Page 32 of Only if You Catch Me
“You might,” I grinned, and she started screaming and kicking her feet.
“I knew it!”
“Girl, calm down,” I laughed. “It’s just fun times. Nothing serious at all. You know better than anyone that he’s never had a girlfriend. It’s just something new to explore.”
“I hear you. Just know this. It’s hard to deal with a man that checks all the boxes and not fall for him. The longer you deal with him the harder you’re going to end up falling. I don’t know a thing about his D, but I know he’s fine, rich, and respectful.”
“Yes, he’s all those things. But I’m not looking for a man, and he doesn’t do relationships. I think he’s the perfect person to kind of have fun and experiment with.”
“I hear you girl,” Tesha smiled and lifted her glass in the air. “At the end of the month, Qua wants to take me to Colorado. He has a cabin there. We’re going to stay for three days.”
“Nice.”
Tesha and I conversed for another hour before I left. I had Tina, Bev, and Alicia, but I wasn’t above making new friends. Educated women that liked to have fun and weren’t fake as hell or super bougie mean girls were always welcome in my space. Tesha was a boss, and I could tell she was a genuine person. Even if I wasn’t the one to get a commission from her purchasing a home, I would have been proud of her all the same. I was sure Ryder was sick without her, and I didn’t feel sorry for him one bit.
At home, I warmed up leftovers. Calling Kastian crossed my mind, and I bit my bottom lip as I contemplated reaching out. I had been with David for so long that I was definitely rusty when it came to dating. I felt really weird reaching out to a man first, but I was going to call and check on Kastian. I hated it for him that he suffered from anxiety, but I loved that he had a therapist and was taking medication for it. A lot of people, men and women refused to acknowledge certain things about their mental health. I felt so sorry for him when I saw the look of despair in his eyes. It was like he was in there fighting, but the words he wanted to speak wouldn’t leave his throat.
I’d never experienced a panic attack before, but I heard a lot about them and knew they couldn’t be pleasant. I had to say, however, he recovered nicely. Kastian literally sexed me until my legs felt like spaghetti noodles. I spent the night at his house, and he held me all night. That alone was doing too much. I shouldn’t have spent the night but shit, I could barely walk. Reminding myself that I wasn’t supposed to get attached almost made me decide against calling him.
“Grow up,” I mumbled as I reached for the phone.
“What’s wrong? You got a fever? You at the ER and need me to come scoop you?”
“Huh?” I frowned caught off guard.
“I mean you’re calling me. You must be sick or something.”
“Boy, shut up,” I laughed. “Don’t get used to it. I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
“Yeah, I’m good. Thank you for asking. How is your day going?”
“It went pretty good. I took the papers downtown. I paid to file the divorce papers, and the Sheriff is going to serve David. I don’t even know why I wasted my time. I’m pretty sure he’s going to tell a lawyer, the judge, anybody that will listen that we haven’t been separated for a year.”
Kastian kissed his teeth. “Fucking pussy.”
“What’s for dinner?” I changed the subject. “Your chef coming through tonight?”
“Nah, he’s coming tomorrow. You want to come have dinner with me?”
I wasn’t sure why his invitation made my heart slam into my ribcage. “Kastian, you think we’re keeping it casual and light?” I genuinely wanted to know.
“I think so. We’re adults, Persia. We get along well, the chemistry is there, and the sex is A-1. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with us wanting to be around each other more than a few times a month or once a week.”
“You’re right,” my tone was low.
Deep down inside, however, I wasn’t sure. I couldn’t afford to fall for another man. Kastian was a great catch just like Tesha said, but I was afraid. Afraid to love a man more than he loved me. Afraid that it would end bad like most relationships these days. Plus, I owed it to myself to be single for a little while. Life didn’t have to center around a man.
“What time should I be there?” I asked.
Curling up on the couch with my food, I lowered the volume on the television a bit. “Food will be done around six. You can come before then. I’ll be home around four.”
The smile that his comment caused was wild. In fact, I was sure I was blushing. At my big age, Kastian had me giddy. Once a woman knew better, I didn’t think a man could evoke those kinds of feelings in her. The fairytale always came first. But the drama and the bullshit also started pretty much immediately after. In all fairness, David didn’t take me through the motions. We were actually pretty good until the fiasco with Kastian.
“You still there?” Kastian snapped me from my thoughts.
“Yes, I’m sorry. Um, I can be there around five. I have a light day at work tomorrow. I don’t have one of the top firms in the city, so I don’t get clients every day like some people,” I teased.
“If we get married, we can merge our companies together. Be a power couple and shit.”
