Jack & Diane (4 page)

Jack woke up later than usual on Friday. For the first time in a while he’d slept soundly through the night. He did not remember exactly what he had dreamt about, but he did remember who they were about. Dreaming of Diane left little room in his mind for the usual stress of his Dad’s health. Quickly he got cleaned and dressed to go downstairs and start his day.

He walked into the kitchen to find his Mother cleaning breakfast dishes. He kissed her on the cheek.

“Good morning sweetheart. There’s a plate keeping warm for you in the oven. Did you sleep well?” his mother asked.

“I sure did Momma,” he said eating a piece of perfectly crisped bacon.

“Does it have anything to do with that Diane you took food to yesterday,” his mother asked. He just smiled. “Did she like the food?”

Jack smiled. “You know she loved it. I had to force her to share.”

“So, she’s no salad eater?”

“No. She has a sweet tooth.” A huge smile broke out across his face thinking of her savoring the bites of pie.

“Don’t fall for her too fast,” she said looking at her son with concern.

“I didn’t say I was falling for her.”

“You didn’t, but your smile did. You’ve practically picked out the ring and the names of the first three kids. I just want you thinking through everything.”

“Momma, do you have a problem with Diane being African-American?”

“Heck no child, I just hope you’re not falling in love with just a pretty face and a nice body again.”

“Momma, I don’t tend to make the same mistake twice.”

“If you say so Jack, I just don’t want you to be hurt. Take things slow.”

“I’m late getting to work. I don’t want Dad to overexert himself.”

“Uh-huh ,” she said to his back.

♥♥♥

Friday seemed to take as long to pass as Thursday night did for Diane. And Thursday night took forever with the restless sleep and dreams fueled by memories of earthy masculine scents and steel hard abs. She was certain that Jack would at least call. It wasn’t so much that she was certain. It was more like she was hopeful that he would call. Her intention was to not answer if he did, but she wanted him to call. She wanted to know that his night was as restless as hers. Seven times she’d picked up the phone to call him under the guise of getting an update on her car. Seven times she showed restraint. She knew he’d see through the guise and figure out that she’d been thinking about him. She did not want him to know she’d been thinking of him because she did not want to be thinking of him.

She rationalized that the only reason she was thinking so much about him was because there wasn’t anything else to do. She was stuck in her apartment with no transportation. Even if she had her car, where would she go? Everyone was out of town enjoying time with their families. After finding out she had made it home safely, her mother had informed her to call if there was an emergency or she’d come to her senses and was once again engaged to Dr. Insincere. That was no idle statement from her mother, it was a dictate. She knew her mother didn’t want her to call for chit chat and end the call abruptly.

Dr. Insincere had not bothered to call either. He’d sent plenty of texts, which she read with the humor she assumed they were sent. ‘You’re the only woman I love’ coming from him surely that was a joke, right? The joke was Diane acting like she wanted that phone to ring with anybody other than Jack.

She was frustrated with herself for hoping he would call. When she was with him she felt…she just felt. Inside there was no longer the feeling of being cold and isolated, instead she felt like giggles, and confetti, and bubbles. Her grandmother would say she was smitten. Her grandmother would have been right. She was smitten with a guy that she’d just met and seemed so very wrong for her. If he was so wrong, why did he feel so right?

Maybe that was just it. Maybe it wasn’t that he was wrong for her, but that he felt so right so soon. When she was with him she felt like a totally different person than normal, but seemed so very much like her true self. She did not feel the need to try and be perfect, instead he made her feel like she was absolutely perfect as she was. Dr. Insincere would have been appalled by the getup she had on yesterday. Jack seemed turned on and did not notice (or maybe even liked) the extra pounds Dr. Insincere had insisted she loose before the wedding.

Was Jack really so good or was her former fiance just that bad? The possible answer was all of the above. It was also possible that she was falling hard and fast for Jack and the landing may not be soft. Diane did what she did best when frustrated, she ran from her problems and into her books. She studied away the rest of her Friday and dreamt of Jack all night.

Saturday morning she tried lounging around watching movies, but her thoughts once again kept going to Jack. Just when she was about to give up on watching tv and call him, her phone buzzed with a new message.

From Jack: Are you hungry?

From Diane: Starved.

From Jack: Good, I’m almost to your place with food.

From Diane: Ok, but please don’t text and drive.

Seconds later, instead of her phone buzzing with a response, there was a knock at her door. She looked through the peephole and saw Jack standing there looking more handsome than she remembered. She ran to the bathroom to do a quick check in the mirror. Though she wanted to change out of the old t-shirt and sweats she was in, she didn’t want to make him wait.

“Don’t worry, I don’t text and drive.”

“That was quick,” she said as she opened the door.

“I figured you’re too nice to send me away if I was already here. I brought this just in case.” He said raising the bag in his hand. “I figured I could bribe you with more of my momma’s food.”

She would have let him in if he brought nothing more than a half a stick of beef jerky and a chip bag with just the crumbs. It was his company she was hungry for.

“Bribe accepted. Come on in.”

He took a step inside just enough for the door to close from the warming, but still cold weather. “I just wanted to bring you this. I knew you didn’t have transportation still and thought you’d enjoy this more than pizza or Chinese.”

“Are you always this thoughtful?”

“Yes. I really wanted to see you again too and I didn’t have the excuse of your car being fixed yet.” He was disappointed that she wasn’t wearing shorts again, but she still looked cute.

“Ulterior motives aside, thank you for thinking of me.”

“I can’t seem to do anything else,” he said honestly. “Diane, I like you a lot.”

“You barely…”

He put two fingers to her lips. The heat his touch generated left her speechless. “Shhh, don’t talk. Just listen. Don’t overthink this. Ok?” She shook her head. He looked into her eyes and smiled, nodding until she conceded.

