After a long tug of war with Amazon, Love Unbroken is now free! I did a lot of updating to it and now you can enjoy it for free on both Amazon and iTunes! How awesome is that?
As a thank you, I'd like to publish the first chapter of the book! It's been changed due to rewrites, so I hope you enjoy the new version!
“Good
morning, beautiful,”
Ahmad Dawson said to his waking girlfriend as he planted soft kisses on her
cheeks and temples. Camille Anderson slowly opened her eyes and gazed up at
him. Her eyes looked over his face, admiring his strong jaw line and his sexy
goatee that framed his full lips. His light brown eyes gazed back into hers,
completely filled with love and compassion.
She
loved waking up to him feeling loved and wanted. It was these moments that she
lived for and cherished greatly. She wondered how her life would be if she
didn’t meet him two years ago.
She
could remember that day as if it was yesterday. “Please remind me why we’re
going all the way across town to work out when there’s a gym on campus?” Camille
complained as she followed behind her best friend Selina to her car. Selina
tossed her dark hair into a messy ponytail and rolled her eyes.
“Geez, Cam,
it’s my birthday. Can’t we just do something spontaneous for once?” she
replied, adjusting her gym bag on her shoulder. Camille exhaled loudly. The
only reason why she was up at the crack of dawn with Selina was because
of her birthday. She stayed up almost all night studying the night before and
the lack of sleep was starting to take a toll on her.
After
the annoying battle with morning traffic, the women finally crossed the parking
lot and entered the doors of Legendary Fitness. Camille looked around,
completely unimpressed. There was nothing spectacular about the gym, which made
her assume that they were there simply because Selina had her eye on someone
who either worked here or worked out here. She glanced over at Selina who was
checking her lip gloss in a compact mirror. “I don’t even know why I agreed to
this. Can we get to yoga, please? I need to get back home and get a few hours
of sleep before class,” Camille huffed, grabbing Selina by the arm.
Both
women stopped in their tracks when they saw him. A man standing at
six-foot-seven stood a few feet away from them, talking to another member of
the gym. Camille stared at him in awe. Never in her life had she seen such a
beautiful specimen of a man. Her stomach clenched with need when his eyes
turned in their direction. “Who is that?” Camille whispered, completely unaware
of the fact that she was tightening her grip on Selina’s arm.
“Ow,
you’re cutting off my circulation,” Selina winced, pulling her arm from
Camille’s grasp. “And that’s Ahmad, the man that will soon be mine,” she
boasted, smoothing her hand over her hair as the man approached them.
Camille
was paying no attention to what Selina said. Her eyes were drawn to his chest,
which was beautifully molded in the Under Armour compression shirt that he
wore, showing off all of his chiseled muscles. She felt her breath catch in her
throat as he came to a stop in front of them. “Good morning, ladies. Welcome to
Legendary Fitness,” he smiled. Camille just stared at him, quickly becoming
lost in his beautiful light brown eyes.
“Hi,
Ahmad. This is my friend, Camille. I figured that starting my birthday with a
yoga class would put me on a good path for the rest of the day,” she flirted,
moving a little closer to him.
Ahmad
gave her a small smile. “Well, happy birthday. And nice to meet you, Camille,”
he said, turning his gaze back to the speechless beauty that was standing in
front of him.
Ahmad
had seen the other woman a few times in the gym and was no more attracted to
her then than he was the first few times he saw her. Her friend was a
completely different story. Although she didn’t verbally speak to him, her eyes
spoke everything that he needed to know. He could see that she was curious
about him as well as attracted to him. Her soft brown eyes gave her an
innocent, child-like look. She had gorgeous curly hair that was pulled up into
a ponytail with a white ribbon. She was absolutely beautiful, and there was no
way Ahmad could let her leave without either getting her number or giving her
his.
“Nice
to meet you, too,” Camille said shyly, returning a smile that made his heart
flutter.
Selina
loudly cleared her throat and pulled Camille away. “We’d love to stay and talk,
but yoga will start soon—“
“Here,
I want to give you this,” Ahmad interrupted, quickly scribbling something on
his clipboard and tearing off a tiny slip of paper. “Call me sometime,” he
winked, handing the paper to Camille before walking off to the front desk.
Camille
stared at the paper in awe as Selina huffed off to the yoga studio. She smiled
and quickly placed the paper in her gym bag before hurrying off to catch up
with her friend. She would have to worry about her Selina’s attitude later, but
right now, she was too busy basking in excitement from what she would deem the
best day of her life so far.
“Morning,
babe,” she said, kissing
him gently on the lips. Ahmad pulled her close to his chest, burying his face
into her soft curls. He loved everything about her. He looked forward to waking
up next to her and seeing her pouty lips as she slept. She always looked
angelic with tiny strands of her curly hair cascading over her face.
“Oh,
I got you something for our anniversary,” he said, kissing her forehead. She
smiled and slowly sat up.
