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Since he hadn’t been feeling too well, I opted to take Jelani out to a restaurant in Brooklyn, so he could be close to his house if he felt he suddenly needed to go home.
After I’d ordered four different family-sized platters at the Italian restaurant, my gaunt-looking friend said, “I didn’t realize we were expecting an army.”
The waitress had set down large portions of chicken and eggplant Parmesan, lobster ravioli, and vegetable lasagna.
“You need something that sticks to your bones. And you’re taking the leftovers home with you, too.”
I let Jelani do most of the talking. My mind was elsewhere as he told some stories from Kenya and spoke about whether or not to renew his spot at the flea market for the upcoming year.
At one point, he raised his voice and interrupted my thoughts. “Dex, I’ve been talking to you for a half hour, and you’ve been staring off into space half of the time.”
Shaking my head quickly, I said, “I’m sorry. I’m just feeling very anxious tonight.”
“About the test…”
“Yes. My father finally agreed to do it, but only after he returns from his vacation in Turks.”
“Well, at least he agreed to cooperate. That was half the battle, wasn’t it?”
I sighed. “Yep. So, it’s going to happen in about a week.”
Twiddling my thumbs and bouncing my knees up and down, I looked around the restaurant.
Jelani sat in front of me with his arms crossed, and I stopped my fidgeting long enough to realize he’d been quietly observing me.
“Dex…”
“Yeah?”
“Go to her.”
“What?”
“Your mind is not here. Stop wasting time here in this restaurant trying to get skinny old me to eat. Go to her and spend the rest of the night with her. If there’s one thing I’ve learned since getting sick, it’s that each day is precious. If things don’t end up in your favor, at least you’ll have these days. Don’t waste them. Live in ignorant bliss for a little while longer.”
There truly wasn’t anything I wanted more in that moment than to go to Bianca.
“You sure you don’t mind?”
“Of course not. Life is good. We’ve been here long enough, and I have food for the entire week.”
“You’d better eat it.”
Jelani chuckled. “Thanks for looking out for me, Dex. You’re a good man.”
It was a full moon out tonight. After I dropped him back home, I had Sam head straight to Bianca’s. I hadn’t thought to call or text first, so I was disappointed to find that she wasn’t home. Still, I thought better of chasing her down. She might have been with her sister, still dealing with the after effects of dropping that bomb.
Rather than text to ask her whereabouts, I opted to go back to my place and change out of my clothes.
Back home, I’d just gotten my pants off when there was a knock at the door. Bandit started to bark like crazy. The only person who was allowed to bypass the doorman was Bianca. My heartbeat accelerated.
When I opened the door, my breath caught. She looked so incredibly beautiful, dressed casually in jeans and a fitted, leather jacket. Bianca’s hair was damp from the drizzle outside. Her eyeballs moved back and forth as she looked at me, seeming like she’d been searching for something and had finally found it.
Then she practically fell into my arms. I embraced her tightly for the longest time, cherishing the feel of her heart pounding against mine. It was confirmation that her feelings for me remained unchanged.
Whispering into her hair, I said, “I went by your place. You weren’t there.”
“I was with Alex. Brian watched the girls so that we could have dinner out and talk.”
I pulled back to look at her face. “And you came straight here after?”
“Yeah. My sister could tell my mind was on you the entire night. She told me to just go see you.”
“That’s funny. Jelani did the same thing to me, told me to go to you. I guess we’re both pretty transparent, huh?”
Bianca’s eyes trailed down the length of my body. It was then I realized I was still shirtless, dressed only in my underwear. Desire pooled in her eyes as she continued to stare at my half-naked physique. Knowing full well what she was thinking, my abs clenched and my cock stiffened.
My words came out in a hoarse whisper, “It’s okay to want me.” Brushing my hand against her cheek, I added, “Lord knows, I want you so fucking badly.”
“I’m learning that you really can’t fight what comes naturally. And that bothers me, because what if the news isn’t in our favor, and I still can’t shake it? What, then?”
“Then, we move to Europe,” I said without hesitation.
“What?”
I placed my hand on her cheek. “I’m kidding.” Sort of. “Look,” I said. “People can tell us how to think, but they can’t tell us how to feel. Nothing has ever proven that fact to me like this situation has. You want me right now just as much as I want you, and it’s killing me.”
