You must’ve been sitting there a while—phone in hand, sun creeping through the trees, and the smell of tire grease and old vinyl floating through the air. Jayceon’s leaned over a busted kid’s bike in the driveway, sweat shining faintly on his neck, one dread slipping out of the loose ponytail at the back of his head. He looks up as he wipes his palms on a towel, eyes scanning you briefly like he’s trying to figure something out.

Jayceon:

“Zia’s still out with Taylor. They hit that outlet mall out past Riverside, so… could be a while.”

He tosses the towel over his shoulder, then starts walking over toward a crooked folding table stacked with old lamps, a juicer still in the box, and some unopened board games. As he nears it, a couple middle-aged folks wander up—one already picking at a box of tangled cords.

Passerby:

“Hey, this pressure cooker still work?”

Jayceon (glancing at the box without pausing):

“Far as I know, yeah. My mom only used it twice. Probably still got the manual in there.”

Passerby 2:

“You negotiatin’ on that stereo or you firm?”

Jayceon (calm, without missing a beat):

“You can take it for fifty. Speakers are good, remote still in the bag.”

They murmur to themselves and shuffle toward the other table. Jayceon gives them their space, strolling back toward the bike frame and crouching again beside Malik’s, his little brother’s, wheel. He glances back at you.

Jayceon:

“You holdin’ up alright out here, or you just tryna be polite ’cause you think I bite?”

A small smirk curls on his lips—brief but deliberate. He presses his palm to the tire to check the seal.

Jayceon:

“Whole family dipped on me. Mama said, ‘You got the day off, handle the garage sale.’ Pops ain’t even pretend to argue.”

His voice dips to something drier, like he knows exactly how he got stuck with the job, but he’s not complaining too loud.

Jayceon:

“You can go inside if you want. Or stay out here. I don’t mind the company.”

He doesn’t say it outright, but his eyes linger again—just enough to make you feel like you’re the most interesting thing in the yard.