Page 21 of The Heart of a Capricorn
Lyric rolled over and got back on her side of the bed.
“What if we just enjoy the moment?”
Not going to lie; that shit hurt my feelings, but I played it cool.
“Cool.”
There was nothing else for me to say. I thought we were building our connection, and it was the start of something new, but Lyric had other plans. She just shitted on my feelings and didn’t seem to give a fuck about it. She turned her back, and seconds later, her light snores filled the room.
I couldn’t go to sleep, because my mind buzzed with not being able to pursue anything with her. I wasn’t trying to scare her off, but it seemed as though I did.
I didn’t fight for my last relationship, but shit would be different this time. My ex, Kelly, complained a lot about my schedule, and I didn’t do enough to assure her of her position in my life. I could have made better arrangements to spend time with her, even when I was working.
With Lyric, things would be different. I would fly her out with me, if I had to, in order for us to spend time together. From what I knew about her job, she didn’t always have to be in the office.As long as she had an internet connection, she could work from anywhere. If I had to take fewer assignments to spend time with her, I would do that, too. I was ready to settle down and start a family. Lyric was the woman I saw having that future with, and I was determined to make it happen.
I wokeup before my alarm could go off, and my thoughts raced from the moment I opened my eyes.
Two days had passed since I last saw Chauncey. I wasn’t sure of what he had been doing, but I was busy at work. I was also trying to avoid him.
When he mentioned seeing each other once we were back home, I got nervous. I wasn’t ready to talk about the future. My feelings were still strong for Brice, but I’d be lying if I said my feelings were getting stronger for Chauncey. That man made me feel things I hadn’t felt in a long time. I was scared of the what-ifs, though. I could control most things in my life, but I couldn’t control what happened to others. Chauncey’s job wasn’t extremely dangerous, but there were still some concerns. Beingan air marshal came with its own set of problems. Not only could the plane have issues, but the people I was sure he had to deal with could be dangerous too. I didn’t want to think about the things that could happen to him. It was best if I didn’t get too close to him, but it was becoming too late for that. This man had been invading my thoughts since the night at the bar.
He was easy to talk to and so damn easy on the eyes. I was the most comfortable with him than I’d been with anyone.
To quiet my mind, I did a few crossword puzzles in one of my books while I played my favorite R&B station on my phone. That didn’t work for me either, so I got out of bed and did some Tai Chi. It helped a little, but I still had this anxiousness running through me. I took a shower in hopes that it would help, but it wasn’t enough.
“Ugh.” I plopped down on the side of the bed with a towel wrapped around me. I needed to get my head together before I left for the office.
The music cut off when a call came through. I picked it up and answered before it rang again. I knew it was either my mother or my best friend, Katrina.
“Hello.”
“Hey, friend. What’s going on?” Katrina asked.
I got back in bed and leaned against the headboard. I turned the television on for some background noise.
I sighed. “Nothing. Been thinking about avoiding Chauncey for the duration of his trip. However long that is.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Because he asked about us spending time once we left here, and I got scared.”
I considered lying to her, but I knew she would offer sound advice. Maybe talking to her would get me out of my head.
“Girl. It’s not like he asked to marry you. You could use someone that could keep you from working yourself into anearly grave. I get it, though, but don’t deprive yourself of some fun. You already know how I feel about you working so much.”
Katrina got on me often about working so much and not taking the time to relax. It was hard for me, but it didn’t stop her from fussing. There had been a couple of times that she and Ciara conspired against me and forced me to take a day off. I hated it at the time, but at the end of the day, I appreciated them for it.
“I know,” I whined.
“You lucky I don’t have time to curse you out like I want. Enjoy the man while you can and let things happen the way they are supposed to.”
“I’ll try. That’s not all, though.”
“What else is there?”
I rolled my head from side to side and inhaled.
“He’s an air marshal.”
