"Bring any coffee?" Maya asked, still a little out of it.
"I got some started as soon as I walked in." Riley turned around and grabbed two cups before she poured them both coffee. "I'm surprised you didn't smell it as soon as you walked in. You usually have such a great nose for these things."
Maya shrugged and looked at Riley.
"Half a bottle of tequila can do that to you," she said and Riley rolled her eyes.
"Oh my God, you are worse than Drew. I said I am sorry and I really do mean it," she said before she faked a pout. "But I was being the friend that you were to me that day I thought Drew was cheating on me with that brunette."
"You were tripping then. You needed to get drunk," Maya said as she looked at her. "Drew would never even look at another woman … I mean look at you. You are perfect in every sense of the word."
Riley smiled and took a sip of her coffee just as Maya's phone vibrated against the counter.
"Oh my God … .just what the hell happened last night?" Maya wondered as she looked at her phone.
After talking to you last night and having to leave you in a rush this morning, I can't help but think that I owe you dinner.
That had been the text that had just come in from Kyle.
"What? What's wrong?" Riley asked.
"According to this text that just came in from Kyle, he loved talking to me," Maya said. "He wants to have dinner with me."
"Say yes!" Riley squealed excitedly.
"I don't remember talking to him. About anything," Maya said. "All I remember is him taking that guy out before he took my keys and drove me home. The next thing I know was waking up in a strait jacket."
Riley barely had enough time to reply before another text came in.
I was thinking tonight. I really do hope that works with you because I am dying to see you.
"What did he say?" Riley asked.
"He wants to have dinner tonight," Maya said in a soft voice.
"Then. Say. Yes." Riley shrugged as she took another bite of her bagel. "I really don't see what the big deal is though."
"The big deal is that I have no idea what I said last night and apparently, those words made someone want to see me again."
Riley shrugged again.
"So?" she asked and Maya shook her head.
"So? I am screwed in like seven different ways."
"Sweetie, someone saw you at your absolute worst and for some reason he still wants to see you again." She held her coffee cup in her hands and sighed loudly. "He sounds like a keeper."
Maya took a sip of her coffee just as her phone vibrated again.
The only thing keeping me sane in this meeting right now is hoping you will say yes. If it helps, I am a whizz in the kitchen.
Maya looked up and her best friend had her hands clasped together looking at her doe eyed. She took a long deep breath and began typing, letting her heart instead of her head guide her hands.
Dinner sounds great.
That was it. She could not turn back and undo anything now. She had committed herself to having dinner with a man she had known for all of five minutes.
Chapter 3
Dressing for her body was something Maya was still struggling with. Through the years, she'd had to deal with the way people looked at her as a heavy woman. Until recently, it had been a struggle to get anything to wear. Things got better when designers began making plus size wear but even then, she was still trying hard to feel comfortable in what she wore. For that evening, she had chosen a blue floral wrap around dress. She loved how good it looked on her, showing off all her curves and contours, and her perfect cleavage too. She had on a pair of black suede peep toe heels. When she finally got to his place, her heart was racing. It was not just the fact that she was nervous but also how big his place was. At the back of her mind, she could not help but wonder how many people were once there … was she doing the right thing being there? Was she moving too fast? Was Kyle the right man to take this step with?
Her mind was working harder and faster than usual. She tried taking slow long deep breaths as she pressed the doorbell. It only took a few minutes before Kyle opened the door.
"Hey you," he said in a soft voice. His eyes ran down her body and she blushed.
"Hey yourself." He was looking a little too formal for the date but she was not complaining. She looked at his fitting pants and ash grey shirt that blended perfectly with his green eyes and full brown hair. He slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her close to give her a quick hug.
"You look amazing," he whispered into her hair and she smiled.
"Thank you," she said as he pulled away. "I brought wine. I was not sure if you are more of a red or white person so I just went with red. You never really go wrong with a Merlot."
"Yeah, it's apparently a thirty dollar bottle that is made like a hundred dollar one," he pointed out and she nodded.
"I've only had it once before and I thought you might like it," she said and he smiled back at her.
"It will go perfect with the rib-eye steak I have prepared for us," he said as he ushered her into the house. As soon as they walked in, her eyes could not help but wander at the brown monochromatic indoors.
"You have a great place here," she said in a soft voice.
"Thanks."
"And big too … huge actually." They were now walking into the kitchen where she could smell the obviously well marinated steak.
"Four bedrooms," he said as he uncorked the bottle and poured two glasses of wine. He forced out a laugh. "And to think that at some point I actually thought the space wouldn't be enough."
"Why? Did you have like six kids or something?" she asked and he shook his head.
"Not six but the wife always wanted more kids," he started.
"Wait, wife?" Maya asked and he nodded. "You're married?"
He looked at her and frowned as he handed her one of the glasses.
"Divorced. Remember, I told you about this?" he asked and she shook her head. "Wow, but you seemed so coherent as we talked and … "
"My friend Riley says that I am a very sober drunk. Whatever the hell that means," Maya said, her cheeks flushing as she realized what was happening. She had actually heard that side of the story before and she didn't remember a thing.
"Damn it, Riley," she thought as she took a sip of her wine.
"Guess you took a shot too many, right?" Kyle asked and she nodded.
"I think the wine was to blame. I mean, I practically drank the whole bottle."
He smiled and shrugged.
"I know a couple of other people with the same characteristics. I can't say that this is new." He took a long sip of his wine.
"So, would it be too much to ask if you told me about your family?" she asked and he shook his head.
"You remember my name, right? Kyle McCauley?" he asked and she rolled her eyes.
"I was not that out of it," she said in a cynical tone.
"Just kidding." He took another long sip of his wine before he took a long deep breath. "When I was still a private in the military, I was married to a woman I thought I would grow old with, her name was Leila. But after doing a few tours I noticed something was a little off with her. The way she was talking to me, the way she answered my calls … everything was just too strange." He took another sip.
"What changed? What happened?" she asked as she leaned against the kitchen counter.
"One day I was on a Skype call with my daughter Ellie and she told me that her mother was out with Uncle Saul."
Maya could tell that this was a sore spot for him. He suddenly went silent and then sighed after a long minute. She wanted to ask who Saul was but she knew that he would tell her soon enough.
"Saul was my … is my cousin. More like a brother really. He used to take care of my family when I was away. I should have known that he took care of more than just the obvious," he said and she bit her lower lip. She wasn't sure what to say. She didn't want to say the wrong thing but at the same time, the atmosphere was a little too tense for her taste. The silence was killing her.
"I'm sorry," she said but he shrugged.
"I'm better without her," he said. "I mean, I miss my kids but I guess there isn't much I can do about it."
"Kids," she echoed and he nodded. He walked her to the living room and picked up one of the photos on a table. "Ellie's seven now and her brother Edgar, we call him Eddie … he is five. They were five and three when we divorced."
"And are they … your ex-wife and Saul … ." Maya started before he shook his head.
"You want to know if they are still together," he said and she nodded. "They're not. She got someone else."
"I'm sorry," she said again and he smiled.
"Don't be. I get to have my kids three days a week and I finally got the courage to ask out this girl I have been seeing at my favorite bar."
A smile played on her smile.