by Amber Heart
Although Kennedi was not resistant to love and relationships, she felt a little odd about this particular circumstance. The thing that was most off-putting for her, in terms of what she felt, was how cliché the set-up was. In her mind, if this was a movie, she’d be the girl who wasn’t looking for anything serious but ended up finding love in the most ironic of places. Here’s the deal: Kennedi never liked those movies and was annoyed that she, essentially, was starring in one. But, whether it was kitschy or not, Kennedi knew that she couldn’t deny her feelings any longer and frantically wanted to get her love life resolved, ASAP!
Chapter 9
To say that Kennedi Kincaid was in a full-on tizzy, at this point in time, would actually be an understatement. After waking up from the sweetest most enthralling dream that she’d had in a long, long time, she was more confused than ever. Despite her better judgement, she was falling in love with a star-athlete. Even worse that that, she was falling for an athlete who was pivotal to a series she had worked so hard to get greenlit and had invested so much hope into. Clearly, this was bad for business.
The more Kennedi thought about Dante’, the more convinced she was that she wanted to explore a relationship with him and see how feasible it would be to experience life with him by her side. But, she also figured, if she could discipline herself and look at her situation more strategically, she was close enough to the edge to reel herself back in from the brink – and avoid a romantic mishap – if the situation called for that. To get some guidance on what her next steps should be, Kennedi decided to do some old-fashioned homework.
As a reporter, a key aspect of her job was figuring out who knew what and asking the right people, the right questions, in the right context, in order to uncover the truth. What she wanted to know, in this case, was some background information on Dante’ Douglas – namely, his past relationships and whether or not he was currently seeing someone. To get to the bottom of it all, she felt compelled to do a little snooping and learn a little bit more about the object of her affection before she found herself way in over her head. To achieve her goal, she knew she would need to pull out the big guns and tap into her expansive, well-connected network of friends and associates.
Luckily for Kennedi, she didn’t have to think too long or too hard about where to turn. One of her closest friends, Monica Chavis, was the type who – if she didn’t have the answers to Kennedi’s questions in this context, she would definitely know who to ask. As soon as she decided to get in touch with her newly minted (though strategically unaware) informant, Kennedi rolled over to get her phone off of the night stand, rolled back to a supine position in bed, and scrolled down to Monica’s number in her list of contacts. For about 5 minutes, she stared at the number and wondered what she should do, if she was going too far. She knew, if nothing else, that in exchange for providing her with information, Monica would want to know why the information was valuable to her. She wondered if any of this was worth it – but that question didn’t linger long in her mind. Suddenly more convinced than ever that this was the way to go, Kennedi quickly pressed Monica’s number on her touch screen and waited patiently while it rang.
“Hey Kennedi,” Monica said, as soon as she picked up the phone. “It has been ages, doll!” she squealed, “to what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Hi Monica! First of all, let me say that the pleasure is all mine!” After a nervous chuckle, Kennedi continued, “I’m calling because I need your insight on a new story I’m working on. Is this a good time to chat?”
“Ooo, a new story. Sounds fabulous!” Monica said, primed and ready to contribute. “I’m about to get in line at the supermarket but I can talk for a second or two. What’s up? How can I help?”
“Well, I’ll try to keep it brief” Kennedi began. “So, I’m doing a story on Dante’ Douglas for the Weekly – you know, covering his journey from DSU to the NFL from a bunch of different angles.”
“Mmm hmm, mmm hmm,” Monica said, following along in the conversation.
“As I’m doing my reporting, I realize that I need to get a little more intel on his personal life – just so that I can get a more well-rounded view of who he is as a person.”
“OK, OK,” Monica said, sounding totally engrossed and like she might have some information to share. “What do you want to know in particular?”
As the conversation progressed, Kennedi began to feel more than just a little bit off. While it was indeed true that she was reporting a story and that she wanted it to be multi-dimensional, she wasn’t being exactly upfront with Monica about why she wanted this specific intel. Here she was claiming that Monica’s insight would help her develop an article when, in fact, that wasn’t quite the case. On a baseline level, Kennedi hated that was leveraging her profession and pulling the wool over Monica’s eyes for very personal reasons.
But, on the other hand, this conversation with Monica was just too easy. It looked like her unintended informant was buying her ruse hook, line, and sinker. With that being the case, she could definitely leverage this opportunity to get some good intel without showing her full hand.
In the end, Kennedi decided that, although it wasn’t the ideal situation or approach, she just might be able to get the information she needed, efficiently, and emerge from the conversation unscathed. Since that was the goal, she decided that this was the approach – and she would just have to cry about it later.
“Hey Kennedi,” Monica said, in a somewhat louder voice, “I’m not sure if my phone was breaking up but what do you want to know in particular?”
“Oh, OK. Well, tell me what you know about him? Or, better yet, tell me what kind of guy you perceive him to be?” In implementing her question-asking strategy, Kennedi decided to dance around the perimeter and not start off asking direct questions about Dante’s dating life. She figured that would be too obvious and she couldn’t chance it.
