Date

Summer

"This is too short." I say tugging at the hem of my black dress that comes to my knees.

"Girl, that dress damn near touches your ankles," Trina says walking up behind me. She glances in the floor length mirror at our reflections.

"But it is missing something." She taps her chin before walking away to look in my closet.

I take the time to study myself in the mirror. My long braids are pulled up into a bun at the top of my head. Trina did my make up. My foundation is light enough that you can still see my freckles. My eyes are lined with black liner giving them even more of a cat shape. The red on my lips make them stand out and look even fuller.

The black body con dress is modest with its crew neck collar and long sleeves. It fits my slim physique like a second skin even making my barely there hips seem prominent. The ankle boots add to the look.

I have to admit, for a first date I looked pretty darn good. Trina walks back over to me.

"Here, this will be perfect."

She wraps a scarf around my neck making it resemble a cowl neck. I freeze at the appearance of the added fabric. It's the scarf Gabriel bought me that night.

I'm tossed back down memory lane. His gorgeous green eyes staring down at me expectantly as he holds out the scarf for me. In my mind I take the time to once again memorize his face. Those old pale scars that cut into his brow and above his lip. His perfect white teeth and those full lips.

I shake the memory out of my head. Nothing good can come from those thoughts.

Turning back to the mirror, I once again admire the work Trina has done.

"What do you think, G?" Trina turns to ask Gabe who is sitting on my bed playing with his action figures.

He looks up at me and I turn to face him. He smiles and gives me two thumbs up.

"Oh, you got two thumbs up?" Trina jokes. "That's hard to come by." Gabe laughs and goes back to his toys.

The alarm on my phone goes off letting me know it's time to head toward the restaurant. I didn't want him to meet me at my house. This was mine and Gabe's sanctuary. I was very picky about who knew where it was.

Plus, I had an issue about having another man in the house that Gabriel bought me. I know it's weird and obviously he doesn't care but it bothers me.

Running my sweaty hands down the side of my dress my nerves start to get the best of me.

"What if I mess this up? You know how I get. What if I say something weird."

Trina raises an eyebrow at me. "You, being awkward as hell, is a given. There is nothing we can do about that."

"Trina," I whine, "I'm being serious."

"Girl, me too."

Admittedly, a lot of my dates never get past the first one because I've never fixed that whole mouth diarrhea thing. And unfortunately, I can't blame my complete awkwardness on the drugs anymore.

I roll my eyes. She laughs.

"Listen. Just be your funny, weird self. He is going to like you."

I'm glad at least one person was confident in this. Walking over to Gabe, I sit on the side of the bed near him.

"Gabe," I call his name and he looks up from his toys. I smile. "I'm going out for a while. Aunt Trina is going to watch you. I want you to be on your best behavior, okay?"

He looks past me to my open bedroom door then back to me.

"Hulk doesn't want you to go on the date."

"Awwww," Trina whimpers behind me.

My son loves his marvel action figures and often uses them to express himself. He's been talking about Hulk since yesterday at the park. He even spent most of the afternoon outside in the backyard playing with his imaginary Hulk.

"Well, can you tell Hulk that even though mommy is going on the date, it doesn't change the way she loves and feels about you. You will always be my number one guy. Okay?"

He looks back at my bedroom door. This time I glance over my shoulder too, only to find no one there.

"Okay. I'll tell him."

I smile, standing from my seat, I push his curls off his forehead and place a quick kiss there. After grabbing my purse off the dresser, I head out of the room with Trina on my heels.

"If he has any issues call me immediately. He's already eaten, but he may want a snack before bedtime. They are in that cabinet. He can watch a movie as long as…" Trina grabs my shoulders and turn me to look at her.

"Stop. I've been watching my godson since he was three weeks old. I can handle G."

I let out a deep breath because she's right. Trina never has issues with him.

"Sorry, I'm just—"

"Freaking out for nothing," she laughs. "You're going to be fine."

She lets me go and taps me on the hip to get me moving again. I head toward the front door. "Remember, be yourself. Try to think before you speak. Oh, and no sex on the first date."

I turn to glare at her. She bursts out laughing.

"What? Don't act like it hasn't happened before. That's how we got G."

Rolling my eyes playfully at my best friend, I head out to my car. I dig through my purse looking for my keys, when suddenly I get the oddest feeling. It's like my entire body goes icy cold. I stop searching for my keys and glance around at my surroundings. However, nothing is out of the norm.

I shake off the odd feeling as I finally find my keys and pull them out of my purse. I push the unlock button and climb into my car.

"Here we go," I say out loud before starting the ignition and heading to the restaurant where I will be meeting Andrew.

