Your Love Is King

  His breath felt warm against my ear, and the warmth seemed to travel down my body. I looked up at his face and smiled. For some reason he seemed to grow more and more handsome as the hours passed.

  “No. Thank you. I really enjoyed it,” I said softly.

  He stood close to me and looked me in the eye. “Um, Marli? You think maybe I’ve earned a little favor from you?”

  My gaze was fixed on his blue eyes. “Earned?”

  He leaned in closer to me. “Yeah. Well, I did rescue you the other day when you were stranded at the hospital, right?”

  I nodded. “That’s right.”

  “And I dazzled you with my voice in church today...”

  “Mm-hmm.”

  “And you’ve already met almost my entire family.”

  “That’s true.”

  “So, you think maybe you could give me your number?”

  “My number?”

  He nodded and clasped his hands together. “Pretty please?”

  I tried not to smile. “Well, what if I told you I already have a man and that he’s back home waiting for me and he doesn’t like me giving my phone number out to other guys?”

  “Then I’d say that what he doesn’t like doesn’t matter to me since he was fool enough to let you come all the way to St. Louis without him.”

  “Really, now?” I said with a raised eyebrow.

  “Really. And I’d also say that it is my privilege and my duty to take you off his hands.”

  “Off his hands? You make me sound like I’m some unattended land or something.”

  “I meant to make you sound like an unguarded treasure.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Mm-hmm.”

  “Do you?”

  “Do I what?”

  “Have a man?”

  “No, I don’t. Do you have a woman?”

  “That depends on whether or not you give me your number.”

  “That’s not an answer.”

  “No, I don’t… yet.”

  I smiled despite myself. “Yet?”

  “Yet. Now, may I please have your number?”

  I sighed. “Okay, but if I give you my number, it doesn’t mean we’re anything more than friends.”

  He leaned in until his lips nearly touched mine, looked me dead in the eye, and said, “Then I’ll just have to take what I can get until I can change your mind.”

  I felt his breath against my lips and my pulse quickened. “Uh, w… what makes you think you can make me change my mind?” I asked as his eyes pierced mine.

  He backed away from me and smiled. “The fact that you wanted me to kiss you right then.”

  I put my hands on my hips. “How can you know what I want, sir? You think you can read my mind or something?”

  He kept his eyes on mine and gave me a lopsided grin. “Nope, but I can read your body. That gorgeous body of yours cannot lie. You like me—you just don’t wanna admit it.”

  I cleared my throat and rubbed my hand across my afro. I was all out of witty responses because, truthfully, I did want him to kiss me. Did he just say I had a gorgeous body?

  His eyes sparkled as his grin widened. “Number?”

  I rattled off my number to him and watched as he programmed it into his cell phone. I unlocked the front door then turned and wished Chris a good night.

  “Good night, Marli Meadows. I’ma call you. Oh, and I love a challenge.”

  “I bet you do,” I said. I entered the apartment and shut the door behind me.

  There was no sign of Carla. That’s odd. I thought I saw her car in the lot outside. I shrugged and decided that maybe she was still out somewhere with Carolyn and Ronda. After I showered and changed into my night clothes, I headed straight to bed and had no trouble falling asleep.

  ~*~

  I wasn’t sure what time Carla made it home, but when I arose the next day, she was already up and in the shower. She told me that she and the other ladies had spent the evening drinking and watching movies at Carolyn’s apartment, and when it started getting late, she’d decided to spend the night at her place. I knew she was probably lying but I didn’t want to get into another argument with her. So instead, I filled her in on my visit with Chris and his family.

  “He’s really nice. They all are. But you know, I’ve just never thought about dating outside my race,” I said.

  “Well, it’s really not as different as you think. A man is a man. Black, white, or orange,” Carla replied.

  “How would you know there’s no difference?”

  Carla smiled. “Oh, that’s right. I never told you.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “Told me what?”

  “About Steve. I messed around with him that summer I had that internship in Denver.”

  “Oh, yeah. I remember, that was the summer after your sophomore year in college.”

  She nodded. “Right.”

  “So Steve was white?”

  “Nope, Asian.”

  “Asian? You dated an Asian guy?”

  “Oh, we did more than date, my dear. A whole lot more.”

  “What?! Ooo, Carla!”

  Carla laughed. “I really liked him, you know? But he was all into his education. He wasn’t gonna let anything get in the way of that. I missed him for a long time after I got back to Arkansas.”

  “Hey, weren’t you and Bryan together back then, too?”

