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She put the wine bottle on the counter and turned to me. Her smile never faded. “I have been waiting impatiently all week for tonight.”
I laughed, feeling a refreshing feeling that I wasn’t alone. “I’m sure you weren’t nearly as impatient as I was,” I confessed.
She tilted her head. “I don’t know about that. Patience isn’t a strong suit of mine.”
She giggled, and I was drowned by her beauty. It was just one more new thing to learn about her. I was confident there was much more to come. I couldn’t wait to learn it all.
***
Dinner was exceptional, and it wasn’t just the food. It was the company. Throughout the meal, Kemara and I had candid conversation about everything and it just felt right. We drank wine at the dinner table. When we were through with the meal, I stood up and offered to help her with the dishes.
She laughed. “Men don’t do dishes, right?” she asked. “Thought you were old fashioned?” she asked.
I chuckled, carrying two plates to the sink. “Well, I guess I can change for one night. Really…I would like to help out,” I said.
She smiled. “Very sweet of you, but the dishes can wait,” she said. She filled our glasses with another dose of wine, then motioned with her head for me to follow her. We went into the living room. She handed me my glass and we sat down on the couch. She sat down with her leg bent up underneath her bottom. The position didn’t look all that comfortable, but it proved her flexibility.
I took a drink from my glass, then put it down on the coaster in front of me. “May I ask you a question?” I asked her.
She grinned. “I’m an open book. Ask away,” she said.
I didn’t know how to approach the subject. I knew what would follow once I asked her, but I was curious of the answer. “Have you ever been in a similar situation like this?” I asked.
> She frowned. “Similar situation?”
She was a smart woman, but I could understand her confusion. The words didn’t come out quite as I intended. “Ever date a white man before?” I finally asked.
She arched an eyebrow, then chuckled. “Hmmmm…we’re at the point where we talk about past relationships?” she asked.
I feared I had crossed the line and thought about striking it out of the conversation, when she continued.
“I like it.” She laughed as she took a drink from her glass.
I leaned back against the couch and waited for her to get to the answer.
She finally shook her head. “Never dated a white man before, but it’s not like I didn’t consider it. The opportunity just never presented itself.” She moved in closer to me. Her wine glass was still in her hand and I watched her every move. Here it was. The question I figured she would follow up with. “How about you?” she asked.
I quickly shook my head. “No. I can honestly say I’ve never dated a white man before.”
That brought us both to laughter and her whole face shone. “You know what I mean,” she said, lifting her glass to her lips and taking a slow drink.
I knew exactly what she meant, but it was fun to tease her a bit. “Ahhhh…you want to know if I ever dated a black woman before?”
She shrugged. “Well, since we’re on the subject, and you did bring it up to the surface of the conversation, I just thought I’d ask.”
There was so much I wanted to tell her…needed to tell her, but now didn’t seem like the right time. It would cause everything to be off. I didn’t want to shift the mood, so I held back. Now that she did the follow-up question, I wondered if she would see right through me. “I haven’t. You are my first.” I picked up my drink and took a swig to try to calm my nerves.
She nodded, considering the response I gave her. “Ever consider it?” she asked and then restated the question. “Did the opportunity ever present itself?”
I could lie or tell the truth. There was a fine line between both scenarios. I shook my head. “The answer would be no to both those questions,” I admitted. “I never considered and the opportunity never presented itself.”
She nodded. “Okay…wow. That was honest,” she said.
There was so much confusion in her eyes and immediately I saw that she was starting to think. Why? Why didn’t he consider it? I reached out and touched her arm. “It’s only because I strive for the very best and now…I’ve met her.”
For a moment, she looked to be upset about my original responses to her questions. Then, she smiled and it took every ounce of willpower not to reach over, caress her face, kiss her, and hope that we could progress to the next level. I had to be patient when it came to her, especially knowing how her sister felt about us as a couple.
“That was a very good answer, Channing,” she said.
