The three of them continued watching the couple on the floor, who were whispering to one another and probably laughing at secret things, things that only the two of them knew about.
“I have to admit,” Myron started, “they look good together.” They all nodded in agreement.
*
Even in her drunken state, Katie hadn’t forgotten the stipulation placed on new employees.
“It’s Koen’s turn to rock the house!” she shouted. All eyes went to him as Koen shrugged, conceding to her wishes. He casually un-tucked his shirt then started toward the stage. People turned to pat him on the back, clearing a path for him as he made his way through the crowd.
Delona egged him on loudly, clapping and letting out a loud whistle. She wasn’t so sure she wanted to share him with everyone else yet. After she’d finished her number earlier, she had immediately sought him out, feeling guilty at having left him at the bar. She’d been glad to see that he’d lost the tie and jacket and was dancing with Katie and some of the others. He looked comfortable surrounded by the gorgeous women. That uncomfortable feeling she had gotten in the spa when he’d hinted toward impressing the ladies returned, but she had managed to smile and ignore it. She forced herself to dig deep, reminding herself that their friendship was much more important than those strange feelings she kept having toward him.
She looked on, curious as to which song Koen would sing. After witnessing him talk to the DJ, he walked over and stood alone on the large stage. The spotlight highlighted his gorgeous face, causing Delona to compare his features to those of an angel. His emerald-green eyes shimmered as they moved side to side, taking in his audience. His full lips were slightly parted as though in anticipation of the start of the song. He was beautiful.
The noise died down as the opening to “Nobody Knows It But Me” started to play. Couples immediately paired up for the slow drag while others looked on in appreciative silence. Delona watched everyone smile and sway as they listened to his highly aesthetic vocals. His words reached out to her as she watched and listened to him expertly maneuver the song. But it wasn’t just the awesome sound of his voice that had her attention. Pain seemed to taint each and every verse that left his mouth. His face was solemn, a vast change from the man she had been joking and laughing with only moments before. She had no doubt that Koen was hurting, and it seemed that no one else in the room realized it but her. At that moment, the strong, beautiful man she had come to know as her rock appeared to be lost and vulnerable.
Chapter 9
A few weeks later on a Tuesday morning, Koen found himself heading to Delona and Cara’s apartment. The dreams were increasing in frequency and intensity, cutting into his sleep every night versus once in a while. He knew the time of the year and the taking on of more clients were contributing to this, but there was little he could do about that.
Unfortunately, the lack of sleep had caused him to completely forget that Delona wouldn’t be at her office for the rest of the week. He had driven all the way to Soul of the Matter just to have Katie tell him that she wouldn’t be in. Lucky for him, Katie was nice enough to call her boss and set up the meeting at Delona’s apartment. Most clients would have been put out. Not his Delona.
He parked in the visitor spot, taking the steps two at a time up to her second-floor unit. She answered the door on the first knock still dressed in purple flannel moose-adorned pajama bottoms and a pink oversized long-sleeved T-shirt. A thick purple robe was thrown over the top, and her hair was pulled back into a low ponytail held together by a coordinating scrunchie. Her overtly casual appearance made him feel slightly out of place in his usual business attire.
“You know you’re not in the wilderness anymore,” he joked light-heartedly. “You don’t need so many layers here in L.A.”
“That roommate of mine keeps it so cold in here I sometimes forget where I am,” she replied sarcastically.
“I heard that!” Cara retorted from somewhere in the depths of the tiny apartment.
Koen didn’t converse with Cara often, but she didn’t sound like the woman he was used to. In an attempt to avoid getting caught up in the apparent squabble the roommates were having, he shifted his attention to the confines of the apartment. The place was small. The front door opened right into the living room, which was barely large enough to hold the peach paisley sofa and two matching chairs that flanked it. Little space was left between the glass coffee table and simple entertainment table in front of it where a small flat screen TV sat. However, the room didn’t seem as cramped due to all the natural light flowing in through the picture window.