“Oh, well, I’ll have to say that I don’t know him that well, but I do know that he is quite the ladies’ man,” Monica offered.
Once again, on one level, Kennedi felt like this conversation was going way more swimmingly than she could have ever imagined. Without direct questioning, Monica was offering up the goods, and spilling the beans that Kennedi was interested in without much prodding.
Not sure what else to say, Kennedi followed with, “Really?”
“Oh yeah. Like, he’s not on the scene as much as the other football players and athletes are. You won’t necessarily catch him at all of the parties or anything like that. But, if he is out and about, he’s usually either already got a hot young thing with him or he’s about to get a hot young thing.”
“Hmm,” Kennedi said, thinking out loud and hoping that she wasn’t blowing her cover.
“Oh yeah, ladies love that dude,” Monica continued, gleefully. “And from what I hear, he’s happy to love each and every one of them right back!” she laughed, raucously.
“That’s interesting! I knew you could give me the buzz on the campus’ perspective,” Kennedi said, trying to get her cover back. “Now, tell me,” she began, about to dive into her most pivotal question, “does he have a girlfriend now?” she asked. “He could be a reformed ladies’ man. It may be good for me to connect with her and get her perspective.”
“Not that I know of,” Monica said, “from what I’ve heard, it’s kind of hard to tie him down. He’ll usually go out on a couple of dates and then say that he’s not interested in a girlfriend, that he just wants to have fun. Blah, blah, blah! You know, one of those.”
“Mmm hmm, I definitely know how they operate” Kennedi said, investing an enthusiasm in her voice that she didn’t really have.
“Hey Kennedi,” Monica interjected, “I just got in line at the grocery store and the line is moving faster than I thought it would.”
“Oh, OK,” Kennedi replied.
“Can I call you back?” Monica asked as the beep-beep of a cash register scanner played in the background.
“Oh, of course,
” Kennedi said, relieved that her conversation with Monica played out the way it did.
After hanging up the phone, Kennedi took a moment to reflect. All in all, she thought her conversation with Monica had gone quite well. She was able to get the information she needed, in an efficient way, under a plausible guise. As far she could tell, Monica was none the wiser about her true interest in Dante’s love life.
Aside from her initial displeasure about not being completely up front with Monica, the only issue she had, and this was a biggie – she didn’t like the information she heard. From what she gathered, although she was interested in Dante’ and thought that they had made a connection, it was a good chance that he might not be interested in her in quite the same way. It’s possible that he was juggling a harem of girls at the moment and, at best, Kennedi would become one of many on his roster.
Not sure what to do with the information she’d just received, Kennedi hopped out of bed and got herself ready to return back to campus. After a restful nap, an intriguing dream, and a mandate to get out of bed (since her 3:00 PM appointment was less than an hour away), Kennedi knew she had to get up, get to her meeting, and figure out the Dante’ stuff much later.
Chapter 10
Kennedi arrived at the News Room early Wednesday morning with coffee in hand, ready to work. It had been three days since she got her series on Dante’ greenlit to run in the Weekly and two days since she realized that she might be falling for him. Wanting to make the right decisions in her personal and professional interactions with the NFL-bound sensation, to protect her reputation and her heart, she decided it would be best to just step back and give herself time to process everything.
A part of what she planned to do this morning, in between sips of coffee, was to decompress – to analyze all of the artifacts she had gathered in her reporting – and begin drafting the first story she wanted to tell. While generating an outline was her driving goal that morning, on the most basic level, Kennedi just wanted to start doing something productive with the things she’d collected and ensure that the effort she had invested so far would be put to good use.
After finding an empty corner in the News Room’s workspace, opening up her laptop, and wrangling her notebook from her book bag, Kennedi was all set to begin her review. Leafing through her notes, she was quickly reminded of the times Dante’ had fascinated, befuddled, and challenged her. It was hard for her to believe all of that had started much less than a week ago but, to keep herself in check and everything in perspective, she made it a point to remind herself of that fact anytime her imagination would get away from her.
Just when Kennedi got into a good groove, working at a steady pace, her phone abruptly alerted her that a new text had been received. Nonchalantly, she reached to check it, and her eyes got big when she noticed that the message had come from Dante’. The messaged read: “Meet me at Braxton, 3pm?” Based on his track record and apparent love for the unpredictable, Kennedi knew better than to try and guess what this meeting would be about. Although she looked forward to seeing him again, she didn’t exactly want to make that known. Trying to keep it casual, and maintain a little mystique, she simply replied: “Sure.”
Throughout the rest of the day, as the minutes until their meeting time continued to dwindle, Kennedi found it eerily easy to concentrate on whatever task was in her purview at the time. After initially receiving Dante’s message, she thought the day would drift by extremely slow. But to the contrary, her day flew by quickly and was extremely productive.
Moments after finishing a late lunch and giving herself a once over in the mirror, Kennedi was in motion toward Braxton Hall at 2:45 PM. Once she had arrived, retrieved the access key from the front desk and made her way down to the basement, she was surprised to see that Dante’ had already entered the room and was waiting for her arrival by the time she got there.
