Page 14 of I Changed for You
I agreed with a nod. “Yes, it’s too much.” My stomach growled, causing me to shift in my seat. I wondered if Melijahhad heard it too. “Now I’m hungry, but I’m scared to eat. I’ll probably vomit. I want a croissant though.”
“I’m not trying to tell you what to do, but maybe you should eat something. If you want a croissant, I’ll get it for you,” he stated.
I frowned and reached for my purse to get my wallet. “No, thank you. I’ll get it.”
Melijah dropped his head and sighed deeply. That caused me to look over at him with one of my eyebrows lifted.
“I get it, okay...” He shook his head and tried again. “I’m lying, I don’t. We’re still strangers to each other, but I want to do my part.”
I continued to stare at him and bit the inside of my jaw. For so long, I had been accustomed to doing things on my own. Plus, it had been a while since a man had wanted to do something for me without wanting something in return. Even when I was in relationships, it was hard to accept help. Melijah and I weren’t in a relationship, but he was the father of my baby. I could remember the way he talked to me at Skylar’s party. He took no shit and didn’t allow me to speak to him in any way. I didn’t want to test him.
It wouldn’t be bad if he were to pay for my food. I didn’t want to seem like a hard ass. “Okay, fine. I want the steak, egg, and cheese croissant. Get two with an orange juice.”
Melijah nodded once before he got up to order my food.
While he did that, I pulled my cell phone out of my purse to check my notifications. I had a text from Erika, wanting us to sit down and talk. I was all for that until she started being controlling and pushy. I would love to have a sisterly bond with my sisters. Sometimes they did too much though. I got that they were older, but I was grown and not that much younger than them. While growing up, I knew they had to look out for me, but shouldn’t they be like me? With the parents we had, messingup wasn’t an option. If we even thought of making a mistake, our parents would have a fit. They wanted us to be perfect, but that wasn’t me. My sisters tried to live up to their expectations, but I couldn’t. People with wealth often thought they were above those who didn’t have it all.
Melijah came back to reclaim his seat. “They’ll bring your order out soon.”
I nodded, placing my phone down on the table. While we waited for the food, it got awkward, which was something I didn’t want. My head had been so messed up since talking to my parents. Now my sisters wanted to talk to me, and there was no telling how that would turn out.
“Wassup, man? You’re quiet when I know you got a whole lot of mouth. Why are you acting like you’re shy?”
I lifted my head and stared at him. He licked them sexy lips of his. “I’m not acting like I’m shy. With the career I have, I can’t be shy.” I smiled a little.
“Oh yeah? What do you do?”
“I’m a lawyer.” I used to be able to say that and take pride in it, but now it no longer moves me. “What about you?”
Melijah smirked. “I own a car wash and am in the process of opening another one. Damn, a lawyer though? What kind of lawyer are you?”
“Oh, nice! Just to let you know, I’ll be at your car wash, getting my car washed for free.” We shared a laugh. “As for me, I’m a family and divorce lawyer.”
Before he could say anything else, the server set the food down in front of me. I smiled my thanks.
“Does everything look okay to you?” she asked.
I nodded, staring down at my food. As I looked at it, my mouth watered for a whole different reason. I didn’t want to throw up. I reached for the orange juice and took a sip.
“How old were you when you bought your first car wash?” I asked Melijah.
“On my twenty-sixth birthday, I purchased the land for it. I saved up for years. Since I was a teenager, I washed vehicles for money. After that, I started doing car detailing, which earned me much more. I started my own business at a young age and have built my client list over the years. Now, the same people come to me to get their cars detailed. I want to have my next car wash before my thirty-first birthday.”
I nodded. “Oh, cool. At least you’re doing something you love.”
He frowned. “Do you not like being a lawyer?”
I averted my eyes from him and shrugged. “It has its moments.” I sighed. “I’m starting to hate it though,” I admitted. “My parents wanted my sisters and me to be lawyers, so we followed in their footsteps. Now I just want to do my own thing. Even with me working with my friends, my family still tries to interfere in what I have going on, and it’s tiring.”
I hadn’t admitted that to anyone before. However, with Melijah, I felt like I could tell him anything, and he wouldn’t judge me.
“Sometimes you have to do what’s right for you. You can’t live your life trying to please other people. When you do, you’ll hate the way you live. Is that what’s happening now?”
He’d hit the nail on the head with that one. I didn’t know what to say in response, so I said nothing.
I dug in my purse and pulled out my hand sanitizer to clean my hands. I stared down at the sandwich again and frowned as my stomach rumbled.
“Is something wrong with the sandwich?” Melijah asked.
