Afterburn

I unlaced my FUBU sneakers and slid out of them, kicking them off in the hallway on the way to my bedroom.

“So…” Kahlil said hesitantly. “What about you? Are you seeing someone?”

I froze in time with one arm pulled out of my sweater and the zipper on my jeans halfway down. Kahlil was inquiring about my status. Go Rayne! It’s your birthday! It’s your birthday! It’s your birthday!

I cleared my throat to prevent myself from sounding too anxious. “No, I’m not seeing anyone,” I replied casually. “I was seeing someone a while ago, but things didn’t pan out.”

“His name was Will, right?”

I almost bit my tongue. “Yes, that was his name all right.”

“Well, his loss, my gain.”

“Is that right?” I giggled.

“Rayne, I know this is going to sound insane but I wanted to ask you to attend a dinner at my parents’ house next weekend.”

I was stunned. “Kahlil, can you hold on a second?”

“Sure?”

I tossed the cordless on my bedspread and finished taking off my sweater and jeans. I pulled down the covers and climbed onto the cold sheets, hoping they’d warm up with a quickness.

“I’m back,” I said.

“Good. I was beginning to think I’d scared you off.”

I laughed. “I was getting undressed and into bed. I just got in from the game.”

“Oh, you went to a bar?”

“The ESPN Zone. Been there?”

“No, but I’ve been wanting to check it out.”

“You definitely should.” There was a brief silence. “If you want, we could check it out together.”

“Sounds good.” I could hear a door slamming somewhere in the background. “What about dinner?”

“Don’t get me wrong, Kahlil. I’d love to spend some time with you and get to know you better. I was craving to do that the entire time we worked together. I think you knew that, didn’t you?”

He chuckled and I could imagine him blushing. “Kind of.”

“I’m not sure dinner at your parents’ is the right atmosphere for us to get intimate.”

Kahlil sighed into the phone. “Can I be honest?”

“Certainly.”

“I took the liberty of telling my parents that I’ve been seeing this great woman for several months and I’ve really played the whole thing up.”

“Ah, let me guess.” It was becoming clear. “There’s no woman and now that there’s a family dinner in the works for you to present her to the world, you need someone to present?”

“I’m totally embarrassed by this but, yes, that’s it exactly.”

I couldn’t help but be amused. On top of that, I was flattered. Out of all the women I was sure Kahlil knew casually, he’d chosen me to be the type to take home to his momma.

“Sure, I’ll do dinner.”