I make it to the five-star Italian restaurant in under twenty minutes. Admittedly, not enough time to ease my nerves.

Pulling my car to the front of the building, I open my door as the valet comes around to my side.

"Welcome to Buona Tavola," the young man says before handing me a piece of paper with the number 210 written on it.

"Thank you." I quickly make my way to the front door.

Other than telling me his occupation and that he was tall, Trina didn't really describe this guy to me. Glancing around the foyer, I spot a young couple, a family of four, and a man squeezed into a button up shirt so tight if he sneezed his buttons would turn him into an active shooter. My stomach sinks at the sight of him.

I pull out my phone and text Trina.

Me: Please, tell me Andrew is not this middle-aged balding man with a size youth small shirt on."

Her reply was instant.

Bestie:What? Hell no. But take a picture. LOL!

"Summer?" A deep voice pulls my attention from my phone.

I look up into the darkest brown eyes set into the face of an absolutely stunning man. Tan skin as smooth as a baby, thick dark brows, enticing lips, a well-trimmed goatee and the straightest whitest teeth I've ever seen outside of a toothpaste commercial.

"Holy shit," the words come out of my mouth before I can catch them.

He chuckles, making him even more charming.

"You're definitely Summer,"

"And you are definitely not a balding man with a too tight shirt on."

Andrew's eyes widen. And the man behind me clears his throat. I glance back to find Mr. Tight shirt glaring at me before he storms off.

"Sorry," I mouth even though he can't see me. It's not like he didn't know that damn shirt was too tight.

Andrew starts to laugh. I turn back to him.

"Trina was right, you are funny. She's told me so much about you."

Clearly, she didn't return the favor.

"It's nice to finally meet you," he goes on to say holding his hand out in front of him.

I place my hand inside his for a shake. He brings our joined hands up to his lips and places a kiss on the back of my hand. I giggle like a twelve-year-old in front of her crush.

"You too," I reply breathlessly.

Andrew is absolutely gorgeous. Those square framed glasses perched on the bridge of his nose give him a sophisticated boy next door type of vibe.

"Our table is ready," he says drawing me out of my head.

He holds a hand out suggesting that I walk in front of him. I oblige even though I don't know where I'm going. However, no worries, a gentle hand on my elbow guides me in the right direction.

Finally, we make it to our table, and he pulls out my seat allowing me to sit down. There is already a glass of water sitting in front of me. I take a sip of the cold liquid hoping it will help ease my nerves even more.

"So, what are you thinking about for an appetizer?" Andrew asks as he picks up the menu in front of him. "The food here is really good."

I pick up my fancy leather bound menu.

"How are the mozzarella balls?"

"They're good. I should warn you, they are really big though."

I chuckle. "Not sure I want big balls in my mouth on the first date."

His eyes go round as he stares at me. I realize then how my joke must have sounded.

Holding out a hand as if I'm trying to stop my words from sounding so ridiculous. "Not that I want small balls either."

Andrew chokes on the water he just took a sip of.

"Shit, not saying your balls are small. I mean I bet they are really nice balls."

Never has my brain and my mouth seemed so disconnected. I'm pretty sure when Trina told me to be myself, this isn't what she meant. At this point I wish the ground wouldn't just open and swallow me but politely spit me out onto another continent.

Andrew places his glass down in front of him and pounds on his chest. "Maybe we should move on from the mozzarella. They also have good calamari."

Feeling thankful for his change of subject, I keep my mouth closed. Hopefully nothing else crazy slips out.

"So, Summer," he says placing his hands on top of the table. "Trina tells me you're in school."

I smile, glad to be on a topic other than balls.

"Yes. I'm two and a half months away from graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology."

"That's fantastic. I guess I'll have to take you out somewhere nice to celebrate." He gives me that Colgate smile again and I can't help but blush.

"Hello, Welcome to Buona Tavola," A well-dressed waiter says coming over to our table. He has a bottle of wine in his hands. "Can I start you off with a drink, maybe our delicious house wine?"

Andrew looks at me expectantly. I shake my head.

"Oh, no alcohol for me."

"You don't drink?" Andrew asks innocently.

"No. I ummm, I'm a recovering addict. Alcohol wasn't my vice, but I don't want to put down one addiction for another so, I stay clear."

I don't think I've ever seen the color drain out of someone's face so fast. Andrew goes from tanned to ghost white in 0.2 seconds. I guess Trina didn't tell him everything. Even the waiter looks shocked.

"Don't worry," I say holding up a hand. "I've been clean for five years. No need to hide the silverware." I chuckle but no one joins me.

