“You? I’ve been walking a hole in my carpet because my thoughts are scattered as heck. I don’t know what I should do. But I have to figure it out and soon because he’s going to be calling soon.”
“Wait. Wait. Hold up. You didn’t mention that you gave him your number.” The high-pitched tone of Alicia’s voice causes a slight smirk to form as I take a seat on my couch.
“I practically shouted my number at that man just so I could get away from him. His offer and then request for a favor knocked the wind out of me. I had to get away from him, and he wasn’t ready for that to happen. So, I told him to call me later, and we could discuss it in greater detail. But the truth is, I just needed a minute to stop breathing in his panty-melting cologne and powerful magnetism.” I shake my head as my eyes stare blankly at the dark TV in front of me.
Laughter sounds through the receiver, and all I can do is join in because this situation is wild. If someone had told me that my crush had the potential to become my fake man, I would have laughed in their face.
“Man, this might not be on your bingo card, but I think you should go for it. If I were a gambling woman, I would bet that the odds are in your favor, girl.”
“Or this is my dad’s karma for playing in love’s face,” I counter.
“Tuh. You’re the one who believes love won’t find you because of your dad’s inability to commit to anyone. His issues aren’t yours though.”
I sigh heavily because I often feel like Dad somehow rubbed off on me, which is why I haven’t thought much about dating anyone. It’s been easy to forget about men and dating when my father, who’s my first love, hasn’t given me many examples.
“I just feel like I might bite off more than I can chew. This is crazy. Who propositions a woman that doesn’t involve sex?”
“A man that you’ve been crushing in silence over. Have you considered that maybe this isn’t karma or a result of your dad’s foolishness? Better yet, take a leap into the unknown and see where it takes you.”
As if my mind isn’t already on a roller coaster, Alicia’s words spike my blood pressure just as my other line beeps. I pull the phone away from my ear, and my heart rate elevates when I see the unknown number flashing on my screen.
“I-I think he’s calling.” My eyes stretch, and I rub circles on my chest to try and slow the sudden pounding.
“Good. Let me know how it goes.” Alicia disconnects the call, and it continues to ring.
Oh God! Oh God!
With shaky hands, I swipe the button to answer the call, but my words get stuck to the roof of my mouth.
“Hello.”
Mm, mm, mm, my God!
The thick, heavy baritone voice echoes through the receiver, and my hormones stand at attention as my legs squeeze together without permission from me.
“Sadia? From the slow breaths, I know you’re there.” The light tone from Chance indicates his humor, which forces me to finally speak.
“I’m here. Good-uh, good evening, Chance.”
“I’ve given you a few hours, not because it’s what I wanted. But I know it’s what you needed, Sadia.” The way my name rollsoff his tongue causes warmth to surge through my body like glaze on a hot donut.
I smile and twirl my hair with my right hand before I lean back against the couch. I’m no more ready for this conversation than I was hours ago. But time has run out, so it’s now or never.
“I did,” I whisper.
“Let’s discuss everything and lay our cards on the table. Then you can make a decision that hopefully is in my favor.”
“That’s fine, but I can’t help but feel like I’ll be using you. I mean, you’re offering to pay my student balance, and all I have to do is go on a trip with you. It sounds like it’s something you already have in motion, which means you’ll have to put out more money. The whole thing feels lopsided and unfair to you.” My words rush out as my mind spins with various scenarios and the financial impact on Chance.
“There’s one thing I need for you to understand about me before we go any further. I don’t do anything that I don’t want to do. You could never use me, especially when I offered. As far as the trip, think of it as a pre-graduation present.”
I bite my lip as I contemplate whether or not I should accept or decline Chance’s generous offer. All he’s asking of me is that I pretend to be his woman. How bad could that really be?
“If I say yes, what happens next?”
“First, I take care of your school balance. Then, you and I go on our first date. We need to establish some comfort level with each other to pull this off in front of my friends. My only rule is that we treat the date like it’s real. For all intents and purposes, we’re just two people exploring each other without barriers.”
My heart races, and my stomach churns because it’s been a long time since I have been on a date. I’m not sure I know what it fully entails or if I’m ready. The idea of it being with Chance also excites me in a way that scares me. The idea of spendingtime with Chance in an intimate setting fills me with jitters and merriment.
