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TWO MONTHS LATER

I have been in Atlanta with Danielle, helping her out with anything she needs. She had the baby a couple of days after I arrived. I was happy I came as quickly as I did. Watching her go through labor is so damn traumatizing but witnessing it was special. Not sure if I could've ever gone through that.

I've never had the opportunity to care for a child, let alone a baby, and it's super hard. I try to let Danielle sleep because I know she's tired and take care of Little Bella when I can and I'm even having a hard time. I think if I had to do this on my own, I would definitely break so I'm happy that I'm here for her because this is something. I definitely don't want her to experience it on her own. I hope when I have my baby that she will be there for me like I've been there for her.

Overall, everything has been great. I decided to postpone going back to work because apparently people need me and to be honest, I'm really not rushed to get back to work anytime soon. I have been pretty much living off the money that Josh gave me, but this is exactly what he gave it to me for. I still plan on going back to work and I still plan on going back to San Francisco but I want to make sure my friend is okay before I do.

I still haven't talked to Josh. Not that I expected it but I thought I would at least get a text message or two asking if I was okay. I kind of feel abandoned by him even though I'm the one that left. It's just weird to me that I lived with this person for three months of my life and spent every day, pretty much all day with him, transitioning to not seeing him at all. It was very rough for me the first few days but I can definitely say it got better as time went on and now that it's been a couple of months I'm pretty much fine. I miss him a lot and I think about him multiple times during the day, but I'm okay.

I've spoken to Jon a few times. He texts me often, trying to keep in touch with me. Sometimes I respond and sometimes I don't. I just don't know what the point of talking to him is going to do. That night he popped up at my parents house still fucks with me to this day. I regret what happened that night with him. I believe he's genuinely concerned but putting his tongue on my pussy did absolutely nothing to help. I blame myself because I'm positive I could've stopped him but I didn't. His little charm worked on me and he was able to get a little of what he wanted. I'm happy we didn't have sex though. That would've been a disaster, especially with how he's been acting.

Jon always sends these text messages about his feelings for me. It's weird. I've told him to stop texting me about that but he keeps doing it. I'm very curious to know if he told Josh about what happened. I feel like maybe this is what Jon wanted in the end. I only say that because he's always been so supportive of me breaking up with Josh when the three months was up. He always said, "you gotta do what you gotta do". I feel like something is off between the twins and I don't know what it is. I wish I could talk to Josh about it but I can't and I'm not going to disturb him with some shit that's probably all my head.

When I told Danielle what happened all she said was, "You're in love with one twin, but fucking the other". I got upset because I didn't have sex with Jon but I sure felt like I did and that what pissed me off the most. I might as well have done it with how bad I felt. But I told myself I wasn't going to dwell on it because although it was a stupid decision that I made, I did make it and I just have to deal with it.

********

I was sitting on Danielle's sofa watching tv and she sat down next to me.

"You okay?" Danielle plops down on the sofa next to me.

"Yeah, what's up?"

She shakes her head. "Nothing."

"I'm so happy you're here." She lazily hugs me.

"You tell me that almost everyday. I get it, you're grateful." I laugh. "You don't have to thank me everyday."

"I know but I don't know what I'd do if you weren't here."

"Well, I've been telling you from the beginning that I'm the baby daddy. What did you expect?"

She laughs. "Right..." She looks at me and smiles. "You have. But I think you need a break. It's been a solid two months. So, hear me out—."

"I know that tone. What, Dani?" I know she's up to something.

She laughs. "So I did something...but it's a good thing."

"Aw shit! What did you do?"

"Remember Jeffery?"

"How could I not? That sexy ass coworker of yours." I smile. "But what does that have to do with me, Danielle?" What the hell did she do?

"He's not a coworker anymore. He branched off and started his own company but we kept in touch just in case I wanted to go with his company. But anyway, you know he's always had a crush on you..."

"Yes, I know. You won't let me forget." I playfully roll my eyes.

