Chapter 15 Javonte
I know I walk into this gym cheesing today, and somebody is going to call me out, but I don’t care. I had a good date with Lily last night. She was receptive, and that’s all I wanted.
I don’t need her to fall back in love with me overnight, and I’m not trying to jump back into bed with her. I just need her to be open. And last night, she was.
“Oh shit,” Jalen says the moment he sees me. “He got them googly eyes.”
CJ walks up and looks me dead in the face. “Oh yeah. He does.”
Here we go.
“Don’t lose yourself, my guy.”
“What the hell?” I say, shaking my head. “Y’all killing my buzz.”
“Yeah,” Devon jumps in. “Let this man rekindle his love.”
Then, of course, he takes it too far. “Did you have a date last night? Did you get laid? Did you get laid?”
“Y’all, I just went out with Lily,” I say, already tired of them. “And you’re making it weird.”
Tank is the only one who hasn’t said anything yet, and I’m grateful for that.
“I guess it went well?” CJ asks, raising his eyebrows.
“It did.”
“So did you get laid?”
“Man, shut up. No, I didn’t. I wasn’t trying to.” I wave Jalen out of my space. “And get out my face.”
“I took her to an art exhibit, then we got some soul food. I kissed her on the cheek and went home.”
Tank nods from the weight bench like that’s exactly what he expected to hear.
“That sounds very PG,” Jalen says.
“It was,” I tell him. “That’s what I was going for. I’m not trying to just get back into her pants. I want her back for real.”
That shuts them up for a second, and the conversation shifts to CJ and the courtside reporter we all know he’s got it bad for. Every fan can see it, but somehow the two of them don’t.
After the gym, I head home and pull up Lily’s schedule. I already know we’re not going out tonight. She told me she had an event, so I check the time and the location anyway.
It’s not far.
I shower, change, and head out before I can talk myself out of it.
She’s already there when I pull up, unloading those big tables by herself. I’m out of the car before the engine fully cuts, calling her name so I don’t just run up on her.
She turns, and that smile hits me again.
“Javonte,” she calls out.
“In the flesh,” I say, walking up to her.
She laughs. “You’re here to help me?”
“Yes, ma’am. This is not something you need to be doing by yourself all the time. I got you. Just give me a call.”
She laughs again, shaking her head. “You seem to have my schedule figured out without me calling you.”
“Yeah,” I say, rubbing the back of my neck. “I’m trying to do less stalking.”
That gets a giggle out of her.
“I appreciate that,” she says. “And I’m glad you’re here, because I was already getting tired.”
“I still can’t believe you do this just about every day,” I tell her as I carry two tables in.
These things are heavy. I’m a big guy. I work out. Too much of this would have me struggling.
“When you helped me last time, you cut my setup time by a fourth,” she says. “It usually takes me about an hour and a half. It’s amazing what not having to move all this stuff can do for my timing.”
“Seems like having it all set up for you would save you a lot of time.”
“It probably would,” she says.
We set up the tables and chairs, and I start to get a feel for how she runs things. The setup isn’t that different, no matter where she is. Everybody just needs a clear view of her.
“You’re sticking around?” she asks once everything is ready.
“I can. I didn’t have any other plans.”
“Okay.”
She drops into a chair next to where I’m standing and leans back. “Well, now I have forty-five extra minutes.”
Past me would’ve had a very clear idea of what to do with that time, but that’s not where we are now. If we reconnect like that, it’s not going to happen at a paint and sip.
“Have you ever thought about renting out a space?” I ask.
She looks off for a second, like she’s really thinking about it. “A little bit. It would be convenient. It’s just not a cost I’m ready to take on. It’s not where I am in my business.”
“I get that. Rent isn’t light.”
“I mean, sometimes I get spaces for free,” she says with a shrug. “People use it as a chance to advertise since my popularity has grown.”
“You are a busy lady,” I tell her. “You stay booked.”
“Busy,” she says with a small laugh. “Very busy.”
I look at her for a second before I say it.
“Are you busy tomorrow?”
She smiles, already knowing where this is going. “I’ve got time. I don’t usually do anything on Wednesdays, so yes, I have time.”
She looks up at me with those eyes, and I feel it.
“What do you have in mind?” she asks.
Nothing.
I don’t have anything planned. I just want to spend time with her. I’ll figure the rest out.
“Well, if I told you, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise, would it?” I say.
She nudges me. “You don’t know what you want to do. You just want to spend time with me.”
I laugh. “You’re right. I don’t. But I will figure it out, and I’ll make it happen. We’re going to have a good time.”
“Sure,” she says, smiling. “I’d love to go on whatever you come up with.”