Running Into You

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Running Into You Page 2

by Taylor Love


  Through the window, he finally spotted Robert approaching. Most Fridays, they had drinks at the end of the day. Cam pushed the ritual, more as a way to get Robert to leave work on time, at least once a week. He’d met Robert the first year he’d moved back to Michigan, after completing his Master’s at Duke University. He’d been working on a four month project at the company Robert worked for, and the man had been in some of the project meetings. Robert had been pretty chilly towards him until he’d found out Cam was originally from the “D”.

  They’d started with a few beers after work, and found they had enough in common to make them friends. They were both really focused, just in different ways. Both were young black men determined to live life on their own terms, different though they may be. They both respected what they saw in the other. Drive, determination, and someone who got results. Now the friend who was more like a brother to him, took a seat at the table.

  Robert signaled their usual waitress to come over. They ordered and he made sure to get a beer in his hand before he focused on Cam. “Man, sorry I’m a little late.”

  “No, you cool, I was early today.”

  “You ran out of ideas or something?”

  “Naw, never that my brother.” Cam grinned at him. “I’ve been struggling since lunch.”

  Now Robert paid closer attention. “What? You got creator’s block or something? That’s fairly unusual for you, unless you got a client being nit-picky.”

  “I almost wish it was a client. Would be easier to handle. I met a woman on my way back from lunch, and let’s just say she’s been on my mind ever since.”

  Robert’s usually restrained expression turned animated. “That sounds like a good problem to me. She must have been real fine to keep you that unfocused.”

  “She probably was. I didn’t get past her eyes and smile.”

  “Man what?” Robert laughed “You been struck by lightning or something?”

  Cam cracked a wry smile. “You could say that. Man when we touched, I swear I did feel electricity.”

  “Get the fuck out!” Robert would have kept going but he choked on his beer, and it took him almost two minutes to get under control. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Out of the two of them, Camden was the one who barely got serious about a woman. He liked to play the field. Oh he was honest with them, and only went for those who were looking for someone to hang out with. Dates, outings, and if both parties were into it bed room sport. But he had never heard Cam talk about a woman like he was today. “So, you gone sit there and not even ask me if I’m all right?”

  Cam just crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, pointing a finger. “That’s what you get for laughing at me.”

  “Okay, okay, my bad. So now I got to know what exactly happened with this lady of yours.”

  Cam sat forward again, eager like a boy who had new comics to share. “That’s the thing, not much did happen. I was walking down the sidewalk, and she literally ran into me.”

  “Did she knock you down so you hit your head?”

  “No, I can’t explain it. All I did was steady her, talk for a few minutes, and ask her could I get her number.” He paused for effect. “She didn’t give it to me.”

  “And that has you grinning like an idiot?”

  Cam shook his head and shrugged. “She took my number at least.”

  “So let me get this straight. You talking about her eyes and smile, not her ass mind you. Yet you have no idea if you’ll ever talk to her again, much less see her. Do I have that right?”

  Cam just shrugged again and grinned at his perplexed friend.

  “Are you sure you didn’t hit your head?”

  “No, it was just something about her.” Cam played with his beer glass, pushing it from side to side on the table.

  “Right. So what if she doesn’t call?”

  “Then…I guess that will be that.”

  “Mmm, well it’s curious to see you take an interest in someone.”

  Cam frowned. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  Now it was Robert’s turn to shrug. He could tell he’d touched a nerve. “Just saying. Seems like this woman…hold up, did you even get her name?”

  “Yeah, Andrea.”

  “Okay, it seems like this Andrea really caught your attention is all.”

  “Well it’s not that big of a deal. If she calls, she calls. If she doesn’t, she doesn’t.”

  Robert opened his mouth to respond, but luckily for Cam their food arrived. While they were being served, Cam wondered why Robert’s comment bothered him so much. It wasn’t like he was sweating over this woman. He’d only talked to her for a few minutes! It wasn’t a big deal…at least not to him.

  Robert thanked the waitress as she left, since Cam seemed like he was in his own world. Something about this Andrea had his friend uneasy. This was going to be very, very interesting. He decided to let it go for now. He had a feeling there would be plenty of time to rib his friend about this subject later.

  As they ate Cam talked about his latest project, then Robert changed the topic to sports, his favorite subject outside of finances. He let the easy conversation with his friend push thoughts of dark brown eyes, out of his mind. They stayed until a little after nine, before Robert gave him a lift to his house a few miles away. He’d walked and taken the QLine earlier in the day.

  “Thanks for the ride man. You want to come in and chill?” Cam asked as he cracked open the car door.

  “No, I’m good. It was a rough week. I’m about to go home and crash.”

  “Cool, I’ll holla at you later.”

  Cam was fully out of the car before Robert called out, “Hey, Camden?”

  Cam warily turned around. Robert only used his full name when he was up to something. “Yeah, what?”

  “Let’s place a little bet on whether your Andrea contacts you or not.”

