by J. Nichole
“Maybe I’ll just sit over there.” I move towards the group of chairs and take a seat.
Isaiah looks at me and mouths, “Sorry.” I shake my head and smile. Although this isn’t what I had in mind for tonight, at least I’m not in the room feeling bored.
Mindlessly, I scroll through my emails and review Monica’s task list. A text message pops up on my screen from Josh.
Josh: How’s your internship?
Laila: So far so good. How’s your job?
Waiting for Josh to reply, I look up at Isaiah, laughing with his niece, and I imagine how Josh would be with Ava. My twisted love life. I’m completely in love with Chris, but he broke up with me without a decent explanation. I’ve had a crush on Josh since high school, but he’s my best friend’s brother and our timing is always off. This is the first time we’ve both been single at the same time. And now I’m here with Isaiah, but… but nothing.
“We’re all done here. Ready to go?” Isaiah is smiling down at me with his niece wrapped around his neck.
I grab my purse and stand up. “Ready.” His niece smirks at me and seems to wrap her arms around his neck a bit tighter. I guess the only but with Isaiah is his jealous niece.
We walk out to the car, and after he gets his niece buckled in her car seat he opens my door and says, “There is still time for us to have some alone time tonight.”
I turn to him and say, “What do you have in mind Uncle Ice?” His niece taps on the window, interrupting our moment. I smirk and take a seat in the car as Isaiah moves to the driver’s side.
“Is mommy home now, Uncle Ice?”
Isaiah responds and tells his niece that she has to be a good girl to her mother. “Okay.” Her voice sounds deflated. Isaiah looks at me with a sneer on his face.
With my eyebrows raised, I whisper, “Your niece isn’t like the next problem child is she?”
He shrugs his shoulders and says, “I hear a lot about terrible two’s, not as much about three-nagers. She thinks she knows everything." I laugh at his emphasis on everything. From her behavior tonight I can believe his assessment.
I wait in the car while Isaiah walks his niece inside her home. I watch as she points at me when her mom opens the door. His sister’s face turns up and she nods her head at her daughter. Isaiah shakes his head before running back to the car.
“Did your sister sign you up for your next Little Gym session?” I look at him with a knowing look on my face.
"She wanted to meet you, but considering tonight is our first official date …” He pauses and looks at me, but I don’t respond. “I didn’t think it would be appropriate for you to meet my family.” He straightens in his seat. “I don’t want you to get the wrong impression or anything. Drawing my name at work, with hearts, and running home telling your friends we are getting married and stuff.”
I double over in laughter and through tears in my eyes I look at him. “It’s too late. While you and your niece were going through the stations at the gym I already called home to mom and told her to book the pastor for our wedding.” We continue our banter until we arrive at the Town Center.
“Eating again?” I look around the town center and then to Isaiah. “I’m going to get fat hanging with you.”
“You. Fat?” He looks at me, but his eyes linger a little too long on my chest and I feel myself blush. “Not enough food in Jacksonville to make that happen.”
“Well. Thank you.” I wring my fingers around a few times. “What are we doing?”
“Movies. Not sure what’s out now, but you can pick.”
After sitting down in the theater, Isaiah wraps his arm around my shoulder. I inch in closer and hush him as he tries to whisper in my ear after the previews end. Isaiah acts interested in the romantic comedy, but when I catch him staring at me for the fourth time, I insist we leave.
“No, what type of date would this be if we skipped out?” He smiles at me, then taps my nose. “Don’t get us kicked out,” he whispers. I smirk at him as I look around at the empty theater. He looks at the old couple a few rows in front of us and says, “They look like they’d go straight to management.”
After the movie, Isaiah takes me to the dorm that I’m staying in for the summer. When he puts the car in park, I thank him for taking me out. “I was skeptical at first. Your niece is a hard act to follow.”
He grins widely and says, “Yeah, she does have me wrapped around her finger.” He licks his lips and my heart flutters. “I hope we can have a second official date.”
