“But it’s not. It’s a swear. It don’t hold a lot of merit than a real promise.”
“Who told you that lie?”
I chuckled. “Just lock in, Ros.”
“Ros?”
“Myray of sunshine.”
She smiled widely, showcasing those beautiful-ass dimples, then locked her pinky with mine. “Pinky swear.”
“Okay. No matter what I tell you, you won’t look at me differently. That you’d understand me and how my brain works sometimes when I wasn’t on my meds. I’m not a monster.”
“No, you’re not . . . Just misunderstood.”
That shit made my chest open wide, and I slipped a little bit on that four-letter word. Right then, I knew it wouldn’t be long before I fucking fell.
One Week Later . . .
I hurried inside the office because I was running behind. Chris was late picking up Taylor, which disrupted my routine, and he also complained about having to drive to Farmington when he lived in Taylor, Michigan.
We had been doing this for six months. I’d think he’d be used to this, but he wouldn’t be him if he didn’t complicate shit occasionally.
As soon as I walked inside, my eyes went to the fine piece of man meat sitting in the lobby. He was reading a magazine, with one ankle crossed over his knee, relaxed. I had only seen him twice after the block party, for his sessions. We hadn’t been on a date yet, because he’d been busy, looking for properties to openhis bookstore and getting dragged around for Kenzi’s upcoming nuptials. But over the past week, I always received a ‘good morning, gorgeous’ text, followed by different exotic flowers on my desk at work when I arrived.
Of course, Kenzi and Willow questioned where they’d come from, but I didn’t kiss and tell. I also wasn’t ready for Kenzi to know what was going on between us yet.
I wouldn’t say I wasn’t looking forward to getting to know Ghana outside of the office, but it was nice to be thought of in that way.
A light smile graced my face when he looked up at me. His eyes smoldered as he licked those dark lips and stared at me.
“Good morning, Mr. Abara,” I greeted him.
“Ms. Blake.” He acknowledged with a curt nod.
“My apologies for the late arrival.”
“I ain’t trippin’ off three minutes, Ros.”
I couldn’t stop the blush that formed every time he called me that. To know the definition behind it made me feel good that I could bring light into someone’s life, someone who had been walking in the dark for a long time.
“Follow me,” I said, heading toward my office. “Good morning, Janelle.” I greeted my assistant.
She smiled. “Good morning, Ms. Blake.” Her eyes scanned Ghana, and I watched her secretly fan herself. I opened my office door to let him inside and looked back at Janelle.
“He is fiiine,” she mouthed.
I shook my head and chuckled. “Get to work,” I told her, then proceeded inside, closing the door behind me. I put my bag on the desk and hung up my blazer. Today, my bouquet of flowers was yellow daffodils.
“In a minute, I won’t have any space to put all these flowers,” I said, smiling.
“You could always take ’em to your crib.”
“I think I’ll do that. Thank you. They’re beautiful.”
“You’re welcome.”
I noticed he took the couch this time, so I took the chair across from him.