“So apparently we’re allowed to accept flowers from Javi then?”
I chuckle. “Yes. Definitely.”
“I’m happy for you, Sydney.” She smiles adoringly and then walks away, leaving me staring at the flowers in the corner of my office, loving how different this flower delivery felt compared to the last.
When I leave the office later that evening, a strange feeling comes over me in the parking lot, almost like I’m being watched. I don’t see anyone and the traffic sailing beside the building blocks out any weird noise, so I shake it off and slip into my car, locking my doors once I buckle in and check my phone. A text message from Ally pops up, asking me if we’re still on for hanging out tomorrow night.
“Shit,” I say out loud in my car as I pull away from my workplace and hit her name once my phone connects to the Bluetooth speaker.
“Hey, girl. Did you get my text?”
“Uh, yeah I did. Listen, some stuff came up yesterday …”
“Are you cancelling on me, Sydney?” By the stark tone of her voice, I’m sensing that she’s mad.
“Well …”
“You’d better have a damn good reason to cancel on your best friend …”
“Javier asked me over.”
“Wait! What?”
“God, Ally! So much happened yesterday and I was running late this morning so I didn’t get a chance to call you. Javi and I are … dating.” I’m practically squealing at this point because I know she’s going to be as excited as I am.
“Shut the front door! What the hell happened, Sydney? You’d better fill me in now!”
I laugh at her excitement and demands, and then proceed to inform her of how last night went, adding on the detail of the impromptu flower delivery today.
“Holy smokes! Okay, I guess I can accept your cancellation this once so you can spend time with your man. But if you start blowing me off consistently, we will fight, Sydney.”
“I don’t doubt it. It’s just new and exciting, even though it’s not really new, I guess …”
“No, this is huge. You got what you wanted, girl, and the man feels it too. You owe it to yourself to see this through …”
“You know when my dad catches wind, it’s not going to be pretty.”
“Well, that’s something you can’t control, but you can control what happens between the two of you until then, so focus on that. From the things you’ve told me about him, I think this could be it, Sydney.”
“Most of what I’ve told you has been about our sex,” I declare, partially taken aback by her bold statement. I know what I feel for Javi is real too, but I’m not naïve about the obstacles we face, particularly with my father. Then add on the fact there’s still so much I don’t know about him.
“Um, good sex is key to a long lasting relationship, Syd. Collin and I fucked like bunnies before we had kids. And when things get heated between us now, a good bout of hate sex helps even everything out.”
“You are strange, my friend.”
“No. I’m honest.”
“Okay. Well, you promise you aren’t mad at me for bailing on you?”
She sighs dramatically. “No, I guess not. Jared will be though. I guess no more pining after him, huh?”
“Um, I was never pining after him, Ally. I think that was you …” I fight a chuckle as I close in on my condo.
“He’s just nice to look at, Syd. I still love my husband.”
“Good to know. I’ll just have to get my ice cream elsewhere now.”
“I’m sure Javier will be more than happy to deliver on that need for you.”
“How did you make that dirty?”
“It’s easy.”
“Okay, well, I just got home. I have to go through some files before tomorrow, so I have a long night ahead of me …”
I can hear screaming in the background of Ally’s phone, so I know our conversation was about to end anyway. “Okay, girl. And hey, I’m happy for you. I’d love to officially meet him soon. Maybe you two come over for dinner or something …”
“Maybe a Dallas game once the season starts! Javi’s a Cowboy’s fan too!”
“Okay, I like him even more now. Have a good night, girl.”
“You too, Al. Love you!”
The call ends as I park my car and hustle inside, forcing myself to focus on this case so I can leave work behind this weekend and enjoy my time with Javi.
By the time the clock strikes five on Friday evening the next day, I’m so unfocused that I leave work practically panting as I sit behind the wheel of my car.
“Calm down, Sydney. It’s not like you’ve never been to his place before.” I practice some deep breathing before I check the back seat for my bag and head for Javi’s house. He assured me he’d be home by five thirty and told me to just head over straight from work.
When I pull in his driveway and see his truck there, the anticipation I’ve been feeling combusts and I feel like I can’t move. I know this night is different and means more than any other time I’ve come here, and I guess that expectation is playing with my head. I want him to open up to me, but I also don’t want to push him away. If anything, I feel like I’m walking on eggshells right now.
But when he opens the door looking freshly showered with a black t-shirt on, gray shorts, and a kitchen towel slung over his shoulder, part of my anxiety melts away. No matter what happens tonight, this man wants me here and by the way his eyes are lit up at the sight of me, I know that this evening will be great just because the two of us are together under the same level of expectations.
“Hi, beautiful.” Javier steps forward and brings me into his chest, planting a kiss on my lips. “I can’t stop kissing you,” he mumbles against my lips as he spins me inside