“Certainly. From what I hear there are a few other attractions to see in Jacksonville. I wouldn’t mind you showing me.”
He nods his head and then stares at me as he leans in closer. I close my eyes as I anticipate a kiss. Someone knocking on the window causes me to jump, and Isaiah looks wide-eyed at the passenger window. I turn around to see Timmy waving and signaling for me to roll the window down.
I roll the window down and try not to sound irritated. “I hope I’m not interrupting.” He hunches his shoulders when neither of us responds. “Saw you all sitting here and wanted to catch you before you tucked in for the night.” Timmy stands, unmoving, and I can’t help but laugh.
Isaiah looks at me and says, “At least let me open the door for you.” He walks around the car, and Timmy moves aside to allow him to open my door. Isiah gives me a tight squeeze. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
I tell him, “Good night.” After Isiah leaves, I grab Timmy by the arm and we move along to the dorm entrance. “What was that all about?” I look up at him with my hand on my hip and my eyebrows creased.
“What?” Timmy looks down at me with a grin on his face.
I cock my head to the side and wait for him to give me a better response.
He waves his hand in the air and says, “Oh now you are interested in our chocolate Zeus.” He pouts his lips. “Does that mean I won’t be getting a nice cup of coffee in the morning?”
“Not unless you’re buying it.” I chuckle to myself. “I’m taking your advice. It’s only the summer. I might as well enjoy it while it lasts.”
Timmy nods his head and throws his hand out for a high-five. "That's what I'm talking about. Live it up, Laila." He wraps his arm around my neck and we walk side by side until I reach my room. "So give me the details."
Shaking my head, I unlock my door but don't invite him into the room. "Not tonight sir. First thing in the morning. I promise."
He sighs heavily and walks away. “Good night, Laila.”
I finally look at my phone after tucking it low in my purse earlier when I was texting Josh.
Josh: Job is going well. Just not sure if this being back home thing is going to work.
Josh: How’s Jacksonville. Missing me yet?
Josh: You’re still coming home for the concert, right?
Josh: Laila, you there?
It's almost eleven. Hopefully, Josh is still awake.
Laila: Sorry about that, I was out and didn’t look at my phone.
Laila: I still plan on coming for the concert.
My phone rings, and of course it’s Josh. “Don’t you have to be at work early in the morning?” Something about his voice makes me smile deep inside.
"Not early, but I should probably get to bed soon. What about you? Shouldn't you be counting sheep?"
“I think I was mid-dream when a stream of texts started rolling in. I don’t think I could have typed out a good reply quick enough to make them stop.” I can hear his smile through the phone and I can imagine his deep dimple sinking in.
"Ah, so you are half-asleep now? What type of truths can I get you to divulge?" I laugh, thinking about what I could ask him. I'd like to know if he is still waiting around for me or if he is enjoying his summer, as I am.
“I’d tell you the truth wide awake.” He pauses for a minute and I think he is falling asleep.
“Josh, you still there? I should probably let you get back to sleep.”
He perks up and says, "No,
I was waiting for you to ask me a question." I hear shuffling in the background. "But only if I can ask you one in return."
"That's only fair, right?" I lie on my bed and contemplate asking him a serious question when I'm not sure if I would want to know the truth. "Alright, are you dating anyone?"
“You already know the answer to that question.”
Do I?
"But since you asked I'll ease your mind. I'm not dating anyone. I'm still waiting for you to get over your ex."
I feel relieved that he isn't dating anyone but super guilty that I am. I wait for him to ask his question and I sense him hesitate. Probably for the same reason. He doesn't want to hear the truth.
“And what had you out so late tonight? Or shall I say, who had you out so late tonight?”
I cringe, but as promised, I tell him the truth. “I was out on a date.”
“I guess it’s true what they say, ‘truth hurts.’”
The truth felt horrible coming out of my mouth, and I'm sure it hurt him hearing it.