"...but you were with Kevin, and now you're single." She smiles. "I know you're relocating to San Francisco but while you're here in Atlanta, why don't you have a little fun? I set you guys up to go on a date."

"I don't wanna have any fun. I am here to help you and that's it. I'm not here for a date." I say

She looks at me lovingly, like she KNOWS this is what I need. "And what I, aka you, need is for you to have a little fun. Your mom sent you here to help me but you need to get out and enjoy yourself. Not be cooped up in the house with me. I had the kid, not you."

"No. The last thing I need is another man."

"I don't agree with that. I mean, I do, but after that shit show with the airport guy and his creepy twin, you need this." she says.

"He's not creepy." I laugh. "He has a little crush on me."

"Girl please. It's something up with the twin brother. How he gonna show up two days after you broke up with his brother trying to have sex with you. Shit is weird." She displays a disgusted look on her face.

"Yeah. Looking back I see something was off. I still don't know what it is but something was definitely off between them." What went down with Jon still bothers me. And the fact that Josh was okay with all of it is crazy to me.

"You need to let them go. I know airport guy turned you out and exposed you to things you weren't currently getting, and believe me I was here for it, but that dick wasn't never that good."

"It actually was." I smile at her.

"Well it's gone now, and time to find some new dick to bounce on and Jeff is probably willing to let you do whatever you want to him."

We both laugh.

"Come on, just go on a little date with him. You're finally single, he's single, just enjoy each other's company. What harm could come out of it?"

"I could say none, but having fun with a guy got me into a relationship with a married man." I say.

She just looks at me. She was waiting for me to agree to go.

"Fine, I'll go. But no expectations."

"None." She throws her hands up and smiles. "But you need to go get ready cuz he'll be here in a couple of hours."

"Hours? Not tomorrow, or the day after? Hours?" I say in disbelief.

She laughs. "Yes! Go get dressed! You can pick something out of my closet."

"Okay, okay." I stand up. "He is cute." I say remembering what he looked like.

"He is fine, girl!" She says. "When I brought you up to him his whole face lit up."

"What exactly did he say?"

"I told him you were in town and recently broke up with your boyfriend. He asked me if he could come by and see you, I told him I'll do one better and told him he should take you out and he agreed. He was really happy."

"That's so cute." I say

"And he's way better than Jey." She says.

"To be fair, you don't know Jey. You don't know if Jeff is better or not."

"I know Jey was married and refused to move forward with the divorce and that forced you to leave him. Now you're here going on a date with a person who isn't married and has been patiently waiting for you. You don't have to deal with that or the mystery family that was trying to kill you for simply being with him."

I just stared at her for a moment. I'm just going to leave that argument alone. She's right though.

"You're right." I say. "I'm gonna go get dressed."

She doesn't say anything else as I walk upstairs to find something to put on.

I don't know how to feel about this. Well, I do know I'm very nervous. I haven't been on a date in forever. I haven't been trying to get out and meet anyone. I haven't given anyone any attention. I've just been trying to get over my relationship with Josh. I haven't even thought about another guy. This might be awkward. I know I'm not ready for anything like this but I guess it won't hurt to get out of the house.

********

Later that night, Jeff picked me up from Danielle's house. He was beaming from ear to ear when he was me. We haven't seen each other in at least a year and he's gotten finer. My god, I hope I don't make a fool of myself. Danielle has always told me he was interested from the first time we met a couple of years ago. We ran into him at a restaurant. Of course he was on a date but he saw Danielle and spoke. The next day he mentioned it to her at work and she told me. He would ask about me every now and then and Danielle would always try to set us up, but I always told her no because I was with Kevin. So now that I guess the opportunity has presented itself here we are finally on a date.

Jeff has always been super friendly towards me. I knew he had a crush on me but he's never made any moves out of respect for my relationship. Every time she told him he and I were still together he just said okay and didn't push. I believe he's a really nice guy because most men don't care and they will try anyway. Some could be so disrespectful sometimes.

