Pretty Fly for a White Guy: The Complete Series Collection (8 page)

He just let them shoo us out of the restaurant because they were too lazy to serve us. I wanted to tell him that he should be more forceful, usually just asking a second time will get a table. It is money for the restaurant after all. As he walked me towards the car, I felt my phone buzz inside of my pocket. I already had a huge idea of who it was. I slid into the car and waited for Joshua to walk to his side before I checked my phone. I had another text from Ken and it said ‘I miss you already.’ I sighed but a part of me felt happy to receive the message. Why in the hell should I care if he missed me or not? He’s disrespectful and he shouldn’t be doing this.

I wanted to stay mad at him but it was hard to do when I missed him so much. At first his vast differences from Joshua made me appreciate Joshua more. But as my relationship with Joshua progressed, I missed Kenneth a lot more. The honeymoon period with Joshua was definitely fading away.

Women everywhere would probably want to choke me if they could hear the thoughts that were running through my head. I really was starting to miss Kenneth. Seeing him so much recently was messing with my mind. I was no longer happy and content. I cursed myself for being so fickle. Why do we women do this to ourselves? We never want the “good guy” and Joshua is a really good guy.

There was no guarantee that if I got back with Ken, that things would be any different. I would maybe call him tomorrow to set up a lunch with him so that we could talk. That way I could sleep on my thoughts and make sure that it’s not the liquor talking.

I drove home and was happy that Joshua was heading to his home and not my own. He had to get an early start in the morning and he didn’t bring a change of clothes with him. So I drove straight to the nearest McDonalds and ordered a Big Mac and fries. The entire time I could only think that Kenneth would never let me go hungry and he would never let me eat McDonalds alone after a date.

*

Work wise, this was a busy point in time for me because I had to get prepped for the change in seasons.   My clients always want what’s hot and new in their stores and I can’t say that I blame them. So this involves me looking at the competition, going to fashion shows, and private viewings of collections. I have a wide array of clientele and so my days are endless. I love what I do but it keeps me busy.

I’ve been so busy that I was unable to contact Kenneth and schedule a meeting to really talk things over. I was also unable to see Joshua as much as I would have liked to which was a bit of a relief in some ways. When I got home, I would crash into the bed and then wake up to do it all over again. Of course this lead to a lot of text messages and phone calls from him. One moment he would accuse me of cheating and then the next moment he would tell me how much he missed me. He was coming off as being pretty bi polar and it was starting to get to me.

I did miss Joshua but the drama and his accusations were just starting to become too much. I enjoyed the time that we had together but it could be so much better if he wasn’t so insecure. Maybe the circumstances under which we got together is what’s driving him crazy and understandably so. But I’ve been faithful to him and that’s just the kind of person that I am. He hasn’t had a valid reason to think the way that he does about me.

I was in my bed catching up on my favorite shows with my DVR and my phone rang. I hoped that it wasn’t Joshua because I just wanted a little bit of peace. I planned on seeing him the next day and having some sex but I was not in the mood for the talking part. I looked at my phone and saw that it was Kenneth. I hesitantly answered the phone; I didn’t have a clue as to what he wanted now. His text messages had stopped over the last few days. I missed them a little but I told myself that maybe he’d gotten a clue. Maybe it was for the best we stopped speaking.

“Hello?” I answered.

“Hey Nicole, I’m sorry to call you so late but I wanted to speak to you while I still had the nerve,” he said.

He sounded pretty humble over the phone and that worried me. Did someone pass away?

“
Okay tell me what’s going on,” I replied.

“Can you meet me tomorrow for dinner? I promise that I’m not up to any dirt, I just want to talk to you in person. It is really important.”

I thought of my plans with Joshua and I knew that he would be upset about me canceling on him but my curiosity about what Ken wanted was too great. I would just invite Josh to spend the night with me and that should handle the problem.

“Sure, just let me know where you want me to meet you. After 7 works best for me.”

“Okay sounds good, I’ll text you in the morning with the details and I’ll make sure it’s local.”

I love how Kenneth takes charge. We never go back and forth over where we’re going to met because he always takes the initiative. Women love a decisive man that knows how to make small decisions like that. It makes us feel more feminine. It’s annoying to have to go back and forth with a man over where you should go out. Just make a damned decision and we’ll be there.

I took another sip of my wine before I got nice and comfy in my bed. Tomorrow was going to be another long day for me but I had butterflies in my stomach as I thought about meeting with Ken.

I was actually excited to see him, surely this is wrong?

