Chapter 8
Andrès
TWO WEEKS LATER
“Oh my, God, Drè. You’re such a cheater,” Calliope whined.
I laughed and shook my head. “Listen, I didn’t cheat. I won fair and square. Don’t be mad because I’m a pool shark.”
“You’re supposed to let me win.” She was leaning over the pool table with her ass jutted out. I knew that she was trying to distract me because she kept doing it throughout the game. I wasn’t going for it, though.
“Why?”
“Because I’m your date,” she proclaimed, standing up and gripping her pool stick.
“Sorry, baby girl. It doesn’t work that way,” I whispered as I leaned into her from behind.
I placed a subtle kiss behind her ear, and she shivered.
“Mm. Do that again,” she murmured.
I chuckled. “Look at ya hot ass.”
“When did you learn to play like this? I don’t remember you ever knowing how to play pool.”
“After I lost a grip on a game that I thought I could talk my way out of,” I explained as I set up for my next shot.
She moved into my line of vision and bent over the table. “Drè.”
I kept my eyes on the balls instead of her cleavage that was fighting for space in that tight ass T-shirt she wore.
“Not now, baby girl.”
“Drè,” she called out again.
“What, Kalli?” I asked after I missed the shot.
She smiled and sunk her teeth into her bottom lip. “Just wanted to make sure you were paying attention.”
“You’re ratchet for that.”
We played a little longer before we headed next door to Rooftop, a soul food restaurant that had a beautiful view of Downtown Cherokee Springs from the rooftop bar.
Once we were seated, we ordered shrimp, sweet potato fries, and cocktails.
“This view is amazing. I’ve wanted to come here since they built this place four years ago. It’s the perfect date night restaurant.”
“What stopped you?”
“No one to come with.”
“What about Rutherford?”
“You mean Remy?”
“Yeah. That nigga.”
“It was too special a place to go to with him. Don’t ask me why, but I never wanted to go with him.”
“Did you ever move in with him?”
“We did. We had just started back living together the year before he cheated. We had tried living together before, but I loved my space, and he was too junky. So, I moved out.”
“How did you find out about him cheating?”
“I came home after getting laid off, and I found him in the bedroom fucking our neighbor’s daughter.
I mean, this kid used to keep Remy’s nieces and nephews when they would spend summers with us so that we could have a break.
She used to spend the night at our house sometimes to get breaks from her older parents.
She and I used to do each other’s nails and hair, watch movies together, and binge watch TV shows while eating junk—all things her parents weren’t interested in doing with her. ”
“Damn. That’s crazy. You lost your job and your man in the same day?”
“Yeah. I remember the only thought that went through my mind after I left was where in the world is Drè. I cried so hard and for so long. You were the only one who could ever console me when I was inconsolable. I felt so alone and so lost like no one would ever get me again.”
I reached across the table and took her hand into mine and rubbed my thumb over her fingers. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t here to see you through the rough times, but I promise that you’ll never have to go through them alone again.”
“Thank you,” she whispered and smiled shyly.
The waiter came and took our dessert orders before we finished our meal.
After he left, she looked back at her plate with a curious expression.
“So, seafood. I noticed you ordered the same thing when I came to your hotel room. What’s with that?
I don’t recall you eating so much seafood in the past. I mean, you always liked it, but this is different. ”
“I’m a pescatarian,” I confessed.
“Yeah? For how long?”
“Two years. I just wanted a healthier way of eating. Got tired of meat after a while and started putting on weight, and you know that shit ain’t ever been me. So, I switched it up.”
“I tried being vegan for about a month and failed, but had more luck at vegetarian for six months,” she confided, giggling.
“Pescatarian is the way to go.”
“I might give it a go,” she stated, hedging a bit.
“I can prepare you a lot of good meals that will have you never wanting to eat red meat or any other meat again.”
“What kind of husband would you be?” she asked, staring into my eyes.
I didn’t have all the answers, but I knew what was in my heart and what I looked forward to doing for her.
“It’s funny you should ask that because I’ve been asking myself that for a while now.
All the examples set around me weren’t any good.
You know my father had an entire family that my mother knew nothing about.
My stepfather loved my mother, but not enough to love her child unconditionally.
I’ve had a few aunts and uncles who were married, and most of them were decent whenever they weren’t fighting and arguing.
“The only real role models that exemplified what marriage should look like are your parents.
I grew up next door watching your dad love your mother, treasure his children, and protect his home.
He was a hardworking man who sacrificed everything to make sure you all had what you needed to live a good, balanced life, and you all were happy.
“I want to do at least that and so much more, Kalli. Where you’re concerned, I know that I will be generous because my heart doesn’t know how to do anything else.
Whatever you want, it’s yours, baby girl.
If you choose to continue working, you’ll only work on what you’re passionate about, not because you have to make a living. Your future is secure.
“I’ll be your protector, because that’s all I have ever been with you.
