The ring fit perfectly on my right ring finger. A tear fell down my cheek as I wiggled my hand to catch the reflection of the light in the stone. It was the most beautiful thing anyone had ever given me.
CHAPTER 33
CEDRIC
Five Months Later
We were by the ocean in West Palm Beach. Allison was straddling me on the sand, her big beautiful green eyes shining in the sunlight. Callie ran by and poured water out of a bucket all over us and we laughed hysterically, both getting up and chasing after Callie toward the shoreline. Allison, Callie and I fell to the ground in the water still laughing uncontrollably. We were distracted when all of a sudden a gargantuan wave approached, but Allison was facing me and didn’t see it coming. The wave pushed Callie and I to shore, but Allison was gone. “Allison!”
“Allison!”
“Cedric? Cedric! Wake up!” Stephanie yelled, shaking my shoulders.
My eyes blinked repeatedly and my heart pounded. “Wha—Stephanie?”
“You were having a nightmare. Who’s Allison?” she asked.
“Huh?” I said, intentionally avoiding the question.
“Who’s Allison? You were yelling for Allison,” she repeated.
“Oh. Yeah. No one. I don’t know. It’s okay. Go back to bed.”
Good answer, asshole.
Stephanie sighed and rolled over, but I could tell she was still awake. God, I hope my sleep talk wasn’t too dramatic. I dream a lot about Allison, but this was the first time I had done it in front of someone.
Stephanie and I have been dating over a month now. She is a lawyer at a firm downtown and we met in the Boston Common during our respective lunch breaks. I had been mulling over life on a bench when she sat down beside me with her Au Bon Pain salad. We shared stories about our jobs and watched together as kids ran around in the frog pond. We ended up meeting for dinner that night and have been casually dating ever since.
I have been forcing myself to move on.
She started sleeping over a couple of nights ago. We hadn’t had sex yet, mostly because I haven’t crossed that line. I am pretty sure she is ready and willing. Actually, I know that for a fact being that she literally tried to get into my boxers last night, but I haven’t wanted to go there for some reason.
For some reason…who am I kidding? I know why.
Stephanie is beautiful, Filipino, with nice skin, a pretty smile, a great personality and she is smarter than probably anyone I know. It’s not that I am not attracted to her. I just…I don’t know.
Stephanie was making waffles in my kitchen when I strolled out of bed.
“Good morning, dreamy.”
“Mornin’.”
“That dream must have been intense. You were shaking, Cedric.”
“Was I?”
Drop the subject. Drop the subject. Drop the subject.
“Yeah. I am glad I woke you up.”
“Me too.”
Another lie. I would take being with Allison any way I could, even in the form of a bizarre dream.
“What did you want to do today?”
It was Labor Day. I knew my mother was having a cookout, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go over there. Stephanie and I were supposed to be hanging out too and I would probably have to bring her. I wasn’t really ready to introduce her to my mother.