“Aite. Well, I’ll let you get back to your nurse stuff.” He smiled and bit his lip. “Have a good day, Amina.”
“You too.”
I quickly spun on my heels, walking in the opposite direction, unsure of where I was going, but I needed to be out of this man’s space. He had me ready to walk out of my shift and take a write-up just to be with him. Jabari oozed boss and business, which turned me on. I prayed, hoping I could make it through the shift without thinking about him every second, every minute, but at this rate, I had little hope.
I laid in bed with my window open and blinds pulled back, listening to the thunderstorm wreak havoc across the city. The sound of the rain and thunder relaxed me, along with the slight breeze coming through my window. After work, I went home and immediately prepared for the next day. I wasn’t sure if the storm would cause a power outage, so I wanted to make sure I had done everything I needed to do. Once I finished, I’d been lying in bed since.
While in bed, I thought about Jabari the entire time. Even when I tried to force myself not to, I failed. Temptation won in the current moment, and I wanted to call him. Being a trueCancer, I wanted to experience a relationship with a man who was focused on his business yet also on his woman and family. But here I was, letting a man who probably wasn’t interested in a girl like me take over my thoughts. I felt as if Jabari saw me as his little sister since Gloria talked about me so much. Plus, he looked like the type of guy who liked women that had a certain look. Not a short, thick woman who barely bothered putting on lip gloss. There was no doubt in my mind that Jabari had women falling at his feet. He was a handsome entrepreneur who worked hard and was on the road to success. On paper, Jabari was ideal.
Even with all of that, my finger still hovered over his contact information. I wanted to call and cake on the phone while the thunder played in the background, with the room being lit up by lightning. I wanted to cuddle in his arms and pretend to be scared, just so he could baby me and hold me tight. Then there was that part of me that wanted him to come over and remind me what dick felt like.
Even though my mind and heart were torn, I reminded myself that now wasn’t the best time to try entertaining a man. I knew the best thing would be to focus on myself and my job. The rest would hopefully fall into place. So instead of calling Jabari, I put my phone down, reached over to my bedside table, and removed my vibrator from the drawer. I turned on its highest speed and sent myself into orgasmic bliss. Right as I finished pleasing myself, I fell asleep.
I wasn’t sure how long I’d been sleeping, but I was woken up by my phone ringing. I checked to see who was calling, and it was Danita.
“Hello?”
“Girl, it’s storming bad as hell. Are you okay over there?”
“I’m good. You know I love this type of weather. I sleep peacefully during thunderstorms.”
“Oh yeah, I forgot you’re weird as hell.”
I laughed. “Whatever. How was your day? You good over there?”
“It was good. I’m doing okay. I just wish I had me a little man to be laid up under right now!”
I sucked my teeth. “Really, Nita?”
“Yes, really! Shit, I bet you wish the same. Anyway, how was your day?”
I wouldn’t dare tell Danita she was right.
“I met Gloria’s son for the first time today.”
“Is he fine, or did she hype him up for no reason?”
“Girl, he is gorgeous! We even exchanged numbers. Gloria invited me to lunch with them. I declined, but I promised both of them I would join them one day.”
“Have you texted or called him yet?” she asked.
“No. I want to, but Danita, I have too much shit going on. Personally, I don’t think I have the bandwidth to entertain anyone.”
“Girl, call that man! I’m sure he’s waiting for you to call him. Shit, I probably would’ve gone to lunch with them.”
“And lose my job? Come on now. That makes no damn sense.”
“Makes sense to me. There’s nothing wrong with getting to know someone and exploring their interests. You’re not accepting a marriage proposal. You can start as friends and build it up from there if it goes that route. Clearly, Gloria’s beenmentioning you, and he’s curious as well. Don’t miss out on a friend... or a man.” She giggled.
“He is too glued to his phone. He probably was texting multiple women while there. His daughter ended up falling out of her chair and hurting her knee. If he’d been paying any attention, that could’ve been avoided.”
Danita sucked her teeth. “You’re reaching. Didn’t you say he’s opening a restaurant? Did he take accountability for the child getting hurt?”
“Yeah—”
“He took accountability for it. Don’t crucify him for that. We all fuck up sometimes.”
I thought about what Danita said, and she was right, per usual.