To the right of the living room was a small open kitchen with breakfast bar. Two stools sat in front of it. He was tempted to make his way over to one of them in order to stay out of Dodge but knew that wouldn’t have been the polite thing to do. Instead, he shifted his gaze to the left were a small bumpout served as a very short hallway. Each of the three walls in the small space had a door, and they were so close together the door frames almost touched. He speculated that their bedrooms and a bath lay beyond them. It was such a contrast to Delona’s brother’s spacious home that Koen was taken by surprise.
“Yeah, Cara and I didn’t invest as well as Myron and Danny,” Delona stated, apparently reading his expression. It would appear that she was rubbing off on him. “But I assure you, we’ll be just as hospitable,” she added with a bow.
“You’re so cute,” he jested, tweaking her nose with his thumb and knuckle.
“Don’t tell her stuff like that. I’ll never be able to get her fat head out the front door!” Cara yelled from the other room.
“Oh, stop!” Delona chastised.
She grabbed a pillow from the small sofa and rushed to the doorway of Cara’s room. Koen watched in amusement as the tiny woman opened one of the three doors and threw the square pillow at her roommate. Cara dodged it and stuck her tongue out at her. Delona slammed the door and walked away, shaking her head and prompting Koen to laugh at their playful banter. Cara truly was in rare form this morning.
“Don’t mind her. She’s just mad because I accidently knocked over her favorite shampoo and didn’t realize it until the bottle was completely empty,” Delona explained, looking exasperated.
“That stuff’s expensive, missy.” Cara’s muffled voice came from behind the closed door.
“I said I’d buy you some more. Jeez!” She looked heavenward, placing her left hand over her heart and raising her right one in the air. “I vow to never come between that woman and her overpriced shampoo again.” Koen chuckled. “So whatcha got for me this week, daddy-o?” she asked as she guided him the short distance to the couch.
“I have a Mr…” He paused, scrolling through his calendar. “Tyron Hayes, who wants to take you to a Lakers game this Friday. He’s thirty-two… the CEO of a popular frozen food company.”
“Frozen food, huh?” she echoed. She rested her chin on her fist and drew her arched brows together in deep thought. A moment later, she shrugged. “Hey, it’s a chance to go to a Lakers game, right? I’d be nuts to pass that up.”
He was glad to see that she had gotten beyond the guilt of appearing to be superficial. She deserved to get something out of these insufferable blind dates she had been forced into. Even as a man, he was starting to see her point about the types of men women had to put up with. So far, none of them had even come close to the men she had brought to life in her clever little mind.
He pushed away the fantasy he had recently started to have of becoming that man for her, replacing it with the memory of last week’s disaster. He had been a little concerned when she smiled brightly at the sight of the tall, muscular African-American man. But then the man had messed up big time. Otis had taken her to the newest hotspot in town, a club he had just acquired. He gave her the royal treatment, hanging out with her in the V.I.P. lounge and all. Despite her dislike of clubs, Delona had been impressed. That was, until his mother showed up. Koen had barely managed to keep his amus
ement at bay when the artificially, beautified African-American queen started drilling Delona as though she were interviewing for a job instead of out on a date with her son. Delona hadn’t been happy.
Koen, however, had been intrigued. He had never in all his travels seen a blond black person, let alone one with blue eyes. Well, maybe that basketball player, but who was counting? The woman’s fake boobs were nice enough but nothing compared to Delona’s all-natural ones. Despite finding humor at the price of Delona’s discomfort, he had managed to maintain a serious face throughout the ordeal. But he had lost it when she’d turned to him, stretched her arms out, and, with her most sincere face in place, demanded that he shoot her.
“Would you like something to drink?” she asked him, bringing his attention back to the present. She was giving him a bemused look, probably wondering where his mind had gotten off to.
Before he could answer, they were interrupted by the beeping of his phone. “Sorry. I need to take this,” Koen said, moving to one of the bar stools at the breakfast counter.
