“I already reserved a spot in the garage. I’ll be fine.”
“Good. Have fun and do all the nasty things you’d tell me to do.”
“Umm, I think I’ll pass on that. Taking my advice has gotten you into quite the predicament.”
We shared a laugh.
“True, but I found the love of my life, so it was worth it.”
“I’m truly happy for you, friend, but that doesn’t mean that’s what’s happening here. I’ll call you tomorrow. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
A few minutes later, I turned into the parking garage and found a spot. When I got out of my car, Knox stood a few feet away.
“Oh, hey. Perfect timing,” I said.
“I guess so. You ready?”
“I’m debating on if I should take my blazer inside in case it’s chilly from the air conditioning, but I don’t want to hold it if it’s not.”
“Give it to me. I’ll hold it.”
I smiled, closing and locking my car before handing him my blazer. We exited the garage, and when we reached the sidewalk leading to the museum, he made sure I was on the inside, away from the street.
“I guess I can’t ask you what to expect since this is the first event they’ve hosted of this kind,” he said.
“I suppose we’ll find out together. What did you do today?”
“Helped Nyeem move into his dorm.”
“Oh, yeah. How could I forget about that? Did it go smoothly?”
Nyeem was Nyomi’s son. He was starting his first year atBlack Elm Universityand was on the football and track teams. Knox was one of the assistant football coaches, while his brother Kilo, Nyomi’s man, was the head coach.
“It did while I was there. I left a little early to get ready for our date.”
“You didn’t have to do that. We could’ve rescheduled.”
He laughed. “Nah. I don’t trust that your pretty ass would’ve followed through. It took me long enough to get you to agree to this.”
I giggled and gently bumped his arm with my shoulder.
“Don’t do me like that. I had my reasons for turning down your invitations and ignoring your advances.”
“I’d love to hear them.”
He looked at me with an intensity that caused my body temperature to rise. Knox was dangerous, and I knew that from our first meeting. I didn’t trust myself around him because being in his presence made me question everything I believed about love and relationships.
“I bet you would.”
I had to admit,I wasn’t expecting the event at the Black Elm Art Institute to be such a dope experience. The music ranged from old school blues to new school rhythm and blues, and quite literally everything in between.
To my surprise, the DJ played a fifteen-minute steppers set. Stepping was popular in Chicago, where I was from, but clearly, people on the West Coast were familiar with it, because the dance floor was packed, and Skye gave me a run for my money.
Servers walked around with trays filled with light bites and glasses of wine throughout the evening. Highboy tables were strategically placed throughout the space for those who weren’t dancing or walking around.
After we danced a bit, we found a highboy to chill at with some appetizers and wine. I watched her while she ate and sipped her wine. She was so damn pretty, I could hardly take my eyes off her when I was in her presence.