Page 25 of Always Been You
“We are friends. We have a special relationship. Even back in the day, I didn’t want to ruin that.” I admitted.
“I could see what you meant if there was no attraction between us. I don't believe you don't see me that way. I think you're afraid of what seeing me that way could mean.”
“Yeah, of course I do—the disappointment.I got out of a relationship where I really thought I knew someone. It wouldshatter me to ruin that memory I had of you. That memory is untainted, and I hold that in a safe space.”
“I'm glad you feel safe enough to be honest with me. That's what we'll have over anybody else. You can trust me, Dyami. Your heart is safe with me.” He said, firmly taking his eyes off the road briefly.
“I need time to wrap my mind around this.” My heart was bouncing around my chest. I was telling myself that this wasn’t years ago, but all I could feel when I looked at him was this deep emotion I couldn’t deny.
“You have all the time you need, because I’m not letting you go this time. Give me that energy, too. Let me get that for you.” We were at my house already. He came to the passenger door and opened it. I walked to the porch, thinking of what to say next.
“I had a great time tonight. It seems like Chubby and Chante hit it off.” I spoke.
“Yeah, they funny, but next time it's just me and you. No more hiding.” He called me out.
I placed my hand on the door and nodded, pushing it open.
“Aye.” He called me. His hand went to the small of my back and pulled my body flush against him. He locked me in a panty-wetting kiss, and I went dizzy. His lips were so soft and dominant. I clung to him. He moved his hand to the back of my head, giving my hair a light tug to angle my head. I don't know how it felt like forever, but it still wasn't long enough when we separated.
“Don’t ever leave me without putting those pretty lips on mine. Now, let me see you lock up.” He spoke against mylips. I moved quickly and closed the door. My eyes shut tight, remembering I didn't say goodbye. How stupid would I look opening the door again and saying that? Quickly, I decided against the embarrassment.
I fished my phone out of my purse.
Bubbles popped up on his end, letting me know he was typing. His text came through.
I've been waiting forever to kiss those lips. Thank you for giving me the pleasure.
Now what the hell was I supposed to say to that? You're welcome? I loved the message and squealed like the girls did in the ’90s movie with their backs against the door. I couldn’t remember the last time I was this excited to be with a man. If I hadn’t seen him before, I certainly saw him clearly now.
Chapter 8
Terror
Ifelt like my head was swimming due to all the numbers that were swirling around in my head. I just left a meeting about the financials for our new restaurant. We finally had a name. Onyx.
“Okay, let’s go again.” I raised my head and looked at Chris on the computer screen. After leaving the meeting, there were a few numbers they were throwing around that I wasn’t too happy with.
“This is what they are offering. It is expensive, but for just starting out, this is the best you can get. You aren’t buying in bulk.”
“I get that, but their margin is over 80 percent. That’s crazy. In turn, we will net only 20 to 30. That's not enough. It has to be a better way.”
“The first years just aren’t profitable. Once the relationship is established, you usually have more wiggle room to negotiate.”
“There has to be a better way.” I looked over the documents in front of me again like the numbers would change.
“Well, unless you are prepared to do it yourself, this is the best you are going to get without compromising quality.”
I shot him a look. He knew he pissed me off with that remark. I just shook my head and ended the call. After the three-hour meeting with our distributors, I returned to the restaurant and told myself I would come back to the office and double-check that everything was in order. Even though we had passed the hard part of hiring staff and securing permits, there was still much to do, including ensuring we had the proper equipment and maintaining the building. Moreover, I needed to find a way to cut costs so that we could be profitable, not just break even.
It took considerable thought and discipline to follow through with this. It pushed me in a way I wasn’t used to. All of this that I was accomplishing was shit I put in the time to learn about myself with the help of Chubby.
I rose from my chair in the office and left the papers scattered all over the desk. Shit, I would come back to them when I caught some air for a while. I walked into the kitchen area and caught Chubby in there, testing out recipes for our new menu. He decided to make it upscale yet affordable for families to visit during the day. I gave him complete control over all aspects of the food. He was more than qualified. Without him, this wouldn’t even be possible. Since he had a legitimate job, I had to funnel a lot of the money through his accounts to secure the business loan for our restaurant.
I couldn’t just pop up as a new business owner without any income to show for it. Once the loan was secured, we went in as joint owners, and we would split the earnings 50/50. He was a solid nigga, and he was serious about wanting to give his all with this, too. He didn’t have a seed like me. He purely did it because he loved cooking. For that, I would keep all my street shit away from this.
“What you in here cooking up, bruh?” I asked.
Chubby turned away from the pots in front of him. He wiped his hands on the towel that was hanging from his waist before he responded to me.
