Love Unexpected

Chapter 4: Alexander

The morning was uneventful, I kind of spent it all on auto pilot like most mornings. Sophia and i both worked full time-ish. I'm an architect, when I started working I wanted to move around the USA while working, so instead of being a full time employee I preferred to work as a contractor for various companies. To this day I'm still somewhat of a contractor, its just that I work almost exclusively for Desmon and Moss Architects two firms that let me have most benefits even if I'm not a full time employee which helped a lot when the kids were born, because the hospital bill was atrocious even after the insurance. Sophia is an interior designer for Moss Architects, i met her there actually when we worked on a project for a new mall ten years ago. Despite the five year difference between me an Sophia, we bonded pretty quickly. she was lively talkative and funny while I was quiet and a bit sarcastic, not really with her since she tented to take it to heart, but I like listening to people. Mostly because I can turn the funniest story or joke into a bore of too much information, and unnecessary tangent when I tried to tell it. I mean I'm the guy who messed up a knock knock joke in college, that incident is the reason I stop trying. If I had something to say I would just f*****g say it and be done with it! We bonded over the fact that we were both really close to our families and had similar family values. So when we had kids, deciding how we wanted to raise them was fairly uncomplicated. We both really wanted to be present in our kids lives, so had arranged our schedule so that we only worked four days a week, and some days, if the weather was especially good, we would spring the kids off school and go camping. Saturdays were our days off because both sets of grandparents demanded to spend the day and night with their grand kids, so we let them take turns. This Saturday it was Sophia's parents turn, the usually showed up at eleven or twelve to pick up the kids, today they were going to a water park, so we gave the kids a light breakfast in order to reduce the chance of them puking all over the water park. we had them packed with two sets of swimsuit just in case a change of clothing and pajama by the time Maria and Diego showed up. they came in for a quick hello and then left with the kids.

We've been texting with Eddy since this morning, he had sent an " good morning how are y'all today?" some time around ten. we arranged to meet up at noon. we were going to pick him up in front of his dorm. We live in Shadyside and since the plan was to start with the Duquesne incline, his dorm was right on the way there. it was eleven fifteen when i finished getting ready, H picked up my best and most breathable black t-shirt and a pair of bleu jeans and that was it for me. Sophia who took her shower before me was still running around in her towel looking for something to wear, when she had a whole walking closet full of clothes. of course i knew better than comment on the irony of it all, so I just parked myself in front of the TV and shot Eddy a text saying that we'll probably be late. which he answer saying that we'll only be late if we get to him two hours after the agreed upon time. I laughed dialing his number, i muted the TV, it was playing some Netflix show with a bunch of kids and dinosaurs.

-hi! I said when he picked up after the third ring, why two hours?

- I'm from the Congo in Africa!

-I know where the Congo is! I said affronted

- You'll be amazed by the number of times I have had someone ask me where in Asia the Congo was exactly, he snorted, anyway customarily back home if the invitation is for eleven, that means people should show up at around one.

-oh I've heard of African time, so it's a real thing?

-Around my family and friends it is. once when my older sister Celest got married, she was the first in the family to get married you see, and to an American at that. the wedding was set for twelve, so him, his family and all of their American friends showed up at the church at twelve while my sister only had her hair done, no make up and still in her dressing gown.

- So you probably had to hurry your sister over. That must have been stressful.

-It would have been if we had done that. But it really was her husband's fault. She did warn him about the African time thing. He just elected to ignore it, but my father and both older brothers went ahead to calm things down.

-wow, so, are we to expect you to be ready in two hours

- no I'm ready now, I'm too eager to see your faces again

-oh, hum...! I said, unsure of what answer to give.

-I'm positively vibrating with excitement!

-hum! his voice was light like he was joking...almost. Are you flirting with me Eddy?

-Yes, I think so! Would you like me to stop?

-hum, I don't know? It was hard to decide if he was being serious or not. I couldn't read his body language over a call, and I just didn't know how I felt about all the shits that he did.

-why don't I try again in the spirit of educated decisions making! what are you wearing today? I bet you look hot as all hell!

-ah! joke's on you! I'm wearing blue jeans and a black shirt

- And I bet they hug you in all the right places

-Are you serious? I laughed. What does that even mean for a man?

- I think it means you have a great ass? I'm not really sure.

-do I? I asked, in all my thirty-nine years I've never gone down this particular line of nonsensical conversational topic before. Have a great ass, I mean.