“No problem. Take your time.” Delona turned to her laptop, which sat on the coffee table in front of her. Crossing her legs Indian style on the sofa, she placed it in her lap and started typing.
Koen answered the page. Thanks to Delona’s faux pas and how they had handled it, he had become quite popular in the L.A. area and was currently taking on more clients. He watched her the entire time he was on the phone, barely giving the woman he was chatting with any attention. He could tell that Delona was working on one her novels because she was reacting to the goings-on within her creation. The various faces she was making amused and delighted him. During the past few weeks, those faces had managed to infuse themselves deep within his heart. He loved every last one of them, even her infamous condescending one.
After ending his call, he continued to stare at her, fascinated by her expressions and how absorbed she was in what she was doing. At that moment, he relaxed his inhibitions just long enough to fall unequivocally and completely in love with her. He couldn’t help the smile that came to his lips or the way his heart suddenly felt as though it would leap from his chest. Being in the same room with her was starting to wreak havoc on his manhood, as naughty thoughts of the two of them naked infiltrated his fuzzy brain. It had been a long time since he had felt this way and had never expected to feel this way again. Before he could stop them, the sad memories associated with being in love infiltrated his bubble. The euphoria that had filled him so quickly was immediately doused by a wave of fear. He couldn’t survive giving his heart again. The chance was way too risky.
However, what he observed next grabbed his heart, pushing every ounce of that fear away. Before he could stop himself, he moved from his place at the bar to sit on the couch next to her. She was crying. Koen guessed from the look of pure concentration on her face that she didn’t realize it.
“Is it that bad, love?” he asked in a gentle voice.
Delona’s head shot up from the computer as though it just occurred to her that she wasn’t alone. She met his gaze, blinking her tear-stained eyes in rapid succession. Her small hand rose to the wetness on her cheek. She touched it and then pulled her fingers away staring at the moisture on them, confusion etched on her pretty face. Gradually, her face flushed as her look of confusion transformed to one of total embarrassment. Koen reached out and softly wiped the tears from her other cheek with the pad of his thumb, allowing it to linger longer than it probably should have.
“Oh, my. Sorry about that.” She turned away from him, wiping her face on her sleeve. His heart dipped a little when she appeared to be unaffected by his caress. “Sometimes I just get so into it, you know,” she offered apologetically.
“I think that’s wonderful. It’s evident that what you put out truly comes from your heart, and it shows in your final product,” he said, ignoring the twinge of pain he felt from her lack of reaction to his touch.
“You’ve read my books?” Her eyes lit up and she sounded genuinely surprised.
“Every one of them. How else could I take on the job of pimp-licist.” Light laughter filled the room. “But really, you do great work, and you’ve got quite the imagination.”
“Actually, it was wicked easy. During the three years I lived with my last boyfriend, I simply observed his behavior and now use the opposite of it to characterize my heroes.” They both let out a hearty laugh.
“I guess in the end that really did work out for you.” He turned toward her more, placing his elbow on the back of the sofa and propping his head up in the palm of his hand. It gave him a dead-on view of her profile.
“Yeah. I mean he wasn’t a bad guy, just very immature. I actually contemplated remaining friends, but his ego wouldn’t allow it.” She shrugged matter-of-factly before returning her attention to the act of shutting down the computer.
“What prompted the tear jerk?” he asked, gesturing toward her laptop.
“The main character’s wife just died in a plane crash.” She snickered, making a silly face.
Suddenly, Koen felt the muscles of his chest tightening. Sweat began pouring down his face and neck as her words triggered that horrible feeling within him. To his dismay, he was having an anxiety attack and right in front of his Delona. The last thing he wanted to do was lose it completely in front of her. She hadn’t noticed yet, as she was still concentrating on her laptop, allowing him much needed time to get this under control before she did. Too late. Panic seized him more tightly as he watched her turn to him in slow motion. Time seemed to halt altogether as he struggled to regulate his breathing.