“I know we just met, but there’s something about you,” he said looking deep into her eyes. “I just want a chance to figure out what it is. Can you give me that chance?”

She nodded her head but said, “I… It’s too soon. I was engaged two days ago.”

“I’m not asking you to marry me. Just give us a chance to get to know each other.”

He was standing close enough that she could feel his heat. His clean masculine scent was causing interference in her brain making it a struggle to think of anything but giving in to whatever he wanted. His eyes had her transfixed so she looked down at her hands that were interlaced to keep from touching him.

“It’s too soon Jack. The timing is just not right.”

“Maybe it’s not your timing, but God’s timing.”

Her gaze snapped back up to him. He looked serious, which made her smile. “You think God is planning this.”

Her smile made his eyes sparkle. “Maybe I do.”

“I think the devil has more to do with some of these feelings than God does.” She thought back to how his skin felt beneath her hand and the sensations it caused in her.

“You’re right. The devil’s telling you to run away.”

“So it was God that had my hand touching you in not so appropriate ways? Is He responsible for the wholly unholy thoughts I’ve been having about you?”

“Tell me more about these unholy thoughts about me.”

“Jack, focus please.”

“I am focusing on the important stuff,” he said with a wink flashing that dimple that was becoming her Kryptonite.

“Jack. I am really confused right now. Calling off an engagement to one guy and having uncontrollable, somewhat irrational, and very foreign feelings for another man that I just met have me not knowing up from down. I just need some time to think.”

“Okay, that’s reasonable. Let me give you something to think about.”

He stepped closer. He cupped her soft smooth cheeks in his hard work roughened hands. He looked into her eyes for any sign of resistance, but only saw anticipation and desire. She inhaled deeply just before his lips touched hers. Her lips were soft and warm. He could taste her berry flavored gloss. Involuntarily her hands pressed against the solid warmth of his chest. A low, deep sound came from him at the feel of her hands. She could feel his heart beating faster than hers. Slow and tortuously her hands moved up his chest until her fingers tangled in the curls at his neck.

She pulled him deeper into the kiss. His hands slid down her back until they reached her waist. He pulled her closer. Her soft breasts pressed against him. Another primitive sound escaped him. He knew if he did not stop this now he wouldn’t be able to. Slowly he pulled his mouth away from hers. He rested his forehead against hers with his eyes still closed and their bodies still together. Her breaths were rapid and shallow. He wasn’t certain that he was breathing at all. He was certain he would do everything in his power to get her.

Her soft voice broke the silence. “Well, that is something to think about.”

He kissed her forehead. “Enjoy the food,” he said as he left the apartment with a smile on his face. As he closed the door to his truck his phone vibrated with a text message.

From Diane: Here’s your one chance. Plan the best date ever for tomorrow.

As soon as she pressed send on the text to Jack she called her friend Amara. As the phone rang excitement rose in Diane. When her friend answered words erupted from Diane like steam escaping from a kettle that had reached its boiling point. “I kissed a country boy I met two days ago.”

“Who is this?” Amara said teasingly.

“It’s Diane.”

“That’s what the caller ID says, but there’s no way it’s you. Are you drunk? Has Alan’s transgressions driven you to drinking?”

“Who?” said genuinely clueless for a moment. Jack had driven Dr. Insincere so far into the recesses of her mind that she had to think about who her friend was referring to. “Jack’s the one that’s going to drive me to drinking.”

“Seriously, are you drunk? Who is Jack?”

Diane filled her in on everything from the car break down to Thanksgiving dinner. “Tonight he drove all this way to bring me food because he knew my only other option was delivery.”

“That’s nice, in a stalker kind of way.”

“If you tasted his mother’s cooking, you’d wish he were stalking you.”

“My mother can actually cook so I’ve had good home cooked food on more than just holidays.”

Diane laughed because everyone knew how bad a cook her mother was accept her mother. “Then he told me he wanted to get to know me and when I said I needed time to think he kissed me to give me something to think about.”

“What kind of kiss? A peck on the lips or…”

“The call the fire department and Ripley’s because I think I’m about to spontaneously combust kind,” Diane interrupted. “We have a date tomorrow. I’m so confused Mara.”

“Why are you confused? Some women go a lifetime without being kissed like that. Other’s only have memories of being kissed like that by the proverbial one that got away.”

“But, Dr. Insincere and I just ended.”

“Dr. Insincere? Is that what we’re calling him now?”

“His name is not worthy to cross my lips.”

“Do you think there’s a chance you’ll get back with his unworthiness?”

“I don’t know why I was engaged to him. I don’t even know why I went on a second date with him. I don’t think I loved him. I can’t even say I liked him.”

“I never understood you two either. You looked good together on paper, but in reality something was off.”

“What about Jack being white?”

“What about it?”

“I just never saw myself with a white boy, or being part of an interracial couple,” she said honestly.

“Don’t think of it that way. Think in terms of can you see yourself being happy with him. How do you feel when you’re with him?”

“At first I was nervous because I thought he was some racist hick out for kicks. But that changed. Being with him is like, well it’s kind of like being with you.”

“I knew I got you all hot and bothered.”

“I didn’t mean like that! I meant being with him is like being with my friend that I’ve known forever.”

“Is he cute?”

“He has these blue eyes and this dimple when he smiles and his clothes keep showing hints of a body that would inspire ancient Greeks. Other than the mullet he’s perfect.”

“He feels like your friend and there’s amazing chemistry, so there’s no issue because a mullet can be cut.”

“Why did you go into politics? You should have been a therapist.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll receive my invoice in a day or two.”

♥♥♥

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