- I was a bit preoccupied with Luna and Erik yesterday, so I don't know, but I'll make sure to fall behind and pretend to lace my shoes some time today so I get a better view of what you're working with!

I burst out laughing at the absurd conversation I was a willing participant in. I guess I laughed hard enough for Sophia to hear me from the bedroom. She ran over, asking me what was funny since she wanted to laugh too. we lived in a Classic Stone Tudor home, with Hardwood floors, a stone fireplace, and vaulted ceilings with a coffered wood ceiling that greet you as you enter the home that I worked myself when we were renovating the house. the kitchen had tile backsplash, white quartz countertops and mahogany cabinets that matched the wood I used for the ceiling. after the Kitchen there was a small hallway that lead to the kids bedrooms and an updated full bathroom. Our bedroom was on the upper level with vaulted ceilings and two closets, as well as a master bathroom with dual sinks, a bath and a stand-up shower. Sophia had run over from our bedroom in jeans and a bra. I was glad to notice that at least her make-up was done.

-I'm talking to Eddy, let me put it on speaker since he's the one who started this! I smiled wickedly, certain he wasn't going to repeat himself.

- hey Eddy! Sophia said, coming to sit on my lap, I gave her the phone and wrapped my arms around her, hugging her close.

- Hi princess, how are you?

- great, tell me what you said to make Alex laugh. I wanna laugh too!

- We were discussing what the meaning of clothes that quote hug you the right way would be if we're talking about a man. I think it means he has a great ass!

- Oh, you do! do you? she laughed impishly

- Yes, but as I told Alex, I didn't get a chance to stare at his butt yesterday.

- Oh, you must correct that mistake today! Alex has a great bum, firm and yet more than a handful! Sophia pretended not to notice my shocked gasp and soldiered on. At least in my hands it's more than a handful

-interesting! Eddy said in a scholarly tone. Is it a firm unyielding bum or firm but quite malleable sort of bum?

-I'd say the second option, although I don't know quite how it would feel in the jeans he's currently wearing.

-Are they very tight on him? he asked again, struggling to control his laughter. I could hear him chuckling sometimes, and I knew my face had turned red already. I never thought they would gang up on me like this.

- Oh so very tight! It's a thing of beauty. You'll love it when you see him.

-you should squeeze his bum and tell me what it feels like just so I'm prepared mentally!

-right away my good sir! I don't know when they had devolved into speaking in a fake horrid English accent but they did. I caught both her hands when she tried to reach for my ass.

-Don't you dare! I growled

-Come on, for science! Sophia whined

-Science my ass!

- it is your ass! They both said at the same time. I groaned, letting my head fall against the back of the couch. I can't believe I walked right into that one. I thought slapping my hand against my forehead. They had me so befuddled with their weird back and forth that I wasn't thinking clearly.

-you know what? How about you go put some clothes on and we can get out of here, Sophia! I told her accusingly, hoping it'd get the heat off me.

- there was nakedness all this time and you had me rambling on about jeans princess? Eddy said

-I'm not naked, I have jeans and a bra on! I just don't know what to wear. Sophia answered.

- if it's any help I'm wearing all black?

-it isn't really.

-you looked beautiful yesterday in mom jeans and a t-shirt princess. Whatever you choose will look great. Just go for something sporty. According to the itinerary Alex sent, it's going to be quite a bit of walking.

-I can't believe you just said sporty! Sophia laughed.

- I blame Celest, my older and only sister, since she played football and all the other sports with us, she insisted we all accompany her when she was going shopping and all that. She was determined to be girly and damn it, we were all going to help her achieve peak girly behavior!

-Smart lady! Okay, I'll go finish getting ready then. Sophia handed me the phone, sprung up and marched toward the stairs.

- And I'm going to hang up now, my poor innocent ears can't take anymore of your teasing! I said my finger hoovering over the end call icon.

-Alex.

-yes? I paused

- Do you think if I'm very nice, well behaved and made sure to not dirty up your innocent ears today, you would let me squeeze your bum?

-oh my... What the damn hell man! Goodbye! I yelled, hanging up on the cackling horrible human.

It took Sophia another twenty minutes to get ready, she came down in black shorts, purple sneakers and shirt, a cross-body black bag with fringes. a completely different outfit from the jeans she was wearing previously. i started the car remotely while we took a turn of the house to make sure that nothing that would burn the house down if left unattended was plugged in. I made sure all the doors were locked and followed Sophia to the garage.