“I like all men, Crystal.” I had to clear that up before she started spreading rumors I hate my own kind.
“Stay Black, Olivia Pope.” She rolled her eyes and walked off, leaving me looking at her like she was crazy.
Crystal always had to have the last word, and I let her. She enjoyed messing with me. She was the only other Black person in this apartment building beside Tami and me. Being Black was pretty much the only thing we had in common with her.
I went back into my apartment. My mind started working overtime, and I thought about Brandon. What if he wasn’t coming back? What if he used breakfast and condoms as a way to escape my place and never talk to me again? How long should I wait for him to return? A dull panic came over me. I didn’t know what to think or what to believe. I didn’t know him. He didn’t know me. This was an unfamiliar experience for me. Maybe it was a one-night stand. I’d never had one, and this could be just that.
This was precisely why I hated dating. It was just too hard. My ex put me in this situation and now I had to start all over again. The quest to find out if a guy really liked me was daunting. I wouldn’t be able to spot a joker who was just playing games. I was bad at games. I couldn’t even win at Uno. I was always getting hit with the draw four-card.
There was no way around it. I would obsess about Brandon while I took a quick shower. It was better than the times I was consumed with thoughts of Nick. After my shower, I made coffee.
Love Hangover
Brandon returned with hot breakfast food and condoms. Seeing him return put all my anxieties to bed. He made it his mission to put me to bed. I had a full-blown day of nothing but sex. He stayed all day Sunday. He didn’t leave until early Monday.
I was tired Monday morning. It was just enough time for me to shower and get dressed for work. I made it to the office parking lot with only five minutes to spare. I enjoyed being early and punctuality was a thing for me. I also liked being dicked down all day and all night Sunday, but I had to get my mind right for work.
I pulled into one of the designated parking spaces for supervisors. The first one was vacant. I gathered up my laptop bag and my purse. I disconnected my cell phone from my car charger and tossed it into my purse. I stepped out of my car. My stomach growled. I was going to have to drink more than coffee this morning.
I slammed my car door and could only get a few feet away from my car when I saw him. He looked disheveled and like he had gotten no sleep. I remembered that female doctor that got ambushed in her hospital parking lot by her ex-fiancée.
“Jesus, Nick, what are you doing at my job?”
“I can’t get ahold of you.”
“So that means come to my job?” I was livid. Holding it in my anger was nearly impossible. I knew it was crazy to think he would harm me, but I watched the news. After he dumped me by text, I knew that I didn’t know Nick at all.
“I really need to talk to you.” His voice was desperate.
“Why? Why now?” I felt it was a legitimate question.
“It’s time.”
“Why now? Because you said so.”
“I have to tell you what happened.”
“I knew what happened. It was in the text message you sent that I screenshot.”
“Latanya, please, there’s more to it.”
“Now you want to talk to me, face-to-face, when you dumped me by text.”
“I know. I fucked up. It was a messed up thing to do and I’m sorry.”
“Nick, you’re at my job. This is not the place, and it’s not the time.” I sneered.
“I know, but I didn’t have any other choice. You blocked me everywhere.”
“You know my address. You could’ve written a letter.”
He looked at me like writing a letter on a piece of paper was a Stone Age concept. Maybe, but it was better to be creative instead of creepy.
“I just need five minutes.” He begged. Did he really think I should afford him the courtesy of a conversation that he didn’t afford me?
“I don’t have to give you any of my time or my minutes. There are video cameras on the building and in the parking lot. You’re making a scene.”
His eyes scanned the area, searching for the hidden cameras. I just needed him to know big brother was watching him at all times.
“I just want to talk.”
“I’m not going to be late for work, listening to you talk about whatever it is you came to tell me in this parking lot.”
My coworker Mark was doing a fantastic job of lingering around in my general area. He was listening to my conversation, but I didn’t care. He already knew all my personal business. I was going to tell him about this little ambush as soon as he came into my office with my coffee. Mark was used to getting an earful from me.
“Hey Mark.” I called out to him, hoping he would get the hint that I needed his assistance.
He caught the hint and briskly rushed over to Nick and me. “Good morning, I got your coffee.”
Nick’s eyes scanned Mark. I could see jealousy in his face. He got another arrow in his heart. Now he knows how I felt. Mark was tall, handsome and well built. That’s why he got all those goofy chicks in the building. I took so much pleasure in seeing Nick realize I had options. He didn’t have to know that Mark was just a coworker and ki-ki friend. I figuratively smacked him in the face with
