by Teneka Woods
He dialed Tora. “What’re you up to, Ms. Lady?” he asked when she answered.
“I am working,” she said. “What’s up?”
He hoped he wasn’t just imagining the smile in her voice. “Just chillin’ at the crib, thought about you, wondering when I’ll have the chance to hang out with my friend again.”
“Cut it out,” she laughed.
“Are you closing tonight?”
“No. I get off at six. Why? And don’t say because you want me to meet you somewhere at a sports bar because the answer is no.”
“Why not? Are you afraid you’re gonna run into that dude again?”
“Please,” she sucked her teeth, “I’m not worrying about him.”
“Then… what are you doing tonight?”
“I’m relaxing at home. I have no plans. It’ll be a lazy Friday.”
Nate proceeded with caution. “How about you come to my place?”
“Hold on,” she said.
She was in conversation for several minutes with someone in the background and he thought about hanging up to allow her to get back to work, but hanging up would not give him the answer he was waiting to hear.
“Nate, are you crazy?” she said once back on the line, but she was smiling again. He was sure of it.
“What? Don’t tell me you and your girlfriends don’t get together and hang out at the house sometimes. I would find that hard to believe.”
“You are a mess.”
“Seriously… I have Netflix. We can watch a movie. Just relax, hang out.”
She heaved a sigh before finally responding. “I’ll call you later for the address.”
TWENTY-EIGHT
Tora couldn’t believe she agreed to hang out with Nate at his apartment. But she figured, why not? It beat sitting home alone on a Friday night.
He was standing in the middle of a parking space when she pulled around to the visitors parking area.
“Are you literally standing here so no one else gets this spot?”
“You thought I was playing?” he said.
She shook her head and laughed. He’d told her to call him when she was on her way and that he would meet her outside to ensure she found someplace near his building to park versus having to walk from the other side of the massive complex.
“I told you parking spots are hard to come by around here. Especially on the weekends. I think all of my neighbors are homebodies. I’ve already had to turn two people away.”
“Are you serious?” she said, exiting the jeep.
“Yeah. One threatened to call security, saying I couldn’t hold a space for somebody, but I told him I’ll be here waiting for him and security when he comes back.”
“Oh my god, Nate. Are you really going to go to jail over a parking space?”
“They better not come back around here tripping with me tonight. It’s not that serious.”
“You think?” she said, laughing again.
He looked her up and down, smiling. “How are you this evening?” he finally said. “You had me waiting forever. I was worried you changed your mind.”
“Umm… I told you I didn’t get off work until six, it takes about thirty minutes to make it home, and I had to take a shower.”
“Oh okay,” he nodded. “So you had to go home first to put on something more comfortable. I guess I was too excited, thinking you would come straight here after work.”
He was too stinking cute, she thought. “I see you’re looking pretty comfortable, too,” she said, noting the Texans football T-shirt and the soft lounge pants he wore. Adidas slides on his feet. She raised her hand and flicked the tail of the silk wrap covering his locks. “What’s up with this though?”
He chuckled. “I just put it on since I’m chillin’ tonight. I wear it to bed.”
“Oh. I see.” She followed behind him as he led her down a long sidewalk to his first floor unit. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from his ass as they went.
She was surprised how neat and tidy his apartment was. She was half-expecting the usual bachelor pad: mix-matched furniture, minimal décor, things stored in places where they shouldn’t be. But everything was orderly, the living room so cozy and inviting.
A woman definitely had a hand in this, Tora thought as she scanned the room admiring the charcoal gray furnishings with black and white accents. Probably his mother. Or maybe his ex.
He took a seat on the sofa and she sat down next to him. “What you wanna watch?” he asked, grabbing the remote from the coffee table.
“How about Power? Do you like that series?”
“I’ve heard of it, but never watched it,” he said.
“Are you serious? I can watch that show every day!”
“I know it’s pretty popular, and I’ve heard my partners talking about it a few times, but I never really paid much attention to it.”
“Oh my god, Nate. I can’t believe you don’t watch Power. Who doesn’t watch Power?” She playfully rolled her eyes at him.
“Well… tonight’s a good time to start I guess. What is it about?”
She grabbed the remote from him and found the episodes listing. “The main character, Ghost, is this big-time drug lord who also owns a night club. He wants to get out of the drug business and just work the club so he can focus on family and making money the legit way….” She sat up in the couch, “Wait… what kinda snacks you got? I like to munch while I’m watching the show.”
He chuckled and got up from the sofa for the kitchen pantry. “Umm… I got some mixed nuts in here, and protein bars.” He opened the refrigerator. “Granny Smith apples.”
“What?” Tora stood and joined him in the kitchen. “No chips? No cookies? No popcorn?”
“I’m sorry. I don’t keep junk food in the apartment because I don’t want to be tempted.”
Tora shook her head pitifully. “We have to go to the grocery store, Nate. I can’t watch my show without snacks.”
He laughed. “Let me grab my keys.”
