Chapter 3
“It just bothers me that he’s asking for prayers and privacy,” I concluded as we finished our meals.
“I’m sorry, no. I need details. I need facts.
You can get my prayers, or you can keep your privacy.
But I won’t be reaching out to God about the release of your homeboy, who might actually be guilty. ”
“Yo!” Russ put his fist in front of his mouth to disguise his laughing fit. “What is wrong with you?”
“Nothing! But imagine God deciding between my prayer to be a millionaire and my prayer to release the guilty homeboy. And then when I circle back and ask God for a status update on the financial blessings, he tells me he already answered my prayer when the homeboy got released.” I shook my head.
“Nope. Not blocking my blessings for that.”
Russ’s laugh was one of my favorite sounds. It was deep, hearty, and musical. It had a soulfulness to it that always managed to make me feel good and full. We always had fun, so I heard it often when we were together. And somehow it never lost its potency. It always filled me.
“So, I hope that helps with the situation,” I concluded.
“That didn’t help at all, but I’ll tell my brother to delete his social media post.” He shook his head and took a big gulp of water. “You really are funny as hell, you know that?”
“I was being deadass serious, but thank you.”
“That’s what’s so funny about it. These are just your honest thoughts.
It’s dope. It’s… refreshing. I watch you when we’re together and you are always you, and it never fails to make the people around you smile.
I meet people all the time and their default is to pretend to be something they aren’t and to lie about who they are.
But with you, it’s real and raw. That shit is sexy. ”
“My main takeaway from what you just said is that you think I’m the sexiest and realest person you’ve ever met.”
Grinning, he nodded. “Oh, you already know that.”
“Luckily for you, I feel the same way about you,” I admitted.
“You are honest… fearless… authentic. You have a strong sense of self. And you live in the moment. All of that is incredibly sexy. I mean, it doesn’t hurt that you’re fine as hell.
But people don’t know themselves, and I love spending time with a well-adjusted man who knows who he is. ”
“That might be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
“I say nice stuff all the time!”
He lowered his voice and leaned forward. “I’m talking about when my dick isn’t inside that tight pussy of yours.”
“Valid.”
We both laughed.
“Do you remember how I approached you the night we met?” he asked.
We’d met at a Richland Fashion Weekend party, and those events brought out all the fashionable people in the city.
But there were a lot of men who showed up with no interest in fashion.
They were just trolling for women. I’d just gotten hit on by one of those, when five minutes later, Russ showed up.
Licking my lips, I nodded. “You told me you started out screen printing before you joined the corporate world, and that you liked my shirt.”
“Do you remember what happened next?”
“You asked me if I was a girl boss, so I asked you if you were a boy boss.” I smiled at the memory. “Yeah, I remember.”
“In my defense, you were standing next to the sign that said girl boss, so I put two and two together.”
“You put two and two together and got five, because if you don’t like being called a boy boss, why would I want to be called a girl boss?”
Smirking, he continued, “And then I asked you if I could take you out as an apology, and you told me it depended on what I had in mind.”
“I was leaning toward yes because of your outfit. I liked your style,” I confessed. “But inviting me to the Soul Festival was a unique choice. I liked that it was something different.”
“I was already going by myself to get away from everything, and something about you made me want to get away with you. I watched the way you were with everyone you crossed paths with, and it made me want to know you. I was surprised when you said you were single.”
“I wasn’t sure if I believed you when you said you were.”
He laughed. “Because you don’t trust shit.”
“You’re not wrong! But look at us now. Two months later.”
“Two months later, and you’re the only person I want to spend my free time with.” His stare lingered on me as he reminisced. “I’m glad you were down for that first date.”
“Something about you always makes me ready to be down.”
“You’re a good time.” He brought his glass to his lips and paused before taking a sip. “You make everything better.”
My lips parted in a smile. “Likewise.”
Grinning, he shook his head. “When was the last time you had a man?”
“I had a boyfriend in high school.” I lifted my shoulders and scrunched my nose. “But as an adult, I just date. It’s easier for everyone.”
“What does that mean?”
I smiled. “My parents have this completely complementary relationship, and that’s always been the standard for me.
A perfect fit. But perfection is rare. It’s a burden to put on someone who isn’t.
It’s a burden to search for it. And since I don’t want to burden anyone or myself, I just enjoy life and date. ”
A waiter cleared our plates away and informed us that our waitress would be there shortly.