“I’m
surprised you remembered. As busy as you’ve been all week, I’m sure you would
forget your head if it wasn’t attached,” she teased. Ahmad smiled and walked
over to her closet.
“Hey,
don’t talk junk to me or else I’ll take it back to the store,” he joked.
Camille stuck her tongue out at him and watched him curiously as he felt around
the top shelf. She felt her eyes widen when he retrieved a black velvet box and
returned to the bed.
“Happy
anniversary, baby,” he smiled, placing the box in her hands.
Camille
kissed him gently and caressed his face. “Happy anniversary, babe. You
definitely didn’t have to get me anything. Being with you is a gift in itself,”
she said.
Ahmad
playfully rolled his eyes and smirked at her. “Girl, just open it. It took me
almost two weeks to find this. I’m sure if I didn’t get a gift for you, I’d
probably be single right now or put on ‘punishment’. I just hope that you like
it,” he said, his eyes shining with excitement.
Camille
smirked at him as she opened the box, immediately becoming overwhelmed with
emotion. “Babe…this is… wow,” she stuttered, pulling out a 14-carat white gold
diamond necklace. She could feel tears burning her eyes as he put it on for
her. “It’s so beautiful,” she gushed, hugging him tightly.
“Not
as beautiful as you,” he murmured softly, pulling her in for a passionate kiss.
Camille sighed and slowly pulled herself away.
“Your
present will have to wait until tonight,” she hinted, wiggling her eyebrows. Ahmad
pretended to pout.
“Why can’t I have it now?”
“If
I give it to you now, we’ll never leave my bedroom,” she said seductively,
biting his bottom lip. He chuckled and quickly glanced at the clock. It was a
little after eight in the morning, and with his full schedule, he needed to get
an early start.
“I
have to get ready for work. My schedule is completely booked today,” he said,
quickly kissing her forehead as he got out of the bed and headed for the
bathroom. Camille sighed before lying back on her pillows. He was always so
busy with his personal training career, which she was proud of, but it took
away a lot of quality time from them being together since she was a student at
the University of Miami. Between their schedules, they didn’t have as much time
as they would like together, which sometimes put a strain on their
relationship. However, they somehow were making things work and they both were
happy for now.
Once
she heard the shower running, she reluctantly got out of bed and padded down
the hallway to the kitchen to find something quick for breakfast. Knowing that
Ahmad was pushed for time, she quickly blended a protein shake of kale,
strawberries, bananas, and kiwi for him before making herself bacon, eggs, and toast.
As she consumed her breakfast, her mind wandered to the activities she planned
later for their anniversary night. Because he had to work, they couldn’t go out
of town, so she planned to do something small at her apartment.
Ahmad
came rushing out of the bedroom with his gym bag on his shoulder. “Thanks for
the smoothie, babe. I’ll see you tonight,” he said, grabbing his blender bottle
and giving her a quick peck on the cheek.
“See
you tonight,” she mumbled to the door that he was already gone out of.
He
inhaled deeply as he
stepped into the gym where he worked. Everything was the same as usual; there
was the usual smell of equipment, sweat, and faint scents of body wash from the
members coming out of the showers. He set his gym bag down in the staff locker
room and sat on the bench to look through his schedule for the day. His phone
buzzed in his pocket, indicating that he had a text message. He absently took
the phone from his pocket and quickly glanced at it to see that it was a
message from Camille. The thought of his woman always made his heart skip a
beat or two. He opened the message with a grin spreading across his face.
Lunch
today? I have a long study session this morning and would love to eat with you
on your break. I love you, Cam.
He
quickly responded and headed out into the lobby to start his day. At least he
had something to look forward to because he knew today was going to be an
extremely long day.
Camille
sat alone in the back of
the library going over her Probability and Statistics notes. She was waiting on
her friends who made plans with her earlier to study, but as late as it was
becoming, she figured they may have had something else come up. She could feel
a headache coming on as her stress started to build up. She absently pulled one
of her spiral curls and watched it spring back a few times before trying to
focus on the lecture notes in front of her. It was hard to concentrate on math
when her mind was constantly fantasizing about later activities that she would
be engaging in with her boyfriend.
Only
a sophomore, she was ready to be done with school. It wouldn’t be too bad if
she’d been studying what she truly wanted to study. She didn’t want to be a
computer programmer; she wanted to go to culinary school, become a chef, and
travel the world. Unfortunately, her parents made her agree that they would pay
her way through college and handle her bills if she pursued a degree that they
saw fit for her. Her mother was obsessed with her getting a good job in a male
dominant field, so here she was, stuck with Computer Science.
She
exhaled loudly and rearranged her notes for the tenth time and tried to focus.
“I was tempted to leave after looking for you for about ten minutes,” Selina
whispered, taking a seat from her across the table. Camille sighed in relief.
It was nice to finally see a familiar face.
“Where’s
everyone else?” Camille asked, looking around to see if she saw any signs of
Porsha and Deena. Selina shrugged as she pulled out her study material.
