Her Protector

Chapter 6: Two Of Hearts

I got to work on time and had been buzzing since last night. It had been at least two years since I attempted to go on a date, and I was honestly excited. It was two days away and I was hoping my excitement wouldn’t end up clouding my judgement once we’re together. The location he sent me was a hookah lounge in a town near the downtown area. It seemed like a cozy and intimate setting which I thought would set the mood perfectly. As I headed into the bank, a message came through to my phone.

KEN

|Have a wonderful day beautiful. I’m looking forward to spending Saturday night with you.

It made me smile. Natalie caught me grinning and immediately came over to me.

“I see you smilin’, girlfriend! Spill it!” she whisper screamed.

“Nat, let me get all the way inside first!”

“Ok, well once you get settled you better give me all the details.”

“Your ass is so nosy!” I laughed.

She laughed out loud as well. I got to my desk and sat down to reply to the message.

KELIS

|Thank you. I’m looking forward to Saturday as well. See you soon!

I didn’t want to sound desperate but did want him to know it was a mutual interest we had. Natalie came and sat at one of the empty chairs at my desk, clasped her hands on my desk, and stared at me with wide eyes, eagerly anticipating my recap of my conversation with Ken.

“Well?!” she said inquisitively.

“It’s really not as exciting as you would hope. I spoke to him for maybe five minutes. We did arrange a date for this Saturday, though.”

Natalie looked like she would explode with excitement. I just laughed at her reaction.

“So, you have a date with a sexy and eligible bachelor? Just like that? How are you not as excited as me right now?!”

“I’m excited too! I’m also a little nervous,” I explained, “We didn’t even speak about anything over the phone. He told me he wanted to save all the get-to-know-you stuff for when we could meet in person.”

“So, you guys didn’t talk about anything over the phone? Like, nothing?”

“Pretty much. He said he wanted to be looking into my eyes while he got to know me and he already knew he wanted me in his life.”

Natalie’s jaw dropped.

“OMG! Are you serious?! That’s a pretty bold statement. Sounds like he’s super into you. I’m jelly!” she squealed.

“Girl, you and Jeremy are perfect for each other. You have a great guy and I know you love him to death.”

“Yeah, well he’s not exactly carrying around briefcases full of money, so, there’s that…” she huffed.

We both laughed at that. Shortly after, we had some new customers coming in.

“Time to get to work!” I said.

Natalie peeled herself out of the chair and returned to her desk.

…

I left the bank for a morning break at the café. As I walked, I suddenly started thinking about Khalil, the guy who sat with me yesterday. I hadn’t thought about him at all since speaking to Ken, but I had already seen him two days in a row and was starting to think this would be the third. I walked in a saw a few customers seated, then I saw him. I thought it was strange that I was seeing him this late in the morning after I had seen him so early yesterday. Was he trying to be here at the same time as me? Since we had already been formally introduced, I didn’t want to be rude and ignore him. He didn’t notice I was there as he was busy on his phone. I decided to approach him first since, you know, we weren’t strangers.

“Hi Khalil,” I said as I came up to his table, “How are you today?” He looked up and broke out into a huge smile.

“Kelis! I’m doing well, thank you. How about you?”

“I’m great, thanks! Just coming in for my usual.”

“Do you have a minute to sit with me?”

“Uh…sure I have a little time.”

He seemed really happy that I obliged his request. I didn’t see the harm in casually talking to Khalil. I wasn’t even sure he was really interested in me. It felt more like curiosity. I would have never entertained this much interaction with a guy but coming out of my shell was starting to feel good. I sat with him while I waited for my order.

“So, you work close by?” he asked.

“Yes, I work at the bank just up the road. That’s why I’m always here.”

“That’s cool. How do you like it? Is there anything else you would rather be doing?”

“I never really thought about that. I like the security the job gives me. I don’t know if I would find that somewhere else. I actually really love interior design. Maybe something like that? I don’t know. How about you? You mentioned you work with your hands. What does that entail?”

“I’m an architectural engineer.”

“Wow! That sounds fancy.” I replied. My order was called and Khalil excused himself to bring it to me.

“It sounds glamorous, I know.” he chuckled.

“So, you must stay pretty busy. Is that why you’re always here? No time to cook?”

“I cook plenty, actually. I enjoy this little café. The coffee selection is really unique and the food is delicious. Almost as good as my own!”

“I haven’t met too many men that can cook. Is it really that good?”

“Tell you what. If you can meet me here same time tomorrow I’ll bring you a sample of my world famous seafood gumbo.” he said.

My taste buds went crazy at the sound of some home-made gumbo. It was one of my Dad’s specialties. Oh, how I missed him and his wonderful food.

“You got it! It better be as good as you claim. I’ll definitely let you know if it isn’t!” I said with a smile.

“I hope you do, Kelis. Although, I’m 100% confident you won’t be disappointed.”

I sat with my uneaten sandwich and cold tea really invested in this conversation I was having with Khalil. He seemed so down to earth and easy to get along with. Plus, he could cook! That was a rare find. I figured I better be heading back to work, so I politely excused myself.

“I should get back to the bank. It was great talking to you. I’ll be back for my gumbo!”

“Likewise, Kelis. Can’t wait for you to try it. See you tomorrow!”

We exchanged a friendly smile and I walked out with my food. Just like that I had forgotten about Ken, but soon remembered as I went back to work. I really was a hot mess. After years of being single I was somehow playing the field.