You and You Only: Chapter 7

Nia's POV

Pissed couldn’t describe what I felt as I tossed my half-filled starbucks cup into the trash bin. It was one thing to casually bump into each other, but it was another thing to sit down and watch me as I drank my mocha. I just wanted some damn PEACE for God’s sake. Couldn’t I spend one day without some guy, present, past or future trying to talk to me about some irrelevant shit?

Could someone explain why David had taken a seat on the other side of the store to seemingly read a newspaper as he peeked up at me? Several times?

Who the hell does that?

Talk about stalkers.

I held onto my shoulder bag for dear life as I power walked the hell out of there and made my way to my car. I sighed sadly as I looked at it, my baby was beaten up pretty badly. I hadn’t loved her at all.

"It’s ok Sasha, I’ll take care of you more."

With a good jab I inserted the key into the driver’s side of the door and unlocked it. Just as I positioned myself to slide into the car with ease someone stopped me.

"Nia!"

Damn.

A very disheveled David abruptly walked over to my side of the car. I’d seen things like this, how crazy guys like him were. I locked all the doors and made sure my window was rolled up.

"Let me explain." He patted on the window, "I swear I’m not crazy. I just want to talk to you."

All crazy people say that, yet and still I roll my window down just enough so he can talk through.

"What do you want David?"

"What can I do to make you see that I'm worth your time?"

"You can go away before I call the cops."

God he’s handsome though, even when he’s crazy, and deranged looking, "I swear to you. I would never hurt anyone, I just want to sit down and explain myself to you. Can I do that?"

My phone buzzed right then and there, it vibrated so hard it fell off the seat and landed with a thud. I pressed my forehead against the steering wheel and prayed to God for some kind of deliverance from all the madness I was going through.

It was cool though, all I needed to do was take a deep breath and handle one thing at a time.

"Gimme a sec." I reached for my phone, bumping my head in the promise and muttering ‘Shit’ as I did so. It had ceased buzzing a couple of seconds ago but I still wanted to know who it was.

I held the black smartphone in my hand and ran my finger along the touchscreen in an L to open it.

Nick.

Shit, now what did he want?

Whatever it was, it could definitely wait.

I took a deep breath, pressed the right side of my head against the steering wheel and looked up at David, "Can we do this another day, or something? I feel like death."

His face lit up, oh God he looked so happy and it made me feel even worse. Why did people have to feel so grateful about me talking to them? Was I really such a bitch?

"Really? You mean it?"

For good measure I smiled, "Yeah, I mean it. Can you go away now before I call the cops?"

I was only joking but the look on his face was too hilarious not to laugh at, I chuckled and pressed my head harder against the steering wheel, "I’m joking David."

"Good, I felt really stupid for a minute."

"No, no. You're fine for now… just don’t stalk me anymore ok?"

He held up his hands then and backed away with a smile, "Yeah, done deal. When can we meet up?"

Thinking back to my schedule the only thing I could really say was the next day because Friday I would have to look for cribs with my cousin, "Tomorrow is good." I thought some more, "At Starbucks, here. I don’t want a repeat of our first date."

"That’s fine. That’s great, tomorrow then, five o’clock? We could ride together after work."

I held up my hand and smiled again, he was doing too much and my brain cells were dying by the minute, "No, five is fine, but I’ll take my own car. Ok?"

"Yeah definitely, see you then."

I simply nodded and rested my head against the steering wheel. God I was tired.

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"What do I wear?"

As if this is a date! What the hell is wrong with me?

I only had thirty minutes to get dressed and Starbucks was a good twenty minutes away from my apartment. I could easily have worn what I had on for my class earlier, but the skirt I had chosen was so constricted and I wanted to be for lack of a better word loose. I mean at any moment he could just snap right? Why not wear something I could run in?

By then my floor was an assortment of clothes, blacks, reds, pinks, blues, like a damn rainbow all over my once cream-colored carpet. At some point I decided to suck it up and wear the jeans and black shirt I had initially picked. They were comfortable and presentable-ish… enough for Starbucks anyway.

I went into a frenzy then, putting my bare legs into the jeans, first two at a time (I was in a rush) and then one at a time. I know for a fact I fell over at least twice on my way to the bathroom to mess with my hair. I fluffed the curls out, pulled at them, tucked hair behind one ear and then just decided to leave it alone and get it over with.

My handbag was already on the table ready to go and I retrieved it, placing it on my shoulder and holding on to it for dear life.

A ringtone sounded something from The Foreign Exchange. Irritated and slightly relieved that I hadn’t left my phone, I stalked over to the bathroom and picked it up.

Nick.

"Nick, what do you want?" I rubbed my forehead and cringed as I heard static in the background on his end of the phone.

"I’m heading over to the movies tonight, I was just calling to see if you wanted to go with me?"

Sounds like a lame high school date to me.

"Thank you, but I’m kinda doing something right now."

"Oh." Disappointment was heavy in his voice, "Maybe later then?"

Maybe never, "Yeah, definitely. Catch me later or something."

"Oh, alright cool."

I couldn’t help but feel cruddy about declining him though. He wanted to be friends, couldn’t I give him that?

Not without falling in love with him I couldn’t.

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"Do you want something?" David asked as he stood up to go to the register.

I shook my head no, "I’m fine thanks."

Starbucks definitely couldn’t have helped me out of whatever I was about to fall into. And David, why did he have to seem so normal? It was like the day before hadn’t happened and he was just cool and collected.

Then again, crazy men could be collected when they wanted to be.
He came back a few minutes later with a steaming cup of what smelled like hazelnut coffee, "Nice choice." I breathed in the scent and smiled.
"Yeah, it rubbed off in college, which was a while back."

He certainly didn’t have to bring up age, "How far is 'a while back'?"
David must have spotted his error because he took a quick sip of his coffee and looked to the side for a good minute, "About eight years, I just made thirty."

I shrugged, thirty wasn’t so bad, "In your prime huh?"

He laughed, a loud booming laugh, "You can say that. I’m young, but not as young as you are."

I rolled my eyes, "Twenty-five is hardly young. Maybe eighteen, but not twenty-five."

"I suppose so, you definitely look younger than twenty-five. I’m surprised someone’s not snatching me up right now for pedophilia."

Again I rolled my eyes, but I accompanied it with a smile and leaned forward, "You’re safe, I swear you are."

"Maybe for now, I need to apologize again."

Here comes the awkwardness. I leaned against my seat and crossed my arms, "Ok."

"I had no right," Here is where he wrapped his hands around his cup and looked at the top, "to assume you were that kind of girl. I won’t lie, I’ve met girls around your age and the first thing I’ve done is taken them to bed."

He was so extremely formal with everything, it was fine, but it had me on edge as if I should be that formal as well.

"Which is why I don’t understand why you’re still talking to me. I’m not that kind of woman David."

That smile of his was so bright, it almost had me happy for a moment, "I know, and that’s why I had to speak to you again. For a moment I was stumped, my ego was hurt, but then I realized it’s a woman like you that I need."

Too much, too much David. He had reached over and intertwined his fingers with mine, but right then I pulled them away, "David, we work together, and even then I don’t see how this could work. I really don’t."

"I don’t mind being friends Nia. I just need you to stay around, if all I can have is your friendship then that’s all I need."

What did men want from me? Seriously? Did they want friendship or a relationship?

"Fine, we can be… friends."