He wrapped his royal blue plush towel around his waist. He wiped some of the steam off his mirror and gave himself an assessing look. His eyes were alert, but he could see the tension in his gaze and around his mouth. He had to fix this situation or he would age prematurely. He was usually steady and calm, yet every time he was in Kalilah’s space, his brain would short circuit and something stupid would fly out of his mouth.
Nick watched as he set his jaw in determination, he would work out the issue with her today. They will either call a truce or go back to pretending the other didn’t exist. The latter option saddened him, but it was better than constantly insulting her. Nick pulled out his toothbrush and continued his morning ritual. Resolve and determination eased some of the tension out of his body. It was decided. He would get her alone, and they will have some sort of a conclusion. He just needed to come up with the perfect excuse.
Twenty minutes later Nick found himself entering his unwelcomed guest’s townhome complex. As he searched for the correct house number, he’d noticed that while all the townhomes had a Spanish style roofs, they were all different enough to not confuse one for the other. Some were slight architectural changes, and others were different shades of neutral colors varying from soft green to tan, taupe, and cream.
He finally stopped in front of a soft yellow home with a neatly trimmed front yard. Nick looked from the wind chimes hanging on the front porch to the colorful welcome mat gracing the entrance of the door and knew that the home was heavily influenced by a woman.
Nick’s heart started to beat faster, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood alert. For the first time since his dad interrupted his sleep, Nick realized he may be picking up a woman. His palms started to sweat, and he felt a low level of anxiety. All the tension had now returned.
His dad would not make arrangements for just anyone, especially to the extent of considering giving him or her a ride himself; this person was no less than a VP. His dad’s words suddenly replayed in his head.
“Your COLLEAGUE!” Nick wiped his palms on his pants as the realization sunk in deep into his bones. SHIT! The only other female VP was his sister, and she lived in a different state.
Nick had barely regained his composure when the front door opened. Kalilah emerged looking as beautiful as ever. Nick rubbed his hand over his chest to ensure that his heart was still beating. He knew that it was Friday, but he’d briefly forgotten why it was his favorite day of the week. And his reason to favor this day was currently looking at him with her lips set in a grim line. He didn’t know her well enough to read her emotions, but anger was a universally readable emotion. He could also tell that she was having an internal debate about getting into his SUV.
She must have decided that going to work was more important than avoiding him. She sighed and grabbed her purse and laptop bag from the foyer. She instantly brightened his day when she turned to lock her front door. Oh, those jeans. Nick was grateful that he’d always taken great care in keeping his vehicle clean because he would have been embarrassed when she opened the back door. Man, was she that mad?
“You can sit in the front, ya know?” Nick said doing his best to sound casual. He was awarded with a death glare.
“I would think you would want to keep the front seat open for someone wholesome. We whores can sit in the back.”
Nick hope that she didn’t see him grimace. “Come sit in the front. I never called you that.”
She folded her arms, and Nick’s attention was momentarily diverted to her now-enhanced cleavage. Nick cleared his throat and forced his eyes back to hers. She didn’t seem to notice his distraction.
“Maybe not, but you definitely implied it. Twice in one work day.”
Nick recognized am uphill battle when he saw one. Nick’s mother also taught him to know when to concede in an argument and now was definitely one of those times. He turned more in her direction and hoped she could read the sincerity on his face.
“You’re right. I insulted you when it wasn’t necessary. It’s obvious that we need to have a talk. Please come up here with me so we can settle this.”
Her stance relaxed a little, but he could tell that she still wasn’t sure if she should trust him. He understood because he insulted her literally five minutes after apologizing for the first insult. She eyed him suspiciously, but his words were enough for her to climb into the front seat and put on her seatbelt.
He shifted in his seat because his body instantly reacted to her closeness and scent. The last thing he needed was for her to think he was some sort of pervert. Nick longed to touch her, but knew it wasn’t the time. He wasn’t sure he would ever get the chance; he kept screwing up royally. Nick directed his car back to the main street before he started to talk.
“Kalilah. I sincerely apologize for my words yesterday...I didn’t mean it.” Nick was trying to find a way to explain without making himself sound insecure and paranoid. “I am not usually so combative and rude, but my last few interactions with new people didn’t end well. I guess it has left me…guarded.” He could feel her eyes on him he stopped for a red light and glanced in her direction. “Please ignore me if I happen to put my foot in my mouth again. I don’t mean it.”
She raised an eyebrow, and Nick wasn’t sure what she was about to say, but he knew it wouldn’t be what he wanted to hear.
“So, you want me to adopt the Battered Wife Syndrome, mentally?”
Nick frowned and glanced at her. “What?”
Kalilah shrugged. “You continue to say what you want when you want, and I am supposed to constantly make excuses for you in my mind. ‘He was having a bad day. He didn’t mean it.’ You know stuff like that.”
Nick wasn’t sure how to answer her. He wasn’t sure if that was how his apology sounded to her or if she was just being irrational.
“I know,” she continued. “Let’s practice. Go ahead, call me a name or throw another baseless accusation at me and let’s see how I handle it.”