He took me to a brewery which was also a restaurant. Very nice. First we took a tour and learned how beer is made. Of course we were able to try the different beers but I decided not to. I told him I wasn't into beer like that. He asked me if I wanted to go somewhere else but I said we could stay because he seemed upset and it wasn't a big deal to me. I liked this idea because I got to learn something and he didn't do the typical thing, which was a winery.

I got to know him on another level. He's funny, which I love, a guy I can laugh with. He's definitely an alpha male, and has a strong and confident presence, which I love. I also love his tattoos. Tattoos are somewhat of a turn on for me. He's rugged, yet intriguing, intelligent, confident and assertive. Those three things alone made me like him even more. I think he has a bad side that I don't know about. Kinda like Jey. Damn, I miss his crazy ass.

After the tour we sat down for dinner and we were able to talk more.

"Would you like anything else to drink? They have more than beer. They also have wine, if that's what you prefer." Jeff asked, his eyes searching mine for a clue.

"No, thank you. It's okay. I'm not drinking tonight. I wanna have a clear mind..." I replied, trying to maintain a steady voice despite the swirl of emotions inside me.

He chuckled a little, then looked away, his expression shadowed by something unspoken. I felt a tension between us, a delicate thread of curiosity and concern. When he looked back at me, his gaze was softer, more earnest.

"Look, I know your situation." He says

"Dani told you that?" I said, surprised.

He laughed, a sound that felt both warm and awkward. "Yeah..."

"Damn, she talks too much." I laughed too, trying to lighten the mood but feeling a lump in my throat.

"I'm okay with it, though. I didn't think this through. We shouldn't have gone on this date. I should've taken you somewhere else." he admitted, his voice tinged with regret and hope.

"No it was perfectly fine. I had fun anyway. Thank you for bringing me here."

"And just so you'll know, I'm willing to help you with whatever you need..." he offered, his hand reaching across the table, bridging the gap between us with a touch that was both gentle and reassuring.

"That's sweet, but my ex—"

"Airport guy?" he interjected, a playful smile tugging at his lips.

I burst out laughing. "Dani is funny. She calls him that because we met at the airport. She said he wasn't important enough to remember his name, but his name is Josh."

"That's exactly what she told me. I asked for his real name and she said it didn't matter.." He smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, Josh." He corrects himself.

"I'm still dealing with that break up. It was short lived but that took a lot out of me." I confessed, my voice wavering with the weight of my lingering pain.

"I'm sorry to hear that, but that's good for me." He reached across the table again, this time taking my hand in his, his touch warm and comforting. "I'm willing to help you through it."

"Why?" I'm a little defensive because why does he want to know so much? I kinda don't want to talk about it and here I am having to talk about it on a date with the next man.

"Because I care." he said simply, his eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made my heart skip a beat. "I've always cared. I know how much you went through with the ex you were with when I first met you and I sat on the sidelines for all of it. When Dani told me y'all broke up I was happy for you but she also told me you flew home for a while, so I chilled, then she told me you were staying. I was kinda sad but I knew you were doing what you had to do. But she told me you were involved with some guy. I looked at it as a missed opportunity. I was like damn I should've said something but it all worked out because here we are." He smiles. "I just want to be here for you, however you need me to be."

"Look, I ain't ready for all of that. The relationship I just got out of was very intense and I'm not sure I have anything left. I'm only here because she aired me to be. I don't want you to get the wrong idea." My voice is heavy with pain. That's something I can never hide, even if I wanted to.

"Nah. We're just having dinner. No expectations, but expectations. I don't want anything from you but your time." He says softly. "Tell me about your break up." He says

"Like I said, his name was Josh. He was super cool, super funny, and had a great sense of humor. He was very affectionate, which I love. Very kind, caring, and thoughtful. We fell in love rather quickly, I think it took us both by surprise but I also feel like it was natural. I wasn't expecting it. I was just trying to get into something because I was upset, but it turned into more. A lot more." I explained, my heart aching with each word spoken.