Clearing my throat, I look up at the waiter. "Sweet tea is fine."

"Uhhhh," Andrew seems to stall for a moment before finally shaking his head and saying. "A whiskey sour for me please. Double it."

The waiter nods before hurriedly walking away. An uncomfortable silence floats between us. Andrew seems to look everywhere but at me.

This is not an uncommon outcome. Many of my dates have hit the awkward silence part after either I tell them about my past or I make a joke that they don't seem to get. I'm used to this.

"You know, we can call it a night. I'm sure you have better things to do than pretend to be interested."

He looks back at me, his eyes widen before he shakes his head. "No, I'm sorry." He holds up a hand then takes a deep breath. "I'm messing this up."

"I doubt you can make it any worse than my confession."

He laughs, as he pushes his glasses up on his nose. "Trina told me you had a past. She didn't tell me exactly what it was. In fact, she told me it wasn't any of my damn business because you aren't that person anymore."

I can't help but laugh because that's exactly what my best friend would say.

"She has such a way with words," I joke.

Andrew chuckles before running a hand through his hair. "Look, you caught me off guard I'll admit, but it doesn't deter me. She's right, it's obvious you are no longer that person. It's in your past."

"Yeah," I say glancing away. "Sure."

For the rest of the date, Andrew and I talk about safer subjects. We discuss our likes and dislikes, movies and tv shows, and he told me about his childhood and his family. Overall, I really enjoyed my time with him.

"I can't believe you actually told your professor that." He laughs.

"Look, math is already my hardest subject. I could not sit in that classroom for an hour with someone who smelled like hot ass on a bed of wild onions."

Andrew tosses his head back and laughs again. He has a nice laugh. It's breathy and deep almost like a chuckle. I wonder what Gabriel's laughter sounds like?

My thoughts come to a screeching halt. What the hell? Why is he popping up in my head? This is not the time or place to get lost in Gabriel.

"Are you okay?" Andrew asks. "You looked a little spooked for a minute."

Planting a smile on my face, I shake all thoughts of Gabriel out of my mind.

"No, I'm good."

"Well, how about I pay for dinner and maybe you and I can go for a walk?"

"That sounds nice."

Andrew reaches across the table and places a hand on top of mine giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Alright, I'll grab the waiter and go to the restroom." He smiles as he stands and walks away. I watch him as he heads toward the bathroom. Turning back around, I grab my phone out of my purse with a huge smile on my face.

Me:Okay, I take back everything I said about your matchmaking skills.

The dots immediately pop up alerting me that Trina is replying.

Bestie:I told you he would be perfect. And he's sexy.

Me:LOL! He is. We're going for a walk after this. I'm sharing my location with you.

I scroll through my apps to find the share location option. I liked Andrew and all, but you can never be too careful. Sooner than expected the chair in front of me scrapes across the floor alerting me that Andrew had returned. I quickly put my phone back in my purse.

"Well, that was qui…." My words die on my tongue as I sit up straight and look across the table. It isn't the well put together Andrew sitting in front of me. It's the one person I was sure I'd never see again.

"Gabriel," his name rolls off my tongue in a breathless whisper.

Although Andrew is attractive with his dark hair and geeky vibe. There is something about the man sitting across from me that puts all other men in the mediocre box.

I take a minute to admire the man that has made cameo appearances in my thoughts since the morning I woke up without him.

In my mind his eyes aren't as electric as they are sitting across from me. The pale scars that mar his face seem less prominent in real life than in my dreams. Those lips that I've dreamt about kissing me are fuller than I remember, so is his size. It feels as if he's gotten taller and even more buff in our time apart.

His long golden blond hair hangs in his face like curtains. For what feels like an eternity he and I stare at each other. It's as if we are both taking in the changes of the other.

It isn't until I start to pay closer attention that I notice the veins in his neck. The way his hands are fisted on top of the table. The way his breathing lifts and drops his shoulders as if he's been running. Even the vacant look in his eyes.

I saw this look many times that night. That is one thing that my memory never gets wrong. Gabriel is battling his mother. It is then I realize that he just popped up on my date. A date with someone that has yet to come out of the bathroom.

I shut my eyes and take a deep breath before reopening and speaking. "Is he alive?"

Silence, and then finally he speaks. "He's breathing."

Feeling relief that Andrew didn't meet an untimely death tonight, I sink back in my chair and shake my head.

I have a lot of questions. They are all swimming around my head at once. I had no idea I'd ever see this man again. For him to pop up now has me a little thrown off.

"So, they let you out?"

"No," he says without any further explanation.

