“Wanna sing something for me?”
“Sure,” I replied, as he grabbed my hand and led me back to the floor where we were supposed to eat our meal.
Christian started plucking a few keys before I caught on to what he was playing. I swayed side to side and hummed with my eyes closed before I worked my way into Alicia Keys’s “Unthinkable.”
“I love to hear you sing, girl,” he stated when I finished.
“Thank you. And I love to hear you play that guitar.”
“What do you love most about the holiday season?” he asked after he served our meal.
He had prepared chicken stuffed with herbs and mascarpone with a crispy prosciutto wrap, rosemary roasted potatoes, and garlic green beans. Everything was delicious and tender.
“The way that people look out for each other. Their thoughtful and caring attitudes. The smiles on little children’s faces, and the joy in the air. I mean, if you look carefully, you see that all year round, but at this time of the year, it’s more prominent, and more people are gentle and caring than at other times of the year.”
“That’s true. You even see people who wouldn’t normally be kind or thoughtful looking out for others.”
“Exactly. What about you?”
“I love the fact that people honestly see the homeless at this time.”
“Mmm, never thought about that,” I replied, pointing my fork at him as I carefully chewed my chicken.
“Yeah, because everyone walks right by them downtown as if they don’t see them or they don’t matter. They’re people, too, and although it’s hard to have to face the reality that we coexist in a beautiful, wealthy city like Cherokee Springs with people who are living on the streets, it’s inhumane to walk right by them like we don’t see them. A hello, or those few bucks you were about to spend on that coffee, in the coffee shop you had to step over him to walk in, goes a long way. I mean, don’t get me wrong;it won’t get that man or woman off the streets, but it will make them feel seen or cared for. It will make their hearts glad.”
“You know what, Chris? You never cease to amaze me. I always loved your spirit and energy back then. You were the clown out of the crew, and you were always happy and upbeat. But I never saw the compassion in you. I knew that it had to exist because of what you do for a living, but I never got to see it in action. I never saw the depth of your soul or knew you were this deep.”
He smiled shyly at me and replied, “That’s because I didn’t let anyone see certain parts of me. When I was around you, Angel, it was easier to clown than to acknowledge that I was feeling you. I knew that shit was dead wrong, and you were my boy’s girl, but I couldn’t turn my feelings off. So I did what I do best and just clowned and acted silly all the time.”
“I’m glad that I got to see this side of you.”
“I’m glad you could too,” he replied before he placed a gentle kiss on my lips.
And just like that, I forgot all about what I wanted to discuss with him when I arrived.
Chapter 13
Christian
Ihadn’t been home long when I got a call from Angel, asking if we could talk. She told me that she had something serious on her mind that she’d wanted to talk to me about a couple of days ago, but we’d never gotten around to it.
After we had eaten, she changed into the lingerie, and I made love to her like she was the only woman ever to experience lovemaking. Her mother had called right after we finished making love and told her that Belle had been running a fever, so she had showered and bolted out of my place. The last couple of days, she had been dealing with a sick Belle, who was teething.
I had dropped by and taken them a care package, but left her to it, because she was in full mommy mode. I turned the dishwasher on and was sweeping the kitchen floor when my doorbell rang.
I headed to the door, expecting to see Angel, but was shocked when I saw my ex-girlfriend, Erica, instead. It had been a while since I had seen her. She had been by my new place only once since I had moved in.
“Hey, girl. What’s going on with you?”
“I’m good. How about you?” she asked, walking inside my apartment as I held the door open.
“I think I’m good, unless you’re here to tell me differently.”
She laughed as she looked around my place. “I like how you decorated it in here. Looks good and filled with holiday cheer. Let me guess, your new girl hooked you up.”
“Nah, I did this myself. What makes you think I’m incapable of decorating?”
Shrugging, she took a seat and replied, “You never did it when we were together.”
