Page 21 of Love, Restricted
“Nah, don’t be.” He winked, then continued eating.
We quietly stole glances at each other as we ate. Mabel came by and checked on us, but other than that, nothing else was said.The food was so good I didn’t want to talk anyway. Ms. Mabel would see me more often in the future.
Once we were done and Kairo settled the bill, Ms. Mabel gave us both to-go plates, and we left.
“That was so good. Thank you for inviting me because I didn’t know what I was going to eat for dinner,” I told Kairo as we rode back to my house. I was so full I had to rub my stomach and put my head back on the seat.
“You’re welcome. Thank you for coming.”
My eyes were closed, but I wanted to hear Kairo’s voice, so I struck up a conversation.
“What’s your favorite way to spend a free day?” I asked, then opened my eyes.
Kairo glanced my way, then back at the road.
“Probably spending time with my family. In a relationship, it would be spending time with my partner. What about you?”
“Before I moved, I would have said the same or spending time with my best friend. She and I used to go skating all of the time. We hadn’t in a while though. Now, it would probably be walking my dog or binge-watchingLiving Single.”
“I can see that. My sister made me watch all five seasons damn near, back-to-back. Why haven’t you skated?”
I noticed how his entire face lit up whenever he mentioned his siblings, especially his sister. I could tell they meant a lot to him.
“Oh, I like her, and I really don’t know. I guess work kind of got in the way.”
“My sister would like you too. Maybe you can find some time to skate again.”
“Maybe.”
I assumed I would meet his siblings at the summer bash. Other than that, I didn’t see how else I would meet her unless she came to the station.
We talked more until we arrived at my apartment building. I thought Kairo would just let me out and go on his way, but that wasn’t what happened.
He ended up walking me to my door.
The hallway was empty except for the two of us. Kairo stood really close to me. I almost jumped when he reached up and cupped the side of my face. The air shifted when he leaned in close and kissed me lightly on the lips. I closed my eyes and savored the feel of his soft lips. He didn’t do too much. There was no tongue, and his hand never left the side of my face, but it was enough for me to dream about it later.
Kairo pulled back after a few seconds, but he was still right in my face.
“Would you be open to going on a date with me?”
Our faces were so close I could feel his breath every single time he exhaled.
“Yes, I would be.”
To me, it was harmless to go on one date. If we went and enjoyed it, we could do it again. If we didn’t, there would be no hard feelings. I would continue to do my job like I had been.
Kairo kissed me again and smiled with his lips against mine.
“Good. I know you need to get inside and check on your baby, so I’ll let you go.” Another kiss. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
This time, he removed his hand from my face.
“I’ll see you in the morning, Kairo.” I pulled my keys out of my bag and opened the door.
I gave Kairo one last look and stepped inside of my apartment. My heart felt like it was going to explode as I took my shoes off.
As soon as I got comfortable, I called Chanel and told her all about Kairo, and of course, she was happy for me. We talked for a while and even went through some outfit options, even though I didn’t know when or where he was taking me.
