Page 25 of Guarding Our Love
“Did you cook?” I asked as I got comfortable in the seat.
“I did.” Calil winked, walked over to the counter, and grabbed the two plates on top.
After putting one in front of me, he sat across from me and poured each of us a glass of wine.
“What is this exactly?” I asked after he blessed the food.
“Smoked salmon pasta with crispy capers.”
“Sounds fancy,” I teased.
I twirled a little of the pasta on my fork and stuck it in my mouth. I moaned a little at the robust flavor of the smoked salmon, but I was pleasantly surprised by how good it tasted.
“Just a little something I picked up. Being on the road and eating out all the time wasn’t good for my health, so I learned how to cook different things over the years.”
“That’s good. This is good.”
“Thank you.”
We ate silently for a few minutes before I decided to open up and tell him what had been going on in my life.
“The day you saw me crying, I had just found out my husband cheated on me. When we got the chance to talk about it, I found out it was multiple women.”
Calil dropped his fork and looked up at me. His eyes held a look that I couldn’t decipher. I didn’t know if it was pity, sorry, or regret.
“Damn, Sloan. I didn’t expect that. I noticed you didn’t have your ring on, but I didn’t want to say anything.” He reached across the table and grabbed my hand. “Are you okay? Like, for real? It’s okay if you aren’t, and you don’t have to pretend to be for my sake.”
He rubbed the back of my hand with his thumb, and tears fell rapidly down my face. Calil jumped up from his seat and came around to my side of the table. He turned me around and wrapped his arms around me. The more he held me and rubbed my back, the more I cried.
I didn’t know how much time had passed before Calil released me, but I hated I cried the way I did. I thought I was okay, but I wasn’t. I still couldn’t get over the fact that my husband cheated on me.
“I’m sorry,” I apologized as I wiped my face.
“Don’t be.” Calil kneeled on the floor in front of me and wiped my face with his hands. “That’s his loss, Sloan. Trust me, I know. I also want you to know that I will give you time, but one day, you’ll be mine again. Believe that.” He leaned forward and kissed my forehead.
The rest of the food had been forgotten about, and I was drained from all that crying. I did not expect the night to run out like that.
“How about we go to the living room and talk about something more exciting and sip some wine? That sounds good to you?”
I nodded.
Calil grabbed my hand and helped me up from the chair. Before walking out of the kitchen, he picked up the bottle of wine and his glass. I grabbed mine and let him lead me into the living room. We got settled on the couch, and Calil poured more wine.
“What else do you do besides play basketball? Like, what’s a day like for you when you are home?”
Calil chuckled. “Hell, I couldn’t tell you the last time I did something other than basketball. I spend time with my family, but that’s about it. When I’m home, I like to relax. I enjoy having my grandfather here, so I could just go to the other side of the house to see him. My parents come over sometimes, and weusually just chill, maybe watch some movies and play games. I’m married to the game, so she gets all of my time.”
“Do you not have hobbies or anything? You have to do something for fun.”
“Not really. Basketball takes up so much time in my life that I don’t have time for hobbies.”
I loved what I did, but I couldn’t imagine not having time to do anything else. Maybe Calil was content with spending time with his family during his downtime, and that was okay. If I didn’t have the boys, I wouldn’t know what I would do with myself.
“All work and no play, huh?”
Calil chuckled again. “Nah, I make time to play, but it’s not often. The shit gets old after a while anyway.”
A weird feeling filled my stomach. I knew what Calil was talking about, and for some reason, it bothered me. He wasn’t my man and nowhere close to being my man, so I didn’t know why I was upset. I didn’t let him see it, though.