#Chapter7

“
Just for fun, I might do it again”

Kenneth

My cell phone has been blowing up all day. Joshua is really pissed that I canceled on him today. The inviting him over to spend the night didn’t work as well as I thought that it would. He was becoming more trouble than he seemed to be worth. Relationships should be fun, especially in the beginning. I’ve been having some fun with him, when he’s in good spirits and not worrying about what I’m doing or what I’m not doing but is this going to be how it is forever?

Driving to the restaurant to meet Kenneth seemed to take forever. The restaurant isn’t far; my nerves are just on high alert. I’ve been watching my clock all day and that’s made everything go by so slowly. I really hate feeling like this. I went home first to touch up my hair and makeup and to change clothes. I was completely unsure as to what I should wear. I didn’t want to overdress but I didn’t want to look too casual. So I settled for a plain form fitting purple dress and accessorized it. I look pretty good if I must say so myself.

My thoughts turn to Ken and what he wanted. What in the hell would he have to say? He probably had bad news about Joshua. Maybe Mr. Perfect wasn’t so perfect at all. However, snitching wasn’t a part of Kenneth’s behavior. If there was something wrong with Joshua, he would remain loyal to his friend and let me find out about it on my own. Those two had been best friends since they were young. They were the kind of friends that grew up next door to each other and their parents were best friends too. It would take a lot for them to turn on each other.

It had to be really nice to have a person that you could depend on in that way for your whole life.

I was happy that my dating Joshua didn’t ruin their friendship; if it did I would have bowed out all together. Nothing is worth the loss of a lifelong friend. But they have been handling everything in a pretty mature way. I seem to be the only one that feels weird about the situation.

I pulled up to the Four Seasons Hotel and handed my keys over to the valet attendant. We were dining at Park 75 and it brought back so many memories. This was not only one of our favorite hotels but we loved the restaurant. Their ingredients were so fresh and they were grown right on their own terrace. I sighed as I walked towards the restaurant and hoped that he wouldn’t crush me with whatever it was that he wanted to talk about.

I walked into the restaurant and the hostess greeted me with a warm smile, “Ms. Berry?” she asked.

“
Yes,” I responded.

“Great, Mr. Matthews is expecting you. He’s already seated, can you follow me please?”

“Absolutely,” I said as I followed behind her towards our table.

It was in fact our table; we always sat in the same spot when we came here. Kenneth and I are big fans of tradition and creatures of habit when it came to dating and going out. We always wanted the same table at each restaurant that we’d gone to. It made it feel so much more special.

He stood from his seat when he saw me approaching the table. He gave me a modest hug and pulled out my chair for me. He smelled really good and I inhaled the fresh scent of his aftershave.

“Well we haven’t been here in while,” I said breathlessly.

The nostalgia of the situation was beginning to overtake me. I looked over the table at him and he gave a slight smile. He almost looked sad, and my heart dropped. Kenneth rarely looked downtrodden; he was the king of cool.

“You’re right, it has been a while. Over a year since we’ve been here together,” he said.

I raised my eyebrow at the ‘together’ part of his sentence. I wondered if he had brought any other women here besides me. We were no longer together but that thought didn’t make me happy at all. There were so many places in Atlanta that I wouldn’t go to because of the memories that Kenneth and I created there. I wouldn’t want to share them with anyone else, it sounds naive but that’s just how I feel.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he laughed, “I’ve never brought any women here that I’ve been dating.”

Relief flooded through me and his laugh soothed my soul. I loved his laugh and he always did a lot of it. That’s one thing about him that I’ve missed. He had the ability to make me laugh in a way that no one else could. He brought so much joy to my life.

“Remember our first date here?” he asked.

I laughed, “I remember it very well. You told them that we were engaged so that we would get extra special treatment. We were only on our third date. I thought you were crazy! The entire room was clapping and you gave me that bubble gum machine ring and they put it on a cupcake!”

“Yeah I don’t know what was funnier, the rooms reaction or yours.”

“Probably mine because I thought you were crazy. You warned me that you had something up your sleeve but I didn’t think that would be it.”

“Well I asked you if you liked to have fun and you said yes. I warned you that something crazy was going to happen and to just go with it.”

“You did warn me but come on. You had me wondering why the staff was being so attentive to us and why rose petals were on our table and no one else’s.”

This got a hearty laugh from him, “That’s when I saw what a good sport you were. You even said no in front of everyone. You hurt my heart Nicole.”

“
I didn’t hurt your heart. I figured that since you wanted to put on a show, we may as well make it a soap opera. I thought that we were never going to be able to show our faces in this place again.”

