The "IT" Factor

Chapter 1

  "And it's truly my pleasure to share his company. And I know that it's God's gift to breathe the air he breathes. Cause he is the truth. Said he is so realllllll" Iman sang as she prepared for her date with the guy she was head over heels for, Nick.

Iman looked at herself in the mirror with pure lust, as if she'd be okay with laying alone for the remainder of her earthly existence. Standing 5'4, 225 pounds, with full hips, full lips, double d's that sat up well enough to make a man's head turn in a 360 degree angle, and a nice ass to match, she had no issues with men. See, other women assumed that her pudge made her undesirable, but that definitely wasn't her issue.

Nick meant everything to Iman, the issue was, she'd never told him that. They both were equally emotionally "challenged", which made their connection seem quite surface like, but it was unspoken that this was more than that. He was chocolate, about 5'11 with light brown eyes and lashes that made a girl's heart flutter. He was of a larger build, but not sloppy. They were perfect for eachother.

*ding dong* Iman put one final coat of sparkly lipgloss on her lips and adjusted her breast in her bra before heading downstairs to open the door for Nick. They were going to one of the most sought out dinner spots in Atlanta, STK, so she decided to do a bit more than usual with her attire tonight. She chose to slip into a snake skin wrap dress that showed not too much but just enough cleavage, with a slight split in the front, orange strappy heels, and a simple black clutch. She usually wore her hair in a high pony or a bun, but she'd went out and got a 24 inch middle part weave and beat her face to the gods. She was well aware of what she was doing.

When she opened the door, Nick stood there with a dozen of pink roses and a smile bigger than the one she displayed. "Hey gorgeous, damn I don't even want to leave the house now." He said as he examined the fit of Iman's dress. "Well you don't look too shabby yourself, seeing that we're both usually in work clothes or sneakers and t-shirts", she said as she blushed. He stood there in a pair of slim fitting wax black jeans, a Fendi collar shirt and a pair of Fendi loafers to match. His simple gold herringbone chain and diamond earrings complimented his outfit perfectly.

"Well let's go, our reservations are for 8 and I don't wanna have to act an ass if they trip about us being late", Nick said allowing Iman to lead the way to catch another look. The car ride was a bit awkward which was unusual. They had been friends for 5 years before it got to a point where they admitted that they were attracted to each other, so conversation was never an issue. However, a recent incident left them both a bit flustered. A week prior they'd had sex for the first time and it only intensified feelings that were already present.

They arrived at the restaurant with 10 minutes to spare and were seated with no problem.

"What are you having bae?", Nick asked. "Probably a ribeye, baked potato, and broccolini", Iman said with a slight smirk on her face. She quickly followed up with a sly "Oh and maybe you for dessert". Nick didn't verbally reply but he became flustered and smiled for the remainder of dinner.

On the drive home, Nick decided to spark conversation. "I'm glad we had time to spend with eachother tonight. You and I both work so hard. I'm proud of you though. For a 25 year old, you've accomplished a lot and your efforts to give back to your community make me admire you."

"Okay so now I'm going to smile my cheeks off. Thank you though. That means a lot coming from the man I see myself marrying." she said quickly grabbing her mouth, not noticing that she was tipsy, she'd slipped up. Nick damn near ran into her garage turning into her driveway after hearing her admit that.

"You imagine yourself marrying me? I thought you hated the thought of marriage, because you always say you don't think you possess the wife "it factor". Nick questioned.

"As women we say a lot of things to make men comfortable or at least we say what we'd assume would make a man comfortable. I dream of marriage quite often. Love, I have my wedding planned with no husband. It's every girl's dream." Iman admitted as she began to swiftly get out of the car.

"Wait! You didn't give me a chance to respond. Girl stop fucking walking! Let me at least walk you!" Nick said as he damn near fell out of the car trying to stop Iman.

"Nick I'm sorry, I just feel as if there's a lot we hold in and I couldn't take it anymore. I'll call you tomorrow. Text me once you're home. Thank you for tonight, I needed this." Iman turned and walked into her house without even looking back. Nick felt defeated.