“I’m
not sure. I haven’t seen them all day. It may just be us today,” she stated.
Camille
felt a slight tinge of disappointment. Since she began dating Ahmad, things
were increasingly weirder between her and Selina. Although the two women were
currently best friends, they didn’t start off that way when they first met in
high school.
Back
then, Camille was a very shy, quiet girl, but her beauty seemed to get her a
lot of attention and popularity, especially with the guys. Selina became
jealous once her crush showed interest in Camille, causing her to corner
Camille in the locker room during gym class where they had a big fight. Once
they were forced to do community service together during their suspension, they
eventually learned more about each other and figured out that they had much more
in common than they thought. After they resolved that incident, they’ve been
best friends since.
Selina
casually pulled out a package of gummy bears and loudly crinkled the package as
she tried to open it. A passing librarian gave her a warning glance to stop the
noise, making Camille giggle. Camille couldn’t remember a time when Selina
didn’t have some kind of food stashed away. It seemed like she always carried a
snack with her that would magically appear any time she was hungry. Camille
grabbed the candy and took a handful after popping the bag open with ease.
“What
happened to being on a diet? If I remember correctly, gummy bears aren’t
healthy,” Camille joked.
Selina
pouted. “If that’s your slick way of trying to call me fat, then fuck you.
Maybe I’ll get your sexy ass boyfriend to whip me into shape, and I mean
literally whip me into shape,” Selina gushed, fanning herself.
Camille
rolled her eyes. She hated when Selina made sexual jokes about Ahmad. Yes, it
was his job to get people in shape, but Selina always took it too far. Camille
knew from experience what kind of shape Ahmad could get someone in inside and
outside of the gym, especially in bed. She shook the naughty images from her
head and tossed the gummy bears back to her friend with a grin.
“Now
Lina, you know I would never call you fat. As for the ‘fuck you’ comment, no
thank you. My man does that very well, so I don’t need it from anyone else. Oh,
look at what he got me for our anniversary today,” she whispered excitedly,
bringing Selina’s attention to the diamond pendant that she was wearing.
Selina
gave it a quick, uninterested glance and turned back to her notes. “Don’t brag.
If I hadn’t dragged your ass to his gym for that yoga class, you wouldn’t have
a man to do that ‘very well’ or buy you nice anniversary gifts,” she muttered
bitterly.
“Seriously,
Selina? It’s been two years already, so please get over yourself. It wasn’t my
idea to go to that gym, remember? You’re the one who stalked his ass and didn’t
make a move. All I did was show up with an attitude,” Camille reminded her,
turning back to her own notes.
The
ladies studied in silence for a little while, each lost in their own thoughts.
This was the reason she didn’t like being alone with Selina. Every time they
were together, Ahmad would somehow be brought up into the conversation and
things would become awkward. Why couldn’t Selina just accept the fact that they
were together and be happy for them? She honestly felt like a man was putting a
gap between her friendship for no reason. Selina really needed to get a grip on
herself.
Camille
glanced at her phone and saw that it was a quarter to one in the afternoon. She
was meeting Ahmad for lunch soon, so it was time to end her study session. “I
have to go. Ahmad and I are having lunch together during his break,” Camille
stated, packing up her things.
“Whatever,”
Selina mumbled, never taking her eyes away from her notes. Camille rolled her
eyes and quickly gathered the rest of her things, feeling herself becoming more
and more annoyed the longer she was around Selina.
“Maybe
you won’t be that much of a bitter bitch the next time I see you,” Camille
spat, storming out of the library.
“Push
it…harder than that,”
Ahmad instructed as he watched his client Kelly finish up her last set of leg
presses. She gave him a seductive smirk and extended her lean legs on the
machine.
“I’m
sure I could push a little harder if someone like you spotted me,” she purred.
Ahmad turned his attention back to his clipboard and pretended to be engrossed
with the information he was writing down. Dealing with Kelly during her private
personal training sessions was starting to become awkward. Her sexual advances
weren’t helping the situation, nor were his needs and imagination. Every time
he trained her, he made it his business to hurry up and get it over with. Kelly
was nothing but a ticking time bomb of trouble.
Kelly
apparently couldn’t get it through her hair extensions to her brain that he was
happily taken. The simple thought of Camille slowly caused a smile to creep
across his lips. There was nothing that he looked forward to more than going
home to his woman for a nightcap after having to combat a woman who literally
spent her whole training session trying to attack him with her vagina.
“Thinking
about me?” Kelly asked, breaking into his thoughts. He frowned at the sight in
front of him. Kelly was bent over, stretching her quads and calves with her
back to him. He cursed himself for allowing her to see him in his moment. She
would take something as simple as a smile and turn it into something sexual. He
looked at his watch and was relieved to see that his time with her was up.
“That
wraps up our session for the day. You can go into the cardio room and choose a
machine of your choice as a cool down. I’ll see you again on our scheduled time
on Thursday,” he stated in a professional tone. Kelly slowly stood up from the
yoga mat she was sitting on and walked toward him.