“They took it all in stride when I explained to the manager what was going on after. He thought it was hilarious. Just for fun, I might do it again...” Kenneth joked mischievously, squinting his eye and rubbing his chin as if he was hatching some evil master plan. His facial expressions could always make me giggle. 

I shook my head and took a sip of my drink. I looked at him and I felt the chemistry begin to brew between us. It’s always been strong. I feel a sizzle with other men but he and I are always like an inferno. My eyes went to his lips and I thought about how good they always felt against my skin. The things that he could do with his mouth were enough to make a woman’s knees buckle.

“We had a lot of fun together didn’t we?” I asked.

“We had the most fun. Not a lot of women could put up with how silly I am, and so I was always able to let loose with you.”

“Well.. You keep me laughing, that is important in a relationship. Who wants to be with someone that they can’t laugh with?”

We both got quiet as we entered our own thoughts and I realized what I was saying out loud when really I should be keeping my cards close to my chest. My thoughts drifted to Joshua, he was sweet but he took himself pretty seriously. Kenneth and I would pop in a comedy DVD and laugh and drink all night. Joshua likes to watch political movies and have serious intense discussions about it afterward. It’s not that I mind, it’s just not what I prefer.

It didn’t take us much time to order our drinks and food because we stuck to the same things. It was nice to see that he still hadn’t changed much since we dated. We had a great conversation and were catching up on each others careers and family life. We were ignoring the big elephant in the room. We still hadn’t spoke about what he wanted to talk about but I didn't mind I was enjoying the moment.

After finishing up our meal and drinking another cocktail I asked.

“Does Amelia know that you’re out with me?”

He countered my question with, “Does Joshua know that you’re out with me?”

He had a point. We both didn’t let our significant others know that we were having dinner together. I didn’t tell Joshua about this meeting because I didn’t want him freaking out and I also didn’t have a clue as to why Kenneth wanted to meet. At least that’s what I told myself. I wasn’t ready to deal with any other explanation.

“You’re right,” I admitted. I didn’t tell Joshua, it’s because I had no idea what to expect, and I didn’t want to answer a million and one questions after this dinner is over. So tell me, why are we here?” I asked.

“Fair enough,” he said as he took a deep breath. “You were gracious enough to let me know ahead of time that you were going to date Joshua. I felt like a jerk after that because I didn’t do the same for you when I started dating Amelia. I completely disrespected everything we had by making a move like that.”

I was rendered speechless; he was giving me a genuine apology. Hell must have frozen over.

“
I know that you like to think the worst about me Nikki, but please believe me when I tell you that I haven’t done many of the things that you think. I do admit that I’ve given you reason to feel the way that you do and that part is my fault.”

I smacked my lips in response. Everyone knows that Kenneth is a massive flirt and I’ve seen text messages between him and certain women. I wasn’t in the mood to hear him try to defend himself because that would just lead to an argument.

“Please, let us not go there today,” I said, “I do accept your apology for Amelia, so thank you for that. It’s nice to hear you say those words. Why couldn’t you learn how to apologize like this when we were together, instead of running away?”

“I really wasn’t ready for a relationship at least not a romantic one. I didn’t understand how much my flirting was hurting you until it was too late.”

“So all you were doing was flirting?” I said

“Yes, that’s what I’ve been trying to tell you for years. I’m not saying that it’s right but I’ve never cheated on you. I would never do that to you. Have you ever found evidence to prove that I have?

“No,” I admitted hesitantly. “But the flirting was enough to make me suspicious. Usually those are good indicators that a person is cheating and you were doing it with people from our circle. It is disrespectful to me.”

“I’ll tell you again and I’ll tell you again a thousand times. I’ve never cheated on you,” he said making sure that he over enunciated the word ‘never.’ “And I was not flirting, it's just networking!”

I shrugged, “So is that what we’re here for? You wanted to apologize to me?”

“Not exactly,” he said, “I also wanted to apologize for pursuing you even though you’re with my best friend. I realized that it’s wrong on so many different levels. Joshua would have never done me that way and so I’ve decided to respect your relationship.”

“Oh really?” I asked in disbelief.

“Yes really,” he laughed. “Contrary to your belief, I have morals. The both of you seem so damned happy; Joshua can’t stop talking about you. He deserves to be happy and so do you, especially after everything that I put you through.”

I stared at him, unsure of what to say. It was great to see him reach a new level of maturity and to see that he finally accepted my relationship with Josh. But why was I so disappointed? I felt like he was giving up on us. His words felt final but I had to keep my poker face straight.