If You Were Here
CHAPTER ONE
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AmberPRiley MsAPRiley
Image Award Nomination! So grateful and humbled.
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"Just so you know, there will not be any grandbabies for a long time."
Amber opened her front door and sighed. Visiting her family had been wonderful but there nothing like coming home to your own house. She rolled her eyes as she half-listened to her mom. She had heard it before, numerous times. Her mother wanted her to find a "good man."
"I'm just fine being single," Amber said. "Things are good just the way they are."
"I know honey. It's just part of your mom's job description," her mom said. "I can wait for kids. I just know how you are. You need to give somebody a chance."
"Just come with me. It's The Image Awards. Denzel Washington might be there…"
"I've heard that before. And your father wants you to stop telling me that," her mom said, trying to stifle a laugh. "Now if you see Denzel let me know. But this time I want you take a date."
Amber deposited her luggage in the living room, took off her jacket and sat on her couch. She was jet-lagged and unfortunately, she didn't have much time to decompress. Kevin's housewarming party for his new house was tonight. She had a list of tasks to accomplish before she went out for the night.
"You do not know L.A.," she said. "The perfect man doesn't just knock on your door and say 'hey.' It will never happen."
An unexpected tap on her shoulder completely startled her. Her scream echoed through the room and her phone hit the floor. She turned to find Chord looking as if he hadn't done anything wrong and holding her baby, her dog Chewie.
"Hey," Chord said, innocently.
"You scared me to death!"
She picked up her phone. "Sorry mommy…It was just my, uh, dog-sitter, otherwise known as Chord."
She didn't tell her mom all of the juicy details. Chord was wet from head to toe and wearing only one of her yellow, 100-percent Egyptian cotton bath towels around his waist. He sat next to her on the couch looking casual and comfortable. Apparently, scaring her to death while being nearly naked was perfectly normal to him.
What are you doing? She mouthed to him, making sure her mom couldn't hear.
"Tell your mom I said hello," Chord said, nonchalantly.
"Chord says hello," Amber said reluctantly into her iPhone. "We are not dating," she said to her mom, before ended the call and turning to Chord. "Mommy said hi."
"That's all she said?" He asked suspiciously.
"That's all you need to know," Amber said. "Now, how's my baby?"
She enthusiastically took Chewie from Chord's toned arms and sank back into the couch.
"She thinks we're dating?" He said, amused.
"She's just reading too much into things."
"I like your mom. She reminds me of my mom, actually."
"Sure…Now are you going to explain why you're walking around my house in a towel?"
"Hey, I thought I was alone. I didn't hear you come in - I was in the shower."
"New rule! I'm the only one who can walk around my house naked," she said.
"But I'm not naked," he said. "Unless…you…"
"Oh, you wish," she said.
She laughed nervously while trying to keep her eyes on his face and not the chiseled goodness of Chord's body wrapped in only her towel. She had to admit that he had the body to carry it off. The problem, as she saw it, was that any slight shift would cause her to see more Chord than she could probably take. Chewie didn't help matters when he decided he wanted to play tug-of-war and began biting and pulling at the towel.
"How about you getting dressed? And then we can catch-up," she said.
"Sounds good."
Chord got up from the couch. But the towel did not follow. They realized that Chewie was stronger than he seemed as the terry cloth fabric fell onto Amber's white shag rug. One minute Chord's in a towel, the next he's standing before her completely naked. It happened so fast yet their reactions were in relative slow-motion. They froze for what seemed like years, stunned. Chord's look of utter surprise almost made her laugh, but she was too busy trying to keep her eyes on his face. She really tried to behave, but her eyes had their own freewill and scanned the length of his toned body.
He was a living statue, a sculpted work of human art. However, Chord had more to offer than the beautiful yet untouchable statue of David. His joystick was right at eye level and threating to poke out her eye if she moved her head forward a few inches. She could see that she had his full attention – his hard, rigid, full attention - before he made a lame attempt to cover it. She did not miss the fact that he needed two hands to accomplish that.
"I think you dropped something," Amber said, meekly breaking the silence and trying to be calm.
He finally retrieved the towel from the floor and wrapped around his waist.
"I'll…just go get dressed," he said, embarrassed, and made a hasty retreat down the hallway, to the bathroom.
"Sure, sure," Amber said, lamely, after him. She was stunned. She'd just seen all of what Chord had to work with, and she was impressed. She was positively Gobsmacked.
She didn't get to anything on her to-do list, after all. Though he was embarrassed earlier, Chord hung around telling her about his new music project and fooling around on his phone until he received a call from Elly.
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AmberPRiley MsAPRiley
WOW. Can't believe my eyes!
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He knocked on her bedroom door before making his retreat.
"I'll see you tonight, right?" He asked, not quite meeting her eyes.
Are you kidding me?" She said. "Kevin would kill me if I didn't show up. He wanted me to host the damn thing!"
"He's crazy about you."
"I know," she said, smiling. "Zip me up?"
She turned to give Chord access to the zipper on her dress.
"You look like you're getting married," he said.
She'd chosen a White strapless cocktail dress, that was cinched waist and gather pleats at the bust. It was radiant against her mocha-colored skin.
"Is it too much?"
"No. You look amazing, as usual," he offered.
"Thank you."
She turned to find him giving her an appreciative look and they had one of their silent moments. Those seconds where they took a pause, and said nothing, yet communicated so much. A strange mixture of comfort and yet unwelcomed vulnerability came over her during those times. It was like someone had removed her parachute, yet she still ached to float on the sky, amongst the clouds.
"It was sweet of you take care of Chewie for me. I could have hired someone but I trust you."
"That and Harry couldn't do it."
"Ha! There's that. But seriously, thanks."
"I got to hide from the world for a bit," Chord said.
She wondered if "the world" included his current girlfriend. She had a bit of an odd relationship.
He continued, "I worked on some songs. It was nice."
"Chewie still has all of his limbs, so you did a good job," she joked.
He laughed, but she read his nervous energy and knew he had something else on his mind
"About earlier, I…"Chord began, interrupting her mental flight.
"Don't worry about it," she said, cutting him off.
"It was an accident."
"I know."
"I just wanted you to know."
"Would it scare you if I went for a hug?" He said, but he was already sliding his hands around her and enclosing her into his arms. She could smell the Kiehl's Milk and Honey Body Polish from her shower on his skin. Even though she told herself it was just a friendly hug, she closed her eyes in the tiniest act of surrender.
"I'll see you later, Ms. Pretty."
She continued to get ready, while he let himself out.
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AmberPRiley MsAPRiley
Chewie was a bad boy today!
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(END OF CHAPTER ONE)