The
sight of her workout gear sticking to her body from sweat caused a lump to form
in his throat. Her purple and black sports bra looked as if it wanted to slowly
rip down the middle and release the contents that it was responsible for
holding. Her black yoga pants created the perfect mold to show off her
perfectly toned legs and backside. It was hard not to stare at a woman with a
body that Kelly possessed. She had the body of both a porn star and a fitness
model.
She
walked up to Ahmad’s six-foot-seven athletic frame and gave his bicep a nice
squeeze. “Thanks for the session. Maybe we can hang out sometime outside of the
gym for a drink or two,” she suggested seductively.
His
conscience rolled its eyes. “Sorry, I’m a little busy. I’d have to check with
my girl’s schedule and maybe we can all go out. I’m sure you’d love her just as
much as I do,” he stated dryly, turning his attention back to his clipboard.
Kelly
let out a strained laugh. “You can’t go anywhere without your little
girlfriend? I thought you were a big boy?”
“Are
you questioning my manhood?” he asked, starting to get irritated.
Kelly
shrugged. “I mean you act like you can’t hang out with a friend without your
girlfriend tagging along.”
“Well
that would be different if this ‘friend’ wasn’t trying to come between me and
my girl. Stop the innocent shit,” he said, heading toward the door to exit the
studio.
Kelly
gasped dramatically. “Is that how you speak to all of your clients? I pay you
good money to train me and I expect to get a good session…if you know what I
mean,” she winked as she grabbed the waistband of his shorts.
Ahmad
glared down at her. “Attending to anyone’s pleasure isn’t in my contract. I’m a
personal trainer, not a fucking escort,” he growled.
Shelly,
the gym manager, came to a stop as she saw the scene that was unfolding between
the two as she was passing. Ahmad gave her a pleading look to help him and she
immediately rushed in to his rescue.
“Ahmad,
your next client is here. I don’t know what’s going on here, but it looks
inappropriate, Ms. Lawson. I’d hate to have to revoke your membership,” Shelly
said sternly. Kelly looked up at Ahmad with lust in her eyes as she released
him.
“See
you on Thursday,” she purred to Ahmad and left the studio. He rubbed his
forehead and sat on the bench.
“Shelly,
I don’t know how much longer I can train her. I know her family brings a lot of
business and money to the gym, but I can’t deal with this every time I work
with her,” he muttered through his fingers as he buried his face into his
hands. Shelly sighed.
“I
know it’s tough, Ahmad. We can always assign her another trainer, but she
specifically asks for you. In this business, money is money. Sometimes you just
have to deal with the bullshit to get to the good shit,” she explained. She was
right. Ahmad dreamed of opening his own gym one day, so he needed all the extra
money he could get. If this was what he needed to do until he made it, he would
just have to hold on a little longer.
“Hey
Shelly,” a familiar voice said as the studio door opened. Camille walked in
smiling her smile that always made him forget his stress and frustrations. She
gave Shelly a quick hug and nearly jumped on Ahmad to hug him. He lifted her
off of the ground, tightly embracing her before placing a small kiss on her
neck and lips.
“Hey
there, beautiful. You ready to go eat?” he asked, placing her back on the floor
and taking her hand.
“Yes,
I’m starving! Besides, I’ve missed you and I’m ready to spend some time with
you,” she said, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him once more. Ahmad glanced up
and noticed Kelly was watching them from the lobby with a glare. He smiled to himself
put his arm around Camille’s waist. He definitely wanted to make sure that
Kelly fully understood that he wasn’t remotely interested in anything she had
to offer.
When
they made their way to the lobby, Kelly approached them with a bright smile.
“Hey, Camille! I didn’t know you were a member here!” she squealed, catching
Camille completely off guard. Camille gave her a confused smile.
“I’m
not a member; my boyfriend just works here and I’m taking him out to lunch,”
she said, gesturing toward Ahmad.
“You
two know each other?” he asked, slightly horrified. Camille brushed a few curls
from her face.
“Yeah,
we have a history class together,” she replied nonchalantly. She wasn’t really
sure why Kelly was acting so interested in her suddenly as if they were close
friends. In class, Camille didn’t even exist to her.
Kelly
scoffed and put her hand on her chest. “Ahmad is your boyfriend?” she asked
incredulously.
Camille
raised an eyebrow as she folded her arms across her chest. “I believe that’s
what I just said…unless you were diagnosed as deaf today,” Camille said slowly.
“Come
on, babe, I’m starving. If we don’t get anything soon, I think my stomach is
going to eat my liver,” Ahmad said nervously, pulling Camille toward the door.
Camille
rolled her eyes. “What is her problem? Is it hard to believe that we’re
together or something?” she asked him, putting her arm around his waist. He
kissed her forehead.
“Don’t
worry about—“
“It’s
not that it’s unbelievable, Camille,” Kelly said. “It’s just that I thought I
would have more . . . what’s the word I’m looking for . . . competition,” she
smirked, throwing her towel over her shoulder as she walked off.