  She raised her eyebrows. “Well, yeah, and I figured what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. I mean, it’s not like we were married back then.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Lord help you, Carla.”

  “Anyway, I said all that to say this: I think you should give the guy a chance. It ain’t like you been strutting around here with Morris Chestnut or somebody.”

  “Wow, thanks, Carla.”

  “Look, I’m just being real with you. He’s fine as hell—he’s got this Brad Pitt kind of thing going on except he’s got much more swagger. He sounds black, his family’s black; hell, he even walks like a black man. It’s like you get the best of both worlds. I don’t see a problem.”

  “Carla, I’m being serious.”

  “Okay, let’s get to the important stuff then. He’s employed, got a nice ride, and he likes you. I say go for it. Shoot, if it was me, I’d be all over that. Besides, what do you have to lose?”

  “Not a thing.”

  Eleven

  “Every Word”

  True to his word, Chris called me that afternoon shortly before I left for work. We talked for a few minutes and made plans for him to call me later on, during my break. I was happy to hear his voice, and I looked forward to talking to him again. I liked Chris, but then again, he was a hard person to dislike.

  Work started out a little slower than usual. I was there for almost an hour before my first patient arrived—a ten-year old who’d been hit in the eye with a baseball during a little league game. I took his history and checked his vital signs, and by the time I made it back to the nurses’ station to chart, there had been an influx of patients. The ER was so busy that I missed Chris’s call and wasn’t able to take my break until much later than usual.

  When things finally slowed down, I headed outside, sat on a bench, and dialed Chris’s number, hoping that he was still awake.

  “Hello?” answered his familiar voice.

  I smiled. “Hey, it’s Marli. Sorry I missed your call earlier. It’s been a zoo here tonight.”

  “Yeah, I figured. Glad you called me back, though. Where are you? In the cafeteria?”

  “No, I’m outside the ER. I needed some air.”

  “They’re working you hard tonight, huh?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, they are. I was afraid I’d wake you up. Had you gone to bed yet?”

  “No, not yet.”

  “What are you doing, then?”

  “Besides talking to you?”

  I laughed. “Yes, besides talking to me.”

  “Well, right now I’m walking out the doors of the ER lobby, headed your way.”
br />   “What?”

  I felt a tap on my shoulder and nearly dropped my phone when I saw Chris standing next to me, holding a single yellow rose. He was smiling widely as he lowered his phone from his ear, took a seat next to me on the bench, and handed me the rose.

  “Surprised?” he asked.

  “Well, yeah. How long have you been here?”

  “I’ve been here a couple of hours hanging out in the canteen. If you hadn’t called me back, I was gonna fake chest pains so I could get back there to see you.”

  I laughed. “Now why would you go to all that trouble just to see me?”

  “Because you’re special, Ms. Marli, and I missed you.”

  I shook my head. “Chris, you don’t even know me. How can you say you missed me?”

  “Okay, since you’re all hung up on the fact that I don’t know you, how long is your break?”

  I checked my watch. “Another fifteen minutes.”

  “All right, tell me five things about you. When you’re finished, I’ll tell you five about me.”

  I sighed. “Okay, um, I’m thirty-three, I have one half-sister. I have an eighteen-year-old daughter, Tiffany. I was married once, and my favorite color is fuchsia.”

  He nodded. “Well, I’m thirty. I have a son, Russell, who’s eight now. Never been married. I was in the marching band in college and, uh, my favorite color is brown.”

  “I bet it is,” I said under my breath.

  Chris grinned. “What was that?”

  I shook my head. “Oh, nothing. Does your son live here in St. Louis?”

  “Um, I don’t know. It’s kind of a long, complicated story. Too long for fifteen minutes.”

  “Actually, it’s more like twelve minutes now.”

  “Okay, where’s your daughter?”

  “In Atlanta, at Spelman.”

  “That’s good. Great school.”

  “What school were you in the band at?”

  “Grambling.”

  “You went to Grambling?”

  “Yep, on a minority scholarship.”

  “Get out of here! Are you serious?”

  He nodded. “Dead serious. Still go visit for homecoming.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “Wow, you never cease to amaze me, Mr. King.”

  He leaned closer to me. “And I’m just getting warmed up, Ms. Meadows. You have no idea the things I can show you.”

  I smiled and looked away from him. I could feel my cheeks heating up. “Um… were you telling the truth before? You’ve really never dated a white girl?”

  “The truth and nothing but the truth.”

  “Why?”

  He shrugged. “Just my preference. I love black women. Always have.”

  “I see.”

