He laughed. "I will. Gimme hug."
Jamari was full of surprises tonight. I walked into his arms, and we embraced. I inhaled his scent, loving the manly scent he had. It was a smell I wanted embedded in my heart. I almost didn't want to let him go.
"I'll follow you home, too."
I shook my head, dismissing that. "No, I have it."
"I didn't ask." With that, Jamari walked away from me.
I got into my car and waited until he got into his. By the time I got to the exit of the parking lot, a car was behind me. I smiledas I drove, checking the rearview mirror every so often. When I pulled into the parking lot of my townhouse, Jamari blew his horn and kept it moving. He warmed my heart in ways that I couldn't explain. Nonetheless, I enjoyed being with him tonight. I'd be looking forward to more nights with him like that. If I had it my way, I'd keep a smile on his face, or I'd at least try my best to do so.
I didn't knowwhat to expect from Jamari. It had been a week since I'd introduced myself to him. We texted each other on and off until three days ago. He stopped texting me back. Then I'd send a text to make sure he was good, but he hadn't responded. That crushed me, but I didn't know what to do about it. I hated that he wasn't trying to meet me halfway. I didn't know if I wanted to give up or not. That was something I couldn't do because I wasn't a quitter.
I had the night off, so I was home lounging around. Sometimes I wished I had a man in my life to do things with, but the last two relationships I had weren't shit. I thought the guys that I was with would have a forever, but that didn't happen. The bad part about that was that I had given each relationship my all. My last relationship lasted only six months, and that was when I knew I needed to stop trying. I wanted everlasting love with a man. I was twenty-seven, ready for marriage and a family. That wasn't too much to ask for. I knew what was acceptable in a relationship and what wasn't. It was just hard giving a man my all when he didn't meet me halfway.
I sighed as my thoughts took me back to Jamari, the man I wanted and didn't want to give up on. It was the sadness in his eyes that beckoned me to him. I just didn't understand why he wouldn't just talk to me. I knew I was a stranger to him, but we were getting to know each other, so that should've counted for something.
In the middle of my twisting around in the kitchen, my cellphone rang. I stopped, put the liquor bottle down, and went to answer the phone. The name I saw on the phone caused my heart to beat faster. I never rushed to answer the phone the way I did when I answered Jamari's call.
"Hello?" I leaned against the counter.
"Wassup? What are you up to?" It was the sound of his voice on the phone that did something to my insides. It was deep but soothing to my ears.
"I'm mixing drinks to test out. What about you?"
"Chillin' while my brother and sister are in school. I want to see you."
Oh, how I'd waited to hear those words from him. For some reason, they got me excited. It had me wanting to jump up and down, but I held it in.
"Sure. You can come over. I'll send you my address when we get off the phone in case you forgot that night."
"Word. I'll see you soon."
Once we hung up, I sent Jamari the address before rushing to get ready. A quick shower never hurt anyone. I stared at myself in the mirror, at my brown skin, and saw a glow I didn't know I had. Before jumping in the shower, I put my burnt orange hair in a messy bun and removed my glasses from my eyes. I smiled as I thought about Jamari remembering I wore them. I'd be making sure I had them on when he came to see me.
Ten minutes later, I was out of the bathroom and in my room, trying to find something to wear. That was the hard part.I didn't want to do too much since I was at home, so I decided to wear a black-and-white dress that fit my curves perfectly.
Just as I exited the bedroom, my doorbell rang, so I wasted no time in going to the door to let Jamari in. I then realized I hadn't put on any lotion or perfume.Damn it!I hurriedly rushed back into my bedroom and sprayed on some perfume. I reached for the lotion and put some on my arms and legs. The doorbell sounded again.Shit!If I don't hurry, he might leave.
I power walked out of the bedroom and down the hall to the front door. Once there, I calmed my racing heart and took deep breaths. One thing I needed to do was hit the gym. I couldn't believe I was out of breath that fast.
I opened the door to let him in and gulped. Jamari looked too damn good, even when he wasn't dressed up. His dreads flowed across his shoulders. He wore a plain white T-shirt, black basketball shorts, and Nike slides. He looked comfortable.
I moved aside to let him in with a smile on my face.
"Hey. Welcome to my home. You're not cold?" I closed the door behind him.
He chuckled, shaking his head. "Nah, not really. You have it toasty in here."
I chuckled. "Yeah, I've got to have my heat on when it hits a certain temperature outside. How are you?" I went into the kitchen, and Jamari followed behind me.
"I'm straight. Nice place you have here."
I shrugged, peering around my home. It was decorated in my favorite color, red, with hints of black, gray, and white. I couldn't go all red. People would think something was wrong with me.
"Thank you." I went back to the counter where I mixed the drinks. Jamari sat down at the kitchen table. "Do you want to be my taste tester?"
"Will it get me drunk?"
