Page 6 of The Heart of a Capricorn
“I know, but I’m looking out for a friend. Do you mind if we catch up?”
I wasn’t sure if it was me or not, but it felt like every word that came out of Chauncey’s mouth was sexual.
He asked to catch up, and in my mind, I heard can we fuck. I had to be tripping.
I cleared the lump in my throat. “I don’t mind at all.”
“I wasn’t surprised to see you sitting alone instead of being with your coworkers. I know how much you valued your alone time, and I’m sure that hasn’t changed.”
“It didn’t. In fact, I value it even more because of how much I work. And if I recall, you were the same way.”
The waitress had returned with my strawberry daiquiri and Chauncey’s bourbon neat. I had a busy day the next day, so Iwasn’t trying to drink anything too strong. A daiquiri was strong enough to relax me but not make me drunk. Since I had finished my food, she took my plate and told us to let her know if we needed anything.
“I was, and still am, but all work and no play ain’t fun.” He winked and smirked.
“I play sometimes.”
He didn’t need to know that the only playing I did was crossword puzzles and tai chi. I hadn’t been in a relationship in over a year, and it had been months since the last time I had sex. My goals were too important to me to mess around with a person who couldn’t respect that. Once a person showed me who they were, I left them alone and acted as if they never existed. People often thought I was mean, but I wasn’t. I just didn’t tolerate bullshit from anyone. I didn’t care who they were.
Chauncey put his cup to his mouth and took a slow swig. His eyes were on me the whole time. The air sizzled around us like static. Under the table, I squeezed my legs together. The leather leggings I had on felt like they had gotten tighter. It was a good thing I had taken my jacket off, because it felt like someone had turned up the heat.
“Remember how we used to study together? We didn’t need to talk, just being around each other was enough.”
“I do remember.”
There were multiple occasions when Chauncey and I would be in one of our dorm rooms or at the library, studying together. We weren’t big talkers, but we enjoyed each other’s company. It was comforting to me just to have him around.
“I really am glad to see you in the tech world doing your thing. I always knew you would be in the position you are in now, if not owning the company yourself.”
I smiled because Chauncey was one of the few men who encouraged and supported my decision to go into tech. A lot ofmen felt like women didn’t belong there, and women like Ciara, the women on our team, and I proved them wrong.
“I thought about starting my own company at one point because I had to fight tooth and nail at my previous company with the men. Everything changed when I met Ciara. She was a godsend, and I could never thank her enough for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to work for her.”
“I don’t have to know the ins and outs to know you deserve it all. That was one of the things I admired about you. Your ambition to go after what you wanted.”
“Thank you.” Heat crept up my neck to my cheeks.
Not much had changed about Chauncey over the years. He was still the same charmer that he was in college. He still seemed to be a hard worker and goal oriented. The only thing that I noticed so far was his confidence. Chauncey had always been confident in a sense, but it seemed like he walked and sat with his chest poked out. Like he knew he was the shit, but not in a way that he thought he was better than others. Some of the people we went to school with ended up doing something different with their lives, so it was refreshing knowing that Chauncey was living his dream.
The waitress had stopped by our table and asked if we wanted another drink. Three drinks were my limit, so I told her yes, and Chauncey got himself another one as well.
We talked some more about our college years as we waited.
Chauncey’s eyes shot to my breasts when I put my hand over my chest and laughed at something he said, and I felt butterflies in my stomach.
All night, he only took his eyes off me to speak to the waitress. Other than that, he didn’t look around the room, not one time. It was like he only had eyes for me.
I wasn’t sure when my coworkers left, but they were long gone. Before I knew it, it was one in the morning, and I needed to go to bed.
“I can’t believe we talked this long.” I looked at my watch.
“Me either. I’m sorry for keeping you out so late. I know you have work to do.”
I pushed a few strands of hair behind my ear and blushed. I had been doing a lot of that during the night. Chauncey made me feel giddy inside. I couldn’t wait to get back to my room, because my panties were ruined.
“It’s okay. I enjoyed catching up with you.”
“Same. Let me walk you to your room.” Chauncey stood, then held his hand out for me.