"I wish you would've called me. I would've taken care of your ex. You didn't have to leave town." He says

"Yeah, but I needed to get away. I felt that strongly about it. I needed to leave."

"I understand. So this lasted only a few months?"

"I've known him for a total of 6 months now but obviously we broke up two months ago. We started dating almost a month after meeting. We only dated for three months."

He nodded his head. "Okay, yeah. It's been a short ride but I see it's taken a toll on you. I'm sorry it didn't work out."

"She didn't tell you all the details, right?" I asked, feeling a pang of anxiety.

"No. Just that you were with someone and you met at the airport and then she told me you guys broke up. Why'd you break up if it was so good?"

I kinda hesitate because do I really wanna tell him the real reason? This isn't really going to go anywhere, I'm going back to San Francisco. I might as well be honest.

I sighed, bracing myself to say it aloud. "So he was married."

"Oh, that's fucked up." He says

"Yeah. There was a lot going on with that, and so I had to leave. He even bought me a ring." I explained, the memory still raw even though it was two months ago.

"Whaat? And he was married?"

"I know. We talked about it and everything but I didn't think he would've purchased an actual ring. I found it after I broke up with him."

"That's crazy," he said. "Well, I'm not married." He smiled and I managed to smile back at him. "Whatever you need I'll be happy to help with."

"That's sweet." I say.

"You were always taken and I didn't want to disrespect that but I'm happy now I can show my feelings." he said, his eyes filled with hope.

I looked at him, my heart heavy with regret. "I wish this happened before Josh because as much as I think it would be cool to finally get to know you, I don't think it's a good idea. I'm leaving town soon and I'm not doing a long-distance relationship." I said

"Do you know when you're going back?"

"No, I don't right now but I'm definitely going back. I don't plan on moving back to Atlanta."

"It's all good, I understand. I only have you for a short amount of time. How do you think the date is going?" he asked, his eyes searching mine for reassurance.

"I think it's going pretty well. I don't have any complaints. You're very easy to talk to and we already kinda knew each other so that's always a plus."

"Yeah, but I wanna get to know you better. So if you're cool with it, why don't we do something tomorrow?" he suggested, a hopeful glint in his eyes.

"I don't know. I'll think about it. I'll see how the rest of the date goes." I joked, trying to keep the mood light. He smiled, his relief evident.

"So tell me more about you, Mr. Branched off and started your own real estate company." I teased, genuinely interested.

He laughs. He was cute. His smile was beautiful. I couldn't help but notice his beautiful teeth. They were perfect.

He laughed, his eyes crinkling in that charming way of his. He was cute. His smile was beautiful, and I couldn't help but notice his perfect teeth.

"Yeah, I was tired of working under someone so I took my clients and started my own company."

"That's so cool." I said, impressed.

"I tried to bring Danielle with me, but she has me on standby. I told her I'll take care of her. She told me she's gonna see how everything goes when she comes back from maternity leave."

"I think she'll come work for you."

"With me." He corrects me.

"As long as you treat her right, I don't see why she wouldn't."

He smiled, his eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made my heart skip a beat. "I'm trying to treat you right."

I laughed, trying to deflect the sudden rush of emotions. "Let's not go there."

"Aight." He threw his hands up in mock surrender. "I'll lay off."

"How are you liking being back home in San Francisco?" He asks

"It's cool. I love that I have my parents close. I didn't realize I missed them as much as I did. Them being able to just pop up on me is nice. I hated it at the time but I love it now." I said, my heart warming at the thought. "Are you close with your parents?"

"I am." A smile spreads across his face. "I talk to my mom everyday. My dad not so much."

"Why?" I asked, sensing there was more to the story.
"No reason. Me and him just ain't close like that." he said with a shrug.

"Is that just with you or do you have siblings?" I probed gently.

"I'm an only child." He answers

"Me too!" I say.

"Aw, so you're spoiled, huh?" He laughed.

