Chapter 6
Ahmad
“Ithought you might have quit.” I walked into the coffee shop and saw Fatima sitting behind the counter.
Instantly I could see something was off with her. Her normal cheerfulness wasn’t there. She would usually be smiling and seem happy to be here, but today I didn’t get that same vibe.
“Just took some personal days. You want your usual?” She gave me an emotionless stare.
“Yeah.” Giving me a small smile, she placed her camera on the counter and stood up to prepare my order.
Taking it upon myself, I grabbed the camera and looked at the photos. Just like the first time when I looked at her pictures, I was impressed. I know that most people edited the pictures and stuff, but even Fatima’s rough drafts were good.
None of them were blurry or fuzzy. Even the photos she took off guard were good.
“You know you shouldn’t touch stuff that doesn’t belong to you.” I stopped going through the pictures and looked up at her.
“Your pictures are dope as hell. You ever think of going professional?”
A gloomy look appeared on her face. “I did, but not anymore.”
I frowned. “Why not?”
“Just don’t have the passion for it anymore, I guess.”
Something happened to her and I wasn’t sure what. She wasn’t being her normal self. Typically when I came in here, Fatima was barely able to maintain eye contact with me. Right now she was giving me this dull look. There was no excitement in her voice either.
Her mood was bringing down the whole coffee shop. I didn’t even get that homey feeling I usually got when I walked in. The air was cold and dry.
“Something happened to you?” I asked her.
She scrunched her face up. “What?”
“You don’t seem like yourself. Something happen?”
I wasn’t sure why I even cared. She had already put my order on the counter.
All I had to do was pay and leave so I could go to the gym but seeing Fatima so down and unmotivated bothered me.
The last couple of days coming in here and not seeing her threw me off.
It was weird that this girl I didn’t even know would help me start my day off right.
I wasn’t sure if it was because she had some type of innocence to her, but whatever the case, it helped me start my day on a good note.
“Just disappointment. Nothing I’m not used to.” She sat back down on the stool and held her hand out. “My camera, please.”
I handed her the camera and went into my pocket to give her the money for the order.
“Whatever it is, I’m sure it isn’t worth you feeling sorry for yourself.”
“Excuse me?”
I handed her the money. “You’re having a pity party right now. Whatever happened can’t be that bad. Get over it and figure out your next move.”
Fatima stared at me in disbelief. “You don’t even know what happened.”
I smirked. “I don’t have to know. Normally when I come in here, you’re smiling and happy. That helps me start my day off right. Right now, you’re being a buzz kill over some shit I’m sure you can’t control. Move on and stop throwing a pity party.” I grabbed my order.
“Enjoy the rest of your day Fatima,” I smiled at her.
I may have overstepped, but I didn’t tell her anything that wasn’t the truth. Life was full of disappointments and her dwelling on them wasn’t helping anyone.
____
After leaving the gym, I had some time to spare before I had to be at the shop. Part of me wanted to go back to the coffee shop and try and cheer up Fatima, but I knew that was doing too much.
Something about her kept drawing me to her and I wasn’t feeling it. The last time I felt like that was with Kylie. So instead of going and trying to get closer to Fatima, I called up Marsha, a girl I saw from time to time.
I didn’t do a lot of useless sex because I was too old for that. Marsha and I have known each other since high school and slept together a few times before I got with Kylie. She was down with casual sex, and when I ran back into her after my engagement went left, we hooked back up.
“I’m glad you called me. I have been needing a relief.” Marsha moaned as I moved in and out of her. She gripped the sheets on her bed and tossed her head back.
“Oh yeah?” I bit down on my bottom lip. Having sex with Marsha was always good and her pussy being good was a bonus.
“Yes, damn!” she cried as her pussy gripped my dick tighter. I let her legs go and slammed my hands down on the bed. Speeding my pace up, I kept fucking her until we both were cumming and I was filling the condom.
Pulling out of her, I stood up and walked out of her room to flush the condom.
“Why do you always get like that?” Marsha asked when I walked back into the room.
“Like what?”
“Cold and standoffish. When we’re having sex you’re good, but soon as it’s done, it’s like you shut down.”
I shrugged. Picking my boxers and pants up, I slipped them on.
“I hate what she did to you.” Turning around, I looked at Marsha curiously.
“Who?”
“Kylie. She made you someone you aren’t. You were never this rude, bitter person. Now it’s like you lack any feelings or emotion.”
I frowned. “I’ll hit you up,” I told her, preparing to leave.
I wasn’t about to sit around and discuss Kylie with her. Marsha and I had one thing to talk about and that was when we both needed to release sexual tension. Outside of that, we didn’t need to conversate.
Everyone around me bringing Kylie up did make me think about her. My chest ached thinking of how she threw away all the shit we had built. She had me walking around here in my feelings like a bitch while she was somewhere laid up with another nigga.
Shaking my head, I started my car. Thinking of Kylie didn’t do shit but put me in a bad space. I had closed her chapter in my life, and it would stay like that.
____
“What’s my schedule looking like, Laci?” I walked up to the receptionist's counter and leaned on it.
Laci picked the iPad up and handed it to me. “You have two back-to-back appointments. There’s a small gap before your last appointment for the day comes in.”
I nodded.
I was hoping to look at some buildings today. I had already spoken with my accountant about opening a second location and figured out the budget and numbers. Now all I needed was to find a spot.
I had a few in mind that were in high traffic locations. I just had to make sure they fit.
“What about me, pretty girl?” Neal walked up, grinning.
Laci frowned at him. “Your next appointment is the last for the day.” Her voice was dry.
I chuckled. Neal was always messing with Laci, flirting with her and shit. Laci never paid him any attention though.
“Laci, why you always acting like you don’t like a nigga? What I ever do to you?” He licked his lips.
She stared at him in disgust. “Besides the fact that you flirt with every girl with a fat ass? Bye Neal.” I laughed again and shook my head.
“If you let me make you my woman, I’ll give all that up.”
Laci rolled her eyes. “Anyway. Ahmad, someone named Kylie called before you came in, asking you to call her back when you got in.”
My body grew stiff.
My eyes narrowed down at Laci. “What did she want?”
Laci shrugged. “She wouldn’t say. All she said was that she needed to speak to you.”
I licked my lips. “If she calls back, tell her I’m not interested in talking to her and to stop trying to reach me.” Turning around, I headed back to my room to prepare for my next appointment.
“Aye, man, you good?” Neal said behind me.
“Yeah.”
“You sure? I know how you get when it comes to Kylie.” I paused and bit the inside of my jaw.
“Ain’t no one worried about that damn girl. I’m good, bro.” I spun around to face him.
He threw his hands up. “Alright, just making sure.” Spinning on my heels, I headed for my room.
I closed the door and leaned against it with my eyes closed. I wasn’t sure why the fuck Kylie was trying to come around after all this time. In my eyes, we didn’t have shit to talk about. Everything we had to say to each other was said the last time we laid eyes on another.
It had been months since I saw her, and now suddenly, it was like her name was coming up left and right. I wasn’t trying to deal with the drama or bullshit she brought to my life toward the end of our engagement. She had made her choice, so she better stick with it.