  “Man what? You tripping. It’s not even that deep.”

  “So you keep saying. If it’s no big deal one way or the other, bet fifty.”

  Cam narrowed his eyes in irritation. “You got money to waste like that?”

  Robert’s grin grew. “Of course I do. It’s why I invest, just so I can make bets with you.”

  “Fine. Whatever.” Cam shut the door harder than normal, only to hear laughter through the open window.

  “So, I get fifty if she doesn’t reach out within two weeks, and I’ll pay you fifty if she does.”

  “I said whatever. Fifty is it. Gone and take your old man, sleepy ass home,” Cam said irritably. He walked away, still hearing laughter as the car reversed out the drive.

  Chapter Three

  Andrea was taking her lunch in her office with the door shut. She rarely closed her door, but she deserved a real break after immersing herself in work this week. For probably the twentieth time, she played with Camden Holden’s business card. Of course, she’d checked out his website to make sure he was legit. Anyone could make business cards. She had to admit, he did good work. With a sigh, she tossed the card on her desk and learned back in her chair.

  She didn’t know why she hadn’t thrown it away by now. She didn’t have time to tangle with some guy at the moment. Every time she was on the verge of tossing it, the fact that she hadn’t actually had a date in six months would make her hesitate. She knew it wasn’t usual for women her age not to date. Women close to being thirty, hormones usually went into an overactive phase, trying to snag a husband before the big 3-0. Shaking her head, she focused on whether or not she even wanted a date. Sitting forward, she picked up his card and emailed him a short message before she could overthink it.

  Hi, it’s Andrea, the lady who tried to mow you over. I just wanted to check that I didn’t do any lasting damage. Have a good day.

  She hit the send button before she could change her mind. She sat back and chewed on the top of her pen, a nasty habit she had started in middle school and never entirely shed. Should she have said, “I hope to hear from you soon?” P
hrasing it that way implied expectations. Maybe he was a natural flirt and never meant to really take her out. Maybe she had waited too long to contact him. With a sigh of disgust, she tossed her pen down and prepared to get back to work. Just then, her work phone rang.

  “Hello, Andrea Cole speaking. How may I help you?”

  “Andrea…it’s Cam.”

  She straightened up so quick, her chair started to roll back. “Oh Camden! I didn’t expect you to call.” What she really meant was that she hadn’t expected to hear from him at all…ever.

  “I hope you don’t mind. I got your email and assumed you might still be at your desk. Though I suppose you could have been walking and texting again. Running into unsuspecting men.”

  Relaxing back, she laughed. “No, I swear I’ve reformed my ways. I won’t cause sidewalk disasters again.”

  “It wasn’t a disaster. It was a very good day for me…I met you.”

  Andrea’s brain froze. That was a very direct statement. “Well…”

  “I was happy to get your email. I was starting to think you wouldn’t reach out.”

  “I almost didn’t. I mean…I’ve been busy.”

  “Hmm, I bet. So, does this mean you’ll let me to take you out after all?”

  “This means…I wouldn’t mind getting to know more about Camden Holden.”

  “Call me Cam. And I want to get to know you as well.”

  “I like Camden, unless it bothers you?”

  “No, it doesn’t bother me. If you’re calling me Camden that means at least you’re speaking to me. Can I call you later tonight Andrea, unless you have other plans?”

  She hesitated for just a moment. “That would be good.”

  “You do know I’ll need your direct number right?”

  “I know, I know. I’ll email you my cell, from my personal email later today. I promise.”

  “I’ll hold you to that, and I look forward to talking to you later.”

  “Me too, actually.”

  “Good. Have a good afternoon, pretty eyes.”

  She laughed lightly and shook her head. “Later, Camden.”

  * * *

  Robert walked in to see Cam already half done with a beer as he sat down. Glancing at the bottle, he said, “Damn man, rough day?”

  “Nope, I’m celebrating.”

  “You finish a project? Or you starting a new fat paying one?”

  “Nope.”

  “We playing ‘guess’ today or what?”

  “I’m celebrating cause you owe me $50.”

  “What?” Robert frowned, trying to think when he’d borrowed money from Cam, then it dawned on him. “Ahh! That woman you were digging actually contacted you huh?”

  “Yeah, she emailed me today around lunch time.”

  “Hmm, took her a week…interesting. All you got was an email?”

  Cam frowned. “I called her instead of responding back. We talked for a bit.”

  “You still feeling that spark?”

  “I was happy she reached out, if that’s what you mean.”

  Robert let Cam deflect. “When are you actually going to see her?”

  “Not sure. Right now we’ve agreed to just get to know each other.”

  “Well, I’m rooting for you. Sounds like you have some work ahead of you.”

  Cam smiled and the conversation turned to their normal Friday subjects. When the waitress brought Robert his food about fifteen minutes later, she also brought a “to-go” bag for Cam.

  “What’s all that?”

