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I was leaving the jewelry store at the mall after purchasing myself a new gold chain and a diamond necklace for Nakyra when my name was called.
I paused and turned around, squinting then widening my eyes when I saw Aimee walking toward me with a smile on her face and a couple bags on her arm.
“I thought that was you!” she gushed.
“Wassup, Aimee?” I looked her over. Not much had changed about her since I’d last seen her. Aimee had always been a beautiful girl. When we first got together, I thought she modeled. Her long legs, slender frame, high cheekbones, and oval face could easily be on someone’s magazine cover. Turned out I was wrong, she was a surgical tech.
“It’s been a while. You look good.”
“You too. You been good?”
“I have. Just got back from Brazil a couple days ago.”
“Sounds fun. I’m assuming you went for your birthday?”
She nodded. “Yeah, me and a couple girlfriends.”
“I’m glad you were still able to go.” Originally we had planned on going as a couple. “I should get going though. It was good seeing you.”
“Wait. Are you busy? I was wondering if you wanted to get a coffee and catch up.” She pointed to the coffee stand a couple feet away. There was no bad blood between me and Aimee. When we ended, it was on good terms. Our paths were just different and we grew apart. I wished her well and hoped for the best. She was a good girl, and even though I made more than enough money to take care of her, she was against it and continued working and finishing school when we were together.
I checked my watch. “I got some time. Lead the way.”
She grinned and turned, heading for the coffee stand. There wasn’t a line and we were able to get our drinks quickly. I paid for both and we walked a few more feet to the food court.
“How’s business?” Aimee asked once we were seated.
“Great. We’re expanding.”
She smiled. “Really? That’s great! I remember you mentioning that was the plan before the year was over.”
“Yeah, it’s been a long time coming. What about you? Work’s good?”
“Yep! I got a promotion a couple months ago. I’m now a supervisor.”
“Congrats.”
She nodded, “Thanks. They want me to teach classes too but I’m not sure I want to do all that.”
“Sounds like life’s been treating you good then. I’m happy to hear that, you worked hard.” I brought my white mocha to my mouth.
“Thanks. I finally feel like all that schooling is paying off.” She snickered. Things grew quiet between us before she cleared her throat and spoke again. “So… are you seeing anyone?”
I lowered my cup to the table. “Yeah, I am.”
She looked shocked but quickly tried to hide it. “Oh nice. Is it serious?”
“It’s new.”
She nodded and tapped her finger on her clear cup. “I’ve been on a couple dates but nothing stuck. Figured I might as well just focus on work for now, you know? Enter my soft girl era.” She giggled. “You know there were a few times I thought about calling you to see if we can try again but I chickened out. Guess I missed my chance, huh?”
I bounced my eyes around her face. “C’mon Aimee, we were good together, but we both know we eventually started to grow apart. Our tastes didn’t add up and it only widened that rift. There’s no love lost between us, but we just weren’t compatible anymore.”
Her eyes lowered to the table and she nodded slowly. “Yeah, you’re right.” I wasn’t trying to hurt her, but I wasn’t going to sugarcoat anything or give her false hope either. We ran ourcourse, and although I had love for her, I hadn’t been in love with her for a while. We tried our best to make the relationship work, but sometimes you just had to call a spade a spade and lay things to rest.
Chapter 24
