Page 13 of Continuum

“Good luck with that, man,” Kwame told him with a laugh. “Just make sure whatever you do, wherever you go, we have a meeting at nine o’clock Monday morning.” Their hands slapped together and then their shoulders bumped. “Don’t get arrested.”

With a cunning smile, Eli backed away from us. “It won’t be like Atlanta. I’ll catch you later. Aisha, it’s been a pleasure.”

“Nice meeting you, Eli.” I lifted my hand in a little wave. Turning to Kwame, I pursed my lips. “I don’t even eat tomatoes so I’m probably most offended by the insinuation that we were going to eat tomato sandwiches.”

“Would you have felt better if he had said grilled cheese?”

“Honestly, yes.”

With Kwame’s hand on the small of my back, he ushered me through the crowd. I heard the music playing. I saw the people around us. But the feeling of his hand on my lower back muted everything else. It wasn’t until we walked through the door and removed his hand from my back that my senses returned.

“…is that cool?” Kwame asked.

I hadn’t heard anything he’d said.

My eyes widened as I turned to face him. “I’m sorry. What was that?”

“There’s a diner over there.” He pointed to Al’s Diner at the other end of the block. “You cool with that?”

“I love Al’s,” I replied, taking a step in that direction. “I eat there at least once a week. At least.”

He looked me up and down as he fell into step beside me. “You don’t look like the late-night diner, dive bar type.”

“What do I look like?”

He licked his lips and smiled. “You look…expensive.”

The smile combined with the slight pause almost made me trip over my own feet. Shifting my eyes ahead of me to ensure I didn’t fall on my face, I felt warm all over. “And what is that supposed to mean?”

“You look like you belong in a restaurant with white tablecloths and jacket requirements,” he pointed out. “You stood out at that bar back there. Before I knew it was you, the first thing I noticed was…”—he cleared his throat— “was the dress.”

I looked over at him. “It caught your eye, huh?”

He held my gaze for a beat too long. “Absolutely.”

Instantly I reverted to college and those unrequited feelings came flooding back. Giddiness and self-consciousness swept through my system and I became hyper-aware of everything I was doing.

Am I breathing too loud?

Are those my heels making that clomping noise on the sidewalk?

Do I have any boogers in my nose?

Am I swinging my arms like a child?

If my pinky-toe falls off, am I just going to bend down and pick it up or am I going to pretend it didn’t happen?

Brushing off my thoughts, I exhaled.

He was just a man—the sexiest man I’d ever known—but a man, nonetheless.

With a slow smile easing across my face, I nodded. “It’s a good dress.”

“I agree.”

“But it’s not the first thing you noticed,” I continued as we approached the diner.

“How are you going to tell me what I noticed?” He grabbed the door and opened it for me.

---