Chapter eight #2
I took several bites out of my own plate and reveled in the flavor and spices of each dish. As we ate, we made small talk about ourselves. I learned that he had a two- year- old daughter with his ex.
“Do you and your ex get along?”
“For the most part. I mean, I have my daughter every other weekend and I pay my child support twice a month. We know that we have to get along for the sake of our little girl,” he said.
“So, no baby mama drama?” I inquired with a raised eyebrow.
“Nope. I think men have baby mama drama when they still sleeping with the mama, but I ain’t doing that. Once I was done, I was done!”
Now, I could see why my auntie liked Dimitri so much.
He was a little older than me, but he was definitely more mature than the guys at my school.
I guess that was what had attracted me to Jonas when I first met him.
Not only was he good looking, but he was older than I was.
Jonas was thirty-five years old, so he had better be mature for his age.
“How long will you be visiting here?” Dimitri asked.
“I plan on leaving Sunday afternoon. I have four assignments and two projects due before finals.”
“Will you be coming back here for the summer?”
“That’s the plan.”
“Sounds like a good plan,” he said with a smile.
“Oh, you think so huh?” I asked.
“Well, it’s no secret that I’m feeling you, Gianna. I would like to spend more time with you so we can get to know each other better.”
“Are you single Dimitri?”
“Well, I wouldn’t be here trying to get to know you better if I wasn’t. Are you single?”
I surely wasn’t going to tell him that I had been sleeping with my professor. “I am,” I said after a moment of hesitation.
I didn’t want to lie to him, but I also didn’t see any reason to tell him about Jonas. I mean, a secret relationship wasn’t a serious relationship, right? No one knew that Jonas and I were seeing each other because the only time we spent together was behind closed doors having sex.
“Are you sure?” he questioned as he glanced at me sideways. “I sensed a little hesitation on your part.”
“Yea, I’m sure. I mean, I was seeing someone, but we weren’t in a relationship. It was more like a ‘friends with benefits’ thing.”
“Oh, aight. Well, I’m single single. No friends with benefits or nothing like that.”
“Why is that?”
“Because friends with benefits have too many invisible strings attached. I don’t want that kind of relationship. I want a real relationship,” he explained.
We both busted out laughing at his remark.
My phone started to ring so I pulled it from my pocket to see who was calling.
I saw that it was Jonas. On one hand, I wanted to answer it to make sure he wasn’t coming out here.
But on the other hand, I didn’t want to take away from my time with Dimitri.
I clicked the ignore button then turned the ringer off.
“Is that your friend with benefits calling?” he asked.
“Shut up!” I remarked with a smirk.
We closed our food trays and I put mine in the fridge.
“Are you leaving right now?” I asked.
“Do you want me to leave?”
“Are you tired? I know you just got off work.”
“Aww, you’re worried about me. That’s sweet.”
“I am. If you’re tired, I don’t wanna keep you. I have a long day tomorrow anyway,” I admitted.
“Are you throwing me out?” Dimitri asked.
“Not at all. I was only asking because if you want to stay for a while, I can put your food in the fridge.”
“Oh, okay. Well, you can put it in there.”
He handed me his food tray, and I placed it in the fridge next to mine. Then we went to sit on the sofa, and I turned the television on. Sitting next to Dimitri with our legs touching had sparks flying through my body. He draped his arm over the back of the sofa and pulled me closer.
I was so enthralled with this man that I didn’t even know what was playing on TV.
I was nervous as hell, but not because I was here with Dimitri.
As it turned out, I liked being with him.
He was smart, funny and he helped me forget about Jonas.
I was nervous though because I wasn’t sure where this was going or where I wanted it to go.
I mean, what exactly was he looking for here? Hell, what the hell was I looking for?
“I appreciate you for checking on me and for being here,” I said.
“No problem. Thank you for letting me come over. To be honest, I haven’t been able to get you off my mind since the day we met,” he admitted.
“Really?”
“Fa real!”
“So, what are you looking for?”
“Well, I wasn’t really looking for anything except to get to know you better.
I know this is a hard time for you, so I’m just trying to comfort you.
Your grandmother meant a lot to me, but I know she meant more to you than anybody else.
I like you Gianna, so if in the process of us spending time together, you decide you like me too, we can just see where it goes from there,” he said. “Is that cool with you?”
“What about when I go back to school?”
“What about it? You said yourself you only a few weeks left then you’re coming back here for the summer.”
“So, you’re okay with a long- distance relationship?”
“It’s only for a short time. I mean, your phone works, don’t it? Or will you ignore my calls too?” He smirked as I looked at him. He raised his hands in surrender before he busted out laughing. “Aye, I’m just asking.”
“Not funny,” I said before I cracked up.
This is what I was missing when I spent time with Jonas. Every time we saw each other, it was straight to the bedroom and getting nasty with each other. I could bet any money he didn’t even know what my favorite color, food, or flower was.
“Besides, maybe by the time fall semester rolls around, you’ll decide you don’t wanna leave New Orleans and transfer,” he suggested.
“I don’t know if that’s possible since I have a full ride at Texas A&M,” I said.
“Well, I’m sure we’ll work it out. As long as you don’t start ignoring my calls,” he said with a wink.
“You haven’t given me a reason to ignore your calls… yet!”
“Oh, not yet huh?” he asked with a chuckle.
“Seriously though Dimitri, I appreciate you for being here. Being in my grandmother’s house by myself the past couple of nights has been real lonely and painful for me,” I admitted as a tear slipped from my left eye.
He brushed the tear away and asked, “Why didn’t you stay with your aunt and cousin?”
“Because usually when I come home, this is where I stay. I just wanted to be in my grandmother’s house because I feel closer to her here. And as rude as I was to you that night you first called me, I didn’t even think about calling you.”
“Yea, you were a little rude that night, but your grandmother had just passed away. I totally understand that you were struggling with your emotions. Besides, I’m a grown man.”
“I still owe you an apology, so I’m sorry for the way I behaved,” I said.
“It’s okay Gianna, really. Like I said, you’re going through a lot. I’ve already forgiven you for that because it ain’t even that serious. I mean, I’m still here with you now.”
All of a sudden, I felt the urge to kiss him.
So, before I lost my nerve, I turned my head and pressed my lips against his.
I didn’t expect him to push me away, but I didn’t expect the response that I received.
He pulled me close and pushed his tongue in my mouth and let me say that the kiss got heated really quick!