Entry 6: Tale of The Two Knights

February 25, 2012

“I’m tired.” I groaned with a silly grin on my face.

“Worn the hell out.” Zori Rain replied. We shared a glance before laughing. We had just stepped out of Siva’s, a club that wasn’t too far from campus. It was nearly three in the morning, and we were waiting for our ride, the night cab, when a well dressed chocolate man almost bumped into us. 

“So sorry ladies.” He said with a smile that revealed sparkling white teeth. He was handsome, reminding me of the singer Joe. “Are you ladies doing good tonight?”

“We are!” Zori Rain and I said in unison, coaxing our laughter again. 

He chuckled. “Y’all must be tipsy as hell.”

“Just a lil.” I giggled.

“So don’t think to try no shit.” Zori Rain told him with narrowed eyes, going from fun to suspicious in seconds.

He lifted his hands in surrender. “Never that beautiful, just wanna make sure you both are safe.”

“Humm, I guess.” Zori Rain replied, trying to hide her smile. 

His grin got bigger as he gazed at her. “Come on, give a nigga a chance to be chivalrous.”

I tuned their conversation out as they engaged in witty banter. I wasn’t playing when I said I was tired since we’ve been out for hours dancing and wanted to go home and sleep. Not to mention Joe’s twin only brought his behind this way to talk to Zori Rain, so I didn’t want to feel like the odd one out.

“Ay! They go my homeboy. Bruh!” Him yelling pulled me out of my head and on the present as I look through a small stream of people- scurrrrrrrrrr! Nope! I ain’t looking through no seas, rivers, lakes, or oceans for no dude! I can’t even swim, so let’s redo that real quick…. Okay, he happened to be behind a small crowd of people, but he towered them, so I got an unobstructed view of his face. Then, I got the entire view, and couldn’t help but slide my eyes up and down the stranger. “Wassup Aaron?” Joe’s twin, whose name I missed, greeted the new comer.

“Wassup man. What’s goin on here?” He asked looking at Zori Rain, then shifting his eyes on me. 

“I was tryna convince miss Zori Rain and her friend to go out with us.”

Huh? Maybe I tuned out a lil too much because I didn’t remember that coming up. Luckily, if anyone saw my look of confusion they didn’t call me out in it. “Zori can ride with me and your friend can ride with my homeboy if she wants.”

Aaron looked at me, and I couldn’t help but think he reminded me of a weird mix between Drake and J. Cole… cute, but I still didn’t know his ass.

“Um,” I said, staring at Aaron with narrowed eyes. “As long as your friend stays on his best behavior. I’d hate to have to hurt him.”

“Nah, no need for all that. I'm a gentleman.” He replied, eyes focused on me.

“Okay, we gonna show y’all a good time.” Joe’s twin said with a grin. 

Ten minutes later me and Aaron are in his black Lexus following Joe’s twin as he navigated the streets headed to … Waffle House, of all damn places…to eat and talk. Silence filled the car like an unwanted companion between us as I sat looking out the window while he focused on the road. 

“It makes time go a lot slower when you don’t talk.” He said, breaking the ice. 

I chuckled, “cute.” I was gonna just look out the window until we got to our next destination, but when he turned onto the highway I knew he did have a point. “Tell me the basics.”

My eyebrow lifted as he smirked, glancing briefly at me before his eyes veered back on the road. It was intense, but I was not gonna focus on that or the fact I was attracted to him because I didn’t wanna go there. “Okay. I’m 28. I actually graduated from the university you go to now.”

“For real? Degree?” I asked when he paused. 

“Bachelors in communication.” 

“What do you do for a livin’?” I asked.

“I’m a manager for a telecommunications company.” He answered.

“Impressive, I guess.” I teased.

We shared a laugh. “What are you majoring in?”

“English.” I answered with a grin.

“So, a future teacher?” He asked.

“A future professor.” I corrected. 

He glanced over at me, mirth danced in his eyes. “Mmmm, impressive… I guess.”

“Ha ha, negro.” I guffawed.

It wasn’t long before we were at Waffle House. We stayed there for a little bit, but by the time we were done eating, I was ready to get to my bed. Instead of having Kevin drop me off then Z, Aaron volunteered to take me home, which surprised me. He seems like a good guy, my conscience reasoned. Humm, give it more time, I thought. He pulled into a parking space right in front of my building, and turned toward me. I didn’t what to expect, but decided to work it into exit strategy, turning to open the door when he said, “Damn, was I that bad of company?” 

I paused before opening the door, “didn’t know what to expect.”

“Expect me to ask for your number, and you to give it.” He smiled sheepishly.

I laughed and grabbed his phone, saving my number and calling from his so I’d have his number. “I guess, until next time?” I have said and asked. I grew confused as he opened his door and got out, but then confusion morphed into… maybe a little adoration when he opened to door for me and helped me out of the car. He leaned in just as I leaned up, our lips brushing against each other before it exploded into a full blown kiss. A kiss that felt more intimate than it should have. A kiss that left me reeling after it was over. I stepped back, gazing up at Aaron with glazed eyes, not understanding what possessed me to kiss a near stranger. This whole night has been trippy, but, I can’t say I didn’t have fun. He murmured “goodbye” against my lips before heading back to his car as I made my way into my apartment. I lived in the front of the building, so it wasn’t long before I got to my door and unlocked it. I turned right before opening the door, gazing into his tinted windows. I couldn’t see him, but I could feel his eyes on me, and that both excited and unnerved me. 

You don’t know him, my conscience jeered. Shit, everything in me is conflicted. But I knew one thing, only time will tell what happens next, if anything…right?