Once Nia finished work on the following Wednesday afternoon, she headed to Express-o, a café downtown Nia occasionally stopped in for a quick latté, snack or meeting. Which is why she chose to have her conversation with Malcolm here. She hoped whatever he had to say would be quick and painless like an apology she ordered to go.
An apology would really hit with some good old groveling on the side and hopefully a sprinkle of ass kissing to get the Malcolm Express relationship train back on the right track.
Nia ordered a caramel flat white and grabbed a tall iron table for two on the patio, her eyes absorbing the punchy colors of the city during the last week of July. The primary blue sky was streaked with wisps of white clouds and the sun blazed brightly, an undefinable beam highlighting colorful brick buildings, yellow taxi cabs and green trees planted every few steps.
Nia and her friends had cleansed any remnants of bad energy the weekend past, and she couldn't relive turning her apartment into a crime scene again. And Malcolm's place was too suffocating of a choice. Had Nia decided to go to see him on his turf, it felt like she was already giving into him too much. And after what he had put her through, this was about her and he'd have to do this on her terms. So she found herself here, on neutral ground, in a public space.
Nia fiddled anxiously with the lid of the coffee cup in front of her. She had prepared for seeing Malcolm as best as she possibly could, which mainly consisted of her ensuring she looked as cute as possible. Her sleek, back bun was adorned with glitzy bobbi pins, and a cream, satin scrunchie. She wore a lace and mesh, corset maxi dress matching in color and jade green wedge mules.
What she hadn't prepared herself for, was what it would feel like to actually lay eyes on him for the first time. When Malcolm sauntered up the block in the distance, Nia's stomach immediately began to tie into knots. He was wearing a crisp white tee under a black denim jacket, straight legged black pants and a fitted cap that carried a black and silver team's logo. His arm was protectively holding the strap to his laptop bag slung across his body and Nia could see the curve of his biceps flexed even under his baggy jacket. With every step he took closer to her, Nia tried to find a place to look, but her eyes kept connecting with his, their gaze unbreakable until he was seated across the table from her.
"Hey, Ni."
"Hey Mac. So..." Nia began as she sat back, crossing her legs at the knees.
"Why didn't you come see me after Zora dumped me?" Malcolm asked, interrupting her.
"What?"
"You heard me, Nia."
"What does that have to do with you leaving me in the street? With why we're sitting here?"
"Because to be honest, Nia, Zora didn't break my heart. You did."
The confusion of his confession must have read on Nia's face clearly because Malcolm continued.
"We both know what we are now was between us then and you didn't even act like you cared—"
"Wait, so what? This is all payback?"
"Let me finish."
"I get played and ignored for over a week–" Nia interrupted him again.
"Nia..."
"God, you keep playing in my fucking face! And my dumbass keeps letting you. I'm sick–"
"Let me finish." Malcolm said sternly. "I'm sorry I didn't call you last week but, to be fair, I couldn't. I went after Zora because running into her made me realize I truly might not have given her a fair shot. I went after Zora because I knew what it felt like for the one person you wanted to chase you, not to show up. And I can't apologize for that."
YOU ARE READING
The List that Lead the Logical Nia Birch to Fall in Love
Romance"Nia." Her name softly fell from his lips and she soaked in his sweet breath like a pancake to syrup. Her eyes were low and she was watching his chest rise and fall. She couldn't look at him just yet. She was frozen in place. With just this brazen...
