Terry 1

"I don't know why you insist on getting those nasty ass Brussels sprouts, don't nobody eat that but you...damn look at her."

"What? Stop hitting me, who are you looking at...damn."

I had been shopping with my housemate, Tee (Tisha, but she thought that name was too girly, so everyone calls her Tee) and along walked the most luscious woman I'd ever seen in my life. Inch after inch of smooth caramel skin that covered a beautiful figure. I looked at her up and down, taking in those beautiful legs, thighs that I could practically feel wrapped around my head, beautiful round hips and delicious ass, thin, huggable waist and perky round breasts. Her face was beautiful; full lips that I was certain would taste as good as they looked, a cute little nose, and eyes so dark they looked black. Her hair fell past her shoulders in dark flowing locks that I wanted to run my hands through. She was short, about five foot five, which would fit nicely with my five foot eight. Damn was right, I knew that I had to talk to her before we left the grocery store.

"If I didn't love Tanya so much, I'd be all over that...damn." Tee said, she and her girlfriend Tanya had been dating for almost two years. I was wondering when they'd move in together.

"Yeah well, I don't have a Tanya, and I will see you later." I said, shoving the Brussels sprouts I had picked up into her arms.

"Oh, so you just gone leave me standing here to go talk to some girl? Whatever! I ain't buying these nasty ass things!" she called at me, but I could hear the smile in her voice.

I'm sure she was glad that I was going over to the girl. It'd been a minute before I had really ventured out. My last relationship had been more than a little taxing. Justine, my last girlfriend, had me wrapped around her finger, and I didn't see the breakup coming. She didn't even seem to care when I pleaded for her to tell me what I'd done wrong. She was brutal about it, and she had scarred me deeper than I wanted to admit at first. But, my lack of interest in the girls that Tee tried to introduce me to showed just how deep it went. Now, a year later, I was about to walk up to the vision that was picking out cantaloupes.

I checked my breath, straightened my tall tee, ran a hand over my short hair, and walked calmly up behind her.

"They say the way to tell if they're fresh is to smell them." I said, moving to lean against the counter. She turned to look up at me, at first looking a little annoyed -- I'm sure people hit on her all the time, she was beautiful -- then her features softened just a little and she gave me a little smirk. Good, smirks could lead to smiles.

"Oh really? And just what is a fresh melon suppose to smell like?" her voice was smooth, an alto, it fit her.

"To be honest, I really don't know. It's just what I've heard." I said, flashing her my best smile. Then she chuckled.

"How are you going to give me advice when you don't know what the advice is?"

"Hmm...you're right. But I tell you what, the next time I see you, I'll tell you what a melon should smell like, okay?"

"How can you be so sure you'll see me again?" she teased back.

"You're too beautiful to overlook, you'll be hard to miss." I got a smile that time.

"Well, then. I guess I'll see you later."

"I'm going home right now to learn all that I can about cantaloupes."

"You do that."

I back peddled a few steps before turning around to walk back to where I left Tee. I turned one more time to see if she was looking at me. She wasn't, but she was still smiling, and that made me feel good.

When I found Tee, she was in the pharmacy section, and smiling in some girl's face. What happened to all that talk of Tanya? I didn't say anything though; I knew she wouldn't go any further than a little flirting. She really did love Tanya. The girl left, and Tee made her way over to me.

"So, how'd it go? She blew you off, didn't she?"

"How do you know if a cantaloupe is ripe?"

She just looked at me. "What?" She was confused now.

I told her about the conversation I had with the girl in the produce section.

"So you mean to tell me that you didn't get her number? What about her name? Do you know anything about this girl?" I just smiled and shook my head. Tee had absolutely no patience and had no clue how I operated.

"Just calm down. I'll see her again, and I'll know how to pick a cantaloupe." I said.

"I don't care what you say, that was silly. Cantaloupes...she's probably not even thinking about you." she was walking toward the checkout lines.

When we did get to the lines, I looked up and saw her. She was just paying and about to leave. She looked up and saw me, and smiled. I smiled back and watched her leave the store. I turned to Tee, "still think she doesn't like me?"

