7
“YOU AND I BOTH KNOW I’M A MAN OF ACTION IF NOTHING ELSE.”
Agreeing to have lunch with a man before knowing what his intentions were wasn’t on Orielle's bingo card today. Or any day for that matter. It wasn’t a move she would normally pull because she didn’t waste her time.
That was the thing about Najee, though. He wasn’t your typical man, nor was their situation normal—theirfriendship, as she so eloquently labeled it. She sat across from him atFreddy’swith a full belly and an even fuller heart. The mom-and-pop soul food diner had some of the best dishes Orielle considered pure comfort food. They matched the vibes of the place, making her feel right at home as eighties jazz and blues crooned lowly over the updated speakers.
The drive there was short, and she appreciated Najee for being considerate of her time despite her attempt to get out of his invite. Orielle was happy she agreed.
“You got enough?” Najee asked.
She nodded. “Yes. I can’t eat another thing. How am I supposed to drive home if I keep yawning every thirty seconds?”
Najee smirked. “You’re talking to a man who has a car service. We’ll figure it out.”
Giggling, Orielle shook her head. She fell right into that one. The fact that he said they would figure it out together made Orielle even more relaxed in his presence. The simple phrase was a quiet allegiance of his unwavering security. She tried not to think so much into it, but that’s what she did. Overthink. And then blurt things out of her mouth that her brain hadn’t fully computed.
“What is it that you want from me?”
Najee stopped pulling bills from the stack of money in his hand. “Why do you think I want something from you, RiRi?”
“Because people always do.”
Her direct answer made Najee lean back in his seat after counting out more than enough to cover the bill. The cautiousness in her gaze, like she was waiting for the disappointment in his reply, bothered him.
“And what is that they want? Because I can guarantee their desires and mine will never add up.”
Desires?The word echoed in her brain so loudly, Orielle had to take a sip of her water. He watched her the entire time. Waiting, willing, and ready to listen. For her, Najee had nothing but time on his hands. Yet, he wasn’t nearly prepared for the raw, unfiltered answer only someone like her could give.
“My time with no effort. My peace with no safety. My heart with conditions. My love with no reciprocity. My money, without caring how I made it. How my body feels, before knowing how my mind moves.”
Her answers were tailored to specific people in her life. CJ, Janelle, Bobby, her father, and the strangers online who lusted after her. Orielle and Rielle Summers lived two separate lives.One world derived from the other, but somehow, they meshed like day fading into night. Two skies, different hues, but shared the same horizon.
Some people didn’t know how to differentiate the two, leaving Orielle with no choice but to keep her guard up. She didn’t want to be that way forever. At least she wasn’t trying to be. It was a collaborative effort on all ends.
Outside of yoga and the music, you couldn’t reach her. Not beyond the surface anyway. Najee had gotten past that, but now she was pushing him back. He and the people she was used to dealing with weren’t on the same page. Not mentally, physically, emotionally, and damn sure financially. They weren’t even in the same book, shelf, or library.
“They’re asking for a whole lot from a person who doesn’t seem to require much,” Najee said.
Orielle sighed. He’d read straight through her. “Just because I don’t require much doesn’t mean I deserve the bare fucking minimum.”
She didn’t want to be taken for granted.
Or taken advantage of.
She didn’t want to be silently craved.
She didn’t want to have to overcompensate.
She didn’t want to compromise her pure heart.
What Orielle wanted was to be seen wholly, heard without speaking loudly or at all, loved deeply, unconditionally, and chosen out loud. Was that too much to ask?
“You deserve what you put into this world, and that’s the best of everything, Pretty Girl. Know that.”
“I do,” she said confidently. Surely. Then, she waited. He still hadn’t answered her question. Najee smirked, reading her mind.
“If I tell you what I want, that leaves no room for me to show you. You and I both know I’m a man of action if nothing else.”