Camille
glared at her as she disappeared around the corner. “Babe? Are you okay? Let’s
get some food,” Ahmad said softly, gently squeezing her hand. Camille sighed
and followed behind him. As bad as she wanted to wrap her hand around Kelly’s
blond ponytail and show her a real competition, she figured it would have to
wait for another time. Now, she was spending time with her man.
Ahmad
could tell that Camille
was still bothered about the confrontation with Kelly. If he knew that Kelly
was going to act like a complete bitch, he wouldn’t have let the conversation
continue. The waitress came up to the table, penned down their drink orders and
disappeared again. Trying to cheer her up, he took her to her favorite burger
joint, the Shake Shack. Although it was all the way across town from his job,
he made the extra effort to make sure that their luncheon was a success.
“I’ve
missed you today,” Ahmad said, taking Camille’s hands into his. He could feel
her soften her resolve as she slowly brought her attention to him.
She
sighed and gave him a small smile. “I’ve missed you, too. I’m sorry I’m being
so uptight; my morning hasn’t been the best.”
“What
happened?”
“I
had another awkward situation while studying with Selina. She’s always so
bitter about our relationship, which is so fucked up because she’s my best
friend. I tried to look past it since I was coming to eat with you and decided
to just leave and not argue with her about it. I should be happy about spending
time with my man right now, but I have this overwhelming urge to throat punch
one of your clients instead,” she stated bitterly.
Ahmad
chuckled and kissed her hand. “Selina is always going to be jealous, baby. She
would never have me on her best day. Don’t worry about Kelly either. Even if I
were single—“
“Don’t
be dramatic just to boost my self-esteem. If you were single, you probably
would’ve sampled her already,” she muttered, pulling away from him as she
leaned back in her booth.
Ahmad
was saved for a few minutes when the waitress returned with their drinks and
took their orders. Dealing with Camille’s insecurities was something that was
new to him. He was used to being with women who were confident, which is
probably why he didn’t have a major problem with Kelly. He didn’t understand
her reason for feeling the way she did. She was absolutely beautiful; he was
sure that she didn’t have a problem finding someone who was attracted to her.
He
slowly rose to his feet and slide in beside her into the booth. “You know that
I love you, right?” he asked, capturing her chin with his fingers. She nodded
and sighed. She knew she was overreacting about the whole situation. There was
no reason to take it out on him, he didn’t do anything wrong.
She
took a deep breath, exhaled, and smiled. “I’m sorry. It’s just been a long
morning,” she said, kissing him gently.
Why
on Earth do I ever have to question his love, she thought as Ahmad’s tongue tickled hers. He proved his
love and attraction to her every time he touched her, kissed her, and smiled at
her. He never hid his feelings for her in public, even when he hung out with
his immature friends.
Their
kiss was interrupted when the waitress clumsily crashed plates of food onto the
table. Camille smiled to herself as she plucked a French fry from the basket.
She had nothing to worry about. She would just have to get used to jealous
women wanting her man.
He
watched her in amusement as she tried biting into a burger that was almost as
big as her head. She kept turning the burger in different directions, trying to
find a place where she could bite into it without making a huge mess on her
face. Ahmad laughed.
“Baby,
just cut it in half. You’ll find an easier way to bite it then,” he chuckled.
Camille stuck her tongue out at him.
“I’m
a big girl, I can handle this burger,” she said and took a bite out of it.
Ketchup, mayonnaise, and a slice of tomato all slipped out of the other end of the
sandwich, most of it ending up on her hands. He laughed heartily as he passed
her a napkin. She playfully kicked him under the table with a grin as she
retrieved the napkin from him to clean herself up.
“Had
I known you were bringing me to the Shake Shack, I wouldn’t have worn this
dress. This place is notorious for overusing toppings and condiments,” she
mumbled, trying to chew the remaining food in her mouth as she wiped her hands.
“But
isn’t that why you like this place? Because they overuse all of your favorite
things? Like all of these curly fries and the meat on your burger?” he joked.
She
shrugged as she took another bite of her burger. Ahmad took this time to soak
up his woman’s beauty. Her thick, natural curly hair hung loosely around her
shoulders with a few curls cradling her face. Her big brown eyes were what drew
him to her when he first met her. They were the kind of eyes that made you want
to protect and love the person they belonged to. There were also those sexy,
deep dimples that appeared when she smiled that made his heart beat a little
faster. Her body was curvy, lean, and petite, perfect for his tall athletic
build. He loved everything about this woman. To him, she was perfect.
“What
are you staring at? Do I still have something on my face?” she panicked,
digging into her purse for her compact mirror. He smiled and shook his head.
“You’re
all good, Cammy. Don’t worry; you look beautiful. I meant to tell you that I
love how that sundress looks on you,” he observed, licking his lips. She
blushed. She knew that this was his favorite sundress of hers and she also knew
that if he was given the chance, he would waste no time in peeling it off of
her.
