Kevin
She looked up at me and waited for me to say something. I cleared my throat and began to get speak.
"I uh, just wanted to apologize for the way we met and how I've been treating you." I got out fast.
She pursed her lips together and shifted her eye contact to everywhere but me. "Oh, it's fine." She replied, visibly uncomfortable.
"No it's really not. I didn't mean to upset you, I-I'm just shy when I meet new people." I stuttered.
She looked up. "I get it. It's fine, Kevin." She said. She was way too nice, even though I was the biggest díckhead ever.
We stood in silence for ten seconds. I didn't want the conversation to end because I knew there would still be some uncomfortable tension there. "Can we start over?" I said.
"I'd like that." She smiled. God that smile would be the death of me.
I smiled back. "Hi, I'm Kevin Durant." I said while sticking out my hand.
"I'm Normani Kordei, it's nice to meet you." She said, still smiling and shaking my hand.
"It's my pleasure. Can I treat you to a drink?" I asked, hoping she wouldn't reject me.
"I'd love that." Normani said. I'm pretty sure I broke a sweat waiting for her to answer.
We made our way back inside and to the bar. I ordered us both a drink and headed to an empty couch in the V.I.P section. I looked over at Lauren and saw her smiling widely at us. I sent her a nod and made a mental note to thank her later. We both plopped down on the couch, sipping our drinks.
"So, tell me about yourself, Normani." I said, looking at her.
"There's not much to tell. I'm just a girl from New Orleans who likes to sing." She said as she smiled.
"Where are you from?" She asked, positioning herself so she was facing me.
"Seat Pleasant, Maryland!" I replied, feeling mixed emotions about my hometown.
"I've never met anybody from Maryland! What's it like?" She asked.
"I didn't exactly grow up in the best part of Maryland. Seat Pleasant was the murder capital at one point. I used to spend a lot of my time at the Rec Center, that was the place to be." I said, smiling at the memories I made at the Rec Center.
"I used to go to the Rec Center around where I lived all the time! I loved that place. It was where I found light after Hurricane Katrina." Normani said, frowning a bit at the remembrance of the tragic time.
"That city has come so far. It's incredible." I replied.
She smiled. "Yeah, it is." Her smile made me want to smile.
"Sooo, what's it like being an all-star NBA player?" She asked, wiggling her eyebrows.
I laughed. "Eh, not that exciting." I joked.
"Boy, you've been the league MVP and lead the league in scoring four different times and you've got nothing to tell me? I see how it is." She fake pouted.
