I huffed. He was so damn irresistible. He brushed his fingers across my cheek. “We don’t have to go to the diner. We can go somewhere else. That way the family won’t be assuming we’re back together.”
“Okay,” I relented. “Cheddar’s good for you?”
“That’s cool. I’ll follow you there.”
I nodded and attempted to walk away. He gently pulled me back to him and kissed my forehead, then my cheek. This was the Seven I’d gotten used to. This was how he treated me in the beginning . . . soft, passionate, and tender. When he got rowdy with his family, it didn’t bother me. I knew that was their dynamic. My problem was that he didn’t even try to read the room when he was somewhere else away from family, or maybe he did. He just didn’t give a fuck.
I gave him a tight smile, then headed to my car, only to see two SUV’s pull up. Several men got out of them and went to Seven. I didn’t know what was going on. They were all talking, then the men went inside the building. He winked at me and went to his pickup truck. I supposed everything was okay. I got in my car and headed toward Beaumont to Cheddar’s.
My mind was traveling a windy ass road all the way to Cheddar’s. Anybody else would havebeendone with Seven. Something in my soul wouldn’t allow that, and I couldn’t understand why. He’d buried himself deep within me. It was like he didn’t know any better. Everyone around him only laughed about it. Hell, his dad was like that at times. Maybe my soul subconsciously craved him.
When I got to Cheddar’s, I didn’t remember a thing about my drive here. It was like I was on autopilot. Just as I was about to open my door, Seven opened it for me. I stood from my seat, and he scanned my body, causing me to shiver.
“You look beautiful, baby.”
“Thank you.”
I only wore a sundress with a denim vest, flip flops, and had my braids pulled up into a high bun. I didn’t wear makeup today. I just had on lip gloss. Although the meeting wasn’t until ten, I was struggling to get up and get ready. My mind was moving a hundred miles per hour last night about this meeting and seeing Seven.
He intertwined his fingers with mine and led me to the entrance. This nigga was truly bipolar. He was acting like our last encounter didn’t happen. That nigga had nutted on my fucking floor like he was having a damn temper tantrum. Yet here I was, letting him take me to lunch. I was no better than he was.
After we walked through the door and told the receptionist we needed seating for two, she led us to a booth in the dimly lit area of the restaurant. I knew that was because she was assuming we were a couple. Once I sat, Seven sat across from me and stared into my eyes. He extended his arms across the table, palms up. I slid my hands to his and stared right back at him.
Finally, he broke the silence as his thumbs caressed the tops of my hands. “I miss you. For real. I need you, baby. I feel like I ain’t supposed to be living this life alone. You supposed to be by my side. I’ve been seeing a little clearer these days, and I want you to know that I hear you. I’m going to try real hard to be what you need, but I need you to give me a chance to do that. I love you, baby.”
He lifted my hands and kissed them one at a time. He stared into my eyes with a sincerity I had never seen from him. He was making me weak. I looked away and pulled my hands from his. “Can I have time to think about it?”
“Take all the time you need. I’m gon’ be right here.”
I nodded as the waitress approached our table. “Hello! I’m Shamari, and I’ll be your server today. Can I start you off with drinks?”
Seven frowned, and my eyebrows lifted. This was a white girl with the name Shamari. She noticed our expressions and laughed. “I get that all the time.”
“Umm, okay. I’ll take a Sprite.”
“You can bring me a Coke.”
“Okay. Any appetizers? Or do you need time?”
Seven stared at me, so I said, “Can we get a spinach dip?”
“Sure thing. I’ll be back with your drinks and croissants.”
We nodded, then stared at each other. Seven was first to speak. “You see how I withheld my comments? Because I sure in the hell wanted to say, I know you fucking lying.”
I chuckled. “I see. Thank you. That was my thoughts exactly.”
He smiled. “They like taking our shit.”
“You right about that.”
We fell into a comfortable silence, but it became slightly uncomfortable because he was staring at me instead of his menu. “You know what you want?” I asked, realizing I set myself up for whatever his response would be.
“Yep. It’s a dish of mostly protein, but it’s covered in caramel and honey. I wish I knew how delicious it was.”
Playing along, I asked, “Protein covered in caramel and honey? That doesn’t sound appealing.”
“Shiiiid, you ain’t never had a protein bar?”
