Torn Apart (African American Romance)

by Cristina Grenier

  Rhonda made her way around to the park that once was her and David’s spot. Instead of an official date, which it sounded like he was trying to attempt, Rhonda instead suggested that they meet at their old meeting spot because it would be a neutral, casual meeting place where he wouldn’t have the chance to try to pull out all the stops he was trying to sell to her over the phone. Of course, she had to make sure she looked her best to make David realize what he had been missing since they parted ways; Rhonda was dressed casual enough to make it seem as if she had not put much effort into getting jazzy for their meeting but at the same time she made use of those MAC products she had recently purchased to give her that natural glow she was looking for to go along with her favorite swooped to the side hairstyle she liked wearing when trying to give off her best “sexy Rhonda” look. It seemed to work too, because as soon as she saw David’s face as she approached the park bench she saw the desire all over his face. Rhonda had to admit, also, that David seemed to carry a stronger sexiness about himself that she had never seen before either, so both of them were a bit in awe about what they were face-to-face with; Rhonda just made an effort to not act as impressed.

  David was already smiling and licking his lips as he stood up to greet his former love. Rhonda had become even more beautiful, physically, than he had remembered. He always thought she was a beautiful woman but she now had a confidence that comes with experience. The thought made him briefly insecure of himself and whether or not he had made a mistake in setting this up, but the moment was here now.

  Rhonda politely smiled as David opened his arms for a hug. She stepped right into his arms and they hugged for a few seconds before either of them said a word. It was like a truce following the hurtful parting of ways they had experienced there at that same meeting spot.

  “How are you, beautiful?” David broke the silence.

  “I am doing great. How about you?” Rhonda asked as she broke the hug and looked David in his eyes before taking a seat.

  “Better now that you are actually here meeting me,” he responded as he joined her on the bench. David could not take his eyes off of her and Rhonda definitely noticed. She was beginning to think her assumptions about today might in fact be spot on. Rhonda decided to cut to the chase.

  “Speaking of which, David, why did you want to meet so badly? Now, after all of this time?”

  “The same old Rhonda,” David lightly chuckled as he grabbed her hand. “I’ll get right to the point then. I first of all wanted to apologize for how I ended things the way I did. I moved on to another chapter in my life without sharing with you what I was going through at that time and not even trusting that you could understand or even fit into that part of my life. I had shared so much with you about my feelings about my father, so I knew you wouldn’t understand my need to want to change my plans in order to please him. I kind of felt like I was being pressured at the time to come back home but then as things began to change and my father and I got closer I started looking forward to this new path I was taking. When it came to how I handled it with you, I was being selfish and I’m sorry for that. I hope you can forgive me.”

  “I can,” Rhonda replied as she politely smiled to emphasize her sincerity in accepting his apology. She felt he was being sincere but she did question where was it all coming from but she decided not to bother dwelling on that. For the next 10 minutes David and Rhonda talked nonstop about the events that took place in each of their lives from the time they parted ways up until the present. David described to Rhonda how his taking on the role of pastor had matured him and how he was working hard at trying to not only accomplish the goals of his growing congregation but also become a better man for himself. Rhonda described her life in the big city and how she loved her job and life there, with plans to hopefully start graduate school soon once things slowed down at her job. Before she knew it, Rhonda realized almost an hour had passed and she told her parents she would be back to the house by now.

  “David, I need to head back. I’m sure my mom and dad are wondering where I am—I told them I was going for a walk.”

  “Oh. So they don’t know you were coming to meet me?” David asked as if disappointed.

  “Well no, because I did not know how to quite explain my meeting you,” Rhonda responded as she stood up. “My mom and dad asked about you often when we first broke up—I think they were rooting for us. It finally got to a point where I think they knew I didn’t want to talk about you so I thought it would be strange to bring you up now. Plus, they might have started assuming the wrong thing.”

  Rhonda felt the excuses coming one after the other, sounding more nervous than anything.

