Leah Blanco #3
I decided to let the conversation rest for now.
This was the first date, and I didn’t want to do that thing that I always found myself doing.
Because throughout the entire night, I found myself in a mental battle.
Constantly reminding myself not to be “too pushy” or “too forward” or “too clingy” or whatever my doctor and those niggas always whined about.
But I couldn’t help it; this was me. They say I need psychotropics, and I say I’m a hopeless romantic—tomato, tomahto.
“You done with your food?” He asked once he saw me twirling my fork aimlessly while I did one of the grounding techniques Kennedy had taught me.
“Yeah.”
“You ready to go?” He asked before he slid the chair back.
“Yes.” I smiled.
I rose and pulled my dress down. Then he guided me out the back entrance by the small of my back.
When we made it outside, the truck that had picked me up was gone. Instead, a black AMG with a red interior waited outside.
“Come on, we got something else to do.” He said, then opened the door and waited for me to get inside before going around to the driver’s seat.
As soon as he started the truck, Kendrick Lamar blared from the speakers, and it was exactly what I would have expected from him. Both of them were serious as hell.
He turned it down a bit but still kept it on as he pulled out of the parking lot and onto the busy street.
I didn’t want to talk over the music, so I checked my phone and saw a couple of emails and a payment from the clients I had seen earlier that day. I went to my calendar and added them immediately, so I didn’t forget the day they were booked for.
When the SUV slowed down to a complete stop, I finally looked up from my phone. We were on the side of a dock.
There were almost no lights in the parking lot except one in the distance, so it was hard to tell if we were even there alone.
“What are we doing here, Rock?” I questioned.
“You said I need to make time for you. I’m making it. This is where I come when I want to be alone. Come on.”
I opened the door and stepped out; my heels clicked against the pavement. He reached out to me and held my hand as he guided me up the stairs on the dock.
“Are my heels going to get stuck through there?” I asked, looking down at the wood.
“Nah, I got you.” He assured me and tugged my hand to signal me to keep walking.
He sat on the edge of the loading dock and let his legs hang off the side. I sat beside him and draped my leg over his. He put his hand on my thigh. Not in a suggestive way, but even then, I probably wouldn’t care if it was.
The conversation started almost immediately. We talked about his interests outside of ball, and I was surprised to learn that he could also play many instruments.
After a while, the conversation faded.
For a while, the only noise was the quiet hum of the night air.
I saw lights from a boat in the distance.
I glanced at Rocko for a second, and he was staring into the darkness.
It made me wonder if he was deep in thought or enjoyed the silence like I was.
I recognized that I didn’t know what it was like to be a famous athlete, so I didn’t speak to fill the gap.
I figured that maybe he needed this silence.
I leaned against him, my head on his shoulder, and listened to the sound of the water. The next thing I knew, he woke me up and said that he was about to take me home so I could get some rest. The truth was that I was beat. My morning started at five a.m., and it was nearly midnight.
We decided to leave, and the drive from the dock to my place was surprisingly long. Finally, he pulled into my driveway and parked next to Daya’s car.
I leaned over the center console of the truck and placed a short kiss on his lips.
“I had a good night, Rocko. Thank you.”
He didn’t speak; he just watched me with his brow furrowed, and for a second, I thought I had crossed one of his boundaries.
Then, just as I was about to turn, he stopped me.
“Come here.”
He said as he placed his hand in front of my neck and kissed me so passionately and deeply. Our tongues slid in and out of each other’s mouths for what felt like days. I moaned, I bit his lip, I sucked his tongue, and still our lips were locked on each other’s.
The kiss was so deep that I had to cross my legs. I wanted to invite him inside. But I knew that wouldn’t be good for either of us right now.
Instead, I broke the kiss. His lips trailed to my neck and he bit me.
“Goodnight, Rocko,” I said. This time I actually got out of the truck and walked to my door. It took everything in me not to stay there, entangled with him. But it was best to end the night.
Inside the house, I leaned against the door and smiled.
I felt for the light switch on the wall and turned it on. As soon as it came on, I was scared out of my mind by Daya standing at the bottom of the stairs, shaking her head.
“Girl, you need to get some control.” She scoffed.
I laughed and then walked around her. Not even her antics were going to knock me off the high that I was feeling, so I didn’t even entertain them.
All I know is that Rocko and I had an amazing night. Earlier I said that this would either be the beginning of a beautiful life or one hell of a hurricane. After tonight, I can assume that life has suddenly gotten a little brighter.