“That was delicious,” I commented. “I meant to take a picture of it when it came, but I forgot. I’ll snap a photo of dessert.”
“I like that you take a photo of everything we do.”
“I take a photo to commemorate everything I do,” I clarified. “I like to live in the moment, but I like to stop and take a picture of the highlights so I can have that tangible physical evidence to hold on to. I don’t ever want to forget anything.”
“Oh, I thought I was special and that’s why you wanted a picture.”
“No.”
He laughed. “Ouch.”
“I’m not saying you’re not special. You are.” The minute the words left my mouth, my heart stammered. Ignoring the reaction, I continued, “I’m just letting you know that I take pictures all the time.”
“Well, you’ve influenced me to do the same.” He pulled out his phone. “I’ve gotten a picture from every one of our dates. But this might be my new favorite picture of you,” Russ told me as he showed me a photo on his phone.
I leaned over my empty plate to get a better look. It was of my profile and the orange, pink, and purple hues of the sunset behind me. “Oh, I like that! Will you send that to me?”
“Yeah.” He clicked a few buttons. “Done.”
“What was your favorite before this one?”
“The one of you when we went ice-skating.” He chuckled, amused with himself. “It was the look on your face that made it my favorite. The fact that your camel toe was on display from that angle was a happy accident. I didn’t plan it like that. It just happened.”
I tried to keep a straight face as he laughed through his explanation. “You took the picture. You didn’t crop the picture. And then you proceeded to call me Kristy Yamacoochie,” I reminded him. “It didn’t just happen. You just happened.”
When our laughter subsided, he sat back in his chair.
“This is exactly what I needed,” he pointed out.
“The laugh?” I guessed.
“All of it. The escape. With good food. With good company. A good time.”
I tilted my head to the side, running his words over in my mind. “This is an escape?”
“ You are my escape. You are my fantasy—”
“Can I get you two some dessert?” the waitress asked, interrupting Russ. She smiled politely at me before turning her attention and obvious attraction to him.
“Yes,” he answered quickly, shifting in his seat. “Crema catalana.”
“Chocolate-and-tahini date bars, please,” I requested.
“And I’d like an order of Greek cookies to go,” he added.
She looked between us. “Anything else?”
“No, that’s all. Thank you,” he replied.
As soon as she left, he gestured to the restroom sign. “Excuse me a minute.”
“If your dessert comes before you get back, I’m tasting yours,” I warned him.
“No worries.” With a smirk, he stood. Before passing me, he leaned down and put his lips on the shell of my ear. “I plan on tasting yours, too.”
He walked away and I still felt his breath on my neck. I squeezed my knees together, his words stirring something inside me. Staring at my bracelet, I twisted the gorgeous piece of jewelry around my wrist.
I noticed there was a word engraved near the clasp.
Fantasy.
I got butterflies.
“Here’s a refill,” a different waitress said as she interrupted my thoughts. She poured water into our glasses. “Are you two celebrating something?”
“No, it’s just a date,” I replied.
“Oh! Really? Are things serious?”
“Why do you ask?”
Her face became flushed, and she shook her head. “Oh, um, no reason.” She scurried away.
I watched as she seemed to report back to the waitress who’d been serving us.
Interesting.
It was clear our waitress had a thing for Russ the moment she approached our table.
I went to the restroom earlier, and I came back to find her giggling and flipping her hair over her shoulder.
When she saw me, she quickly exited. Every time she’d come to the table, she was nice enough to me, but she was gawking at him.
I was debating whether or not I should be concerned about her doing something to my dessert when Russ returned.
“I decided to take your suggestion after last time and got a suite downtown,” he told me.
“First the picture taking, and now the hotel suggestions. I’m glad you’ve finally recognized how resourceful I am.”
“Oh, I’m well aware of your resourcefulness. I’m appreciative of it, too. After dessert, you want to get out of here?” he wondered. “I’d like to thoroughly show you my appreciation.”
I wiggled my eyebrows. “Yes, please. I have a few ways I’d like to show my appreciation as well.”
A smile tugged at his lips. “I like the sound of that.”
“The amazing gifts. That helicopter ride. Your magic touch. This delicious dinner.” I bit my lip. “I’m going to make sure you feel every ounce of my appreciation.”