“Yeah...” I paused and picked up my bag, placing it over my shoulders and moving toward the door. “I’ll explain on the ride to... where are we going again?” He placed the frame back into its rightful place and turned toward me with a smirk on his face.
“I didn’t say.”
“Am I at least dressed right for the occasion then?” I asked as we stepped into the hallway. I shut the door and locked it. “Roman...”
“Mmhm,” he hummed, looking up at me after I spun around to face him. “Sorry, I got distracted.” I smiled and walked away. He was too busy staring at my ass. The jean skirt I was wearing was form-fitting and showed my curves perfectly. I didn’t have big breasts, but I had enough ass to make up for it. I’d worn it for that purpose alone.
We made it to the parking garage in no time, and he opened my door for me. I slid into the soft leather seat and put my seat belt on. He was in his seat and starting the truck up by the time I was finished. We were on the move when I reached over and grabbed his hand. I was getting bolder with my wants. He didn’t seem to mind that I liked touching him, and that only fueled my obsession with doing so.
“We have different mothers,” I said after a few minutes into the drive.
“Who exactly?”
“Lily is the only one.” I ran my thumb over the back of his hand. “We only met a few months ago.”
“Word?”
“Yeah.”
“I damn sure wouldn’t have guessed that.” I chuckled. “I think it’s dope that you guys accepted her.”
“This year has been eventful, to say the least. But we love her regardless of it all.”
“I admire y’all,” he said. “Makes me want to reach out to my siblings.” I peeked at him out the corner of my eye.
“You have siblings?”
“Two brothers. One is a year younger than me, and the other is two years older.”
“Have you ever met them?”
“Once when we were teens, but our mothers didn’t get along, and you know... loyalty and all.” I thought about what he said and understood. Of course they would side with their mothers, especially when their father wasn’t there to bring them together like he should have been.
“Well, I think you should try.”
“And if they don’t want a relationship?” I shrugged and lifted his hand to my mouth.
“Then, fuck them. You have Ezra, and even if...”
“Even if what?” I pressed my lips to his knuckles.
“Even if nothing comes of us, you’ve gained a few brothers.” He glanced at me and then back at the road.
“You’d still want me around?”
“We’d make good friends, so yeah, I’d still want you around. Besides, it’s nice seeing Ezra with you.” He chuckled, and I smiled.
“I’m not tryna be just your friend BB,” he said. I was growing fond of that nickname. “So it’s looking like we gotta figure this out and make it work. Cause I’m not settling for that.”
I bit down on my lip, a habit that I’d recently picked up, and focused my attention on the road. I wouldn’t admit it aloud just yet, but I didn’t plan on settling for being only friends either. It just wasn’t an option right now, but time will tell if my instincts are right about him.
Fifteen minutes later, we were exiting a parking garage off 6th and Chestnut.
“OK, now, can you tell me where we are going?” I tried to guess on my own based on the area we were in, but I couldn’t come up with anything that made sense. I was bouncing in my black and white converse, anticipating his answer.
Laughing, Roman said, “Have you ever been on a ghost tour?” My eyes widened, and I screeched.
“What? No way.” I’d been wanting to do this for years, but my sisters were scary, and doing it alone wouldn’t be as fun. “How’d you know? My love for ghost stories and scary movies was not mentioned at the baby shower.”
“I might have stalked your social media pages for ideas.”
“Well,” I began, falling into step with him. “I’m glad you did. This is already the best date ever.” We continued on our short walk to 5th and Chestnut, where we entered Singer’s Garden. If I had waited the couple minutes for us to walk down here, I would have guessed the date immediately. The ghost tour is a candlelight walking tour based on the book Ghost Stories of Philadelphia, PA. They take you down these secret passageways and tell stories about haunted historical buildings. I couldn’t wait to experience it. I glanced at Roman as we walked through the Garden to where the starting point of the tour would be. The man was doing a damn good job at winning me over. A damn good one.
The tour lasted ninety minutes, and it was the best hour and a half I’d ever spent on something in my life. Well, maybe not the best, but where my mind had just gone didn’t count in this instance. Roman and I were headed to his place after getting cheesesteaks from Geno’s Steaks. They weren’t my favorite spot to get them from, but they were open twenty-four hours and tolerable. All of the best cheesesteak spots were in the cut in somebody's hood.
“That was the best,” I murmured. “Do you believe in ghosts?”
“Yeah, I think they exist.” He laughed. “When Ezra and I were kids, he would tell these stories to scare the girls on the block. He’s always been out of his mind, but they loved him.”
“And what about you? Did they love you?” If he was anything like he is now, then I couldn’t see how they wouldn’t love him. Everything about this man was cool and laid back.
“I was liked. What about you?” I snorted.
“I was the baby sister that followed her sisters around like a sad puppy, but people liked me. I was the party.”
“Somehow, I get the feeling that you still are.”
“You can definitely go with your gut on that one.”
“I look forward to seeing that side of you.”
I smiled and said, “That side of me may run you away.”
“I doubt that.” He laughed. “I can handle you Blossom.” Instead of responding with the exact words that were at the tip of my tongue, I stayed quiet the rest of the ride back to his place in Old City. It wasn’t a long one, and soon we were inside his apartment, digging into our food with a glass of wine for me and water for him. Roman didn’t drink, and for some reason that turned me on.
“Either I’m extremely hungry, or Geno’s has gotten better.”
“You’re just hungry,” he said. “I’ll have to take you to a place over by my uncle's crib.” I nodded and sat back in my seat.
“So...” I picked up my wine and took a sip. His eyes moved slowly across my face.
“You’re gorgeous.” His hooded gaze was lust-filled.
“And you’re handsome.” I set my glass on his coffee table and slid closer to him. “Is it crazy that I want to tell you I like you again.” Roman shook his head and reached out to caress my cheek. “I really, really like you,” I whispered, standing. He did exactly what I wanted and pulled me into his lap. After adjusting my skirt, I straddled him, not caring that I was slightly exposed. This was what I wanted.