His True Love

by Khardine Gray

  “Oh my gosh. Really?”

  I nodded trying not to look too excited since it wasn’t like I was going to see him again. “Yeah.”

  “Okay, why the face? Your aura is tainted and mixed up.” She waved her hand over me.

  I laughed. I’m pretty certain my aura looks all kinds of ways today. It’s too much going on. I can’t see him again Gabrielle.”

  “Did something happen this morning? Please don’t tell me he was an asshole.”

  I wouldn’t have known if he was an asshole in the mornings and I hoped not too. “Nothing happened.”

  “Nothing? What did he say?”

  I shrugged and took a sip of my hot chocolate. It was almost cold and had that bitter edge to it that got the back of my tongue.

  “I left. I... um left before he woke up.”

  Defeat filled her eyes. “Oh, Ariyah. You didn’t think you should at least stay and see what happened? I mean, providing you wanted to see him in the morning. Forgive me for assuming it. I just got the impression that you really liked him. Given... um the circumstances it was a good thing.”

  “You’re right. Is it possible to like a guy a lot after three weeks of watching him and a night of passionate sex.”

  She chuckled. “Honey if it’s passionate I don’t think it’s sex. That’s something else. If you’re calling it passionate then it’s gone a little beyond sex.”

  I shook my head. “No, I’m flying on the lowest limb of the tree here sister. There’s no way I’m going to contemplate more than what it was. I’m being careful. Damn careful.”

  She bit the inside of her lip and straightened up. Her mood shifted slightly and I knew she was about to tell me something I wouldn’t like.

  “Well being too careful isn’t the worst idea. Stephan came by this morning.”

  “What?”

  “I’m sorry honey. I had today planned out really well. I’d tease you about not coming home last night and I’d tell you about the seriously erotic dreams I’ve been having about this scorching hot guy I don’t even know. Never seen him but damn –”

  “Gabrielle.” I cut in before she went off on her wild train of thoughts. The woman was notorious for doing so and I had to know what the hell Stephan wanted now.

  “Sorry. He just came to check if you were still staying with me. I told him you didn’t come home last night so I wasn’t sure. It was funny because his face was classic. Asshole. Anyway he was talking about getting the money back for your student loan and the masters degree.”

  “Ugh.” I slammed my fists down on the table. “Fucking asshole.”

  My degree was a joint honors of Psychology and Social Care. I worked day and night to pay for living expenses. The part that wasn’t covered by student loan because I went to Brown University. My degrees were my one claim to doing something worthwhile in this life. Stephan was the one who insisted on paying off my debts when we got together.

  He was the one who insisted on paying for my masters. It was the last thing I had to do academically. I was about to start the course when we met. I wanted to make sure I had a strong academic background because I couldn’t afford to take the time required for the unpaid placements for work experience. I was always on the go because when you left too many gaps in either study or employment, it didn’t look good.

  He offered to fix all of that, now the bastard wanted it back.

  I put my hand to my head. “I can’t take this Gabrielle. I can’t. I’m not going back to him. There’s no way.”

  “Of course not. I told him he could go fuck himself, our lawyers would get in touch.” She laughed.

  I chuckled but gave her a withering smile. “Lawyers Gabrielle? I can’t afford it. I can’t afford any of it.”

  “That’s why you got me. Ariyah. You know how I feel about Stephan. I think I was the only one from our friendship circle who didn’t like him. I thought he was a pompous ass while the others thought the sun shined from his ass. This isn’t an I told you so. I’m just saying I get it. I knew why you were with him and why you stayed. By the same token I’m glad you left, and I’m glad you know your worth and that you’re determined not to go back to him.” The light in her eyes told me she was proud of me.

  “Thank you. Thank you and you’re right. I guess I know I’m worth more than being with a man who cheats on me.”

  “Darn right. So here’s me telling you I called my lawyers. He thinks he can bully you because he had all the money. But we’ll fight fire with fire if we need to.”

  I sighed. “Thank you. But... there’s gonna come a point where I’ll have to change things up.”

  My job didn’t pay enough. Not enough for me to be prepped for disasters of this kind. Or, just in general. I was on the salary of someone in their early twenties, all because I had no work experience prior to this. I’d been working here now for two years. One year in admin as an assistant to the head social worker, and another year in the field as a junior social worker with on the job training.

  A year’s experience was enough to get me applying for some higher paying jobs but I’d be up against people with more experience. I at least wanted to stay in this role for another two years before jumping ship. That and I actually really loved working here.

  “How about we see what happens.” Gabrielle offered, always and ever the one to look on the bright side and be positive. “Just be careful. We know he’s doing plenty to mess with you. He’s being petty because he’s probably worried about telling his family and friends you left him. Hell, I’m sure he spun it to make it look like there was something wrong with you.”

  “I don’t think he’s told them yet.” It made sense because of all the stuff he’d done. He was most likely hoping I’d run back to him by now after he’d cut me off from everything. Then he wouldn’t have to tell anyone anything.

  “Well, screw him. I just wanted to find you and tell you, in case he came here.” She released my hand and the curious smile returned to her face. “You going back to the club tonight?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “What? You have to. It’s not exactly my favorite place and I’d come with if I wasn’t so busy with this campaign.” She chuckled.

