Me: Hey…I’m so sorry but something came up for Friday night. Reschedule?
I smiled as I thought about Channing and his golden smile. The thought of not seeing him until Friday night was going to be hard to get through, but he was worth the wait. Sharon’s message soon came through.
Sharon: Sure! Of course! But please tell me you’re ditching me for Channing.
I laughed. Sharon never held back, and as much as I gushed about him whenever we got together, it was pretty clear to Sharon who was always on my mind. There were no obvious reasons I would choose to ditch already made plans, unless they were for Channing.
Me: I most definitely am lol. [heart emoji]
Sharon: In that case it’s definitely all right with me! Get your man sis!
Chapter Eight
Channing
Could the week go any slower?
Friday seemed like it took a lifetime to get there. Throughout the week, I attempted to gain knowledge of what we were going to be having for the amazing dinner, but Kemara kept saying the same thing. It’s going to be something delicious.
I was anxious and excited to get there. We talked periodically over the phone, mainly about how she had a tight deadline to hit the filing of insurance claims or how her boss was being a dick, because he expected the work to be done of hundred employees, when they barely had enough staffing to cover a quarter of that. Or, I would talk about a construction site I had to work on that day. It just seemed like we had been friends for years.
We would talk into the night some nights. I would have to run her off to bed, knowing full well that she had to get up early for work or I had a construction job that required me to be there at the butt crack of dawn. On those occasions, the last thing I wanted to do was get off the phone. A few times our conversation would stray, leading us into a point where we could have easily got lost in some sex chat. I certainly wouldn’t have minded that, but I wanted her to see me as someone different from how her sister saw me. I had a lot to prove to not only Kemara, her sister, and maybe even her whole family, I had to prove it to myself. This wasn’t about getting some black pussy. This was about getting to know the woman of my dreams.
During lunchtime, I would usually sneak in a text to her, just to check up and see how her day was going, or she would text me first thing in the morning to make sure I had awakened with the alarm clock. Her phone calls and messages were the only things to keep me sane as I waited for our date to arrive.
When it did, I made sure to leave work right on time, so I could run home, shower, and get dressed. I went with something casual, but not of my usual casual attire. I wore a red shirt with black horizontal stripes and a nice pair of jeans, ones that didn’t have any stains or holes and a clean pair of tennis shoes.
I dashed on some cologne, went to the kitchen and grabbed the wine bottle from the refrigerator, then hurried out of the house with my keys in hand. Once I got in the truck, I grabbed my phone and shot her a message.
Me: Need me to bring anything?
I waited for a response, before starting the truck, just in case she needed something from the store to finish up the meal. The response quickly came.
Kemara: Just your smiling, sexy self and your appetite. I have everything under control. ;)
I smiled at her message, before sending her another.
Me: On my way! :) Can’t wait to see your beautiful smile.
I started the truck and backed out of my driveway. With an hour still to drive, I turned on the radio and started singing along to the Garth Brooks’ song playing. With nothing but the open road in front of me, I hurried towards her place.
The familiar surroundings of her town pulled me in, as I arrived at her apartment building. I looked in the rearview mirror, checking myself out just to make sure I didn’t have anything sticking in my teeth, then turned off the truck.
I grabbed the bottle of wine from the passenger seat and went up to her apartment building. The whole week I thought about the moment that we would see each other. I had thoughts of how the night would end, mainly with me in her bed. I fantasized about the minute she would open the door and I would take her into my arms, kissing her immediately, with the amount of passion and excitement I had for her.
Yet, when she opened the door, nothing could truly prepare me for the moment I would see her again. I felt like we hadn’t seen each other in months, not a week. I smiled. She smiled and I casually moved my eyes up and down her outfit. She was casual but in a feminine way. She had on a jean skirt and black top, with a shawl that hung on her shoulders. The outfit clung to her curves, like it was helping her to breathe. I took in the scent of garlic and apple blossoms. The apple blossom scent was what covered her body.
“Hello,” she said. She had a radiant smile that only added to the mixture of what greeted me.
“Hello!” I leaned in and brushed a soft kiss on her lips, and she reciprocated, sighing and nearly falling into me. When I pulled back, I shook my head, giving her the once over once more. “You look amazing.”
She blushed. “So do you!”
I had nearly forgotten about the bottle of wine in my hands, so I held it out to her. “Hope you like this kind,” I said.
She grabbed it from my grasp and looked it over. Her face lit up. “It’s perfect. I hope you like Italian,” she said.
She turned around and I followed her to the kitchen. It smelled absolutely amazing, almost as good as she did. Almost! “Italian is one of my favorites,” I said.