Chapter 1 #3
She giggled. “You don’t even talk about him with the same energy. Does The Smart One know he can’t compete with the others?”
Her teasing tone made me laugh along with her.
“Stop it! He’s doing just fine!”
She exhaled loudly. “I know what I want. But sometimes I talk to you and I’m like, Nina has this shit on lock.”
“And do!”
“I have to get it together.”
“Then join me in these streets!”
She laughed. “I’m looking for the real thing. I’m not going to find it looking in the streets.”
“News flash, Liyah… if you’re on a dating app, you’re already looking in the streets.”
“Oh my God, you’re right,” she groaned.
“You spent months self-reflecting and abstaining and that’s… a choice. But you did it, and now you know you’re ready for a relationship. Congratulations! But the dating part is where you figure all your shit out with an actual person. So have fun with it!”
“You make it sound so easy. This shit is effortless for you,” she sighed. “Give me some advice to carry me through my search. Please.”
“If out of nowhere a man explicitly says he’s not a player, it’s because he’s the coach.” As she cackled on the other end of the line, I continued. “Don’t trust anything that muthafucka says.”
“Nina!” she screamed. “I’m so weak!”
“No, but seriously, enjoy yourself. I just pulled up to our alma mater. I’ll let you know how tonight is.”
We said our goodbyes as I searched for a parking spot. The lecture was being held at Hamilton University. And since I’d driven as fast as legally possible to make up for the lost time, and because every light was green, I was only five minutes late.
Hopping out of my car, I approached the building quickly. A big man with long locs in a ponytail almost collided with me because he was staring at his phone.
“Oh, sorry about that, shawty,” he apologized, holding his hand up.
“No problem,” I told him, continuing at a fast pace. “But watch yourself.”
“My bad.”
We were heading in the same direction, but he was damn near running. I slowed down because I saw my date.
Tall, slim, and undeniably handsome, Tyrell slid his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he waited for me to arrive. When he saw me, a smile crept across his face. His dark skin, high cheekbones, and light brown eyes were so distinguishingly beautiful. He would’ve stood out anywhere.
He checked his watch and then pulled me into a hug. “I thought you were standing me up.”
He always seemed so nervous when we’d get together. He’d made it to the roster a few months ago. But because of life and work, it was only our third date. And even though we’d enjoyed each of the dates, he still seemed so shocked that I was interested.
Rolling my eyes before pulling out of the hug, I looked up at him. “Hello to you, too.”
“Forgive me. You look beautiful.”
“Thank you.” I checked out his khaki-and-olive outfit combination. “You’re looking good.” I touched his green shirt. “This color really complements your complexion.”
“Thank you.” He opened his arms and grinned. “I just wanted to make sure I matched your fly.”
“And you do,” I complimented.
“Let’s head in.” He anxiously glanced at the people walking inside.
“Yes, let’s get this philosophical show on the road.”
He offered me his arm. “I think you’re going to like this. Dr. Reynolds is an astronomy expert.”
Two hours later, we were walking out of the auditorium, and I was stifling a yawn.
“How did you like it?” Tyrell asked me as he walked me to my car.
“I thought the beginning was really good, but that last forty minutes felt unnecessary.” I made a face. “I love the sky but that last part felt like it was dragging for no reason.”
His eyes widened. “What? You didn’t like his breakdown of the evolution of galaxies?”
“The birth, life, and death of stars intrigued me. He had a strong start. It just seemed like it started dragging at the end.”
“I did notice you kind of sit back once he went on that tangent about the big bang theory.”
We talked for thirty minutes outside of my car, recapping the stuff we loved about the event.
We shared our favorite moments and he became sexier with each educated point, every insightful question.
His mind was just as sexy as his face. Even though I was tired, the allure of his intellect was undeniable.
Tyrell seemed pleased with himself. “I knew you’d like it.”
“Yeah, I love learning new stuff.”
“Maybe we can talk about some more stuff we can learn together over dinner…” He looked at his watch. “It’s still early. It’s just a little after nine o’clock. There’s a lot of restaurants around here.”
“I’m actually tired,” I told him, feeling my phone vibrate in my bag. “It’s been a long day so I’m going to head home.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Really?”
I checked my phone and saw a text message from Russ. A flurry of butterflies swirled around my belly. Shoving my phone in my bag, I nodded. “Yeah.”
“I would say that the stars aren’t aligned for the night to end the way I was hoping, but…”
Cocking my head to the side, I looked up at him. “But it would take hundreds of years for us to see stars move,” I quoted the lecturer.
Even with disappointment dulling his eyes, a smile tugged at his sexy lips. “You were paying attention.”
“Of course.”
His face lit up as I answered. “So, I’ll see you soon?”
I giggled lightly. “When you have something specific planned, call me and we’ll set something up.”
“I really like spending time with you, Nina.”
“I like spending time with you, too.”
He grabbed my hand and kissed it. “Until next time.”
“Until next time.”
He dropped a swift kiss against my lips before he opened my car door and helped me inside.
“Thank you for coming to this with me,” he said, staring at me adoringly. “Get home safe, okay?”
“You too, Tyrell.”
He closed my door, and I lifted my hand.
He gave me an awkward yet cute wave in return before making his trek down the sidewalk.
Shaking my head, I couldn’t help but smile.
Tyrell was a pleasure to look at and our dates were nice, educational, and interesting. But I needed to rest up for the unexpected, last-minute date I had lined up for tomorrow.