"She did what? Nah!!" Josiah asked in disbelief.
"I swear she did. I cannot make this up." Ava laughed.
Ava was no longer bothered by other's people foolishness. The pep talk she had with both Chanel and Josiah had her floating on cloud nine, unaffected by negativity.
She sat Indian style on the bed in her oversized t-shirt, eating out of the tub of ice cream sitting in her lap. She had her MacBook placed in front of her while she and Josiah talked via FaceTime.
"Women are crazy. I'm glad me and my homeboys don't have these kind of problems." He said.
Josiah was in the bed too. He was resting his head on the headboard as he watched Ava, wishing he was the spoon she devoured with her tongue.
"No, no. This is why I keep my circle small. I'm not fooling with any new chicks. Nel and Steff are all I need from now on." She said seriously.
"Seems like that'll work," Josiah laughed.
They're conversation continued for a while longer when Ava's cellphone began to ring. It caught her off guard. She was startled because she couldn't imagine who would be calling her this late.
She reached on the night stand and looked at the name on the screen. Charles Morrison.
Ava let out a loud, frustrated sigh and turned the phone's ringer off. She rolled her eyes and returned her focus to Josiah's handsome face on her computer screen.
He looked at her with inquisitive eyes but too cool to inquire.
"Work." She revealed to help end his curiosity.
Josiah nodded. He thought it was too late for work calls, just as he did the night of the baseball game but what could he say? He admired that Ava was a hard worker although by her frustration and dismissive attitude, it didn't seem like the calls were related to work. He would ask more about that if their relationship evolved the way he wanted it to.
"So where do you want to eat for lunch tomorrow?" She asked, changing the subject.
"Doesn't matter to me. Have you ever been to that Italian spot, on 3rd and 52nd?" He asked.
"Vapianos? I love that place!" She rejoiced.
"Cool. I'll pick you up from your office around 12." Josiah offered.
Ava agreed and they said their good nights, both excited to see each other again tomorrow.
The next day and the day after that for the next couple of months, Josiah and Ava enjoyed lunch together. And about one or two nights out of the week, they invited one another over for dinner.
Surprisingly, Josiah was a great cook. Tonight, he invited Ava over to teach her how to replicate one of Abuela's homemade recipes.
Ava felt honored to be able to share something so intimate with Josiah. For the past couple of months of dating, she had grown to have strong feelings for him. Feelings that scared her but unable to make them go away. These feelings were reciprocated by Josiah, most definitely. He'd never taught anyone how to cook using Abuela's recipes, it was something sacred that he shared with only Abuela and Lainey. Actually, he's never spent this much time with any woman besides them without sex being involved. The furthest he and Ava went was sharing a kiss in her kitchen last week. A long, passionate, erection-causing kiss.
Ava was sitting on the counter pouting about not being able to reach the measuring cup at the very top of her cabinet. She climbed on the counter to retrieve it herself, as Josiah made fun of her. Before she could stretch herself tall enough to reach, he turned her around and sat her on the counter and offered to get the measuring cup without any effort. Ava pouted, unable to prove her point while Josiah examined her lips. He couldn't help himself and went in for the kill. The kiss lasted so long that the smoke detector sounded from the unattended chicken breast searing on the stove. It startled them both and definitely killed the mood. They laughed as Josiah fanned the detector and Ava removed the chicken from the pot.
