Chapter 7
CHAPTER
SEVEN
I’d just started an extended study break when my doorbell rang. My eyes narrowed as I lowered the pear I was eating onto the napkin in front of me. I stood from my couch and walked over to the door to peer through the peephole. A smile covered my face at the sight of Nadir.
“Who is it?” I asked. He smirked, then rubbed his chin.
“Special delivery for Ms. Gold,” Nadir replied in a high tone, disguising his voice.
While rolling my eyes, I opened the door to meet his humored expression. He held up a brown paper bag with the words “Fruit Stand” stamped in red ink.
“I stopped by our spot today.”
My cheeks warmed as I cooed, “Aww, you got me apricots?”
“Yup and pineapples.”
I reached for his arm, pulling him inside before going for the bag. He snatched it back, then shook his head.
“Hi, Goldie,” he crooned with pensive eyes.
Warmth spread throughout my center. “Hi, my darling.”
“That’s more like it.”
He handed me the bag then ventured to my kitchen to find food, probably. I opened the bag and inhaled, moaning in delight at the sweet aroma. My mind went wild with ways to use the fruits in the bag.
“What were you doing on that side of town?” I yelled from the living room.
When I moved to Roseville, Nadir took me on a tour of town. He showed me all the hidden gems, his childhood favorites, and up-and-coming attractions. The Fruit Stand was a place we frequented. I knew their harvest schedule by heart and loved their pies too.
“I went to visit Geneva and Angel,” he said as I met him in the kitchen.
A grin graced my face when I found Nadir eating the fried plantain I’d made before I started studying. He had three pieces on a napkin cupped in his hand. Leaning against the counter, he indulged in one of our favorite snacks.
“Gen was complaining about not seeing me in a while and Angel had a new whiskey he wanted us to try, so…” he explained while shrugging.
Geneva and Angel were the owners of the Concrete Rose Ranch, just outside of town.
The three of them had grown up together and remained good friends over the years.
Geneva rarely left the ranch, so Nadir made time to see her when he could.
I’d hung out with them a handful of times and even rode a horse.
I enjoyed the nights we spent around the fire while Angel played and Geneva sang or told stories.
Their ranch was a prominent figure in the town’s rich history and was one of the biggest attractions in Roseville.
“Day drinking on a Thursday?”
“It was one drink. And Angel’s ass has no concept of time. He never has.” Nadir chuckled while shaking his head. “Anyway, wassup with you? I’m surprised you’re home.”
I went on to share how my siblings ambushed me during our meeting today.
They went through my to-do list and delegated tasks amongst them and Carmen, leaving me with only a few tasks to complete.
With my exam around the corner, they didn’t want too much on my plate.
I didn’t protest because I needed the help.
Once the call ended, I came home, cooked a snack, and had been studying ever since.
After two hours of reviewing notes, I decided to take an extended break.
A break that consisted of listening to music and eating.
Nadir stopping by was a treat I wasn’t expecting, but appreciated nonetheless.
When he texted me to see what I was doing, I just figured he was checking in.
Him dropping by wasn't unusual, but today it felt a little different.
I hadn't seen him since Monday when I surprised him with food and drinks. Admittedly, I had put some distance between us after he broached the topic of us dating. I wasn’t ready to confront my feelings for him, but even with wanting distance, I missed him.
Not being around him on the regular was weird.
“I know you don’t care for baking, but I was thinking, maybe you could make a cobbler or something.” Nadir’s husky baritone pulled me out of my thoughts.
“You want a cobbler?” I asked incredulously.
“You know pies are a big thing around here. You’ll see on Saturday.”
The annual Springville Festival was this weekend and I was looking forward to the food, music, and seeing the roses in bloom around the park.
Last year when I attended, I was so overwhelmed by everything going on in my personal life that I didn’t really enjoy myself.
This year, I could fully appreciate the festival.
I was bringing Adrienne too, so we were guaranteed to have a good time.
“You want me to pick you up?”
I shook my head. “Nope. Adrienne and I are riding together. I’m sure I’ll find you though.”
He nodded, then picked up another piece of plantain and bit into it. Heat filled my cheeks when he closed his eyes and chewed each bite. When he finished eating, he looked at me. A charming half-smile rested on his full lips. I smiled back because I couldn’t help myself.
“Didn’t eat today?” I questioned as Nadir added more plantain to his napkin.
