“Have you ever been in love before, Armond?”
He let out a light chuckle then shook his head. “Naw, not me. I tried to stay away from all that. I move around so much there’s hardly time.”
“Then why are you here with me? If you don’t have time…”
“Honeybee, I already told you what it was. I’ll make the time for you just like I’m doing right now. I should’ve come and gone from here two days ago, but I wanted to see you again, spend time with you, and let you know how much of an impact you’ve left on me. I’d say I’m doing a pretty good job, what you think?”
I smiled and agreed. He really had taken his time to be here with me. I missed him, probably more than I should have, but he missed me too, so I was glad he went out of his way to make accommodations. It was nice spending this time with him.
“I’ve been pleasantly surprised.”
I took a bite of my steak and groaned. It damn near melted in my mouth, even with its medium-well finish. Armond smirked then went back to eating.
We stayed silent while we enjoyed our food. I’d said a lot today. I just hoped Armond wouldn’t look at me any differently because of what I tolerated with Jeffrey. I also hoped he was nothing like that bastard and truly liked me for me.
THIRTEEN
Brandy Davenport
I WALKED INTO MY APARTMENT and cased the entire space before I could get comfortable. Jeffrey showing up to the airport had me on edge and even though Armond handled the situation I couldn’t get Jeffrey’s words that he’d be seeing me again soon out of my head.
I was so sure he would be chilling on my sofa while drinking a beer with his foot resting on his knee and arm slung across the back of the sofa just smiling at me whileSports Centerplayed in the background. I was glad that wasn’t the case.
I pulled out my cell phone and sent a group text to my girls to let them know I was finally home. They'd been bugging me since I sent a text telling them we were going on our second official date. I had to silence my phone to quell their excitement. I had the feeling that food was definitely our safe space.
Armond kept that sexy smirk on his face like he was all knowing, like he could read my every thought. He didn't have to do anything extra to keep my eyes roaming back at him. He was just there, present in our little moments. I had to keep pushing it to the back of my head that this was just the beginning, that things would crumble soon enough.
Jeffrey's manipulative ways put me down a dark path mentally, and even two years later, I was still having trouble giving anyone new a chance, male or female, intimate relationships or not. If you weren't already in my clique, then there was no need for additions.
I booked my flight to visit my sister in Colton. I would be visiting her in a week and hopefully I'd have all my business handled and make sure I had coverage for my classes.
I woke up a couple of hours later to three missed calls and two voicemails. I couldn't remember falling asleep but noticing the half glass of wine still in my hand and my head on my laptop I gathered I was just attempting to do too much when I knew I should've taken my shower and curled up in bed.
My phone buzzed in my hand with a notification from social media. I opened it up to see photos and videos from our trip to Puerto Rico and couldn't help but smile at all the moments captured. Though it was crazy, a time was had. This exhaustion just signified how much fun I had.
I exited and went to my text messages, one from Stella and one from Armond. I quickly replied to Stella, agreeing to join her for lunch the next day then called Armond since that's what he prompted me to do since I missed his two calls.
“The sleeping beauty awakens,” he said when he answered on the first ring.
“Yeah, I'm sorry about that. How are you?”
“Better now that I hear your voice. You had that itis, huh?”
“Something like that. You fed me well.”
“I can feed you anytime.”
His sly voice wandered my mind. He knew exactly what he was doing. I'd wanted to jump his bones since we met and him mentioning feeding me anything had me thinking of it in the nastiest way. I kept that thought to myself though.
“As long as it's not while I'm teaching a class then I'm all for it.”
I giggled and he let out a light chuckle.
“I'm all for that, honeybee. Look, I must go out of town for a couple of days with my brother. I'm heading to London then coming right back. Will I be able to see you when I return?”
“Absolutely. Should I make that a date?”
“You better.”