* * *
Back in Nate’s apartment, Tora sat on the sofa with everything she’d bought at the store laid out on the coffee table in front of them. She didn’t want to have to get up for a refill of anything once she started the Power episode.
Five minutes into the show and Ghost already had her swooning. “Omari Hardwick is so damn fine.”
“Who?” Nate looked over at her.
“Him… Ghost,” she gestured at the television with the Little Debbie snack cake in hand. “That’s his name in real life.”
“Oh okay,” Nate nodded his head. “He kinda looks like the dude in Coming to America.”
Tora whipped her head around. “What?”
“The actor in Coming to America. The Soul Glo dude. What’s his name?”
“He does not look like no Eriq La Salle!”
“To me he does,” Nate chuckled.
“Eriq wished he was as fine as Omari.”
“Well, I don’t know about his level of fineness, I’m just talking about how he looks.”
Tora rolled her eyes.
“So you think he’s fine?” Nate asked.
“Most definitely,” she said. “He is gorgeous.”
“Okay… so if you were to see him walking around in the grocery store, would you still say the same thing?”
“Yes I would. And what are you trying to say, Nate?”
Shrugging his shoulders, he said, “I’m just asking. I find it interesting how women will see a man on TV and go crazy, but see the same type of man in public and won’t give him a second look.”
“That’s not true. There are no Omari Hardwicks walking around every day.” Perhaps she needed to retract that statement, she thought, because Nate was definitely an Omari Hardwick-type. And so were his brothers. As a matter of fact, they were levels above Omari if she were honest. “But men do the same thing,” she said. “Y’all expect us to look like the women on these reality shows when even those women are average-looking at best once yo
u strip away the makeup and hair extensions and fancy clothes.”
“Well… not all of us think that way. Confidence more than anything is what gets my attention.”
She rolled her eyes again. “Sure… of course you’ll say that.”
“I’m serious. That’s what hooked me when I saw you that first time. You walked in there like you owned the place. Nose in the air and everything.”
Tora laughed out loud. “I did not!”
“Okay… you didn’t really have your nose in the air, but you definitely had a presence. Everybody stared.”
“Let’s… let’s just watch the show,” she said, and picked up the remote.
It was a poor choice Tora quickly realized halfway into the episode. As was typical once Ghost and his love interest, Angela, were behind closed doors, they were all over each other. And the scene was certainly hot as Ghost made love to Angela while they stood knotted together against the penthouse window overlooking a city skyline. Nate was silent next to her and it was a long, awkward sixty seconds. It’s been two years, Tora thought. I definitely don’t need to be watching this with him sitting right next to me.
Nate cleared his throat once the scene was over and got up from the sofa. “You want anything while I’m up?”
“I’m cool,” she answered even though she was anything but.
He came back a minute later with a new glass of water. “It seems like a promising show,” he said when the episode ended. “I’m down to watch another one if you are.”
“Really? So you liked it?”
“Yeah, that was pretty good.”
She wondered if he genuinely enjoyed the show or if he was just looking forward to another steamy sex scene. Tora smiled and scrolled through the episodes list, quickly scanning the show descriptions to choose one she believed would be less taxing on both of their senses. “I need to take a bathroom break before I start the show,” she said.
“Okay, it’s just right there… down the hall.”
Tora found the bathroom and noticed it was just as tidy as the rest of the apartment. Even the toilet seat was down. She peeked behind the shower curtain as she always did when visiting someone’s home and using their facility for the first time. Maybe it was a childhood fear that rolled over into adulthood, or maybe she was just being certain no one was hiding in the tub.
She didn’t realize how much liquid she had to get rid of until she sat down. Nate’s phone rang. Tora guessed it was one of his friends when she heard him say, “Y’all can go on without me. I’m chillin’ at the crib tonight, hanging with Tora.” It made her smile, and she didn’t know why.
He was still on the phone when she left the bathroom so she took the opportunity to have a glance in his bedroom as she passed. Either he cleaned up right before I came over or he’s really a neat freak, she thought. The only thing out of place was a pair of tennis shoes he’d obviously kicked off near the foot of the bed.
“After all the sweets I had, now I need something salty,” she told him when she returned to the sofa. He just shook his head as he watched her open the bag of tortilla chips and jar of chunky salsa.
“I don’t wanna hear one complaint from you at our next workout,” he said.
“Who said there’s gonna be another workout?”
“I’m saying it.” He looked at her with a playful seriousness.
“Do you mind getting me some more juice?” she held up her glass. He had no idea what looking at his beautiful face and tight body did to her.
“Not at all.”
With the exception of a few droplets of commentary to help him understand what was going on, they watched the next episode in silence. Tora didn’t feel uneasy being in his apartment with him. He’d put his feet up on the coffee table and she did the same after he offered her a blanket. Why am I sitting here on his sofa eating snacks and watching TV as if we’ve been best buddies for years?