“Well,
thank you, baby. I wore it for you since we actually had time to eat together
today,” she murmured, eying him seductively. Ahmad licked his lips and looked
around.
“Do
you think we have time?” he asked, nodding in the direction of the bathroom
with a wicked grin on his lips. Camille giggled and kissed him gently.
“Don’t
be nasty. You’ll have to wait until tonight.”
“Mmm…but
what if I can’t wait until tonight?”
“You’ll
be able to, baby. I promise I’ll make it worth the wait,” she breathed against
his lips before kissing him again.
Ahmad
playfully sighed dramatically. “Okay, fine. I have to get back to work anyway.
Let’s get out of here,” he suggested, putting cash on the table. Camille
requested a carry out box to put her food in and they walked out of the
restaurant hand-in-hand.
“Where
are you heading to?” he asked, walking her to her car. Camille shrugged. There
were a few things she wanted to do before their date later on that night and
she also needed to talk to her mother about a few things.
“I’m
probably going to see my mom for a few minutes. I haven’t spoken to her in
about a week. Our last conversation wasn’t very pleasant,” Camille remembered
bitterly. Ahmad chuckled and pulled her close to his chest. “When do you ever
have a pleasant conversation with your mother? Your sassy mouth makes
everything difficult,” he said, kissing her before she could utter a
disagreement.
Once
they said their goodbyes, Camille got into her Camaro and headed to her
mother’s office. She was nervous about seeing her mother. The last time she
spoke to her, they argued about her grades and her mother insisted that Ahmad
was a major distraction. Her mother just couldn’t accept the fact that she was
just unhappy and uninterested in the major that was chosen for her.
Camille
let out a long breath as she parked her car in front of Jackson’s Legal
Services. Her mother was a paralegal despite having a Master’s degree in
business. It made Camille wonder if her mother was trying to correct her own
mistakes with all of the pressure and nonsense she put on her shoulders.
As
soon as Camille entered the building, the smell of books, burned coffee, and
printing papers filled her nose. She wrinkled her nose at the combination of
odors as walked toward the front desk. The secretary looked up from her
computer and smiled. “Hi, Camille! Your mother just returned from lunch. You
can go on back, sweetie,” she beamed. Camille softly thanked her and turned to
walk down the hall.
Karin
was sitting at her desk reading over legal documents when Camille entered. “Hi,
mama,” Camille said, softly closing the door behind her. Karin looked up and
smiled.
“Well,
if it isn’t my beautiful baby girl. Have a seat,” she offered, motioning toward
the chair sitting on the other side of her desk. Camille took a deep breath and
took a seat. Karin took off her glasses and studied Camille for a few moments.
“Are
you alright?” she finally asked.
Camille
nodded. “I just wanted to stop by since I haven’t seen you in a few days.”
“Is
that a new pendant?” Karin asked, eying Camille’s necklace. Camille’s hand immediately went to her neck, rubbing the pendant nervously.
“Yeah…it
was an anniversary present from Ahmad,” she said nervously.
Karin
smiled. “The boy has good taste in jewelry at least,” she mused, standing up
from her chair and walked over to her filing cabinet.
Camille
sat in silence for a little while, unsure of what to say. It was always awkward
talking to her mother most of the time. Ever since her parents divorced, her
mother showed very little emotion or interest in much of anything. It was like
talking to a brick wall most of the time. “Do you and your friend have any
plans tonight for your anniversary?” her mother suddenly asked. Camille fought
the urge to roll her eyes. It annoyed her to no end that her mother wouldn’t
identify Ahmad as her boyfriend.
“Yes,
my boyfriend and I have plans tonight,” she corrected her flatly,
folding her arms across her chest.
Karin
dismissed Camille’s tone and returned to her desk with a stack of folders.
“Have you gotten your homework done?”
“Mom,
I’m not a child. Yes, I went to the library earlier with Selina and got it
done.”
“You
still hang around that girl? Something’s not right about her,” Karin stated.
Camille bit the inside of her cheek. She could definitely agree with her mother
about that subject. Karin never liked Selina, even after she and Camille became
good friends.
“We
had a little fight earlier. She’s always bitter to me whenever I bring up
Ahmad. I think she’s upset that we’re together,” she sighed. In a way, she felt
bad that her relationship was tearing her friendship apart. She knew that Selina
truly believed that she’d “stolen” Ahmad away from her, but Camille figured
that she couldn’t steal someone who didn’t actually belong to anyone.
“You
need to be careful around her, baby. This is the same girl who fought you in
high school just because a boy she liked ended up liking you instead,” Karin
reminded her, turning her attention back to the papers on her desk.
She
silently processed her mother’s words. She didn’t think Selina would be extreme
and do anything to hurt her now that they were adults as well as best friends,
but she couldn’t be too sure at this point. She sighed and rose to her feet.
