Being around him made me hyperaware of everything, including the physical attraction that got us in this situation in the first place. I couldn't remember the first time we met, but I imagined he probably made me feel similarly to how I did as we stood talking today. He's just one of those guys who could melt the panties right off a woman just by casting the right look her way.
Hell … I should know.
He'd done it to me before.
Chapter Ten
Brynn
‘Are you up for an evening walk?'
The text from Naseem came in just as I started the dishwasher. Resting my hip against the edge of the counter, I responded. ‘Sure, when will you be here?'
In the time it took him to respond, my eyes shifted to the black and white images Marco and I were just given at my appointment earlier in the day. I mounted them on the fridge as soon as I got home and now, staring at them, I smiled. Today had been a good day. One of the best I had in a while. Mostly, it was because the appointment went so well, but that wasn't all. At the thought, I still felt the lingering sensation of his skin touching mine, of those eyes penetrating deep. When his words fluttered back into my conscious thoughts, I couldn't help it-I was cheesing pretty hard.
‘In a minute, actually. I'm in the area,' Naseem finally answered.
I laughed and went to the door to throw on a pair of shoes after letting him know I was game.
Lately, he and I felt a lot more like ourselves; like who we were before things became complicated. We were talking a little more since the Saturday he stopped by to clear the air, but we hadn't hung out. This would be the first time.
I was hopeful that time seemed to be restoring our friendship. That didn't mean I wasn't cautious, though. I made it a point not to bring up Marco's name in Naseem's presence, just out of consideration. Because he'd made his feelings so clear, the least I could do was respect them.
There never seemed to be a right time to discuss the kiss; or maybe there had been a right time and I just didn't know what to say. The timing of it was what stumped me. That and the way it teetered on the border of innocent and … not so innocent. I didn't want to make a bigger deal out of it than necessary. It wasn't like he tongued me down or anything like that, but it was definitely beyond a friendly peck. So, unless it became too hard to ignore, I decided not to bring it up.
My bell rang and I answered quickly because I was standing right beside the door. Naseem smiled and so did I as I stepped out onto the porch. It was still pretty warm out, so I didn't put anything over the t-shirt I'd been wearing around the house. My stomach was slightly rounded underneath the gray cotton and I was trying to get used to not being able to hide it as well as I could in the beginning. A loose-fitting blouse or dress still did the trick when I had to dress for work, but when I wore things like this, I could count on people noticing.
It had gotten to the point where I could no longer hold my stomach in like I was accustomed to doing-a self-conscious habit I picked up when I first started putting on weight in my mid-teens. Naseem glanced down and I was very much aware of his eyes on my bump. He quickly averted them back to my face, but I believe he knew he was caught.
I smiled at him to break up some of the tension. "No, your eyes aren't deceiving you," I teased.
He smiled back, but it was a dim one that seemed to fade quickly. "I um … I just didn't realize you'd be able to tell so soon."
I stepped down from the porch and onto the walkway as I responded. "Just depends on what I wear."
For now, anyway. Soon, it wouldn't matter what I had on.
Naseem was quiet, keeping his hands tucked inside the pockets of his jeans as we took slow steps, side by side.
"I'm glad you called," I admitted, cutting into the silence. "This is much better than grading papers."
He lightened up a bit and I watched the corners of his mouth curve into a smile as we distanced ourselves from my house.
"This won't be too much for you, will it? Is it a bad idea with the dizziness you've had?"
I shook my head. "No, I feel fine today. Walking is good for me."
He gave a slow nod. "You had an appointment today, didn't you?"
I glanced over, surprised he remembered. "Uh … yeah, actually; an ultrasound."
Once again, I recalled how things went earlier that morning and my natural train of thought led me back to Marco. I didn't expect him to be excited, but there was no other word for it. He was really starting to embrace this situation and, honestly? It made things a whole lot less stressful on me-knowing he planned to be supportive, knowing he planned to co-parent.
"I know you were on the fence about finding out the sex," Naseem commented, bringing me out of my thoughts. "Did you decide to wait until the delivery, or … "
A warm rush flooded my cheeks at the thought of all the pink I'd be able to buy soon. "Actually, no," I said with a smile. " … It's a girl."
The corner of his mouth tugged up again. It was a smile, but … not. There was sadness behind the expression and it transferred to me.
"That's awesome," he said thoughtfully, doing a good job of faking excitement, but I still saw through it and it made me uncomfortable.
"Yeah, I was pretty stoked," was all I said back.
We took several steps in silence before Naseem spoke again. "I hate the idea of you having to go to these appointments alone. If you ever, you know, need someone to take you," he said, stammering just a little. "I'd be more than happy to get you there."
His offer was sweet, a true testament to the kind of guy he was. However, his offer also meant that I now had to turn him down because Marco had plans to be at all future appointments. Naseem wouldn't have known this because, like I said, I never brought Marco up to him, which meant he had no clue how much progress Marco and I had made in our friendship over the last month.
I took a breath and weighed my words very carefully before speaking. "I really umm … I appreciate that," I said with a smile. "But … " The words got stuck; more specifically, Marco's name got stuck.
Naseem's eyes drifted toward me when I stopped midsentence. We turned the corner onto a street that was just as quiet as my own. It only took a few seconds, but he figured it out, figured out what it was I couldn't bring myself to say. The moment it dawned on him was punctuated by his gaze shifting to the pavement beneath our feet.
"The guy … he goes to appointments with you," he finally said. It wasn't worded as a question, but rather a statement as the pieces fell into place for him. "I apologize. I … It didn't dawn on me that he was even in the picture."
I took a breath and focused ahead. "His name's Marco, and he's not … in the picture, in the picture," I explained, making it clear that he and I were merely moving toward friendship and nothing more. "But he does plan to be present for all baby-related things."
Naseem nodded casually, soaking in the details I divulged. "So … he's a nice guy?" he asked next, glancing over as his hands slipped inside his pockets.
I thought back on the last few encounters I had with Marco, all of which were pleasant. He was always polite, very considerate, so I nodded to answer Naseem's question. "Yeah, from what I can tell."
Another vague nod.
The sun began to disappear behind the one and two-story houses lining my neighborhood.
"What's he do for a living?" came another question out the blue. Here I was, trying not to talk too much about Marco in Naseem's presence, but he couldn't seem to stop asking questions.
"He's a tattoo artist. Well … he owns the shop, rather," I corrected. "And he has a few rental properties around Houston, too."
There was surprisingly no animosity lacing these inquiries. In the past, when I dated guys and Naseem knew about it, he'd grill me just like this. The memory made me smile when it came to mind. He always cared about me.
Always.
"Does he have other kids?"
Now I laughed out loud. "You know what?" I cut in. "My father, God rest his soul, would be very pleased with what you're doing right now."
He smiled more easily now than when our conversation first began. "There's a thorough screening process," Naseem teased. "Someone has to make sure this guy's decent."
As difficult as I knew this must've been for him, I appreciated the effort to be the friend I needed right now. Stepping closer, I bumped Naseem with my elbow and he nudged me back gently.
It was so typical of him to be perfect even in a less than perfect situation.
A protective arm went around my shoulder and I leaned into his side. For the first time since our initial talk, I had hope that we could find our way back to normal. The simplistic friendship we carved out years ago was still buried somewhere beneath all the distractions.