c.15
2314 Words
“ So, what’s his name? ” Erica asked while pouring the glass of coffee.
“ I have no idea what you’re talking about. “ I smirked.
“ Boy, I am your sister, okay? I can read you. I know the difference between a spiritual glow and a s****l glow. “ she explained. “ So what’s his name. “
“ Fredrick. “
“ Okay, where did you two meet? “ she sat down at the small table.
“ At the market. “ I blushed.
“ Oh, uh uh. “ she placed the glass down. “ When did you two have s*x? “
“ Three days ago at his club, or at least I think it’s his. “ she spit out her coffee. “ Erica? “
“ What do you mean, at the club? “
“ Long story short, we were feeling each other, and next thing I know, we’re in the back having a good time. “
“ Elijah Muhammed Dexter, you didn’t? “ Erica smiled widely at me.
“ I did, and I regret nothing. “ I chuckled. “ He got to speaking that French, and it was over. “
“ He gave you that breathtaking d**k. “ she shook her head. “ I tried to tell you. “
“ Well enough about me, how are things with you? “
“ Perfect. “ she smiled. “ We launch next week, and we are having this big event. Your invitation should be in the mail sometime this week. “
Before I could answer her, there was a knock at the door. We both looked at each other, questioning who it could be. Then my phone dinged with a text message.
“ Come outside? “ I read it out loud.
Erica rushed over to the door, pulling it open and revealing Fredrick. He was dressed in a similar way I had met him: a plain white t-shirt and some jeans.
“ Is Elijah here? “ he asked her, but she was stuck in a trance.
“ Y-yeah. “ she mumbled. “ Elijah, get your crazy ass over here. Got this sexy man waiting on you. “
“ It’s fine. “ he chuckled.
I walked over to the door into the silence that fell between the three of us.
“ This is the next part of your adventure. “ he told me.
“ What kind of adventure? “ Erica interrupted.
“ Does it matter? “ I asked through gritted teeth as she rolled her eyes. “ I will be back later. “
“ Yeah right. Bye! “ she shooed us off.
Fredrick took my hand, walking with me along the sidewalk and then down the street.
“ Is that your sister? “ he asked.
“ Yes, that’s my baby girl. “ I smiled.
“ She’s beautiful. “ he complimented her.
“ Don’t be trying to switch sides now. “ I joked.
“ I wouldn’t imagine. “ he kissed my lips, then stood behind me and placed his hands over my eyes.
“ What are you up to? “ I grew more excited by the second.
“ Do you trust me? “
“ Did this just turn into an episode of Murderous Affairs. “ we both laughed. “ I trust you. “
He began slowly walking forward as I did the same. It all seemed like a fairytale. You could hear the birds chirping, the wind whistling, and the sound of cars passing us by. I felt like a kid again.
“ Are you ready? “ he whispered into my ear.
“ Yes. “
He removed his hands, revealing the two beautiful black horses attached to the white carriage. My cheeks flushed red and I couldn’t help but smile. I walked over, stroking the horses and greeting the gentleman guiding them.
“ This is amazing. “ I told him.
“ Let me show you the city. “ he climbed into the carriage, extending his hand to me and pulling me up. “ I’ll take care of you. “
I relaxed as the gentleman pulled away from the sidewalk and into the streets. Fredrick told me the history of certain buildings as we passed them. We caught sight of some famous landmarks like the Louvre Museum and the Cathedral Notre-Dame de Paris. But none of them compared to the real beauty: The Eiffel Tower. I was marveled by her. Her strength. Her stature. She was really something to behold.
“ Fredrick, this is everything. “ I told him. “ I’m just so overwhelmed and I don’t know what to say. “
“ Well, I saved the best for last. “
“ There’s more? “
He laughed, pulling me over to him and I rested my head on his chest. I never thought that I would be feeling this way ever again. I thought that after Andrew and I went our separate ways, I would never find someone who could give me those butterflies. That spontaneity. Sitting here with him makes me feel those things, even more than I have felt before.
