Page 9 of Pretty and Loco

“Good evening, Miss Blanco.” The man greeted me and extended his hand to help me step up into the truck.

“Hello, and thank you,” I said as I slid into the back seat.

On the seat sat a bouquet and a bucket of ice, with a wine bottle resting on it.

I picked up the roses, closed my eyes, and smelled them. This is definitely the welcome that I deserved.

The truck was barely outside of the gate and down the road when my phone buzzed in my lap, and I picked it up.

Other Half: Be safe, sister. Please, take things slow. Get to know him.

I sighed and then dropped it back in my lap without responding. She couldn’t help herself. I'd hoped she was still asleep from her night shift while I got ready so that I could slip out without this conversation, but luck wasn’t on my side.

My phone buzzed again, and I snatched it up quickly. I was ready to curse her out if it had been another warning, but my anger immediately calmed when I saw it was Rocko telling me he had arrived at the restaurant.

I smiled as I looked at the thread. Then I thanked him for the roses and told him that we were still about fifteen minutes away.

“So, this is what dating feels like?” I mumbled to myself before I pressed ‘send’ on my response.

I put my phone down again and stared out the window. The feeling brewing in the pit of my stomach was something I couldn’t ignore, even if I tried.

“You see men every second of the day that try to talk to you. You haven’t entertained a man since…”

Daya’s words echoed through my head with every turn of the tire, bringing us closer to our destination. No matter how much she annoyed me with her overbearing nature, I knew she knew me almost better than I knew myself, and that her concern came from love and nothing else. She’s seen me at one of the lowest points of my life, and as a sister, I know that had to be just as hard to watch as it was for me to go through.

I just hated that she had to bring it up tonight.

But I get it.

Love hadn’t always been kind to me. As a result, I wound up in a place I never thought I would be. I haven’t dated or entertained a man in the last five years. I guess she fears that if this goes south, I’ll wind back up in a place that I fought so hard to escape.

Even if I didn’t want to admit it, I knew that she was right. A part of me felt the same. I’ve worked closely and have been accosted by some of the most handsome entrepreneurs, rappers, and athletes. But no one could awaken the part of me that had felt dead inside. Yet Rocko made me feel something, although we were separated by 6-inch bulletproof plexiglass.

That scared me too. We’ve only been communicating for a little over a week. I know I shouldn’t be daydreaming about a future with this man. But it was hard not to. He was perfect in every sense of the word. I believe our first date will clear everything up and set the tone for how we’ll move forward. Either it’s going to be the start of a beautiful life or one hell of a hurricane.

***

We pulled around to the back entrance of the restaurant and stopped. I had been here enough times to know that there was a private entrance and dining area. Though admittedly, those areas were reserved for the more high-profile clientele.

The driver stopped and got out of the truck. He did the same thing as he had done when he picked me up. He opened the door and extended his hand to guide me out. I had been out of the dating game for so long I didn’t know what to do with the flowers. On one hand, I didn’t want to disregard them, but I also didn’t want to act like I wasn’t used to anything and bring them inside the restaurant, so I just left them on the seat.

Once I was out of the truck, the driver tapped on the back door, and it opened immediately. The man, wearing a white button-down with the restaurant logo, greeted me and let me in.

I stood aside so I could follow his lead. The back of the restaurant was twice as nice as the front. Several rooms were concealed by tinted windows and dim lighting, and he led me to one of them.

Inside, Rocko was waiting. He sat there, tapping away at his phone when I entered the room. But when he looked up, the intensity in his eyes as he scanned my body from head to toe made me want to skip dinner altogether.

He stood to greet me and extended his arm. We hugged, and he smelled so damn good. He was dressed nicely too. It was that grown man, ‘all my pants are tailored’ type of attire, and it made him look even more attractive, especially outside that athletic wear.

“You look good, Leah.” He said, leaning down and nuzzling his face into my neck before we parted.

“Thank you. You clean up nice as well.” I said, taking a seat across from him.

“Appreciate it.” He sat back in the chair and watched me.

I don’t think I have ever felt more exposed than I did now, watching him stare at me. I looked around the table; there was no menu or drink in sight. I don’t know if he had already ordered for us, but at this point I didn’t even need the food.

“You nervous?” He asked.