“You’re right, mama. I’ll keep my eyes opened. I’m going to get home so that I
can do some more studying for a little while,” she said, trying to appease her
mother to get out of her office quicker.
Karin
got up and quickly hugged her. “Okay, love. Call me when you get a chance,” she
said. Camille agreed and quickly walked out of the room. As soon as she closed
the door behind her, the heaviness she felt in her chest immediately lifted.
She definitely needed to get out of there.
“You
need something sexier,
girl,” Porsha said, taking the cotton pink bra out of Camille’s hand. Camille
invited her two other friends, Porsha and Deena, to help her pick something to
wear for Ahmad later that night. After her awkward time with Selina earlier
that day, it was refreshing to be with friends that were happy for her
relationship. They were wandering around Victoria’s Secret browsing through
different sections. Nothing was really catching Camille’s attention, causing
her to become discouraged.
“If
all else fails, your birthday suit should be good enough,” Deena suggested with
a grin, filing her fingernails. Porsha and Camille giggled.
“You
know, that could actually work,” Camille joked, tossing a pair of panties at
Deena. Porsha looked around.
“Is
Selina meeting us here or something?” she asked.
Camille
rolled her eyes as she moved to a rack of lacy bras. “No, I didn’t invite her.
I don’t feel like dealing with her right now. I had enough of her unnecessary
drama when I studied with her earlier,” Camille said with disgust. Deena and
Porsha exchanged a look and shrugged. They didn’t like to get in the middle of
Camille and Selina’s issues, but they did agree with Camille on how bitter
Selina had been acting lately.
“You
know, I showed her the necklace Ahmad bought me for our anniversary and she
acted all unbothered and rude. She was like ‘don’t brag, if it wasn’t for me’
blah, blah, blah. Ahmad and I have been together for two years and we’re just
as strong now as we were when we first met. I wish she would just get with the
program so that this wouldn’t be so awkward,” Camille said.
Deena
nodded. “Yeah, I find it to be quite petty. There are plenty of men at school
for her to chase after if she wants a man so bad. There’s no point in chasing a
man who’s taken,” she stated.
Camille
put down the lingerie set she was holding when she remembered the incident with
Kelly at the gym. “Apparently Selina isn’t the only one who wants my man.
Ahmad’s client, Kelly—“
“Kelly
who? Do we know her?” Porsha interrupted.
Camille
sighed. “Yes, she’s that blonde girl in our history class that sits with the
jocks at the back of the classroom.”
“Oh,
I have to hear about this,” Deena said, leaning against the lotion display.
“So
I went to the gym to meet Ahmad so that we could go out for lunch. When she saw
us together, she acted like she couldn’t believe I was his girlfriend. She
claimed that she thought she had ‘more competition’,” Camille stated
sarcastically, using air quotations.
Porsha
rolled her eyes. “See, that little bitch would’ve gotten her weave snatched,”
she hissed. Deena nodded in agreement.
“Believe
me, I would’ve said something, but Ahmad was pulling me out of the door and she
was already gone. I know he only has eyes for me, but it’s the disrespectful
women that are getting on my nerves,” Camille admitted with frustration.
She
paused when she felt her phone buzz in her purse. She quickly retrieved it and
smiled when she saw that she had a text message from Ahmad.
Can’t
wait to see you baby. –A
She
looked at the time on her screen and nearly panicked. He was due to get off in
two hours and she needed to start cooking as well as set up her apartment. “We
have to wrap this up, ladies. I don’t have time to pick anything new; he’ll be
getting off soon and I have to get home to start getting ready,” Camille
rushed, tossing the items that she decided she didn’t need onto a random panty
display.
She
quickly hugged her friends goodbye and nearly teleported to her car. Once she
got home, she pulled out the ingredients to make steaks, asparagus, and brown
rice, which was his favorite. While everything was cooking perfectly, she
headed into her bedroom to set everything up for their romantic night ahead.
Ahmad
slung his gym bag over
his shoulder, preparing to head out of the door before he heard someone call
his name. He sighed deeply and turned around, seeing one of his co-workers,
Alexis, rushing toward him. He raised an eyebrow in confusion, wondering what
she could have wanted from him. When she finally reached him, she bent over
with her hands on her knees to catch her breath.
“Shelly…wants
to know…if you can work…a few more hours. She…has an emergency…to handle…and
has no one…to close the gym…but you,” she panted. He looked at his watch. It
was fifteen minutes until seven and the gym didn’t close until ten-thirty that
night. There was no way he could work any longer; he promised Camille he’d have
dinner with her for their anniversary.
He
sighed loudly. “I can’t. I already have plans for the night. She’s going to
have to find someone else,” he said, turning away from her and continuing to
the lobby.
Alexis shrugged. “I don’t know. I can call her and tell her, but if
you can’t do it, she’s obviously going to have to find someone else to do it,”
she muttered and walked off.
Ahmad
shook his head and sat on the bench in the lobby to wait on Shelly. He really
didn’t want to disappoint Camille tonight. He knew how important it was to her
for him to be there, and he didn’t want to let her down. Shelly approached him
with a frown on her face.