  Cam was busy pulling out some bills for a tip. “My dinner. I’m about to head out.”

  “Head out?” Robert glanced at his watch. “It’s barely after six.”

  “Sorry man, I told Andrea I’d call tonight. I want to make sure I don’t call too late.”

  “You don’t want to…you blowing me off already for a woman who won’t even go out with you?”

  “Naw, I just don’t want to be rude. Calling someone I’m just getting to know late at night, like she a booty call.”

  “It’s cool…I see you still in denial.”

  “Whatever man.” Cam stood up and prepared to leave. “I’ll catch you later.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Hey, wait a minute! You sure you left enough for your food?”

  “That was for a tip. I told the waitress when I first got here everything I ordered was on you. Take it out that fifty you owe me. You should never bet against the house.” Cam started laughing as Robert scowled at him.

  “Gone and run home so you can get to caking at a decent hour.”

  “I’m not caking.”

  “Okay, baker man, whatever you say.” Robert watched Cam leave, then started eating his food.

  He didn’t care about his friend dipping out early. They’d both done it before, if they had a date later in the evening. What he was worried about was Cam being so invested in a woman he’d only met once and barely talked to. He had a feeling this was either going to end very well…or very badly.

  Chapter Four

  Cam was frustrated. It was Friday night and he was at home brooding. In the two weeks since Andrea had first contacted him, they still hadn’t gone on a real date. During the first week, they kept to daily phone calls and emails. Their phone conversations were relaxed and easy, their emails fun and amusing. During the second week, they had finally met up on this Wednesday for a lunch date, and he’d made sure to arrive early so he could get a good look at her.

  She was above-average height, and would come to about his shoulders with no shoes on. Her body shape was almost slim, but not quite. Luckily, the fall chill hadn’t hit yet, and she walked in wearing a long-sleeved red and white striped dress that defined her hips and C-cup breasts. They alone would forever keep her from being in the slim category, which was fine with him! She had a slightly rounded face that slimmed into the prefect oval when she smiled, which she did when she caught sight of him. He noticed her hair was straight today and lightly curled. When they had met, it had been naturally curly. He didn’t care which way she wore it. As long as he could get his hands in it, preferably when they were making love.

  During lunch, he had learned that she liked burgers and fries, but could usually resist sweets. They’d talked about their respective work and the upcoming weekend. As they were leaving, he asked her on a date for this upcoming Friday. She had claimed she had a prior engagement with a friend. He wasn’t sure he believed her, but let it go, which was easier to do when she gave him a hug as they left. The tingles dancing up and down his spine had distracted him from the goal of getting a date. By the time he’d gotten his senses back, she’d been half way down the block.

  He was thoroughly enjoying getting to know her. Even things like her favorite color, which was purple, or that she didn’t particularly like romance movies, which was good because he hated them. She tended to be a bit of a workaholic and preferred tea over coffee, though she was willing to drink one if she needed a boost. Now however, he was ready for more. He wanted more direct intimate contact with her, when they were not pressed for time. Cam mostly steered clear of any sexual banter, as he had the feeling she was always one step away from bolting. He wanted her badly, which was surprising considering he hadn’t even kissed her yet. If he talked to her right before going to bed, it was torture. Even her voice made him want to take her on whatever flat surface she’d allow. Hell…he wasn’t picky.

  Running a hand over his head, he gritted his teeth. He had actually jacked off thinking of her one night. “Shit, Robert might be right. She is making me crazy.” It was closing in on nine and he refused to sit in this house thinking about Andrea. Robert had a date and while he could probably tag a few other folks, he decided to head out on his own. That was the good thing about being down town in a major city, there was always something he could do or see. At a minimum there were plenty of places he could grab a stool and have a few drinks. He refused to let her dominate his thoughts tonight.

  * * *

  A
ndrea pulled on her long, thin black sweater over her knee-length blue dress. Mika had wanted a table on the patio, and since it was mid-September it could get cool at night. It had been a mild morning and afternoon, by evening not so much. Most places would probably close up their patio dining service in another week or so.

  “Girl, you got me freezing out here,” Andrea complained as Mika came back from the bathroom.

  “It’s not that bad.”

  “Not yet, but it will only get worse the later it gets.”

  “Well what did you want me to do? The wait for inside was twenty minutes. I’m starving. The appetizers we have at the meetings don’t do squat. I’m going to talk with Julia about having real food next month.”

  Andrea snorted, shaking her head. “Good luck with that. You know she holds our budget strings tight. As tight as an old woman walking down the street in the dark.”

  Mika laughed as they both took a look at the menu. They were charter members of a nonprofit group to help mentor young African American girls, between the ages of fourteen to eighteen. They met once a month with a few other professional women and conducted different learning sessions with the girls, as well as some open talk time where they could bring up anything they wanted, either in front of the group or privately with one of the adults.

  “It was a good meeting tonight,” Andrea commented, putting her menu aside.

 

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