Page 12 of Candid Moments
“Are you ready to order or will you be having our buffet this morning?” Sheila asks. Fresh is always my preference, so I order a grilled chicken breast, eggs over easy, and home fries. Jamila opts for a southwest omelet and toast. “Since you are a Diamond Elite member, you also get a free breakfast dessert. I recommend our pecan rolls.”
I glance at Jamila and she nods with a smile. “That’s fine.”
“They are served hot. I’ll bring them out after you enjoy your food.”
“Great,” I say.
“Oh, can you please bring out hot sauce and strawberry jelly with the food? And more hazelnut creamer. You can keep the French vanilla,” Jamila tells her.
“Volcanic or Tabasco?”
“No Louisiana?”
“Sorry.”
“Then just bring both please,” Jamila says and the server nods before walking off. “What is Volcanic?” she asks me.
“I’ve never heard of it but it sounds hot. I might try it.”
She’s still on my side of the booth, right next to me, and I honestly hope she remains cemented here. Her sweet but floral scent that commandeered our room has entranced me too. It’s uniquely her and I love the scent.
Fate or some other fucked up thing brought us together and I don’t know why but I do know I’m glad it did. She’s unlike any woman I’ve been with, definitely a stark contrast to Maddox. Even when I invested in her business, Maddox wasn’t as passionate about it as Jamila is about her photos. Her eyes don’t sparkle with excitement like Jamila’s.
After placing her camera in its case, she places it on the other side of the table then looks at me. “Since you insist on not letting me pay for my share of the room, I got this and all of our meals while we are stuck here, okay?” she says.
“Not okay,” I tell her and she furrows her eyebrows. I turn my body slightly to face her when I continue. “Listen, last night was last night. This entire shit took us both by surprise and we had to adjust. I didn’t want to make it worse but I can’t… Hell, I won’t let you pay for anything for me. Nothing, Jamila. I’m not that type of man. I got this and whatever else we need while we are stuck here. And you are in the bed from now on. The sofa is mine. I couldn’t sleep at all last night knowing I had you on that damn sofa.”
“No, Denim! I can’t let you. This is too much! You can’t expect me to just let you take care of everything,” she tries to plead but I don’t hear her.
Whatever type of man she is used to isn’t me. I’m not him and I’m not about to make any woman come out of her pocketsor comfort zone when she’s around me. I was bred that way and I’m not changing.
“It’s a good thing I don’t move on your expectations,” I say then smile. “Don’t fight me, just let me be the man I am.”
She closes her eyes and when she opens them, she shakes her head. After letting out a sigh of exasperation, she says sternly, “I’m tipping then. All meals.”
She’s stubbornly independent and I like it.
“You can have that.”
“Thank you, Dr. Denim, for letting me do something,” she replies with a smirk.
She takes another sip of her coffee and I drink some of my juice as we both stare out at the mountain of snow blanketing the ground. It wasn’t nearly this high on the ground last night when I stepped outside. It really piled up overnight.
Not even five minutes later, Sheila returns with our food and more hot coffee for Jamila. After saying grace, we dig in and eat. There are so many messed up things about being stuck in this blizzard because Maddox decided to fuck another man but the hotel’s food and Jamila aren’t one of them. I’m enjoying the delicious food and my captivating, beautiful companion.
“I normally don’t do desserts but if those pecan rolls taste like this, I might have to eat one,” I admit.
“I’m stuck and the itis is real. I could real shit crawl back on the sofa and take a long ass nap.”
“Crawl in the bed,” I correct her and she smiles while still rolling her eyes.
“Whatever. The bed. I hear you, sir.”
She pushes her plate away then grabs her glass of water. After taking a sip, she glances over at me, stares for a minute, then turns back forward. When she does the same thing again, I turn to her.
“What’s on your mind?” I ask.
“I don’t know. I just feel like we should talk about how we ended up here. It happened to both of us.”