“ And this is the Musee d’Orsay, home of the nineteenth and twentieth-century art pieces. “ he jumped out of the carriage first and then helped me down.
We walked inside of the busy but quiet structure. I fell in love with it instantly. The art, the sculptures, the history. It was a writer's dream. It’s one thing researching these places, but to see them and live in the moment is another.
“ Where are we going? “ I asked as he pushed the Employees Only doors to the side.
“ I have something to show you. “
We walked to the end of the hallway, stopping in front of a door. He pushed it open, revealing the small table sitting in the middle of the scattered canvases and sculptures. Two candles were sitting in the middle of the table, along with a cart filled with silver dishes.
“ Fredrick, I..... “
“ Shhh. “ he placed his finger gently on my lip, guiding me inside of the room. My mind was filled with so many thoughts, I didn’t even know what to do. “ Take a seat. “
He pulled out the chair for me and I sat down. He walked over to the cart, grabbing the silver platter and placing it in front of me. He grabbed another from the cart and placed it in front of the empty chair. He took the silver covering off the platters before sitting down.
“ This smells so good, what is it? “ I grabbed my fork, not even caring about a name.
“ It’s Bouillabaisse. It’s a French seafood dish. “
I took a bite out of the food and literally drooled. He laughed while I grabbed the white cloth, wiping the spit away from my face.
“ The chef would be proud to see that. “
“ This is amazing. “ I began to eat more. “ So what’s your story? First, you make love to me, and then you make more love to me with everything from today. “
“ You deserve it. “
“ This is beyond deserving. This is more than romance, Fredrick. It’s like a fairytale. I feel like I’m in a perfect world with perfect people, and it feels weird. “
He sipped some of his wine and thought for a minute. “ Growing up, my family was poor. We were different. Being the son of a native and an immigrant wasn’t normal. I remember my dad always telling my mom and me that we would never feel the pain he felt, and that love would always win. And it did. He worked hard to prepare big meals, even though he was tired. We always had the best that money could buy, even though we never asked for or wanted it. On top of that, he was always there. No matter how stressed he was, he was always there. “ his eyes began to water. “ Once I finished high school, I went to get my degree. I wanted to give him everything he gave me. He was so proud of me. “
I got up and walked over to him, sitting on his lap and wiping away the tears falling from his eyes. He held onto me. He held on to me tightly.
“ I would catch him and my mother dancing around the house. I would catch them outside, running and chasing each other. He was the reason she would smile. She was the reason he would smile. “ he told me. “ And that’s what I saw in you. Seeing on the screen and the billboards, I knew you were the one for me. Does that sound crazy? “
“ Not at all. “ I planted a soft kiss on his forehead.
“ I have one last surprise for you. “
“ Fredrick? “ I whined.
“ This is the last one, I promise. “ he chuckled, drying his eyes.
He stood in front of the rectangle covered by the white cloth. He sighed before pulling it away and revealing the painting. It was me. It was him. It was us.
“ I hope this doesn’t frighten you. “ he looked at me with those green eyes.
“ How could this frighten me? “ my voice broke. I was trying hard not to cry, but I couldn’t help it. “ I don’t know what to say. “
“ Just say you’ll stick with me. “ he began walking back to the table. He knelt in front of me. “ Let’s give us a shot. “
“ Of course. “
After finishing the delightful meal and talking more about both of our businesses, we jumped back into the carriage and headed back to Erica’s. I gave Fredrick one last kiss before walking up the sidewalk and into the house.
“ So what happened? “ Erica was beyond excited.
“ I don’t feel like talking about it. “
“ Is that bad or good? Because you don’t sound upset, but the words are upsetting? “ she asked quickly.
“ I’ll see you later. “
I grabbed my car keys and decided to head home. Once I got there, I noticed the painting wrapped up and sitting on the front porch. I grabbed it, unlocking the door and walking into the cold air. I tossed my keys onto the small table, taking the painting to the sitting area and placing it on the couch. I ripped the paper away and stood back, staring at it. I examined every detail. The background. The vivid colors of blue and green, paired with yellows and oranges. I examined the way we looked at each other.