  She worked for Glades Advertising and they’d just secured a deal with Nike for their new line of women’s exercise wear.

  “Another all-nighter?”

  “Sure is. At least one of us is having tons of fun. I only get fun like that in my dreams. Anyway. Seriously, you don’t want to see him again?”

  “I think Eric was a one off case.”

  “Eric? I love his name. Ariyah, I don’t know him but he sounds amazing,” she bubbled.

  He was.

  In reality I shouldn’t feel any kind of way about a man I hardly knew, and I should be careful for more than one reason. All this craziness that had happened to me was now making me doubt. Doubt that I could have happiness.

  In reality good things didn’t happen to me. My past and present should have taught me that. I spent my childhood being passed from one terrible foster home to another. Each one worse than the first. And that was putting it mildly. If I wasn’t being beaten or bullied by other kids in the home, I was neglected by those who were supposed to be taking care of me. I had such a rough time that I didn’t know how I’d made it to today.

  “How about you keep an open mind,” she suggested, cutting into my thoughts.

  “Open mind.” I thought my mind was wide open. In the last three weeks I’d done things I would never ever have dreamed of doing, and God the way I was with Eric last night probably made me the poster girl for the open minded.

  “It can mean more than one thing. It could just be putting yourself just that much higher on your low branch and seeing what could happen if you looked beyond the leaves.”

  That was nice. Maybe I could do that. It sounded a lot like hope. If we didn’t have hope or anything to look forward to, we had nothing.

  “Look beyond the leaves?” I laughed.
r />   “Uh huhh. That being said. I’m gonna make you something from one of Mom’s new recipes.”

  “Yummmm.” Anything her mom cooked tasted like heaven.

  On a normal basis we’d see each other almost every day. She was originally from Seattle where her parents ran a very successful restaurant. Her mom sent her recipes all the time and she tried them out on me.

  Gabrielle could cook. Me on the other hand not so much. While she did recipes new and old that had been passed down from generations I could only offer the easy stuff like hamburgers and fries, or chicken dippers again ready made with fries. Or something else with fries. Sometimes I did pizza. As in the frozen kind you’d by at the store.

  Sometimes in my fantasy world I thought of what my parents must have been like. I imagined my mother to have been really young and unable to look after me, and maybe my father was the same. They must have put me up for adoption because they couldn’t afford to look after me.

  In reality I knew it was foolish to think it happened that way. But if I was going to see past the leaves I wanted to hold on to something like that.

  “So if you aren’t going to the club tonight, expect a casserole in the oven. Casserole because if neither of us make it home tonight there even better the next day.” She giggled. “I swear to God that club looks like the kind of place where vampires would hang out, but I hope you go.”

  “Vampires aren’t real.” I laughed.

  “Whatever, Ariyah. I’ve been there. One time only.”

  “Not with me.”

  “Because I said I wasn’t going back. I told you there were a bunch of guys there that looked creepy. I can’t explain but they were creepy. One was staring at my neck. Who does that?”

  “Maybe he wanted to steal your necklace,” I laughed.

  “Right. Anyway. My fears aside. I think you’d be okay. Now I know you’d be okay because you know someone there. You worried me sick the last few weeks, but my cards tell me happiness awaits.”

  I would have answered her and told her, her cards were wrong, but my heart jumped into my throat as the door to the coffee house opened and in came Eric.

  He looked around the place first. When his gaze landed on me I forgot to breathe.

  I’d thought of how I’d feel if and when I saw him again. I never expected to feel like this.

  Happiness.

  Actual happiness.

  It bubbled within me as he smiled and took long confident strides toward me.

  Chapter 7

  Ariyah

  There was that pull again. Powerful and full of strength.

  Attraction, desire, chemistry now in abundance. I could almost see it rippling off him in waves.

  Long sleeved t-shirt and jeans today.

  He looked delicious. His hair was slightly ruffled in that I just got out of bed sexy way.

  “Oh my God,” Gabrielle said under her breath, watching him too as he came close. “That’s him.”

  I would have asked how she knew, but I was pretty certain I couldn’t have been more obvious with my gawking and the shock on my face. My face which I knew was red hot from the heat coming from it.

  I had to swallow, hard. It did nothing though.

  Eric walked up to me and damn just like at the club heads turned, regarding him. Women looking at him, men looking too with envy.

  “Ladies.” He spoke with that cool casual demeanor.

  “Hi I’m Gabrielle, Ariyah is like a sister to me.” Gabrielle cooed standing up and putting out her hand to shake Eric’s.

  “Pleasure to meet you my lady,” he answered charming the both of us.

  “My lady. I like that.” Gabrielle looked back to me with that exaggerated impressed expression she wore when she more than approved. Then the look was all the more enhanced with his firm handshake.

  “Forgive me, I come from an old fashioned sort of family.” That sexy half smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

  His comment instantly made me wonder what sort of old fashioned family he must have come from. It didn’t surprise me because I’d seen the wealth. It was hands down what people called old money. He was thirty six and from what I’d seen had the type of wealth that looked like it had been in his family for decades at the least.