“Well, well, well, Ms. Kincaid!” Dante’ began sarcastically. “Glad you could make time out of your busy schedule to join me!” he added, tapping his watch, suggesting that Kennedi was late.
“Hey Dante’,” she said, ignoring his theatrics, and placing her book bag on the table. “It’s good to see you, too,” she continued, sarcastically, reaching for her notebook.
“Actually,” he said, watching her go through the motions of getting prepared for a formal interview, “you won’t need any of that stuff. I want to talk to you about something.” Dante’ stared intently at Kennedi and followed her every move with his eyes.
Catching his gaze and matching it with her own as she sat down, Kennedi literally and figuratively found herself on the edge of her seat. “What’s up?” she asked, genuinely unsure about what would come out of Dante’s mouth next.
“Well,” he said, softening his eyes, “I’m just going to say it – I can’t stop thinking about you, Kennedi.”
Kennedi froze in place and waited for him to say he was joking. With no such admission coming from across the table, she decided to investigate further. “What this all about?” she asked, hoping that they were on the same page.
“I tried to get you off of my mind. I couldn’t,” he said, rather bluntly. “I thought it would be a good idea to check with you and see what, if anything, you wanted to do about that.”
Kennedi nervously cleared her throat and shifted in her seat. “Well, I’m not sure where you’re going with this, but I think it’s a good time to let you know that I’m not looking for something casual.”
“Me either,” he said, not leaving much space between her statement and his. “Casual has its place and I have definitely enjoyed my share of casual encounters. But, I want something different. And after spending time with you, I think I want it with you.”
Kennedi didn’t know what to say, so she just continued to listen keenly.
“There’s something inside of you that speaks directly to something inside of me; I don’t know what those things are, but I know how I feel and I wanted to know if you feel the same way.”
Kennedi’s eyes started to blink for the first time in a long time.
“Well, do you?” Dante’ asked, actively trying to provoke a response.
Before she could think it through, Kennedi blurted out, “Yes.”
“Yes?” he asked, trying to confirm that he heard her correctly.
“Yes!” she followed, cementing her point.
“Well, that settles it. I guess this makes you my girl.”
“I guess so, then” Kennedi added.
Just then, Dante’ came around the table, bent down, and gave a still-seated Kennedi a soft peck on the lips. Engrossed in the moment, both Dante’ and Kennedi kept their eyes closed well after their lips lost contact.
“I’ve got to run to practice,” he said, finally opening his eyes. “Call you later?”
“Later!” Kennedi swooned, opening her eyes – for the first time – on the last syllable.
And just like that, Kennedi and Dante’ became a couple.
Bonus Chapter
“Babe, not so much mayonnaise!” Kennedi said, peering around Dante’s shoulder and being met with hearty chuckles.
“I’m telling you, this is the perfect amount! Trust me, you’re going to love it,” he replied, confidently and vigorously stirring ingredients together in a large, yellow bowl.
Realizing that she was essentially fighting a losing battle, Kennedi cleverly directed her attention elsewhere by looking out over her kitchen counter and marveling at the array of delights. Between the crisp green grapes, sparkling Riesling, assortment of cheeses, and utensils they had just about everything they would need for their simple, romantic picnic. But, since Dante’ insisted on including his world famous tuna fish salad, Kennedi couldn’t help but oblige him.
“I’m going to go and get the picnic basket,” she announced, just as he was beginning to stir in the pickle relish.
“Sounds good. I’m almost done,” Dante replied, on the verge of dipping his mixing spoon in for a quick taste.
&n
bsp; Kennedi immediately went to her pantry to retrieve the basket and felt a particular twinge of excitement as she reached down to pick it up from the floor. Between midterms, football practices, newspaper staff meetings, and class projects, she and Dante’ barely had a chance to see each other. In fact, in the last two weeks, they’d spent less than 3 hours together – and that was a stretch. Today was the first real date they would have in a long time and Kennedi was beyond thrilled.
In addition to being excited about seeing Dante, Kennedi was particularly ecstatic about the kind of day they’d planned to spend together. Not only was it was an exceptionally warm day, especially for the fall, but it was the first time – in a long time – that each of them had enough free time to truly enjoy it. Instead of trying to schedule alone time and wedge it between other obligations, today was one of few that they were free and clear to spend the full day any way they wanted to. As a testament to their connection, what they genuinely wanted to do was spend it with each other.
Kennedi sat the wicker basket on her kitchen countertop and, one-by-one, added each of their picnic items to it. In the corner of her eye, she could see Dante’ proudly slathering the freshly made tuna fish onto slices of bread, making two sandwiches, and cutting the crusts off before bagging them.
“Fresh off the press,” he said, carefully placing the sandwiches inside the basket’s gingham lining and elbowing Kennedi after they were snuggly nestled under the bottle of wine. “I’m telling you babe, these are going to be a hit!”
Kennedi giggled in response before adding, “I guess we’ll just have to see about that!”