“ Lord, I pray that you give me the strength to return the love he gives me. “ I smiled. I rushed into the kitchen, reaching into the small drawer and grabbing four nails. I hammered them into the wall and gently placed the painting over them. It completed the room.
I rushed upstairs to take a quick shower. I dried off, moisturizing my skin and lying across my bed sheets naked. I traced my curves, hugging, and caressing my body. I touched my warm cheeks, laughing a bit. It finally hit me that I was living a whole new life. A wonderful life. I was making a difference doing what I love and living the life I’ve always wanted. I even missed Fredrick already.
The sudden knock on the door caught me by surprise, but it could only be two people: Erica or Fredrick. I expected it to be Erica, especially with me leaving so suddenly earlier. I pulled on my robe, rushing downstairs and looking through the peephole.
“ Who is it? “
“ I know you can see me. “ he chuckled. “ Open up. “
“ Twice in one day, huh? “ I pulled the door open. He walked inside, picking me up and closing the door.
“ Feels familiar? “ he asked, walking over to the stairs.
“ If you drop me, we’ll have a problem. “ he kissed my lips before letting me down and following me upstairs. He jumped into the bed. He grabbed the remote, turning the TV on.
“ Just making yourself at home, huh? “ I smiled. “ You better be lucky I like you. “
“ Really? “ he chuckled. “ Breaking my heart already. “
“ Aww, I’m sorry. “ I climbed into the bed, poking him.
“ Don’t start something you can’t finish. “ he told me.
“ I’m not doing anything. “ I lied to the side of him. “ I just want to thank you again for today. You made me feel special. “
“ Always. “
He placed his head on my thigh as we watched whatever the hell he was watching. The calming voice of the narrator put me to sleep. I didn’t think I was out for long until I woke up and the sun had completely gone down. The tv was lighting up the room and Fredrick was gone. I sat up as my phone began to ring. I grabbed it, reading the name on the screen: Andrew.
Hello?
Uh, hey ‘Lijah. How are you?
I’m good, what about you?
I’ve had better days.
Is everything okay?
It will be. He mumbled. I just want to let you know how proud I am of you. I know you’re giving Paris hell. Keep going and don’t stop.
Andrew, something isn’t right.
I need you to make me a promise.
You’re scaring me.
No matter what you hear, do not come back home to Florida.
Why not?
Just promise me that you’ll never come back.
Andrew, I....
Promise me, ‘Lijah.
There was a moment of silence.
I promise.
After I spoke those words, he hung up. He f*****g hung up. My thoughts began processing every possible thing that could have went wrong. Was it my mom and dad? I haven’t spoken to them since the day I settled into the house, and that was a while ago. Was it Keenan? ‘Mere? What could have happened? I put on some clothes, packing a small bag, and heading downstairs.
I noticed the small light coming from the sitting area. Normally I only kept the light in the kitchen on. It was bright enough to light both rooms. I slowly walked closer and noticed Fredrick sitting down on the couch, staring at the painting.
“ It completes the room. “ he spoke. I moved away from the darkness, making my presence known in the room. He looked at me. “ Where are you going? “
“ An old friend called from back home. Nothing important. “ I walked over to where he sat, taking a seat beside him.
“ Are you sure? “
“ I’m sure. “ I looked up at the painting. “ It’s beautiful, isn’t it? “
“ It sure is. “ he was looking at my body. We both laughed.
“ Can I be honest for a minute? “
“ Of course. “ he sat up, giving me his full attention.
“ I’m no stranger to this love thing, and I’ve had my share of real and fake. You’re different, though. You are the rarest form of man, and anyone would be lucky to have you. “ I smiled.
“ Are you breaking up with me already? “
“ Really? “ I smirked at him. “ What I’m saying is that I’m not perfect, and there are some things that I don’t know, but I wouldn’t want to learn them from anyone else. So, if there is anything I do that makes you uncomfortable in any way, promise that you’ll let me know and we’ll talk about it. “
He leaned forward, kissing my lips gently and sitting back on the couch.
“ We can figure it out together. “
- Writer