Nick shook his head. Now she was speaking a language that he knew fluently – sarcasm. Kalilah either didn’t realize he was being sincere, or he didn’t present his case correctly. Either way, they were going nowhere fast. “This isn’t going as I hoped. Let’s start with something simple. Where do you want to grab breakfast?”
Even her shrug was sarcastic. “You tell me Nick, what do I want? You seem to have me all figured out. Tell me what to eat.”
Nick started to become frustrated, but he knew his life would be easier if he remained diplomatic and didn’t engage her mood.
“Well, my memory is borderline photographic. I recall you throwing away a bag from the bakery at the next light. Would you like to go there again today?” She looked slightly surprised but remained silent. “I will take that as a yes.”
Nick turned into the lot and navigated into the nearest parking spot and killed the engine. She remained in her seat and didn’t move even after he got out and headed toward the bakery. He turned and gestured for her to follow; she turned and looked out of the window instead.
Resigned, he went in without her. He halfway expected her to be gone when he returned a few minutes later with two bags of food and two bottles of orange juice. He wasn’t surprised when she didn’t accept it or acknowledge him. He put her food down next to her and continued their journey to the office. He was starving, so he polished off a kolache before trying again.
“Look, Kalilah, I know we’ve had terrible start, but I am not going out of my way to insult you.” She scoffed. He held up his hand. “I am not asking you to allow me to disrespect you because it’s not my intention. I was just trying to clear the air.”
“Well, maybe you can explain why you go out of your way to think the worse of me? Do I have ‘slut’ written on my forehead or something? According to your assumptions, I was three seconds from blowing you in the parking lot yesterday morning for a promotion.” Nick inwardly groaned and tried to erase the fantasy she unknowingly generated in his head. “And by that aftern
oon, I was three seconds away from doing your dad in his office. Which way do you want it Nick? Am I trying to fuck you or your dad?”
Nick flinched. She was going to kill him. He wasn’t shocked that she cursed, he’d watched in amusement as she said about as much of the same to her computer the day before. But, the context was killing him. He wanted to shout, “Me please!” His cock was having a field day, and he needed to reign it all back in.
“Kalilah…”
“I know!” She cut him off. “It’s a new day. Maybe it will be Dex! Or, maybe you will decide to make me a lesbian, and I pursue your mom or sister.” She huffed and blew her hair out of her face and stared out of the window. “You know, I’m not sure if your low opinion is of women in general, black women, or if it’s just me.”
Nick sighed. He thought he should tell her the truth, but he knew it wasn’t the time. She would not believe that he liked her and wanted to be with her. She would feel that he was trying insult her intelligence. She needed to know that he didn’t have a low opinion of her, and he was not a woman hater. Nick decided to give her a partial truth.
“I felt left out.” She was looking at him now and he pressed on before he lost his nerve. “I don’t fit in well with the other VPs. Everyone I encounter seems to know and like you. We just met yesterday. My first apology didn’t seem to be going well; then, my dad showed up. You two seemed genuinely happy to see each other, and none of that was directed towards me. From either one of you. It had nothing to do with your race or gender.”
Nick’s cellphone starting ringing through his vehicle’s Bluetooth. It surprised them both, but Nick was so caught off guard that he dropped his phone between his seat and door when he tried to answer it. Shit. He didn’t want Kalilah to hear his call, but he could not let it go to voicemail. Since Dex’s schedule was so complex, this was the only time he could talk to him. Reluctantly, he hit answer on the steering wheel.
“Hey Dex, I am…”
Dex cut him off before he could give him any warning that the conversation wasn’t private.
“Hey big bro. It’s time for the daily status report. Are you still a virgin?”
Nick was perfectly happy with dying right at the moment. If he wasn’t for his concern for Kalilah’s safety, he would have opened his door and rolled into traffic. If Dex lived in the state, he would drop Kalilah off at work and drive to wherever Dex was just to choke him. Kalilah shifted in her seat and looked out the window. Nick was pretty sure his face was scarlet red.
Before he could diffuse the situation. His dear sister chimed in. “Dex! Don’t be so brash. You ask him that every day. I’m sure if he’d lost it sometime between now and yesterday, he would have at least texted you.”
Nick tried again. “Guys, it’s not…”
Dex interrupted again. “Nick, this isn’t healthy for Little Nick. He’s gonna pack his shit and leave. Little man hasn’t seen any action, and he’s about to be thirty! What about your stalker? What happened with that? Was it a woman? If so, jump on that pronto buddy.”
April 8, 2016 at 6:58 AM, Dex Sinclair signed his death warrant. Nick was gripping the steering wheel so tightly; his knuckles were white. The only solace at that moment was that they were turning into the Sinclair Enterprise complex.
This time, Kalilah was the one that spoke. “One, I’m not a stalker. Two, you can’t make plans for my body. Nick, just drop me off here in the front. You guys can finish in private.” Nick pulled in front of the building, and she quickly gathered her bags and got out.
“Kalilah…” She held up a hand.
“Thanks for ride, Nick.”
She closed the door and hurried into the building. Nick was saddened by the hasty retreat, he thought he might never get to speak to her again. His sadness was momentarily replaced with a mixture of fury and extreme embarrassment.