  “And what is that? That we might be getting back together?” David asked as he stood up standing in her space much closer than she had expected.

  “Right,” she responded as she stepped back a little.

  “I wouldn’t mind if they assumed that. As a matter of fact, that was the second reason I wanted to see you. I would like you to give me another chance, Rhonda.”

  Rhonda stared at David for what seemed like an eternity as he waited for some type of response or reaction that she was not giving. The polite, friendly, forgiving expression that she had been carrying during their visit all this time was now replaced by a look of suspicion, mistrust and confusion.

  “David, why now? And not even that, but why me?”

  “Why not you? Rhonda, don’t you ever wonder what could have happened with us?”

  “Yes, back then I wondered but I moved on and got over you and never looked back. I heard you did the same—what about Tina? Or anyone else for that matter. I’m sure you have plenty of options, let alone in your flock,” Rhonda responded.

  “Sure I have dated when I had time; Tina…that ended which you should have known that would happen anyway. I’m not even sure why I even went back there with her.”

  Me either, Rhonda thought to herself. Hearing him acknowledge that it had not worked with Tina this time around made her feel happy for some reason and she was not quite comfortable with that.

  “Well David, I have been dating and I have to be honest—I’m starting to get to know someone who I feel has a lot in common with me.”

  “You two are just dating right now though?” David asked as he stepped closer to Rhonda staring deep into her eyes as if to see if he could read whether she was being honest with him.

  “Well yea, it’s pretty new but I really like him.”

  “Well when people date that means they usually date more than one person until they find themselves with that one person who they no longer want to date but become closer to.”

  David, although very smooth in his approach and manner, was putting it on pretty strong. Rhonda found herself entertaining the idea of letting David court her, forgetting about the fact that she and Ken had actually taken part in some physical activity that one might consider to be far more than just dating.

  “David, that may be true but I do not come home except for a few times out of the year. And not to go back in the past but I catered to you by visiting you when you were in school, then basically following you to the same school and…”

  “I know Rhonda,” David interrupted. “And I do not expect you to do that now. I’m just letting you know that you are going to be hearing from and seeing more of me from now on. I just needed to know that you were not in a relationship first and would not be offended by me pursuing you again.”

  “Ok, well why don’t we start first with seeing how things go with us being friends,” Rhonda suggested as she smiled and wondered to herself if David would really put in the work to trying to make things work again. A part of her did not believe he would; it had been a long time since David had catered to her—Rhonda was always catering to him near the end of their relationship. She figured this would not interfere with her promising relationship with Ken. What Rhonda had forgotten was how persistent David could be when he set his mind on getting what he wanted, and right now it wa
s his mission to get Rhonda back into his life for keeps.

  The Real World

  Rhonda entered her apartment dragging in all of her bags and gifts from the trip to see her family for Christmas. The few days had came and went but now it was time to go back to her world and life back in the city, but could Rhonda really do that now so easily? After her meeting in the park with David, she really had not expected to see or hear from him immediately but he called her that evening. They were on the phone for hours, until sunrise, getting reacquainted with one another. Rhonda decided to stay awake, get dressed and get everything packed and loaded into her car since she would be leaving that evening. She spent the rest of the morning and afternoon running errands with her mom, and then they both met her dad for lunch at one of her favorite restaurants that had become like family tradition for them to visit before she hit the highway. Rhonda still did not have the courage to bring up the renewed relationship with David, although her mom did make a point of mentioning that she had heard Rhonda on the phone during the wee hours of the night during a late-night bathroom break. Rhonda just smiled and kept her parents guessing; they probably assumed it was Ken she had been speaking to because when she had first arrived Rhonda told them about the new guy she was seeing. Although her parents never put on the pressure for her to rush to get in a relationship and get married, she noticed that they were always ecstatic about the possibility of her settling down with someone. They welcomed the news of any new boyfriends Rhonda may have had. She also wanted to be able to make them grandparents one day soon, so in a way she was the only one putting pressure on herself; probably the reason for the last few relationships that she jumped into ignoring all the signs telling her that they were not worth her time—she had been so focused on trying not to be single and alone.