“I had a light breakfast. Gonna have Rob make something once I get to work.”
My eyes landed on the stove for the time. “It’s almost four o’clock.”
“I’ll eat a big lunch.”
“You mean dinner.”
Nadir sighed. “When are you making the cobbler?”
I shrugged while unbagging the fruits. Kneeling, I looked through the cabinet under the sink for my fruit cleaner.
After finding it, I searched for a bowl.
I cleaned, rinsed, and dried each apricot while Nadir watched with an amused expression.
Slowly, his eyes raked over me. When his gaze met mine, he smirked.
“You always study like this?”
My eyebrows hiked, then I remembered I was wearing a cropped T-shirt and yoga shorts.
I folded my arms over my chest, covering my nipples. “Yes. You always stop by people’s houses unannounced and criticize their in-the-house clothes?”
Nadir chuckled throatily. “It was just a question. I’m not criticizing you at all, Goldie.”
The insinuation in his tone made my stomach flutter. I returned my attention to the apricots, picking up the first one and biting it. Hints of tartness hit my tongue as I chewed the delicious fruit.
Pulled pork with an apricot reduction sounds nice.
My eyes widened at the thought. I continued chewing considering several recipes as they came to mind.
“Wanna bite?” I waved the apricot in front of him, making him laugh. The low, guttural sound made my belly flutter.
“Hell yeah. You over there having a foodgasm and shit.” He bit into the apricot; his expressive eyes fixed on me while doing so. After chewing and swallowing, he nodded. “I’ve never had anything bad from The Fruit Stand.”
“Ever,” I added, then continued eating.
Nadir ate more plantain, seemingly deep in thought.
I looked over his appearance, biting my bottom lip.
I was reminded that he was on the way to work when I saw his all-black attire.
His locs were down today, a rare sighting.
He had the front pulled back into a loose knot, keeping them out of his face.
“Thank you for this,” I said, gesturing toward the bowl.
He smiled. “I won’t act like I bought them without expecting something in return.”
“I’ll make the cobbler,” I groused while rolling my eyes.
“What are you doing tonight? Aside from studying.” He said the last part like it pained him, which made me giggle.
“Nothing really. I might just keep it lowkey and watch movies or something.”
“You know where you can spend your Thursday night, right?”
“You’ll be working,” I reminded him. “And besides, I don’t feel like getting all dressed up.”
He chuckled as his heated gaze swept over me. “Yeah, I can tell.”
Punching his arm, I replied, “Shut up!”
Nadir’s wide smile fell at the sound of my ringtone. I made my way to the living room where I left my phone to see who was calling.
“Hey, Ray,” I answered before taking another bite of my apricot.
“Are you sitting down?” she asked quietly.
My eyebrows met. “No. Should I be?”
I fought back a laugh because Raven could be dramatic sometimes. She was the worst person to deliver bad news.
“Sadé and I are going to a party tonight.”
I plopped down onto my suede, emerald-colored couch.
“Okay?”
“Terrance is proposing at the party.”
“Proposing? To who?” I shrieked, feeling a sudden wave of nausea.
“His girlfriend Malika,” she squealed.
Nadir rounded the corner with furrowed eyebrows. My gaze met his, but I looked away quickly, too worried he’d sense my sadness.
“Already?”
“Listen, I’m just as surprised as you. They haven’t been together long.”
I winced after hearing another gut-punching revelation. It was only a matter of time before I got an update on him. Terrance and Sadé were cousins who hung out often.
“How long has it been?”
The question came out before I could stop myself. As badly as I wanted to be unbothered by the news, I was on the edge of my seat waiting for the details.
“Nine months, maybe ten. Like I said, not long.”
The rest of the call was a blur, but I remembered hearing her apologize profusely. It wasn’t her fault that I’d wasted five years of my life just for him to propose to someone right after me.
Tears filled my eyes as I remembered the many arguments we had about marriage.
When we met, we were focused on our careers but liked each other enough to see where it could go.
A year into dating, we made it official, and by year two, we were living together.
During that time, I was working at a restaurant in D.C.
and starting my journey to becoming a master sommelier.
Marriage wasn’t a priority at the moment, but Terrance knew it was something I wanted later on.
Our relationship was going smoothly until his mom started pressuring us to get engaged since we were living together.
His favorite lie to tell was that we were “discussing” engagement, knowing we hadn’t discussed a thing.