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Erica woke up to the sounds of vomit. Scrunching up her nose she sat up in the bed. It was almost noon on this wonderful Saturday. The toilet flushed and the sink water began running. She could hear Josh brushing his teeth.
Rolling over to his side of the bed she sniffed the pillow. His cologne still lingered and it made her stomach flip. Smiling to herself she drifted off for a few. The next time she opened her eyes she could hear popping coming from the kitchen.
Yawning Erica went to the bathroom to freshen up and pull some new clothes on. After stripping the sheets she threw them into the washer and made her way to the kitchen. Joshua had his back turned to her. He had his underwear on and his durag.
Erica laughed to herself before coming up behind him. She placed her warm hand on his back before swinging to his side. He smiled down at her.
"Hey," Erica said hazily. She was still buzzing from her orgasm last night.
"Hey." Josh leaned down and kissed her lips three times.
He slid a finished plate of food over to her. Erica sat at the breakfast bar and cut into her pancakes. She only ate about half of them before she was full.
"You're gonna make me fat forcing me to eat all the time," Erica complained as Josh handed her a fruit bowl.
"You know I don't care about weight. I love you either way. You just need more nutrition that's all." Joshua said eating his breakfast.
Erica playfully rolled her eyes, "You're not eating much today. Scared that liquor is gonna come back up?"
"Hell yeah but I want to take you out on a date tonight."
Erica smiled, "When and where?"
"Tomorrow night at 7 pm. Wear something fancy. I'm not telling you where it's at though, leave it up to me."
...
Erica sat on the couch of her therapist's office. Dr. Kimi took notes on her tablet. Erica cleared her throat before continuing her story.
"He came over and I fucked him. I wasn't about to but he came onto me and I couldn't resist him." She spoke rubbing her sweaty palms on her leggings.
Dr. Kimi pushed her glasses up on her face, "I don't see a problem with that. How did that make you feel?"
"Like I was on top of the world. He made me feel special. We're going out tomorrow. I'm actually excited. He seems to be taking this seriously. I trust myself in this process with him. "
....
Erica smoothed out the wrinkles on her long black dress. Her heels gave her some height. Her natural beat emphasized her face in a good way. She smiled into the mirror. Josh would be pulling up any second now.
A knock at her door made her rush. Picking up her clutch she looked at herself one last time. Josh was on the other side of the door in a suit. A dozen roses were in her face. She laughed.
"Josh you are such a hopeless romantic. Who never under that exterior you'd be like this." Erica took the flowers and placed them on her counter. She'd remember to put them in a vase when she came back.
After a smooth drive, Erica was surprised when they ended up at an opera house. They walked hand and hand into the theater. Josh had gotten them VIP seats. Erica sat snuggly in the comfortable chair. Josh sat next to her. She kissed him on the cheek.
"You really know how to surprise a girl. This is so nice."
The elegance of the opera house oozed elitism. Erica was growing into what having money was like. Growing up she got it from the Ball family but remembered how she struggled once she left the nest.
Erica watched as many of the singers put on the best performance of their lives. From the visuals to the musicians, Erica had left the show feeling inspired for her next piece. They sat in a five-star restaurant afterward, and the smooth jazz made Erica order the nicest bottle of wine.
"I can already see you thinking. What is it?" Josh asked snapping a picture of his surf and turf that sat on his plate.
"I just really enjoyed the show. Every time I come across something that inspires me, I started writing it down. It'll be useful especially if I get on that art tour." Erica looked down feeling self-doubt creep in.
"Hey, I've seen your work. It's amazing! They're gonna accept you." Josh reached across the table to hold her soft hand.
...
Josh pulled in front of Erica's place. The night sky twinkled above them. Erica cleared her throat.
"Do you wanna come up?" She shyly asked.
Josh shook his head, "I want to do it right this time. I want to be a gentleman and most don't go upstairs after the first date."
Erica laughed, "Okay, don't be corny."
"Eh, you love it."
Erica kissed his lips as she exited the car. By the time she made it to her apartment, she was tagged in a photo. She and Josh took a quick selfie at dinner. He had posted it to his account showing her to the world.
Erica smiled liking the picture and shut the door behind her.