“Nick?” DD tested the silence. Nick’s blood boiled.
“DEX! WHAT THE FUCK…”
Kalilah didn’t stop speed walking until she made it to her office. She closed the door and leaned against it for a moment.
“A virgin?” she whispered into the darkness.
Kalilah was no therapist, but that explained a lot. His extreme lashing out was because the guy was wound entirely too tight. And of course, he would be overly protective of his own virtue. No one wanted to lose it to a gold-digger.
She felt a bevy of different emotions. His being a virgin made her more intrigued, but the way she found out made her feel sorry for him. There was nothing wrong with being a virgin but being outed by your sibling in the middle of an argument with a co-worker had to be ranked extremely high on the awkward scale.
Kalilah was also baffled that she could be so drawn to a man that probably didn’t know what to do with a woman. She was hyper aware of him from the moment she climbed in his SUV. He smelled so good and his hair was more controlled because it was still slightly damp from his shower. He still hadn’t shaved and his glasses were in their usual place.
She liked him just like that, but his potential was amazing. She knew that he would clean up nicely to be panty dropping gorgeous like his dad if he wanted to. She’d kept her arms folded to keep from touching him. His vehicle was far more organized than she expected.
Nick was full of surprises. She was angry with him that morning, but the longer she was in close proximity to him the less angry she became. His ability to remember her favorite bakery from their encounter yesterday was impressive. His feeling left out squeezed at her heart, but they still had to finish their conversation whether he liked it or not.
Kalilah sat at her desk and ate her breakfast while she prepared for the morning meeting. She decided she would give him the weekend to recover from his embarrassment, and she would be taking a trip to the first floor if she didn’t hear from him Monday.
Nick didn’t realize he knew so many insults until Dex received every single one he had while DD just giggled in the background. Nick originally had no intention of seeing Kalilah for a long time, but he couldn’t help but wonder if the universe was trying to punish him for something. She forgot her cellphone. He thought about leaving it with her assistant or giving it to his dad, but he decided to be a man and deliver it himself. If anything, he would get a read on her mood.
After a tentative knock, he heard her grant access. He pushed open the door. Her back was to him and she was grabbing documents from her personal printer. He prayed that she wouldn’t look at him with pity or disgust. Instead, she seemed surprised that he was there.
“You forgot your cellphone.” He lifted his hand and placed it on her desk.
“Oh right! Thank you.” She sat down and started typing on her computer. “I have a meeting in five minutes.”
“Will you need me to take you home?” he asked even though he knew the answer.
“No. Thank you. My sister is picking me up after work.” She continued typing. “And my car should be fixed by Monday.”
Nick nodded and turned to retreat. Well, at least she doesn’t look angry anymore, but she wasn’t giving him any signs of a possible future. Game over.
“Nick?” He turned. Her full attention was on him now. “I’m not blowing you off. I really am busy right now. I am not an unreasonable person. I am aware that despite the filter issue between your brain and your mouth, you were there when I needed you. Yesterday with my tech issues, and this morning with my car issues. And, I do appreciate your help. Thank you. However, our conversation isn’t over and will be continued later.”
Nick started to speak, but she raised her hand to stall him and continued as if reading his mind.
“I cannot hold you responsible for the things that came out of Dex’s mouth. Your secret is safe with me.” She gathered her things and started to leave her office. She paused a little after she passed him and turned to face him. “Besides, it’s better to be a virgin than a whore. Don’t you think?”
Nick knew a verbal jab when he heard one, but the grin voided anything she said.
Nick was starting to feel hopeful. He just might have a chance to redeem himself. His face broke into a smile as he watched her retreat. He scribbled a note and left it on her desk. His day was looking better.
The next day and a half was uneventful. Nick was able to focus on his work and even interacted with his tech team after lunch. He didn’t see Kalilah for the rest of the day. He slept in Saturday morning and finished some of his work items that he’d neglected Thursday after having a late breakfast. He’d halfway hoped that she would contact him after he left his cellphone number and they could have shared a meal today, dinner if he was really lucky.
That window slimmed and passed as his dinner time arrived. It was 8:00 PM, and he still hadn’t heard from Kalilah. He knew it was a long shot. He couldn’t help but feel disappointment wash over him as ate the pizza he’d ordered. He had friends. He’d even turned down a few invites, opting to spend time in solitude. Nick needed a game plan to make Kalilah his. He was in some ways closer than last week, but still not close enough to ask her out.
He was grateful she didn’t seem to mind that he was a virgin. However, it wasn’t any less embarrassing that she knew. The memory still made him flush in embarrassment. Dex made him sound like a socially awkward geek that clammed up in the presence of women. Nick dated in high school and college.
He was even in a committed relationship a little over five months ago. In the six months he was with Meg, the timing never felt right. Not to mention, she berated him constantly because he was a virgin. She was the only person that knew at the time, and she’d never let him forget. Everything he did wrong was because he was a virgin, even when it wasn’t related to sex. He remembered one of the last things she said to him at his old apartment.
She was upset that he’d backed out of sex again. She’s pushed her blonde waves out her face and sneered at him with her light brown eyes flashing with anger.
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