“Is it serious?” he asks. “I don’t want to wait around if you don’t ever plan on giving us a shot.”
“It’s not serious. I don’t want you to be my rebound guy. When we give it a shot I want my heart to be ready.”
“At least you said when. We should both get some sleep. Call me this weekend?”
I promise to call him this weekend. Although I should crawl under the covers, I lie awake, wishing my roommates were here to offer some advice. Monica would probably tell me to stop playing with Josh, Jennifer would probably tell me to have fun and stop worrying about the guys’ feelings. Nicole, I don’t know what Nicole would say. She hasn’t had a good track history in the love department.
Instead of guessing, I give Nicole a call. “What’s up chick? You sleep?”
Nicole laughs and says, “You’re the only responsible one this summer. Well, you and Monica.”
“If you aren’t asleep what are you up to this late at night?”
“I don’t think you want to know.” A male’s voice echoes in the background. “But what are you doing up?”
“I had a date tonight.”
“A date with who?” The male’s voice gets closer to the phone.
"Alright, I'm going to make this quick for you. Obviously, you're busy." I laugh at the guy in the background attempting to whisper something to Nicole about her panties. "I went out on a date with a guy, but I talked to Josh after, and I feel guilty about the date. I need some advice."
“You’re still in love with Chris. Want to give Josh a try, but this new guy is closing in on you.” She summed that up pretty well. “I say you chill out and let your heart mend.”
My mouth falls open. That’s the last thing I expected Nicole to say. “Let my heart mend?” I move the phone to look at the display to make sure I’m still on the phone with Nicole.
“We can talk about it more when I’m not so busy.” She giggles and I don’t hesitate to bid her farewell.
Chapter Four
When I get to my desk there's a cup sitting near my keyboard. I lift it up to my nose and I'm pleasantly surprised by the smell of green tea. The morning after each of our dates, Isaiah has had a nice cup of tea waiting for me. They've varied in flavors, and I have loved them all. I take a sip and let the heat run through my body, awakening my senses.
“Another cup, huh?” Timmy leans against my cubicle with a smile on his face. “He is racking up on these brownie points. What I wouldn’t do for a thoughtful guy like that.”
Ignoring Timmy’s comments, I turn my monitor to him and read out the response from the Jacksonville Jaguars’ public relations department. I squeal after reading that my proposal for a story with Dante Jones, their star running back, had been approved. The magazine is running a Celebrities of Jacksonville edition, and Jacksonville doesn’t have many celebrities. Timmy has been trying to catch up with an actress from the Twilight series but hasn't had much luck.
“Good for you. I wish this Twilight chick would respond. If not, I’m not sure there are many other prospects.” He groans. “If I were the editor of this magazine I’d realize we are in Jacksonville and not Hollywood.”
I look at him and nod. “I know the pickings are slim here.”
“You know you could always bring me along. A football team has a slew of celebrities.” I look at Timmy and shake my head slowly. “Or maybe I can get a baseball player to grant me an interview.” Timmy continues on a tangent about possible sports stars the running back could connect him to if I let him tag along.
I kick Timmy out of my cubicle and start drafting interview questions. I jot down questions about the star running back’s life off the field. When I try to write questions about his career I don’t understand any of his stats on the Jaguars’ website. My dad is an avid college football fan, and I think that should correlate with the NFL.
My dad answers the phone as if he were in the middle of running a mile. “Hello.”
"Hey, dad. Exercising?" I try to hold back my smile while I imagine my dad in his too short running shorts and a tank top that he is infamous for wearing during his mid-summer runs.
“Just came in from mowing the lawn. Not as easy as it used to be.” I hear my mom in the background complaining about my dad tracking grass through the house. “I don’t know what you expect me to do. If you had brought water to me outside we wouldn’t have had this problem. Laila, how are you dear?”
“Better than you I suppose. I have an interview with Dante Jones, and want your help on questions about his career.”
“Dante Jones.” He repeats his name again. “Ah, for the Jaguars, right?”