  Deciding to tackle the task of unpacking her bags the next day, Rhonda dropped everything in the living room and continued on into her bedroom to lie out on her queen size sleigh bed. This meant that she had no plans for the night and only planned on getting her some long overdue sleep. When her text alert went off she expected it to be her mom checking to make sure she had made it back home, but it was actually from David.

  “I miss you already. Have you made it home yet?”

  The kind gesture made her light up instantly and she quickly replied letting David know how much she appreciated him checking on her and that she had just made it in and was about to take a nap. As soon as she sent the text and set her phone down it rang; she was actually hoping it would—last night’s conversation with David had her looking forward to the next one. Rhonda reached for the phone and answered hello so sweetly that the receiver of the greeting could not help but smile himself.

  “Well hello, sexy. I’m glad to hear you sound so pleased to be hearing from me.”

  It was Ken. The sad thing about it was that she had almost forgotten about this wonderful man that she had here back in the city waiting for her to come back.

  “Hey, of course I’m happy to hear from you,” Rhonda responded smoothly playing off the fact that she thought it was her other suitor calling. “Did you miss me?”

  “Of course I did. When did you get back?” Ken asked.

  “I just walked in and plopped on my bed. I am so tired but I had a wonderful time visiting my folks.”

  “Maybe next time you go visit, maybe I can join you. I’ve never been there before but I hear it’s a beautiful place to visit in the summer. Maybe you can take me to the amusement park.” Ken excitedly suggested.

  “That sounds like a plan.” Rhonda really did believe that Ken was someone she could picture taking home with her to meet the parents and see her hometown, that is, if he was still in the picture. Just the thought alone had her becoming a little concerned because it had only taken a matter of days and now David had already worked his magic on Rhonda and had her considering the possibilities of another chance being together again. Rhonda was torn—what was she going to do?

  Rhonda was working from home during the days approaching New Year’s, which she absolutely loved since she could sit around in her pajamas as long as she pleased during the day. Today she was about to get dressed earlier than she had all week because Ken had invited her to lunch. Since he was working from her building this week, Rhonda agreed to meet him downtown so he would be walking distance away from the job. This was going to be her first time seeing Ken since she had returned from her Christmas break with the family. Rhonda was looking forward to seeing his handsome face and enjoying his company. She felt it was necessary since her mind had been so consumed with the reemergence of David as he worked his way back into the picture. David had been calling her every day, and sending texts throughout the day, just to say hello or let her know he was thinking of her. Rhonda almost felt as giddy as she had in high school, so David’s efforts were indeed working. She still had feelings for Ken, but she needed to be in his presence again to see if the fire she had for him was still there.

  Rhonda had lucked out with finding a parking spot right by the park directly across from the office building during this busy time of the day. As she exited her car digging for change for the parking meter, Ken was approaching her looking even more handsome than she remembered. He greeted her with a hug and a quick kiss on the lips. He obviously does not care who sees us, she thought, which made Rhonda feel pretty special. I like a man who shows some public displays of affection, she thought.

  “How are you doing, beautiful?” Ken greeted her.

  Rhonda practically froze when she heard those words because David had been referring to her as beautiful since he had been back in her life. Now was not the time, she said to herself; Rhonda needed to focus her attention on this wonderful man standing in front of her now referring to her as beautiful..

  “I’m doing better now here in your strong arms,” she responded.

  “Well you’re making me feel pretty damn special, I might add. Thank you for coming downtown to meet me in this crazy downtown traffic. As a matter of fact, let me take care of the meter for you,” Ken responded as he put enough change in the meter to cover three hours.

  “Thanks, but you didn’t have to do that, especially not all that change—don’t you have to be back in an hour?”

