Chapter 15
1458 Words
Sophia chuckled as she rolled onto her bag, “And here I was thinking you were too busy grinding on the guy to even notice me.”
“Girl! You are my friend! I had actually followed you out so that I could leave with you, but I saw you being escorted by a silver fox.”
Sophia laughed, “I will call him that when I talk to him.”
“Mmmmh! Tell me more!” Mia said excitedly. “Who is he? Did you meet at the club? Did you go home with him?”
“Hey! One question at a time!” Sophia sighed as she sat up. “He is someone that I met when I was jogging a few days ago, so no, I just bumped into him at the club, and no, he just dropped me at my door and left. Anything else, mom?” Sophia bit her lip. She was leaving the most vital information of him being Eric’s dad but she felt that it wasn’t time to let anyone know about their relationship. She frowned at that thought. Why would she think that she and Steven were in a relationship?
“You there?”
Sophia shook her head, returning to the conversation, “Sorry? What were you asking?”
Mia scoffed, “Where did your brain go? I asked if you were going to see him again.”
“Not in the capacity that you are thinking, no.”
Mia scoffed, “And what other capacity do men and women meet rather than the obvious? Even from far away, I could tell the man was gorgeous, in the George Clooney kind of way.”
Sophia laughed, “Oh my! I am so going to tell him that! And thank you for brightening my day after the shitty start it had.” She moved the conversation along, trying to keep Mia guessing. She loved her friend, but she also knew that Mia had no filter. She did not need any drama in her life at the moment.
“Oh? What happened?”
“My mother stopped by, wanting to know how I am feeling,” Sophia closed her eyes, blocking the words she and her mother had exchanged a few minutes earlier. “Crazy thing is she is still talking to Eric and was here because he told her I am seeing some dude.”
“Oh, that effed up,” Mia cursed. “And how did Eric know you were with someone yesterday?”
Sophia bit her lip, “I might have called him, and Steven answered for me.”
“Steven, eh?” Mia chuckled, “And I am glad he did that. It’s none of Eric’s business if you are out with others. He made his bed. He should lay on it. Now, what are you up to today?”
“Nothing much. I wanted to catch up on a bit of work before tomorrow. I have missed a few days,” Sophia replied. “Then probably go plant hunting. Two of my plants have died.”
Mia snorted, “I don’t understand why you even bother! Those plants keep dying on your ass.”
“It’s not my fault that the guy didn’t tell me that this requires more work than my cactus! The bloody thing wanted to be watered every two days!”
“That’s why I told you to get yourself a cat,” Mia stated. “The thing sleeps twenty-three hours a day, and for that one hour that it’s awake, it has nothing to do with you! Great companion, less effort.”
“Allergic to fur, doll,” Sophia chuckled. Her phone pinged, indicating there was another call coming through. “Look, I gots to go. See you tomorrow!”
“Wait! Is that Steven calling?”
Sophia laughed, “bye!” She hung up before connecting the other call. “Hey.”
“So you are awake,” Steven’s deep voice drawled.
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I seem to remember someone falling asleep at Letty's place and all the way to her apartment.”
Sophia blushed. She raised her hand to her lip, biting on her nails, “Please tell me I did not say anything that I should either apologize for or be embarrassed about.”
“I could lie and say I have a video of you snoring, blackmail you with it to ask you for dinner at my place but that would be a lie. So instead, I will invite you for dinner at my house.”
Sophia was quiet for a few seconds, contemplating if it was actually a good idea. Steven was an easy company.
“Am I pushing it?” Steven asked, his voice low. "We are just going to talk, Sophia, nothing else."
“No!” Sophia shook her head, stopping when she remembered that he could not see her. “No, that wasn’t it. What time should I be there? Can I bring anything?”
“Seven. I have somewhere that I need to be. And only bring your appetite,” the phone dropped before Sophia could say anything.
She sighed as she lay on her bed for a few more minutes before getting up and getting ready for the day.
She was not lying when she told Mia that she needed to catch up on work, and soon enough, she became immersed in it. Time flew by so quickly, and soon enough, Sophia was making her way out to the florist to get her plants. Because she skipped lunch, she stopped by Letty’s place to see if she could get something to eat and carry to Steven’s house later.
The older woman’s face lit up when Sophia walked in. “Oh, welcome lovie!”
“Thank you, Letty,” Sophia smiled as she sat on one of the high stools by the counter. “I skipped lunch, and, because I was around the neighborhood, I thought I could stop by here. Just something light.”
“Well, you are in luck! We are actually trying out a new salad,” Letty wiped her hands on her apron as she reached for a menu tucked under the counter. “Here, have a look at this and let me know if you would like to try it.”
Sophia perused the menu before nodding her head, “This sounds yummy. Can I have it on the go, hold off on olives. Also, I need a nice dessert. I have been invited to a dinner, and my mom always said it’s bad manners to show up empty-handed,” Sophia smiled. That was of the lessons that she had learned from her mother, when she was around. Other lessons revolved around her understanding that her brothers always came first and getting over every little disappointment.
“Aah, we have freshly baked banana pudding pie. Always sells out,” Letty nodded her head with approval.
“I will take your word for it,” Sophia chuckled. She watched as the lady got her order ready before paying. “Thank you so much, Letty!”
“Anytime, lovie,” Letty waved at her. “Say hello to that tall glass of milk when you see him for me.”
Sophia fought the blush that was threatening to overtake her face and just nodded, “I will.”
Her drive home wasn’t eventful. She struggled a bit with carrying the remainder of her salad, the pie, and a potted plant all the way to her apartment. As soon as she arrived, she deposited the pot and the salad on her dining table before placing the pudding in the refrigerator. Glancing at the time, she had about an hour and a half to get ready and head to Steven’s place. With quick work, she took a quick shower and dressed in a blue and black floral dress in less than an hour. She released her hair from the clip that was holding it up to stop it from getting wet, shaking her head so that it cascaded down her back. She finger-combed it, letting it lay in its natural waves. She opted on no makeup save for the lip gloss and eyeliner. She was slipping her feet into high black sandals when she heard a knock on her door.
Glancing at her phone, she saw it was close to the time she had wanted to leave. There were no calls or messages on her phone to hint at who might be at her door.
Walking there with her earrings in hand, she called out, “Who is it?”
“Soph, open up!”
- Writer
