you mean."
I chuck my oil towel at him and he catches it with a burst of laughter. "Hey seriously though. There's nothing embarrassing about it. So what if you almost referred to her as your girlfriend?"
"That's not what I did."
"So you don't want her to be your girlfriend?" He challenges.
"That's not... what I'm saying either..." I let out slowly and embarrassingly. I never imagined I would be having this conversation with anyone... Ever. I lay down again and try to push myself back under the car but Julius slams his foot on my roller to keep me from moving.
"Come on," Julius pats the spot next to him. "Give your bestest older brother the run down."
I roll my eyes and take my sweet ass time getting up from the roller. "Okay," I huff out. "It's like at first, she was just this weirdo with a pretty face, alright? Then I started noticing how others were treating her and it didn't make sense. The more I paid attention, the more I realized there was a lot more to her."
"And now it's like I'm always thinking about her. Even before she opened up so much and then now that she did, all I want to do is make sure she's okay. It's like I have this... pull towards her and I can't get her out of my head."