I dip my brows together, confusion etching my face. "You broke out?"

"Yes."

I would say that this shocks me. But I was more shocked when Fem told me that they were holding him. I didn't think there was a prison built that could keep this man down.

Gabriel is like a Tsunami. His presence and energy swallow you up and drags you into him—most likely to your death. Even now, my heart beats so fast in my chest I feel lightheaded just being near him.

One thing becomes blatantly clear, what I felt that night around him was not a one-off thing. And it had shit to do with withdrawals.

My gaze keeps going back to his face. Goodness, this man is gorgeous. And if I was a dumb woman, I'd crawl into his lap and purr like a cat. But, sobriety and time have made me wiser.

"What are you doing here, Gabriel?" There is no way I'm going to believe this is just a friendly visit. He doesn't put me in the mindset of someone that stops by to catch up on old times.

The way his jaw tenses lets me know he either doesn't like my question or doesn't like his answer to it.

"I don't know," he finally says after a while, letting me know the latter was the problem.

Scoffing, I lean back in my seat. I cast my gaze away from him, not wanting him to see the way my eyes are watering.

"Five years." I look back at him and his green eyes are staring directly at me. "It never crossed your mind to call?"

He looks away briefly, but I keep going.

"You could have sent an email, wrote a letter, sent a damn carrier pigeon, or hell even smoke signals asking about your son would have been nice."

He doesn't answer or reply. He just stares back at me with those damn intense eyes. I knew Fem was giving him updates. Gabriel knew about Gabe all this time and not once did he reach out.

I shake my head swiping at the tear that fell. Anytime I allowed myself to think I'd see Gabriel again, I never thought it would be this emotional. I'd long since gotten over him not being around, but I didn't realize how much his lack of communication bothered me until now.

"So, what now? Is this your way of telling me you want back into our lives? Am I supposed to just—"

"No."

His reply catches me off guard. "No?"

"Me showing up here changes nothing. We don't work."

I laugh, even though nothing is remotely funny. His words sting like hell to hear.

"She's incapable of loving."

"Then why come back? What's the point of this?" I ask pointing to him showing up on my date.

He doesn't answer, instead his gaze cuts away from me.

I lean up from my chair. "What about Gabe? Do you even fucking care about your son?"

He slams his fist on the table causing the glasses of water and the silverware to rattle. A few surrounding gazes turn to us, but I don't pay them any attention.

"Of course, I care," he grits out, those seafoam eyes locking in on me. "But I'm not good enough—"

I hold up my hand cutting off his reply.

"Don't. Don't give me your bullshit excuse." He looks away once again, but I chase his gaze with my head. "You want to talk about not being good enough? Imagine fighting your own thoughts to stay alive when you get a positive pregnancy test. Every day I battle depression and my old desires. But I do it for him. I will do anything for my son. I don't get to be a coward and run."

He looks back at me when I call him a coward. His eyes narrow but I don't care. I was once afraid of Gabriel. Don't get me wrong, I still believe him to be as dangerous as he was on our first encounter. However, he no longer scares me.

"Summer." Just from the way he says my name I know that he won't change his mind.

I get it. I see the fear in his eyes. It's the same fear I saw in mine the day that test was positive. I see the same fear every time I look in the mirror and question if I'm strong enough to keep my shit from damaging my son. It crossed my mind to tuck my tail and run. However, I didn't. But I won't fault him for running. My only concern now is the little boy that looks just like the man sitting across from me.

Shaking my head I reply, "Just go, Gabriel. We're good. Gabe and I don't need you."

I wait for him to get up and leave but he doesn't budge. Instead, he remains in his seat, breathing in that labored way from before. Finally, after a few minutes, he stands and starts to walk off.

"Gabriel." He stops at the sound of me calling his name, glancing over his shoulder.

"Let this be the last time you show up at anymore of my dates."

The vein in his neck throbs, his eyes narrow, but he turns and walks away. I let out the breath I was holding.

I feel as if I faced an insurmountable obstacle and came out on top. For the first time since he sat down, my heart has gone back to its regular pace.

The waiter comes over to the table to bring our check.

"Excuse me," I say getting his attention. "My date went to the bathroom, and he's been in there for a while. Do you mind going in and checking on him."

The waiter gives me a sympathetic look. I'm sure he thinks Andrew has run out on me. However, he dips his chin before walking toward the bathroom.

I gather my purse, already aware that the night is pretty much over. That is proven correct when the waiter comes back out with a panicked look on his face demanding another waiter to call 911.

Spending half the night at the hospital was not how I thought the night was going to end. But I'm lucky, because when it comes to Gabriel, it could've been worse.