Page 4 of Love Blitz

One came my way before I could reject it. “To new friends,” Cam shouted like he’d keep in touch with any of them once he hit the plane.

I looked at her and repeated, “To new friends,” and dared her to stare me in the eye. When she did, I didn’t care if I poured the drink down the front of my shirt. My eyes weren’t leaving hers for a second. And in that second, I saw something shift. Her face turned from one of dire sadness, to one that looked like she was afraid of the boogeyman. “Let me guess,” I joked, “You’re on your no new friends era?”

She laughed again. Then her hand felt around on her chest before she said. “I shouldn’t be laughing.”

I admitted, “I’m new to Phoenix. So maybe I don’t know all the intricacies of their laws.” I leaned a little closer. “But tell me, is it a crime to laugh?” If it was, I would have paid her bail a million times to hear hers once again.

Her hand went to my arm, and she shook her head. “Didn’t your homeboy say you were an athlete?” She cocked her head to the side. “Sounding more like a comedian to me.”

If I were a little lighter, ol’ girl would have had me all rosy in the cheeks. “Listen, don’t make my head big. Won’t be able to fit it under my helmet next week.”

She put her hand in front of her face, like anyone seeing her laugh again would carry her away in cuffs. Behind her, the other two ladies were looking our way. Something like a proud mama stare. I didn’t get it then but after a couple more shots from Cam, I was starting to understand.

I should have stuck with plan A, leave the bar alone. But something about her smile, and the way she laughed at my corny ass non-jokes, had me feeling a way. I leaned over and asked, “Come with me.”

In response, she didn’t give me a simple, “No, I’m good.” Or “yeah, come on, I’m a freak in the sheets.” Either answer would have been better than what she did.

Her outburst of tears and sniffles threw me so far off I climbed off my bar stool and threw my hands in the air. “Yo.” I tapped her homegirl who was enamored by Jared and not paying ol’ girl any attention. “Your friend.” Then that’s when I realized she never told me her name. Yet, there I was ready to leave with her. “Ugh, she’s crying.”

The woman spun around in her seat and slung an arm around her neck. “Gigi.”

While the woman consoled her, I spun her name around my mental a few times.Gigi.It wasn’t a name I’d heard often, or ever. But somehow it was one that I wanted to become a permanent fixture in my vocabulary. Like down, set, hike, I wanted that shit to fall from my lips to make a play. Any play.

It didn’t take long before girl number three was on the other side. Taking over my position beside her. Then there was Cam with a tight-lipped look on his face. I could tell he was cursing me under his breath every way from Sunday, but I didn’t care.

“Yo.” I stood beside him. “Everything was going right, I don’t know what happened.”

Cam slapped my back. “What you need is another Cam splam.”

Jared blurted, “The fuck?”

Cam laughed and straightened his shoulders, like what he was about to tell us was golden. “Cam splam. I need to school you on the fine art of getting between them legs.”

That checked. “But what the fuck is a splam?” I asked.

He shrugged, and in true Cam fashion, he had no explanation. Of the three of us, Cam was thetrue athlete.He benefited from all the privileges being a good athlete in school could give him. In short, Cam wasn’t a scholar. “Bet I wouldn’t have had her crying like your damn breath stank.” He leaned closer and I shoved him away. “I’m just saying, sometimes that could be the problem.”

Her friends backed away, and the one who sat closest to her whispered, “She’s good now.”

But whatever pep talk required her to bealrightwasn’t good with me. The last thing I needed was a woman leaving with me feeling obligated and some type of way. Corinne did a good job of warning me of all the players who had their downfall in the news. As a journalist, my sister stayed on top of it.

“That was…”

I was going to tell her it was the most bizarre thing I’d ever seen. A little insulting too. My dick was so hurt it’d take some time before he recovered from the pain.

But she finished with, “Too much.”

I wagged my head. “I mean, can’t say anyone has rejected me like that before.”

Her eyes met mine and she searched for something within. When she came up empty handed, she said, “This should have been my wedding weekend.”

I tapped the bar in search of my mouth that may have dropped to the floor beneath us instead. “I’m sorry, say that again.” I closed my eyes as she repeated herself. “This weekend you would have been getting married?”

What dude would have fucked up with someone like her?Then I opened my eyes.Or was it her who said fuck that dude?

“Yes.” She explained, “I found out my fiancé cheated on me last week.”

With sports, I hardly watched a lot of TV. But when me and Corinne were stuck at home together, she made me watch her little reality TV shows. And not once, never, had I ever seen some shit like that. And her shows had some wild shit.

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