“What seems to be the problem?” she questioned,
folding her arms across her chest.
“I
was just telling Alexis that I already had other plans after work and I can’t
close tonight. I told you last week that it was my anniversary today and I
needed to get off in time. You know if I could close, I would, Shelly,” he
said.
Shelly
eyed him for a few seconds before rolling her eyes. “But that’s the thing,
Ahmad. I’m not asking you to; I’m telling you. Last I checked, I ran this gym
and if I ask you to close, you close. So you can call your girlfriend to tell
her that you’re going to be a little late, put your gym bag down, and get
comfortable behind the check-in desk until closing time,” she stated firmly,
turning on her heels. She stopped abruptly and turned back around. “Oh yeah,
happy anniversary,” she said, quickly walking back to her office. Ahmad tightly
clenched his jaw in anger and frustration. He knew Camille was going to be
upset when she found out he was coming in late.
The
excitement in her voice when she answered the phone made his heart ache. “Hey,
baby, I was just thinking about you,” she purred into the phone.
Ahmad
sighed and rubbed his forehead in frustration. “Hey, babe. I have some bad
news,” he said slowly. There was a brief pause before he continued. “Shelly is
making me close tonight…so I’ll be coming in much later than I originally
planned,” he said.
Camille
didn’t respond. She leaned against the counter with the phone to her ear,
disappointed in what she just heard. She looked around at the meal she prepared
for him, seeing that it was now all a waste.
“Cam?”
Ahmad said, catching her attention again.
She
sighed. “Yeah, I’m still here. I understand. I was just hoping that you’d come
over because I made you dinner and everything,” she muttered.
She
tried to hide the frustration in her voice, but she wasn’t doing a good job of
it. One thing she hated the most was when their plans changed because of his
job. The silence between them was becoming awkward. “Well, what time should I
expect you then?” she finally asked, her silky voice soothing his frayed
nerves.
“It
may not be until eleven-thirty or midnight. I’ll be there as soon as I can,
baby,” he promised.
“I
thought the gym closed at ten-thirty?”
“It
does, but we have cleaning and everything once the doors are locked.”
“Okay,
baby. I love you,” she said softly.
“I
love you, too, babe. I’ll call you back when I go on break or when I get off,”
he said. They said their goodbyes and hung up.
Camille
sighed and ran her
fingers through her hair. Frustrated wasn’t even the word to describe how she
was feeling at the moment. She reluctantly made her plate of food and sat down
at her dining room table alone. She didn’t plan on spending her anniversary
this way. She was already tired and was afraid that she’d be asleep by the time
he finally made his way to her apartment. She bitterly sipped her wine as she
looked at the empty chair across the table where her boyfriend should have been
sitting. After picking at her food for half an hour, she gave up and went to
clean up the rest of the food in the kitchen.
Around
ten-thirty, she began pacing her living room floor, waiting to receive a phone
call or text from him to let her know what was going on. She lit a couple of
candles in the living room to help calm her down and put her back into the mood
of celebrating. She wasn’t going to allow his boss or his job to ruin their
night. She would still make it special, even if they didn’t have much time. She
turned on a little soft music and went into her bedroom to change into a bra
and panty set that she bought last week but still hadn’t been able to wear for
him. After checking her reflection in the mirror, she put on her red satin robe
and curled up on the couch. It would only be a matter of time before he
arrived.
Ahmad
quietly let himself into
her apartment a little after midnight. He was extremely exhausted, and going to
bed was the only thing on his mind. He inhaled deeply and could smell vanilla
candles being burned in the dimly lit apartment. “Cam?” he called out, closing
and locking the door behind him. When he didn’t get an answer, he set his gym
bag on the floor next to the door and made his way into the living room.
He
sighed when he saw her curled up on the couch, fast asleep. “Fuck,” he
whispered to himself. He went into the bedroom to prepare the bed for her and
was immediately stopped in his tracks. She’d sprinkled rose petals on the floor
and also on the bed in the shape of a heart. There were more candles lit around
the bedroom as well as a large teddy bear holding a card that said, “I love
you”. He shook his head as guilt consumed him. She went through all of this
trouble just to end up spending the night alone.
He
blew out the candles and pulled the blankets back so he could put her in bed.
He returned to the living room and gently picked her up into his arms. She
stirred slightly.
“You were too late,” she murmured, still half asleep.
Ahmad
sighed and kissed her forehead. “I know and I’m sorry, baby,” he said softly,
placing her in bed. She went back to sleep soundly as he headed into the
bathroom for a quick shower. He felt bad that he wasn’t able to keep his
promise. He would definitely have to find a way to make it up to her.
Fifteen
minutes later, he settled in bed next to her and wrapped his arms around her.
She snuggled closer to him. “I love you,” she whispered against his chest.
Ahmad held her tighter and closed his eyes.
“I love you too, baby.”
