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ChapterTwo

“Ican’t believe you went through with this shit,” Pardi’s tone was so full of disgust, it made Dallas chuckle.

“Why you so damn mad? This ain’t even got nothing to do with you, bruh.”

“Because if shorty turns out to be on some black widow type shit and kills you, I’m gonna be the one yo’ mama cusses out for letting you go through with it.”

“I’m a grown-ass man.”

“And that’s going to be my eulogy at your funeral. That I tried to stop you and you told me that you were grown.”

Snorting, Dallas glanced down at his watch to check the time. “Are you done? Shorty should be here any minute, and the last person I need to be on the phone with when she does is you.”

“My nigga, if you were feeling lonely, you didn’t have to take shit this far. You know you could have called up Tamika and—”

“Hell nah,” Dallas interrupted with a shudder, thinking about his last romantic endeavor gone wrong. “I was two seconds off having to file a restraining order on that bitch.”

“Temper, temper,” Pardi teased. “Since when did the almighty wholesome Dallas start disrespecting women?”

“When that muthafucker turned into a stalker, flattened my goddamn tires, and started camping outside my crib.”

“At least she was consistent and you know what you’re getting.”

“Pardi.”

“Fine. Fuck it. Gon’ and risk your life for some pussy. When you wake up in the morning, naked, with ya wallet gone, don’t call me. I don’t want to hear it.”

“Nigga, get the fuck off my phone,” Dallas chortled.

“Alright, alright, I’ma chill. You gotta admit that this shit is weird though. How do you agree to go on a date with a woman that you’ve never seen before? Something’s gotta be off if she doesn’t want anybody to know what she looks like.”

“Or,” Dallas glanced at his watch again. “She could be concerned about her safety, like me.”

“Or, she could be ugly as hell and tried to suck you in with her personality before revealing her challenged face. You still got time to get the fuck up out of there, my nigga. I’ll meet you at the wing spot right now and we can watch the game. Take a picture of her first though. I gotta see this shit.”

“I can’t stand your ignorant ass.”

“I’m just saying. You got options, big dog.”

For a moment, Dallas contemplated the offer. Agreeing to meet a woman for dinner that he’d never seen was beyond out of character for him. Online dating had never been his thing. He’d only created a profile after losing a bet to his boys. He’d never had any intentions of using it. But, after a string of failed dates, and a situationship from hell, he wondered what he had to lose.

If he was going to be single, he could at least make it exciting. He wasn’t looking for his perfect match. Dallas only wanted to have a little fun.

So, there he sat, in a restaurant in a maroon turtleneck paired with khaki pants, a fresh haircut and neatly groomed beard, and a single, yet thick, gold chain awaiting a woman that he’d never met.

He had to have been out of his mind.

“For real though, I don’t even know why you carrying on with all this drama,” Pardi continued talking when Dallas didn’t respond. “We both know how your story ends, and who it ends with.”

“Don’t go there,” Dallas warned. “That shit is over and done with.”

“Only because you’re too scared to try and bag what’s already yours.”

“Why you bringing up the past? Like you didn’t have a front-row seat to how badly I screwed that shit up. Ain’t no getting it back.”

Dallas didn’t even want to think about the split-second emotional decision that sent his life spinning into a turmoil that was just recently on the verge of being mended.

“You did pull some sucka shit.”