I protect what belongs to me, and I protected you when you were my friend, my neighbor, and my heart’s desire.
How much more will I protect you when you’re my wife?
You will always have my undivided attention when you need me to listen to you because you always have.
Remember that summer night when we were laying out in your backyard, and you decided to place your hand over our hearts? ”
She laughed. “Yeah, I remember that. That summer I was thirteen, and you were fourteen going on fifteen that fall. I wanted to see if our hearts were in sync. We were always in sync with our thoughts and actions, and I knew that came from our hearts.”
“Do you remember what you said?”
“That we were soulmates, destined to be together forever.”
“Yeah. At the time, I thought you were talking about friendship. It wasn’t until years later, that I realized how deep that ran.”
“Sometimes, as much as we were in sync, Drè, I wondered if you saw my heart. I didn’t understand how you couldn’t see how I felt about you.”
“Because you never told me. You know I always take people at their word.”
“I know. I was afraid.”
“Of what?”
“Rejection. Ridicule. Losing you.”
“Never that,” I replied and brushed my lips against her forehead.
I wasn’t sure what I had done to cause her to fear losing me or doubt my feelings and our friendship, but I wanted to remove all doubt.
“I struggled through those years without you. In the beginning, I wanted to tuck tail and run back to Georgia every chance I got.”
“What stopped you?”
“You.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. I knew that you deserved the best, including the best version of me. I had to get myself together so that I could give you everything you deserve. You didn’t deserve the anger, the bitterness, the confusion, or my wild ass ways. It would have only led to heartbreak.”
“And you still broke my heart anyway.”
The thought that I had hurt her in any way caused me grief.
I gripped her chin and tilted her head. Her eyes shone with tears that I wish wouldn’t have appeared.
I kissed her nose, eyelids after she closed them, and then the tears on her cheeks before I kissed her deeply.
She dropped her fork and wrapped her arms around me and deepened the kiss.
Kalliope was sweet, warm, and soft, and I wanted her in every way. She meant too much to me to rush things, no matter how badly I desired her.
She pulled back from the kiss. “I wanted you to take my virginity, but you left.”
“Let me guess . . . You gave it to that busta ass nigga Remy?”
She nodded, and I didn’t say another word, because the waiter returned with our mocha cakes.
“Damn. Believe it or not, I never thought about that.”
“You should have,” she replied teasingly with a smirk. “Anyway, the only reason I ever accepted Remy’s invitation on a date was because of you.”
“What do you mean?”
“You were seeing that girl Heather.”
He chuckled. “For one reason, and one reason only.”
She shrugged. “Still, I was jealous, so I decided to make you jealous. When you dropped her, I was hoping that you would come to me, but you didn’t.
So, my next move was to accept Remy’s request to be his girlfriend.
It seemed as if nothing I did encouraged you to come after me.
That’s when I decided you just didn’t see me that way, and that our feelings for each other weren’t the same. ”
I forked some of the cake and fed it to her. She closed her eyes. “Mm. That’s delicious,” she moaned, licking the chocolate sauce from her lips.
My dick twitched at the sight of her tongue on her lips and the lusty sound of her moan. I leaned in and licked her lips before I kissed her again.
“Tell me about your dream wedding?” I asked when I moved back.
Her entire face lit up as she beamed at me. “I know this sounds odd, but I want to be surprised.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.” She laughed. “My colors are blush pink and taupe, and the bouquet will be made up of blush pink calla lilies and white orchids. I want a late afternoon into the evening wedding and reception at the same venue with a botanical garden vibe. I already know what I want my gown to look like, and I know who my bridal party will consist of.”
“Then what part do you want to be the surprise?” I asked with a chuckle because it sounded like she was already planning.
“The food, the music, the photographer, and the cake. With all of that, I’m hands off. Most importantly, I want the date to be a surprise.”
“The date?” I asked in disbelief, because I didn’t know a woman alive that didn’t want to oversee things that important.
“Yes. I don’t want to know when it will happen. It will be fun.”
“What about a bachelor and bachelorette party?”
“Surprise me.”
“So, is this your way of saying yes you’ll marry me?”
“No. This is my way of telling you that when I marry the perfect man for me, whomever that will be, I want him to surprise me.”
I reached over and pulled her from her seat and positioned her between my legs. I wrapped my arms around her waist, and she pressed her hands out against my chest. “What?”
“Ain’t no whomever, baby girl. There’s only me.”
“I hear you, but I haven’t said yes yet.”
“Yes, you have. Your heart already said yes, a long time ago, baby girl. You’re just playing a game right now and trying to keep your mouth from saying yes. I’m not worried, because it’s only a matter of time before you become Mrs. Jones.”
She dropped onto my lap, and I kissed her so intimately yet sweetly that she moaned and sighed into my mouth. I knew that she was mine; it was simply a matter of selecting the date.