  “Actually, I do not,” Ken responded with a smirk on his face. “I have some things planned for us during these next few hours if you don’t mind me taking up your time for that long?”

  “Of course I don’t. Please lead the way,” Rhonda responded trying to hold in her excitement from this spontaneous moment with Ken who she was quite impressed with at the moment.

  Ken led her to the same hotel where they had last spent the night together after their holiday party. As if reading her mind, Ken quickly let it be known that the surprise inside the hotel was not a room. He acts as if he knows me, Rhonda thought to herself, and that made her smile. Ken led Rhonda to the spa located on the main floor of the lavish hotel and let the receptionist know that he had an appointment scheduled for him and his date. Rhonda could not believe this man, who she was still getting to know, was already treating her to such luxuries. She had never had a man do anything like this before, so she was practically in awe.

  “I hope you don’t mind receiving a full body massage side-by-side with me.”

  “Not at all.” Rhonda responded with a quick peck to his soft lips.

  Ken and Rhonda were led to a private room by a young man and woman explaining that they would be the ones tending to Ken and Rhonda’s pampering needs for the next couple of hours. The private room was unlike any Rhonda had seen from her many spa experiences; it was large and spacious with two massage tables in the center for her and Ken; in one corner were two chaises with a small table holding a bucket of ice with a bottle of sparkling wine and a plate of chocolates. They would have 20 minutes to enjoy their wine and chocolates while getting undressed and prepared for their full-body massages. Before the young man and woman left the room, they dimmed the lights and left Ken and Rh
onda to enjoy each other. Rhonda felt so nervous for some reason, considering they had seen each other in the nude before, but this time seemed more special since this was their first official date. Ken was a perfect gentleman as he led her to one of the chaises and started undressing her beginning with her shoes and moving upward. Although nervous from what could have been described as a sexy and seductive move on his part, Rhonda relaxed and felt completely comfortable letting him undress her. Once she was nude Ken took in the view of her beautiful body sitting in the chair enjoying the sparkling wine and chocolates, and then he went and grabbed one of the robes they had left for them to cover up in, if they wished to do so.

  Ken excused himself to go to the restroom; when he returned, he had undressed and was in his robe. He was doing his best to make Rhonda feel comfortable and try to do things a bit different this time around so she would not feel as if this whole date was planned for the purpose of them becoming intimate again. Ken would not be disappointed if this turned into something sexual but he wanted it to naturally happen. Ken joined Rhonda, sitting down on the other chaise leaning in close enough to feed her chocolates, lightly brushing the tip of his finger across her sexy lips before she took a bite and slowly chewed while he watched her every move. They were both enjoying the moment, taking in the serene yet seductive atmosphere in addition to each other. They were eventually led to their side-by-side massage tables where they managed to make eye contact with one another from time to time while getting the kinks worked from their bodies over the peaceful, soft sounds of the music playing lightly over the speaker. An hour later, Rhonda and Ken were left alone to enjoy the room and the rest of their sparkling wine. They remained on their massage tables for a few minutes looking into each other’s eyes and sharing dream vacations and places they each wanted to visit. Being in this relaxed mode made them look forward to more moments together like this in places farther away. Rhonda was impressed hearing about some of the common destinations that Ken mentioned, as well as places that he had previously been, such as Italy—Rhonda had dreamed of wanting to go to Italy for quite some time now. Ken finally got up from the table and went to pour both them both some more wine; Rhonda took in the view of Ken’s sculpted backside and suddenly wanted him right then and there in their private massage room. When Ken turned around with both glasses in hand ready to walk back over to Rhonda on the massage table, he was surprised, and immediately turned on, to see her sitting up on the end of the table with her legs slightly parted reminding him that she was still without her panties. Ken admired Rhonda’s body up from her brightly painted pink toes, shapely defined legs, beautiful shapely breasts to her sexy lips turned up into a slight smirk. The view practically made him pause for a moment before he continued walking over to her until he was standing directly between her parted legs.