  “Mm-hmm. So, what’s your favorite thing in the world?” he asked.

  “That’s easy. Music.”

  He smiled. “I love music, too. It’s good we have that in common. Are you a musician yourself?”

  I laughed. “Not unless you count playing the clarinet in junior high school. I wish I was one, though.”

  “Maybe I could teach you one day.”

  “Trumpet?”

  “Or piano or guitar.”

  “You play those, too?”

  “Yep.”

  “Okay. Well, maybe so, then.”

  He smiled and nodded. “I’d be glad to. Who’s your favorite singer?”

  “Sade. Yours?”

  “His purple majesty, himself. Prince!”

  I laughed. “Ah, so you’re a Prince fan, huh?”

  “Always. The man knows how to get his point across, you know? You ever listened to ‘Adore’? The man is talking some serious stuff. By the end of that song, you feel like he took you to church!”

  I grinned. “I’ll have to listen to that one again.”

  “Yeah, you should do that. So, what’s your least favorite thing?”

  I thought for a moment. “Hmm, people who lie. I hate being lied to. That really gets on my nerves.”

  “Okay, I’ll remember that. Not that I’m in the business of lying, anyway.”

  “Good to know. What about you?”

  “My least favorite thing? I guess that would be sleeping alone.”

  I smiled. “Hmm, I see. Do you sleep with a teddy bear or something?”

  He looked me in the eye. “No, I don’t.”

  “So what do you do?”

  “I hug my pillow real tight and pretend it’s you.”

  I wrinkled my brow. “Um, is that a come-on, Mr. King?”

  He licked his lips and shook his head. “Unh-uh. It’s the truth. Ever since we met, I’ve imagined what it would feel like to hold you and touch you.”

  He leaned closer, and once again, I could feel his warm breath on my lips. I raised my hand to my chest, trying to hide its rapid rise and fall.

  “R… really?”

  He nodded. “Really. You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life,” he whispered.

  I dropped my eyes, suddenly feeling shy. “Um, th… thank you.”

  He moved his head and kissed me on the cheek. I released the breath I’d been holding.

  He stood and reached for my hand. “Come on, let me walk you back inside before I get you in trouble.” That statement definitely had a double meaning.

  He walked me to the employee entrance and kissed my hand, then he pointed to the rose he’d given me. “That’s a friendship rose, or at least that’s what the florist said. The next time I give you a rose it won’t be yellow.”

  “How do you know there’ll be a next time?”

  “Oh, there will be. I can guarantee it.”

  I shook my head and smiled. He had enough confidence for the both of us. “Okay, so what color will the next rose be?”

  He smiled. “You’ll see when I give it to you. Good night, Marli.”

  I watched as he turned and walked away. “Good night, Chris,” I whispered.

  ~*~

  Tuesday brought a day of much needed sleep and another hectic night of work. This time, I managed to take my break at the regular time and spent every minute of it talking on the phone to Chris, as I did my lunch and my second break. Somehow, we never ran out of things to talk about—and the more I learned about him, the more I liked him. He told me he had a degree in music education and had been with The St. Louis Kingsmen as a founding member and manager for five years. The band, which consisted mostly of some high school buddies of his, travelled all over the country, but their largest following was at home in St. Louis. Before the formation of The St. Louis Kingsmen, he taught music at a high school.

  He was both intelligent and smooth. He loved to talk but was also a very attentive listener. When he told me the band would be leaving for Memphis on that Wednesday, I can honestly say that I hated for him to go. I knew I’d miss him, but he assured me he’d be back by that Friday night. We made plans to see each other on Saturday.

  Wednesday and Thursday were my off nights for the week, and I looked forward to watching a movie with Carla or just hanging around the apartment with her and catching up.

  Evidently, Carla had different plans. By the time I crawled out of bed late Wednesday morning, she was already gone. The only trace of her was a note informing me that she’d be back in time for work Friday night. I knew she couldn’t be with Quinton since he was on the road with Chris. God only knew where she was or who she was with. I decided I wouldn’t confront her about her behavior anymore, realizing that it would only alienate her and put her on the defensive. I just prayed for her safety and hoped she’d eventually come to herself.

  I guess it’s just me, I thought. I ended up spending the evening listening to music. I listened to “Adore” by Prince about six times before finally drifting off to sleep on the couch. Around 1:00 A.M., I was awakened by the ringing of my cell phone.

  I sat up on the couch and answered with a nervous, groggy, “Hello?” I hadn’t had the presence of mind to check the caller ID. I hoped n
othing had happened to Tiffany or Carla.