“Are you all right?” she asked, putting her laptop on the table and quickly moving closer to him. Concern was etched on her face.
“Yes,” he replied weakly, his voice almost inaudible. She began rubbing his arm in a soothing motion. Slowly, he started to relax.
“Who was she?”
He didn’t need to ask her how she knew or what she was talking about. Little got past his Delona. It took him a moment to regroup before he could answer her. “My wife.” Delona was unable to hide her shock. Under different circumstances, he would have been laughing at her wide-eyed expression. “We were high school sweethearts and married for six years after we graduated from college. I watched for two years as what started as cervical cancer slowly took over the person I had planned on spending the rest of my life with.”
With Delona watching him, he felt more vulnerable at that moment than he had felt in a long time. Her look was one of sympathy. Koen’s concentration soon shifted to her hand as she continued to idly massage his arm. He felt that familiar heat generating within him from her touch and allowed it to calm him further.
“I’m sorry. That had to be devastating for you,” she said. Her touch continued to work wonders in ridding him of the funk that he had suddenly fallen into. “Tell me about her. Was she pretty?”
“Oh, she was beautiful!” he gushed. “She had the most amazing gray eyes. They were always so warm and gentle. Her hair was so long it fell past her waist and was always so soft and shiny. It felt like pure silk.” He paused, remembering the feel of her hair. He couldn’t help but smile at the memory of her. “She used to pride herself on being one of the few remaining natural blondes on the planet.” He chuckled. “I still think she secretly dyed her hair, but as she stated, that was her business and hers alone.”
Delona smiled. “Sounds like you were lucky in love. Few people are, yet you got to spend almost one third of your life with this wonderful person.”
Her words had an impact on him. She was right. “Unfortunately, I refused to see it that way at the time of her passing.” Or eight years later, he mused. “I lost all hope, spent the next five years in a bottle.” Delona stopped rubbing his arm, grabbing his hand in both of hers. She gave it an understanding squeeze. “My uncle, who has fought his own share of demons, was able to save me from myself. He encouraged me to get help and eventually move to the States. He even let me borrow h
is home here in L.A.” He took a moment to think fondly of his uncle. “The old geezer grew tired of ‘the shallowness associated with this town.’ His words, not mine.”
“I’m so proud to be your friend. A lesser man wouldn’t have been able to climb back up from such a situation,” she stated thoughtfully. Her gaze turned serious. “If I can ever be of help, I’ll be there for you. I promise.”
Before he could consider the consequences, he had pulled her into his arms and was now hugging her tightly. His eyes closed as he basked in the feel of her against him. He pressed his nose to her head and inhaled deeply, becoming intoxicated by the exotic smell of her peach shampoo. Slowly, he opened his eyes to find Cara watching them intently from the small hallway with a knowing look on her face. His secret was out. Reluctantly, he released his hold on Delona.
“I’d better get going,” he stated coolly, harnessing his emotions. “I’m meeting a potential client today, thanks to you.” They both stood and walked to the door.
“Me? Really?” Delona smiled broadly.
“Yeah.” He gazed at her, enjoying her smile as he gently caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers. “Got any questions about Friday night?” he asked, dropping his hand to his side. It was becoming more and more difficult not to touch her. Deep down, he was hoping that she would find a reason to cancel the date, but then he furtively admonished himself for having such selfish thoughts.
“No. I got this,” she stated with attitude, casting Cara a sassy glare. Cara rolled her eyes.
“Okay, love. See you then.”
*
Delona and Cara said goodbye to Koen as he exited their apartment. Delona closed the door behind him and then turned to find Cara standing with her arms folded under her breasts, glowering at her.
“What?”
“What! That man did all but outright declare his undying love for you and all you can say is what!” Cara countered incredulously. “You didn’t even notice, did you?”
Finding Love for a Cynic Page 6
