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One
Amelia
October
Darron was my lesson that money and status weren’t the most important things when it came to choosing a mate. It didn’t matter how much money he made or who he was in the city, there were more important things that made our relationship subpar. At the top of that list was our struggling sex life, conflicting schedules, and his wandering eye. Darron swore he was only looking, never cheating, and the sad part was, I didn’t care enough to find out if that was true. In his defense, I relied heavily on my intuition, and it didn’t make me feel as if he couldn’t be trusted. More than anything, watching him appreciate the female body and even flirt in a friendly manner was an annoyance as opposed to an unforgivable betrayal.
We were in a beautiful, unnecessarily expensive restaurant that you had to make reservations for a month in advance. Darron, however, was able to get us in on the spot because the owner was his cousin’s ex-wife. I sat in amusement, poking at the so small it was frustrating serving of food, thinking about how women were on social media writing lists of places they refused to go on for dates. The only great part about going to a fine dining restaurant was getting dressed up, other than that, the food was never worth the money or the experience to me. I’d take a buffet or casual restaurant over thisanyday.
But this was what Darron liked—the experience and ability to brag about going to one of the hottest places in the city with his lady. If only he was in tune enough with his lady to realize how unhappy I was. With a sigh, I placed my fork on the edge of my plate and looked around the dimly lit restaurant. My guys were having the time of their lives at a bar and grill, and I was stuck in this boring ass restaurant with Darron. We’d been together for almost a year at this point, and there were still places he refused to go because he felt they were beneath him.
As a compromise, we stopped going to restaurants and certain entertainment venues for dates, but the list of things we couldn’t do together was becoming so long, I gave up the fight and went along with whatever he said. I could admit the difference in our tastes and values was a clear indication of our incompatibility, but I was comfortable with Darron, and my daughter loved him.
Resisting the urge to take my phone out of my clutch to see if Mecca and Parker would be at the bar and grill after we left here, I asked Darron about his day. He loved talking about himself but very rarely cared to hear me do the same. I didn’t mind. It was more out of habit than him being uncaring. For quite some time, all I talked about while we were together was my daughter. To break myself of that habit, I began to listen more and talk less. Now, he left little room for me to insert my thoughts into his.
As Darron told me about the multi-million-dollar merger he was working on with his company, the waitress came over to refill our wine glasses. Darron didn’t bother to not look at her pushed-up cleavage as she leaned over, and I chuckled to avoid releasing my frustration. Clearing his throat, Darron gave me his gaze as he asked her for the dessert menu. I told him that wouldn’t be necessary since I was ready to leave and get some real damn food. Eighty dollars for one lamb chop with shaved vegetables on top was a big enough crime for me to call the police!
Darron waited until the waitress left to ask me, “Is everything all right, darling?”
I chuckled and ran my tongue over my cheek. This wasn’t a new disagreement. If I told Darron I was dissatisfied with the food or that I felt uncomfortable with the way he was ogling the waitress, he’d have excuses for both. Deciding not to waste my time or ruin my mood further, I wouldn’t address it. I’d been doing that with men all my life it seemed—not addressing things that made me uncomfortable in hopes of keeping the peace. Having a father who loved you unconditionally made you do that.
“It’s fine,” was what I said, but my face must have said the opposite because he chuckled and rolled his tongue across his cheek as his head tilted.
“Are you sure?” I nodded. “Then why are you frowning?”
I relaxed my facial expression and chuckled. “It’s fine, Darron, really.”
“If there’s something that I’ve done to upset you, you can tell me, Amelia.”
Sighing, I accepted the fact that he wasn’t going to let this go. “I don’t mind you looking at a woman and appreciating her attractiveness. I’m not insecure. But the way you do it is disrespectful, and it makes me uncomfortable.”
He stared at me for seconds on end before chuckling and lifting his hands in an innocent, dismissive way. “Milli, I was just looking.”
“Repeatedly, for seconds on end, especially at her breasts. Every time you did it, she shifted uncomfortably and released a nervous chuckle. I don’t understand why you can’t comprehend how creepy that is.”
His eyes rolled toward the ceiling as he shook his head and motioned for the waitress with two fingers. “You’re overreacting.”
“No, I’m not actually. If you don’t agree with me, say that, but don’t downplay my feelings and observations.”
“Fine,” he grumbled as the waitress approached us. He let her know we needed the check, and I was more than ready to leave. I planned to hang with my guys for the night, but when he said, “I want you to come home with me tonight,” I considered changing my plans.
If I said no, it would probably lead to an even bigger disagreement. I’d been mentioning how little time we were spending together lately, so I couldn’t get out of whatever he had planned for the evening.
“What did you have planned?” I asked, though I already knew what his answer would be.
“Making love to you, holding you, and giving you the attention and affection you deserve for the rest of the night.”
The charming smile he gave me caused me to mirror it, though I really didn’t want to. I would bet money our night wouldn’t end with us spending quality time together. Maybe tonight would be the night he proved me wrong and showed me different. I hoped so, because with my mom having my daughter for the evening, I wanted to take full advantage of my adult time.
“Okay, baby. That sounds nice.”
He paid the check, and we headed out to the town car that was waiting for us. As always, he went into his phone, and I went into mine. After sending Mecca and Parker a text in our group chat, I texted my mom to make sure she and Alisia were good, then, I texted my closest best friend Amaru.
If I had to describe my relationships with Amaru, Mecca, and Parker… I would say, Parker was like family, Mecca was my work bestie and favorite confidant afterhours, and Amaru was my best friend and life partner.
I noticed I had several missed calls from my brother, Jeremy, and I started not to return them. Jeremy and I had a strange and sometimes toxic relationship. Since I was already halfway in a mood, talking to him would only make it worse. However, if it concerned one of my clients, I didn’t want to risk it. I decided to call him back while Darron spoke to his assistant about his upcoming travel plans that he hadn’t even mentioned to me.
“Amelia,” was the greeting Jeremy gave me.
