After Five Years

Chapter 14

The drive to the restaurant is almost completely silent aside from the small conversation about Marie. As much as I hate the silence between us, I appreciate Isaiah not trying to force me to talk. I need to get my thoughts together. I need to figure out how to bring up the baby. Maybe if I just casually brought up kids. That could work.

On the outside the restaurant looks fancy but, it's not until we walk inside do I realize just how nice it is. This is just the type of restaurant I hate. The actual building is gorgeous, brick walls and chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. But the type of people that come here are the type I never want to have to associate with again. The type of people who come here cheat on their spouses and get botox every week. They're type of people who, like my parents, think they're above everyone else. The type of people I never want around my child. I watch Isaiah as he barks his reservation to the host. Is this the type of person he is now?

The host takes us to our table which is in the back of the restaurant next to two French doors. On the other side of those doors is a garden full of rose bushes.

The waitress comes to the table to get our drink orders and gawks when she sees Isaiah. "Just a water please." I speak up but she doesn't even look at me, her eyes are glued to Isaiah as they roam his arms and chest. I want to tell her off but I realize I have no right. I'm not his wife, I'm not his girlfriend, hell, we're not even friends at this point.

"A water also, thank you." Isaiah tells her and she gives him a dazzling smile. "I'll be right back." She walks away making sure to add a little extra sway in her hips.

"Did you want wine?" Isaiah asks and I drag my eyes to meet his. "You could have gotten wine if you wanted."

"No, I wanted water." Now would be a good time to bring up that I can't have wine, but I decide not to.

The waitress comes back with our water and gets our orders before taking the menus and leaving again.

The silence is awkward and Isaiah is watching me as if waiting for me to say something.

"So," I break the silence. "You said you wanted to talk?" Might as well start talking before I talk myself out of telling him about the baby.

"Yeah," He takes a deep breath. "I want to talk about what happened five years ago." That topic was exactly what I didn't want to talk about. I don't want to know what happened with the girl. I don't want to learn how long it had been going on. I want to stay clueless so I can keep telling myself it was only a one-time thing.

"I- I don't-" I think it would be best if we put what happened in high school behind us. Start fresh?"

'Please' I silently beg him. Let's put everything behind us and move on.

He studies my face for a few moments before nodding once. "To fresh starts."

"Did you ever end up in culinary school?" Isaiah asks once our food has come.

"No," I shake my head. "I went to Harvard for a year and hated it so I can home. My parents gave me the choice of going back or living on my own so Mia and I moved in together. I started working at Electrik and haven't had the money to go. What about you, was NYU all you hoped it would be?" He had always wanted to be a nurse, he wanted to help people. I can still remember his face when he found out he was getting full-ride basketball scholarship. The huge smile that spread across his face. The way he picked me up and spun me around. How we talked about getting a cheap apartment and going to college together.

He chuckles lightly. "No, it was rough at first, I didn't have my head screwed on right." A look of pain crosses his face. "My scholarship almost got pulled. Then Cameron and I got into a fight and he literally beat so sense into me." I cringe at the thought of them fighting, Isaiah may have an inch on Cameron with his six-foot-three height but Cameron has the advantage when it comes to muscle. "After that, I threw full effort into what I was doing. School and basketball during the school year and work during the summer." I can't imagine what he was going through to cause him to lose so much focus. I'm about to ask but he continues talking before I can. "I've recently been thinking about going back to school, becoming a doctor."