Page 4 of You Make Me Feel

As I watched the game, I couldn’t stop my mind from going back to Kinisha. I didn’t know how to ask her out, but I had to shoot my shot. I had to see if she was semi-interested. That was if Jarod didn’t make a move first. I wanted to roll my eyes at the thought. Her milk chocolate skin tone spoke to me. It constantly said, “Oliver, come eat me.”

To say she was young, she had a few gray strands in her hair, and that shit was sexy as hell. The small gap between her two front teeth added to her personality. She knew she was sexy as hell. I could tell by the way she strutted. Her thick lips were perfect for sucking and getting sucked, and her nose ring added to her sex appeal. Her slanted eyes and high cheekbones gave her exotic features that I could drool over all day, every day.

She looked somewhat lost today without her sister. They always sat together, and her sister seemed to be the more mature one. She was also older. I remembered when she participated in graduate Sunday about two or three years ago. Kinisha graduated the year after her. I wished I had shot my shot then. I didn’t know what I was waiting for. I was reserved but never intimidated. While I was a little nervous about how she would respond, I had no problem speaking my mind.

“You’re quiet over there. You good?” Anise asked.

“Yeah, I’m cool. I’m probably gonna head out in a few minutes. This game is a blowout, so I already know who will win.”

“What are you about to go do?”

“I’m gonna go get ready for my week. I have to make a trip to H-Town to check on the office and make sure everything is running smoothly. What’chu got going on for the week?”

“Well, Shannon has us booked to redesign an entire house. I can’t wait to look at it and get started.”

“That’s what’s up. I’m gon’ have to get y’all to do my house. I think it’s outdated, so it can use a touch-up.”

“Oliver, just say you want me in yo’ space, baby boy. I’ll be in that thang with bells on.”

“Don’t have WJ knocking your head between the washer and the dryer, ho,” Anise yelled, then laughed.

Shannon joined her and said, “You know WJ my baby. I ain’t fucking up no more.” She turned her attention back to me. “If you’re serious, call the receptionist to set up a consultation.”

No more?So she’d cheated before, I assumed. If he was still fucking with her after that, he was man of the decade as far as I was concerned. “Shit, we consulting now,” I said with a frown.

“I know I clown a lot, but I’m a professional when it comes to Jameson Taylor Interior Designs. So handle it like you don’t know me. It keeps me organized.”

“I guess. I’ll call tomorrow.”

I stood from my seat, preparing to leave. I walked over to Anise and kissed her cheek. “Thanks for dinner. I won’t be good for anything but sleep when I get home. I got too full.”

I walked over to Shannon and gave her a side hug as Anise said, “You’re welcome. Call me tomorrow because I need help picking out a new computer.”

“We could have done that while I was here.”

“It’s Sunday. We’re off. I don’t believe in working on my off days. I have plenty of other shit to do to keep me occupied.”

I rolled my eyes. “A’ight. I’ll holla tomorrow around lunchtime.”

“Okay. Be careful going home, Oliver.”

I gave them a nod and headed to my car. When my phone rang, I pulled it from my pocket, knowing it was probably Anise. “Hello?”

“I fixed you a to-go plate. I forgot to give it to you.”

“Shit, I’m on my way back in.”

She knew that I would be hungry later and would end up eating fast food. I knew how to cook, but I hated cooking on Sundays. I wasn’t really all that fond of cooking for just me anyway. It took me by spells. My mama had taught me everything she knew about the kitchen. She said I needed to be able to cater to my woman when I got one. Hopefully, those skills would come in handy sooner rather than later.

After getting my food from Anise, I headed back to my car. My house was only about ten minutes from hers. I knew that once I got home, I would end up working. I often found myself doing that because I didn’t have shit else to do. Loneliness was a horrible beast to endure. I briefly thought about getting involved in one of the ministries at church to get me out of the house and interact with more people.

My people skills were decent, but I only talked to customers. My only friend in college had moved back home to North Carolina, got married, and started a family. We kind of fell off after that. I was always the one calling, and I didn’t want to be that friend who didn’t know how to take a hint. So I backed off, thinking he would call me whenever he had time. I guess he never had time. I hadn’t spoken to him since my mama died and, before that, since my father passed.

He’d probably seen my status on Facebook to know they’d passed away. To say I wasn’t popular in school, many people had shown up to offer their condolences. I was touched by their concern for me. A couple of them had even messaged me on Messenger to see how I was holding up. I appreciated that more than they knew. When my dad died, I still had my mother to lean on. When she died, I had no one.

Anise had been there for me, but I was the type of nigga who held in his emotions until he was alone. I had a bad habit of saying I was okay when I really wasn’t. I found that it was typical behavior for men. We were afraid to admit we were weak. My dad did it all the time. I told myself that if I ever got close to anyone else, I would be truthful concerning that, but it would definitely have to be someone I trusted.

When I got home, I set my food on the stove, then went to shower, fantasizing about the beautiful woman I kept from busting her ass on that hard floor. I couldn’t get her face out of my mind. It had been a long time since I’d been practically obsessed with a person. I wasn’t obsessed to the point where I was stupid over her, though. I had enough sense to know that I needed to take my time with this one.

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