I grin at him. “Told you so.”
He throws a glance toward the building. “What floor is she on?”
“She’s in the building across the street,” I explain.
He gives me a puzzled look. “Then why don’t you go back and forth on her sidewalk? You got my woman all wigged out, and now I’m out here, freezing my balls for no reason other than to pretend like I’m kicking your ass on her behalf.”
“Sorry to inconvenience you,” I smirk back.
He eyes me up and down like he can’t believe what he’s hearing.
“Why aren’t you picking her up from her door, like a real man?” he challenges.
His words sting a little, but not as much as one would think. It’s a fair question.
“Because I promised her that I’d wait for her down here.”
He pulls back a little. “This a date, or what?”
Again, fair question, very complicated answer.
“It’s a date,” I say. “She just doesn’t know it.”
He takes a couple of steps back and pats at the pockets of the coat he’s wearing.
“Damn, I don’t have my phone,” he mumbles to himself.
I instinctively pull mine out. “Do you need to use mine?”
He eyes me up and down again. “Uh, yeah, but it would be kinda fuckin’ awkward considering I need to call the police on you.”
“What? Why?” I forget all about my cold extremities as my breath floats around when I speak.
“Why?” he laughs incredulously. “Because you’re obviously stalking this girl, man.” He throws his arms toward the building where Mona lives. “You’re a damn freak.” He pauses for a second. “Unless she’s super hot. She hot?”
“I’m not stalking. I amwaiting,” I yell back. “And yeah, she’s hot.”
He puffs his chest, ready to attack. “Then why the fuck have you been creepin’ up and downmysidewalk for the last hour?”
My head is about to explode, and there’s a good chance I might end up in a fist fight with this asshole who decided to insert himself into my business.
“I’m not fuckin’ creepin’! I am trying to get her back, and I promised I would wait here for her so there’s no pressure if she doesn’t want to come at all. I am giving her space!”
I am breathing heavy by the time I’m done yelling my shit to the ass. He doesn’t say anything at first while he squints his eyes in suspicion, scanning me up and down.
“Where are the flowers?”
That is the last thing I thought he’d ask, and to say that his question throws me off does not begin to cover it. I open my arms wide as I stare at him.
“What the hell flowers?”
He opens his mouth to answer when a woman pops up at his side. I almost jump back from being startled. She has the mostamazing curly hair that’s so high up, I bet it gives her at least another four inches in height.
“Darian, what the hell is going on here?” she snaps at the guy in front of me. “You said you’d be taking care of this. Lulu almost went on the carpet.”
He wraps a protective arm around her and pulls her into him. It is a move filled with affection and familiarity, and I’m jealous as hell. I don’t even remember ever being like this with Mona, at least not in public. It’s startling to realize that my friends are right; I really did treat her like crap.
“He’s not a criminal,” Darian points at me. “In fact, I’m pretty sure you could take him out, babe.”