  Stephan was rich but not like Eric. Also, Eric had that humility about him that made him all the more attractive. He didn’t flash his wealth around.

  “That’s perfect. We love old fashioned, don’t we Ariyah?” Gabrielle, the little minx looked back at me and gave me that one shoulder sassy shrug.

  Eric looked at me too. Looked at me and I knew he was doing more than just seeing me. It was the kind of look that told all, and hid nothing. It made my whole body blush.

  “We do.” I tipped my head and tried to still my breathing so my heart would stop galloping.

  He smiled at that.

  “Well Eric, I’m going to leave you in the care of my very best friend.”

  “Sounds like I’ll be in good hands.” He chuckled.

  “Yes, you most assuredly will be. Blessed be.”

  I groaned inwardly. Who said things like Blessed be. Then again I didn’t know anyone who said My lady.

  Eric gave her a curt nod. “Blessed be.”

  Gabrielle gave us her best dazzling hundred megawatt smile before sauntering away. Practically floating on whatever cloud had come for her.

  Then in came the tension.

  The awkwardness that was definitely waiting for the buffer Gabrielle created.

  Awkward was seeing the guy you left in bed this morning, after fleeing from a one night stand. Awkward was the feeling that brewed between us from the way he was looking at me.

  He sat in front of me in the chair Gabrielle vacated.

  “Hi,” he said resting his hands on the table. The sound of his voice and this closeness sent a shiver of awareness through me.

  “Hi.” I pressed my lips together and ran my tongue over them.

  “I hope this doesn’t border on stalkerish.”

  “Nope, finding out where I work and coming to my place of work doesn’t tend to do that.”

  He looked a little uneasy at the comment. “I’m sorry. I guess it can’t look anything other than stalkerish. I’m a lawyer and I have access to private investigators and ...” When he saw the hole he was digging for himself he stopped talking. “I had to see you. I wasn’t sure you’d be at the club and I didn’t want that to be our first meeting after last night. If it’s too much I’ll go. I’ll leave you alone.” He made a move as if to get up but I stopped him.

  “No.” I tucked my hair behind my ear. “I was joking. It’s sweet that you went through so much to find me.”

  “Sweet, but not okay?”

  I smiled. “Sweet, and okay.”

  Good. He seemed more relaxed.

  “Sweet and okay.” He lifted his strong chin.

  “Yes, although I didn’t figure you to be the sweet type.”

  “I’m all kinds of things. When you get to know me you’ll see I’m all kinds of things.”

  And, why in the world did that sound like the best thing ever. Getting to know him. I wanted to. That had to be a bad idea given my circumstances. I’d already come straight from a relationship with a rich guy who I thought was nice in the beginning. Granted not as nice as Eric, but still nice enough for me to stay with for a good two years before I saw the asshole he was. That part was on me though. Not valuing myself enough.

  “You didn’t have to leave,” Eric stated. “I wanted you to stay. Unless, you regret last night.”

  “I don’t.” I answered quickly. There was no way I wanted him to think that. “I don’t at all. I just thought maybe you’d want me gone in the morning.”

  “No,” he shook his head.

  We stared at each other for a few seconds until he broke contact.

  “I wonder if you’d consider not going to the club tonight.” His eyes sparkled.

  “Not going? I’d be so bored at home.”
I joked.

  “No, no, you wouldn’t be at home. I’m thinking an actual date.”

  I gasped and feigned innocence. “A date? With me?”

  “Oh yeah.”

  “Eric are you asking me out on a date with you?”

  “I sure am. Do you think you’ll say yes?”

  “Yes,” my heart answered before my brain could process what it just agreed to.

  “Yes?”

  That was another chance to decline and err on the side of caution. I just didn’t want to.

  “Yes,” I answered more firmly.

  “Great... Pick you up at eight. For dinner.”

  “Do you need my address?” I kind of guessed if he knew where I worked, he must have known where I lived.

  “Nope.”

  I smiled to myself and his grin took over his handsome features.

  “Is there anything left for me to tell you about myself on this date?” I really hoped he hadn’t dug deeper than just finding my address and place of work.

  “I swear you’ll have plenty to tell me. I just looked at info that would help me find you. Just your address. There are a few things I’d love to know though that could help me out on this date.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I don’t know what your favorite color is, or your favorite food, or flowers.”

  His expression came alive with interest.

  “Pink, Italian, and roses. White long stemmed roses.”

  “Noted.” He nodded. “Well, I’ll see you at eight.”

  He looked me over with complete seduction. It made me think this dinner was going to be very interesting considering we’d done this, whatever this was, back to front.

  “Eight.” The nerves were going and I could only think of last night.

  He stood up and continued to look at me. “Ariyah, do you think it would be okay if I kissed you?”

  Kiss, like last night and it felt like the world stopped? “Yes.”

  The alluring scent of his cologne filled me as he leaned forward. I moved toward him too and savored the feel of his lips on mine when he kissed me.

  In the moment that he did, I wished I could have stayed like this forever. At least I’d jumped over the hurdle of what would happen next, and eight o’clock was only a few hours away.