“I might have to start from the beginning and watch the whole series,” Nate said once the show ended.
“I think you’ll love it. It’s one of the few television shows I can watch again and again and never get tired of it.”
“Well, maybe you can come back tomorrow and we watch it together.”
His eyes met hers as he waited for an answer. I have no idea why I agreed to be friends with him. This was definitely not a good idea. “We’ll see,” she said, and dropped her feet from the coffee table. “I work the opening shift tomorrow, so I need to get going.” She stood and folded the blanket, handing it over to him.
“Time went by too fast. I was enjoying your company.” He got up and stretched.
Tora averted her eyes to stop herself from staring at the center of him. “It was a nice evening.” She began to gather the snacks and clean her mess.
“I’m tempted to have you leave everything here so you have an excuse to come back tomorrow.”
Laughing, Tora said, “Absolutely not. These snacks are going home with me tonight in case I get a craving later.”
“Are you telling me you wake up in the middle of the night to snack?”
“Sometimes,” she admitted, smiling.
Nate chuckled. “Yeah, we definitely need to work on your eating habits.”
“Mind your business,” she said. “I told you before I’ll be fine.”
“Alright,” he raised a palm, “just trying to offer some advice to a friend.”
“Well… your advice is unwanted.” She enjoyed giving him a hard time.
He smiled and shook his head, leaving the room to return the blanket to the linen closet in the hall.
Tora walked over to the computer desk in the corner, noticing the fancy audio equipment set up. “What is all this?” she asked when he returned.
“I have a podcast show—”
“Do you really? I didn’t know that.”
“Yep. This is where I record. For now. Hopefully, in the near future, I will have a separate recording studio. When I get a bigger place I mean.”
“What is your podcast about?” she asked.
“It’s a fitness podcast, so I offer tips and motivation about that. Nutrition, too, and how to develop healthy eating habits. A healthy lifestyle overall.”
“I should’ve known,” she rolled her eyes playfully.
“Do you wanna record an episode with me? I can bring you on as a guest, talking about your experience as a person who’s never exercised in her life, but is making moves to change that.”
“You’re really trying it,” she laughed, “but no thanks. Maybe I’ll listen to an episode or two to support you. How about that?”
He shook his head and grabbed her bags.
Tora didn’t realize it was after midnight until she got in her jeep and started the engine and the clock on the dashboard glowed blue.
“Text me when you make it home, okay?” Nate said, closing her door.
“I will,” she smiled at him and backed out of the parking space.
All the way home she wondered why this beautiful man was sent into her life. It was torture.
* * *
The next morning she could barely make it out of bed. Early mornings were never her favorite time of day. She reluctantly threw back the covers and went to the kitchen to warm water for tea. Her cell phone rang, sending her back to the bedroom to answer it. She sucked her teeth when she checked the caller ID.
“Eric, I thought I told you to lose my number?”
“Well… it’s been two days. I figured I would give you some time to cool off so you can talk to me like an adult.”
“Excuse me?”
“Tora, I really wish you would give me a chance to make things right. Please.”
She sighed and rolled her eyes. “Eric, I—”
“Let me come and pick you up. Let’s talk about it over breakfast.”
“I’m leaving for work in a few minutes, Eric.”
“Well… what time do you get off? I wanna take you out for a nice dinner.”
She
sighed again and sat down on the bed. She realized she just needed to be straight forward with him. “Eric, you’re really wasting your time at this point. We just aren’t compatible, so it makes no sense for you to continue contacting me.”
“What?” he said in a tone that he was utterly dumbfounded that she would turn him down.
“I’m being honest.”
“You know what… I’m so sick of women like you who don’t appreciate real men like me! You seem to be the type who prefers thugs anyway. Maybe I should put some fucking weave in my head and wear some nappy-ass dreadlocks, too! Would you like that?”
Tora couldn’t believe her ears. The guy definitely had more than a few screws loose. “You are so far gone this is unreal. How would you like it if someone talked to your daughter like you’re talking to me, Eric?”
“You leave Whitney out of this! And as a matter of fact, I’m raising her to understand to appreciate the good guys like her father. I know she won’t turn out to be a woman such as yourself who doesn’t realize when a man wants to give her the world.”
Tora had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing out loud at the irony of his statements. It wasn’t even worth responding to, she thought.
“Whitney loves you,” he continued, “and she had a fabulous time at the Sweet Sixteen party. She suggested we buy you an appreciation gift. It’s one of the things I was calling to tell you.”
She wasn’t falling for it this time. There was no doubt in her mind the gift thing was all Eric’s doing. “Thanks, but no thanks,” she said. “A gift is not necessary.”
“Tora, are you serious?! Are you really gonna turn down a gift from my daughter? What an ungrateful, cold-hearted bitch you are!”
Tora closed her eyes as she saw red. “Eric,” she said as calmly as she could muster, no longer hearing what he was saying as he continued to shout expletives at her. “I’m glad you showed your true colors. I’m blocking your number.”