I paid, sat impatiently through the ten minute cab ride, and then rushed up to my apartment to get started. Rushing around like a mad woman, I managed to get the chicken in the oven and the sides prepped before hitting the shower. When I was finished, I put on something more casual since we’d be staying in. I grabbed a pair of stretch pants from my pajama drawer and a black tank top to go under a pink cotton shirt that hung way off the shoulder and stopped at the top of my thighs. I stuck my feet inside my fuzzy, black slippers and went to check the chicken. I’d just managed to get the sides going when I heard a knock at the door at exactly 7:30 on the dot. A smile crossed my face, knowing who would be on the other side of the threshold when I answered.
AJ greeted me with a warm smile and I couldn’t help but to give him a onceover before stepping aside to let him in.
“Wow, something smells good,” were the first words he spoke.
“Hello to you too!” I laughed - yeah, he missed eating real food. “It shouldn’t be too much longer; half hour max.”
He handed over a bottle of wine that I couldn’t even pronounce the name of. “Thank you.”
While I disappeared in the kitchen to set the bottle down, I heard AJ take a seat on the couch. When I returned, I explained why my place was so empty.
“Ok, so, it usually doesn’t look like this in here, I promise. I just have to replace a few things since Angel left.”
He laughed and leaned back, getting more comfortable. “I’m in no position to judge. I spend my nights on an air mattress, so…”
I cringed. “You win. That has to be murder on your back after a while, doesn’t it?” I took a seat on the other end of the sofa and propped my feet up on the ottoman.
“It could stand to be more comfortable,” he said with a smile.
I realized I was staring again and looked away quickly. “How was work?” I asked.
He shrugged and sighed at the same time. “Eh…fine I guess. I’m just looking forward to the day that things run more smoothly. I have to stay late tomorrow, so that should be fun.”
“I hate days like that. My boss dropped a project in my lap last Thursday that needed to be finished by Monday. I had to stay until almost midnight to get it together so it wouldn’t throw me off schedule with everything else I had on my plate.”
“Have you ever thought about branching off on your own?” He asked.
I smiled. “I have, but I don’t think I’m ready for that yet. Maybe in a few years. Stepping out right now would be career suicide.”
He nodded in agreement. “That sounds like the exact same thing I told my father.”
I checked the time to see how much longer the chicken had, and then asked, “You didn’t want the promotion?”
He shrugged again. “Wanting it and being ready for it are two totally different things. I would’ve seen myself in my current position a decade from now, not at twenty-four with two years of experience under my belt. I mean, thank God I haven’t screwed anything up yet, but it’s still too early to tell,” he chuckled.
I waved him off. “You’ll be fine. If your dad didn’t think you could handle it, he wouldn’t have sent you here.” When I looked at AJ again, he was already watching me. I felt my face heat up and a nervous smile broke free. I had to look away to control it.
“You know what? I think I’ll have a glass of wine now,” I announced as I stood to my feet. I looked back over my shoulder to ask AJ if he’d like one as well, but paused when I caught him staring at my behind while he thought I wasn’t looking. I blushed even harder and cleared my throat. “Umm…would you like me to bring you a glass too?”
He looked up into my eyes and realized he’d been caught. The corner of his mouth hitched up into a slick smile and he nodded. “Yes…please.”
I smiled back and went to the kitchen. When I got there, I braced myself against the counter for a few seconds while my stomach fluttered. The tension between us was unreal. Be it sexual or otherwise, I couldn’t tell, but it was heavy and I needed a break. Once the feeling dwindled a little, I returned with two filled glasses in my hands and the bottle tucked underneath my arm.
“The whole bottle, huh? You tryna get me drunk?” he joked.
Another smile broke free. “Actually, I just know I’m gonna want more than one glass.”
Because you have my nerves going haywire just by sitting next to you.