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Sincere’s head shook. “I ain’t going there with her or anyone else.”
“Look, I get that, but still. Ain’t nothing wrong with looking and talking.”
“Yeah, until that talking leads to fucking.”
Everyone at the table laughed even though Sincere was dead serious. He’d never been a cheater, and he didn’t plan on starting now, but he also couldn’t deny how his heart raced when he noticed she’d written her number down on his receipt. It felt good to be around a woman that expressed interest in him, because that hadn’t been the case with his wife in a while. And it didn’t matter how much he told himself it was with good reason, it still messed with his mental from time to time.
Something told him to just throw the receipt away and not say anything, but he couldn’t help but go back to the bar to give her the merchants copy of the receipt.
“I did tell you I was married, right?” he confirmed.
“Yes. You can’t have any friends?”
He chuckled. “Is that what you’re really trying to be, because I don’t cheat.”
She released a hard exhale. “I won’t lie and say I wasn’t disappointed when you told me you had a wife, but I’m not trying to make you cheat. Honestly, there’s something about you that I feel drawn to, and I was hoping we really could be just friends. Even if you want to just come sit at the bar and talk some time, that would be cool. You can even give me my number back if that’ll make you feel better.”
Sincere placed the receipt on the counter. He stared into her beautiful dark eyes as he considered his next move. As he slid it into her direction, he balled it up and shoved it into his pocket. The smile she wore as he walked away made him feel like that was a bad move… but that didn’t make him pull it out and throw it away.
* * *
“So… tell me about yourself,”Sincere requested as Sophia made herself comfortable on the barstool next to him.
They’d talked for the first half of her entire shift, but not about anything serious. Now that she was on her break, that was about to change. He thought about it all last night and figured it would do him some good to have a new friend. Someone who didn’t know about his wife and life. Someone that he could feel more freedom with.
“Straight to it, huh?” Sophia giggled. “We can’t wait for the wings?”
Sincere chuckled as his head shook. “Nah, you said you wanted to be friends, so we need to get to know each other.”
Sophia conceded with a nod. “You’re right. Okay.” She looked up toward the ceiling in deep thought for a few seconds. “I’m twenty-eight and in law school. Late start, but I’m finally going after my dream, which is why I’m working nights here.”
“Word? I’m a lawyer.”
“Really?” She squealed with a wide smile. “What are you practicing?”
“Real Estate.”
“Ooh, nice. Not as demanding or triggering, I bet.”
“It’s demanding and lucrative, but it’s definitely a field that allows me to sleep peacefully at night. Do you have an idea of what you want to do after you graduate?”
“I’ve always had a rigid goal of lawyer, prosecutor, then judge, but I don’t know anymore. With the way the world is, I feel like we need all the help we can get, but at the same time, I don’t want to be perceived as part of the problem.”
“That comes with the territory, but you can definitely offer help. We need all the help we can get. That was my goal, too, but when I started interning at a real estate law firm in college, it just… changed. I help our people in another way. We have real estate agents and brokers, and we also have a mortgage company operation under us, so I’m able to help a lot of black people get approved for loans they can realistically handle to own their homes.”
“That’s amazing. It’s so fucking hard finding an affordable nice apartment or home to rent. Mortgages always seem to be cheaper, but they are just so hard to get. Our people need to own more and have more to pass down to our future generations, so you’re really doing a good work with that.”
“I appreciate that. I’m sure you will, too.”
She smiled sweetly. Sincere definitely had a type. She was just as dark as his wife, feeding his craving for chocolate. Sophia was smaller than Faith, but she had wide hips. Her hair was curly and it framed her face perfectly. The white dress she had on made her look ethereal, and since she wore white last night under her apron, Sincere was starting to think it was her favorite color.
Their conversation shifted with ease, even after her break ended. He hadn’t realized he’d spent six hours at the bar until Faith texted him and told him not to be alarmed but that she was at the hospital. Jumping up from his seat, Sincere rushed out of the bar as he called her.
“It’s fine, baby,” was her greeting. “It was just another blood clot. This one was in my throat. I coughed so hard, I burst it, and I started coughing up blood, so I came to the ER.”
Sincere released a sigh of relief as he got into his car. “Thank God, that could have ended a lot worse.”
“Yeah, that’s what the doctor said. But I’m fine. I just didn’t want you to get home and be alarmed if I wasn’t there.”
