Brenda went to his bedside, but I stayed back not knowing how to go to him. We didn’t have that type of relationship. No matter if we had the relationship or not, he was my father, and I’d be here for him.
It had beentwo days since my father’s car accident, and I was still a little on edge. He had opened his eyes right before I left, and I was glad about that. We didn’t talk much, but I did let him know I was glad he was alright. Since I left the hospital, I called to check on him and even talked to Brenda. She filled me in, letting me know my father was in pain and was already, telling the people he was ready to go home.
From the fear that coursed through my body two days ago, I needed the biggest shot. Tonight, I’d be drinking courtesy of Tito’s. I didn’t know how badly I needed it until I took the shot. A feeling came over me that had me whipping my head toward the entrance of the bar. My heart nearly stopped when my mystery man came in and went to his usual spot. It was a good thing I had drunk something. Now I needed more to work up the courage to talk to him.
He had a nonchalant vibe about him that screamed at me. When women tried talking to him, he brushed them off. There had to be a reason behind the things he did. The servers knew him because they knew what to bring to his table. Now it was mytime to make myself known to him. Hopefully, I had a chance with him, unlike those other women who he'd send away with just a look.
I took two more shots to the head and blew air out of my mouth. My chest burned as the liquor flowed through my body, warming me. As soon as it settled in, I'd have the courage I needed.
Ten minutes later, my mystery man was on his second glass of Hennessy, so I got one of my co-workers to cover for me and then made my way over to his table.
When I reached his table, I stood there and gazed down at him. He had his head bowed, looking at something on his phone.
"Hi," I nervously greeted.
He lifted his head slowly and pinned me with a glare. Even that was sexy on him. He was good-looking, handsome as ever. My insides were screaming at me to get closer to him. He had brown skin, an oval face, and a small mustache and beard. His small, heart-shaped lips looked too inviting, and I had to stop myself from leaning over to kiss them. It was his round brown eyes that had me in a chokehold. Even with him glaring at me, it felt like he was looking into my soul. He had shoulder-length dreads that hung and swung in his face.
"What the hell do you want?" he hissed, his tone hard.
My voice got stuck in my throat at his tone. I hadn't expected it, nor was I prepared for it. "Uhh... hi." I didn't know what else to say. He froze my tongue with the way he came at me.
"You can get the hell away from my table. Why are you over here bothering me?"
I frowned and snapped back. "I just wanted to come over here and speak. You don't have to get an attitude with me."
He leaned back in the seat and rested his hands on his pants. The look was too damn sexy. His eyes raked down my body as he licked his lips. His whole cool demeanor had me wanting tojump on him.Why in the hell was I reacting to this man like this? Then he was rude, too.
"I didn't tell you to come over here and talk to me. You did that of your own free will. What you need to do is go back to that bar and make drinks and get the hell out of my face."
I gasped as my mouth dropped.Did he really just talk to me like that?
"You're an asshole," I spat.
"Yeah, uh-huh. I'll be that. Leave me alone and let me enjoy myself in peace." He shooed me with a wave of his hand.
I had no words, nor did I know what to say, so the next best thing for me was to leave. I stomped away from his table and back to the bar. Truth be told, I was embarrassed. How could something so fine be so damn mean the way this man was? Why in the hell did he still make my heart skip a beat? What was even crazier was that I still wanted to get to know him. He had my body all out of whack. No way did the way he talked to me turn me on. That couldn't be possible...
"When willyou be able to go home?" I asked my father. I opened my bottle of soda and took a sip of the cherry Pepsi.
He sat up against the pillows with a tray of food on his lap. I was at the hospital visiting him, Brenda hadn’t shown up yet. That gave my father and me time to talk. Since I had the night off, I decided to spend as much time as I could with him before heading home. I'd spend the rest of my night mixing drinks and relaxing. I'd more than likely be getting drunk.
"They haven't given me a day yet. Will you come by and visit me?" he asked, tearing off a piece of bread.
I shrugged, avoiding his eyes. “I’m not sure you’ll want me here. We never had that father daughter bond,” I admitted.
“You’re right. We don’t have that relationship, and it’s my fault. I can admit that. I could’ve lost my life when I was in the car accident, and my greatest regret would be not getting to know you better. I can’t go back in time and change anything that happened in the past, but I can make up for it now. If you’re willing, we can work on building a relationship. It’s no pressureif you don’t want to, but I’d like to give it a try.” He set the tray of food on the table next to the bed.
I pinched my lips together and just stared at him. He had me at a loss for words. I didn’t know what to say to that. He wanted to give a relationship with me a try. I wanted that in the past, but when I saw he didn’t meet me halfway, I gave up on the idea of having a relationship with him. Now he wanted one.
I sighed deeply and tried talking. “We can give it a try, but I’m not sure how it’s going to go.”
He smiled a little. “That’s all I ask is for a chance to get to know you and work on having a bond.”
I wanted to tell him, he asked for too much but if he wanted to try, I’d meet him halfway. It was the least I could do.
Before I could ask or say anything else to him, the door opened. Brenda stepped in with a smile on her face. I stood up, getting ready to go. It was their time to have some alone time together.
I greeted Brenda with a smile.
