Chapter 5
CHAPTER
FIVE
NADIR:
I’m outside.
Ilooked up at the four-story building, waiting for her to peep out of the window. After surveying the parking lot and not finding her car, I wondered if I beat her home. A moment later, I saw the blinds open. She slid the window open then waved.
ROBYN:
I'm here. Use your key.
Every time I entered her place, a weight lifted from my shoulders.
Her two-bedroom condo had become a second home to me.
I inhaled a deep breath, relishing the soft, floral scent of her living room.
It reminded me of the honeysuckle plants that trailed the fence of my childhood home.
Fond memories of sucking the nectar from the stem came to mind, making me smile.
I walked through the living room, continuing to the kitchen in search of her.
When my eyes landed on Robyn in her kitchen sipping from a martini glass, my smile broadened.
She opened her eyes at the sound of my footsteps and the look on her face, man. My heart pounded from the warmth in her honey-colored orbs. Without words, she handed me the drink. It was a little tart, but sweet on the backend. I shrugged and decided I liked it.
“Good, right? This tequila is from Starling’s friend. He’s planning their launch party and sent me a list of recipes to try.” Robyn handed me a slender glass bottle with the words ROSA BLANCO embossed in silver script on the label.
“I guess you really needed a drink.”
She shrugged, then bit her bottom lip. “I was in the mood for tacos and tequila with my favorite person? You down?”
I placed the bottle on the counter and leaned against it. “I’m down.”
Her eyes lit up and another sensual smile covered her pretty face. “Great! I brought tacos, salsa, queso, and guac from work today too.”
I followed her to the dining room table and motioned at the insulated bags on the table.
While I looked forward to eating tacos from one of my favorite food trucks, I was more interested in the little gray dress clinging to her pear-shaped frame.
Her hair was in a ponytail, a style she wore when she worked in the kitchen.
My casual perusal of her was interrupted by her laugh.
“What’s funny?” I met her humored eyes; my chest tightened.
She twisted her lips. “Nothing. You hungry or can we make some drinks first?”
“We can make a drink or two first, then eat,” I told her.
Robyn walked back to the kitchen and opened a document listing different recipes on her tablet. After deciding on the next drink, she reached for the muddler, strawberries, and the tequila. She filled a small glass bowl with strawberries, muddled them, then added two shots of tequila.
“We’re going to let them soak for a minute before,” she told me, eyeing the bowl. “Tell me about your day.”
When her soft, honey orbs landed on me, my pulse raced. Robyn was so fucking pretty. Those perceptible eyes, always searching and finding things about me that I wished to hide. Her cinnamon-colored skin, luscious heart-shaped lips, and round, button nose were perfection to me.
“Was it that bad?” Her eyebrows wrinkled when our gazes locked.
“Nah, it was good actually. Sunny and Ry want me to be the godfather.”
Robyn shrieked. “That’s so sweet.”
I nodded while chuckling. “Yeah, so then we talked about the baby shower, which led to my mom dragging me to view venues.”
“How was that?” She picked up her drink from earlier, took a sip, then handed it to me.
With a shrug, I replied, “It was cool until I found out Sunny went snitching to my mom about me.”
After finishing the last of her drink, I handed it to Robyn. She rinsed the empty glass while laughing.
“I mean, can you blame her?” My eyebrows drew together, but before I could say anything, Robyn continued, “Sunny is hormonal right now and her best friend is shutting her out.”
“Did she tell you this?”
“I’m not getting in the middle.” Robyn held up her hands. “What I will say is that you can tell her what’s going on with you. She can handle it, Nadir.”
“Anyway,” I said, losing interest in the topic. “How was your day? You’re in a good mood,” I noted as my gaze swept over her once more. This time she caught me and kissed her teeth. “What?”
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
“Like what? You know how fine you are, Goldie. I’m just…” I took a beat, considering my words. “I’m admiring the view.”
Robyn blushed. “You want to hear about my day or not?”
I chuckled, noting how quickly she shut me down. “Go ’head.”
“Well, my plans changed after Adrienne called me in a panic. Her sous chef called out sick, so I jumped at the chance to help her. Last night I stayed up super late studying, thinking about B I just know I never want to feel that kind of hurt again. ”
Silence filled the room. Robyn turned to me with furrowed eyebrows. Her hand went to my cheek and her thumb grazed the corner of my mouth.
“My darling,” she crooned. I caught her hand before she pulled away and kissed her palm. The gesture prompted her to resume our drinks.
“Joseph says he wants to talk,” she said after a beat. “I know it’s about the status of our… situation.”
My eyebrow shot up. “What is the status?”
“I don’t know. I’m not ready for the ‘what are we doing?’ conversation.”
“Why not? You’ve been seeing him for a minute now.”
She shrugged. “Don’t laugh at me, but I want fireworks, yearning, passion...
Hooking up and meeting for happy hours isn’t enough.
I want real romance. The butterflies, warm and fuzzy feelings, the whole nine.
I want to date, spend time building something lasting and real.
He wants to skip all those steps.” I nodded my understanding.
“You want romance, huh?” I walked over to Robyn and stood behind her. My proximity to her made my heart rate pick up. I didn’t want to talk about my mom, my ex, our relationship statuses. This was all I wanted, her closeness, and warmth.
“Amongst other things,” she breathed.
“Like what?
“Consistency, transparency, and comfortability.”
I hummed. “Don’t we have those qualities in our friendship?”
“Yes, but… it’s different.”
“How?”
Robyn turned to me with her shaker in her hand. “Nadir, what are you doing?”
“I’m being transparent,” I said.
She chucked wryly. “Cute. You know how I feel about us crossing the line.”
My groin tightened and a smile played on my lips. Robyn didn’t understand how enamored I was with her or maybe she did and was doing all she could to ignore it. Either way, my feelings for her had grown from seeing her as just my friend.
“I get it, but I think we should talk at least about the possibility.”
“Why?”
“Because things have changed since we met.”
Two years ago, we met at a mixer for business owners in the hospitality and restaurant industry.
I had been to the event several times over the years, so I knew almost everyone there, except her.
Robyn had attended the event with her brother Starling, who was a keynote speaker at a conference sponsoring the mixer.
I spotted her first, wearing a white short-sleeved blouse and tailored olive pants.
She was talking to Adrienne, who I’d met at last year’s mixer.
Adrienne introduced us, and from there, a friendship developed.