“Right. I’m interviewing him this weekend.” I still hear my mother in the background.
“I’ll call you back after I finish up the yard.”
"Laila, you weren't even going to speak to me?" My mom whisper-shouts into the phone. "I don't know anything about football, but I'd still like to talk to you about how your internship is going."
“Sorry, mom. How are you?”
“I’m doing good.” She continues telling me about her job, the neighborhood, and the family.
“Alright, mom. I’ll chat with you later. I should get back to work.”
“Oh Laila, just a second. I saw Josh the other day.” She pauses for me to respond. “He’s looking good, Laila.” My mother has been team Josh for a while now.
“Good to hear, mom.” She tries to continue telling me how well he is doing now, but I have to cut her short. “Okay, as soon as I leave work I’ll give you a call so you can tell me all about it. Love you, mom.”
I try to concentrate on the interview but thoughts of Josh invade my headspace. After a few attempts at finishing up the interview questions I decide it’s time to call it a day. On my way out I stop by Timmy’s desk. When he sees me a smile spreads across his face and he says, “I have my interview!”
I’m honestly thrilled for Timmy, and I clap my hands in excitement. “Great, who is it?”
His smile fades into a smirk and my eyes narrow as I wait for him to tell me whom he’ll be interviewing. “Ashley Greene.”
I roll my eyes up as I try to recall this name from my memory, but I come up short. On a whim, I guess this is the girl from Twilight. Timmy looks at me knowingly and confirms. “Are you ready? When is it?”
Timmy starts packing up his bag, and as we exit the building he fills me in on his line of questions. He doesn’t sound like he had as difficult a time as I did. I see Isaiah across the parking lot and I leave Timmy to catch Isaiah before he leaves.
“Hey there. Where are you headed?”
Isaiah looks down at me and although he tries to smile it’s more like a smirk and his eyes are hardly open. “To the house. I have to get some sleep.” He sighs. “There’s this girl who has been keeping me up at all times of the night.”
With my hand on his arm I say, “Oh yeah?” We walk towards his car. “I thought you had all this youthful energy.
Could stay up all night and wake up early in the morning without a problem.”
He yawns and points to himself. “Did I say that? I must have been trying to impress you.” He leans on his car. “I realized today, after my third cup of coffee of course, that I’m no longer in college.”
I'm tempted to invite myself to his house, but I'm not ready to be in his space. Instead, I lean in for a hug and look up at him and say, "I'll let you get some sleep tonight. I have my interview tomorrow but maybe after, we can get together?"
“Sounds like a plan.” He grabs my hand and rubs his thumb across my palm. “Are you ready for the interview?”
My nose scrunches and I hesitate. Isaiah pulls back and looks at me with a concerned look. “Are you nervous?”
My face eases and for the first time I accept that I am nervous. Interviewing students on campus, and doing research to come up with content are different from interviewing a celebrity. A guy who is sexy and single at that. "Yeah, I'm nervous."
Isaiah wraps his arms around me and gently squeezes. “I can’t even imagine. I only deal with machines. But I believe preparation transcends every facet of life. Take tonight to get ready.” He leans down and kisses my cheek. “I’ll see you when you finish and can’t wait to hear how well it went.”
On my ride to the field where I'll be meeting with Dante Jones, I blast my music in hopes to get out of my head. I had another call with my dad this morning where he peppered me with information. He gave me a brain dump last night, but when I started crossing facts he offered to call me in the morning with only a few facts that were important.
The parking lot of EverBank Field isn't packed, but the cars that are present are impressive. There are fair shares of convertibles, which are appropriate for the weather here in Jacksonville.
The public relations office directed me to the field where I see a few players stretching near the sideline. When I make it to the field, a guy whom I recognize as Dante smiles and jogs towards me. He stretches out his hand for me to shake and I’m drawn to his flexing bicep that is bulging from his Jaguars t-shirt. “Laila, right?”