"I don't want to lie to you so I'll be honest. Yes, I'm spoiled." I laughed. "I can't help it. It doesn't matter how old I get, I'll always be my parents' baby and I like that."

"I know you're gonna jump down my throat but I have to say it."

"What?"

"I'm really trying to make you my baby." he said, his voice soft and sincere.

"Oh, stop!" I laughed, trying to hide the flutter in my chest.

"Did your ex spoil you?" he asked, his tone becoming more serious.

Why does he keep going back to him? I hate that I even told him what happened. I should chill because it's not his fault, he's just trying to understand my situation. "Sure." I answered curtly.

"Be honest." he coaxed gently.

"I guess you can say that. When I get home I have a whole house and car waiting for me that I didn't ask for."

"In three months?" he asked, clearly astonished.

"Yes." I say

"If you let me, I can spoil you too, if that's what you like." he offered, his tone earnest.

"No. It's not what I like. It just happened that way. I don't need all of that. You know I work and I do well for myself. I spoil myself. I don't need anyone to do it for me." I snapped, the intensity of my emotions surprising even myself.

"I know you don't need it." He says in a calm tone. "I'm sorry I didn't articulate myself well in that sense. Please forgive me. I meant no harm."

"It's fine. I'm sorry too. I shouldn't snap like that. You're just trying to get to know me." I said, feeling a wave of guilt.

"I wanna know as much as possible." he said with a reassuring smile.

I appreciated the fact that he understood what I'm dealing with at the moment. He smiled at me and winked.

"So do you travel a lot? I asked, eager to change the subject.

"Yeah, but that depends on what I'm traveling for. Pleasure or business. I do travel sometimes for business but I'm mostly based here. Now, pleasure, I go places. I like to get out of town for a weekend or so. I wouldn't mind taking some time off and flying out to California for a special someone." he said, his eyes twinkling with sincerity.

I think he's so sweet and of course cute but I just don't know about trying to entertain someone new. I feel like my actions with this previous situation were way out of character for me and I'm thinking I need some time to reflect and get myself together. I love all of this he's giving me though.

"Jeff, you're really sweet. I like that you're trying."

"I appreciate the acknowledgement. I just want to show you better than what you've been dealing with." he said, his voice filled with genuine care.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my emotions. "I appreciate that, Jeff. Really, I do."

He smiled warmly, and for a moment, the weight of my past relationship lifted. We continued to chat, exchanging stories about our childhoods and sharing our favorite travel destinations. The conversation flowed easily, and I found myself laughing more than I had in a long time.

As the evening wore on, Jeff signaled for the check. "This was really nice." he said, his eyes lingering on mine.

"Yeah, it was." I agreed, feeling a warmth in my chest that I hadn't felt in months. This was refreshing.
He stood up and offered his hand to help me out of my seat. As we walked out of the restaurant, the cool night air hit my face, refreshing and invigorating.

He drove me back to Danielle's house. The ride back was a comfortable silence. Everything was good with us but the fact that he could let me be meant a lot because I was really in my head.

We walked up to the door and I turned around to face him. I didn't get a chance to say anything before he was speaking.

"I know you're leaving soon, but I want you to know that I'm here for you, whatever you need. Even if it's just someone to talk to."

"Thank you, Jeff." I said softly, touched by his sincerity.
He smiled at me and I returned the smile. He leaned in and gave me a gentle hug. His warmth was comforting, and for a brief moment, I allowed myself to relax into his embrace.

Pulling back slightly, he looked into my eyes. "So, whatchu think about tomorrow?"

"I'll think about it, okay? Tonight was really great, and I just need a little time to process everything."

He nodded, understanding in his eyes. "Take all the time you need. Just know that I'm here. Even if you decide not to go, it's okay."

He stepped closer to me. I wasn't sure but I felt like he was about to try to kiss me. I was about to take a step back and tell him what I was feeling but I heard a voice. A very dominant and assertive voice. A certain Samoan's voice. Am I trippin? Is it in my head?

"Dates over."

*

To be continued...

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