"Man, whatever, she's just being nice."

When I got home, I did look up cantaloupes. Turns out, you're supposed to get them when the outside is tan, and when the skin doesn't give when you pluck it. Oh, and when you smell it, it should smell like...you guessed it, a cantaloupe! I laughed at the obviousness of it, but now I knew. And if anyone asks me how to pick out a cantaloupe, I'll be able to tell them.

Tanya came over that night, and Tee and she were all hugged up. Then Tee decided that telling her how much I'd "messed up with the girl in the grocery store" would be funny. So, she settled into telling the story, with Tanya listening. She finished the story and laughed.

"Now, baby, don't you think she should have at least got the girl's name?"

"I don't know. I think it's cute. But, how are you gonna be sure you'll see her?" Tanya said looking at me.

"Oh, I'll be in that store all the time now." I said smiling. She was really cute, and I didn't mind picking up a few extra things from the store every now and then.

Just like I had said, I was in the store all the time. I'd go in to just pick up this and that. Rather than going to a convenience store to get a coke, I'd got to the grocery. After about a week, I was feeling a little silly for not asking for her number. I mean, I hadn't really asked her if she even liked girls, though her reaction seemed like she did, and though I was a stud, I'm sure she knew I was female. Anyway, after a week or two, I kinda stopped looking for her. Then, I was with Tee once again, getting things for a barbeque we were having at our house that weekend, and I saw a figure from the corner of my eye. I knew it was her without even looking. I tapped Tee, and gestured in her direction.

"Hmm...you about to go try again? Tell me you'll at least ask her name?"

"Yeah, whatever. Wish me luck."

This time, she was getting cookies. I walked up calmly, and she saw me approaching. She turned, looked at me and smiled. I smiled back.

"Y'know, cookies aren't that good for you. Maybe you should get something a little healthier, maybe a cantaloupe." I said, trying to be cute and witty.

"You're right, but I never know which one to choose. I can't tell which one's are ripe," she was quick, I liked that.

"Oh, well that's simple. Just pick one with tan skin, and when you smell it, it should smell sweet." I said, smiling.

"Oh. Well, thank you. You seem to know a thing or two about melons." I nodded, noting that she chose the word "melons," "And to whom do I owe this wonderful piece of advice?"

"I'm Kimber, but everyone calls me Kim." I said, extending a hand.

"Well, nice to meet you, Kim. I'm Terry." She shook my hand, smiling up at me with those coal black eyes. Her hand was so soft. I thought to myself how much I'd love to feel it on places other than my hand, but got my thoughts under control.

"Listen, I hope it's not too forward of me, but would you like to get some coffee or something with me?"

"No." she said, then she paused, and I got scared, "It's not too forward, but how about dinner instead?"

Whew! I thought she was going to tell me no.

"Sounds good. As a matter of fact, my roommate and I are having a barbeque this weekend. Would you like to come?"

"Sure. Where and when?"

"Saturday at seven." I said, beaming on the inside.

I gave her my address and told her to be there at seven, and we exchanged numbers. "We're gonna play volleyball, so if you want, come dressed to play."

She smiled and said she'd be there, and then she picked up her cookies and walked away. I watched her walk down the aisle and she turned and smiled over her shoulder at me.

I had to stop myself from doing a little dance right there in the aisle. I was so excited. I couldn't wait to go tell Tee.

When Tee saw me walking up to her, and saw the smile on my face, she smiled back.

"You got a number?"

"Better. She's coming Saturday."

"Damn. I guess cantaloupes are hot." She laughed back.

I told her about our brief conversation and told her how excited I was. I could tell from the way Tee looked at me that she was happy for me. Now I couldn't wait until Saturday.

*

Saturday arrived and I was so nervous. I had told her to come for seven since it started at six thirty. I wanted people to be there so she wouldn't feel uncomfortable with just me, Tee and Tanya. People started coming, and I started to relax a bit. I was laughing and joking with friends, then I looked up and saw her. She was stunning. She had on a cute little t-shirt with some soccer shorts and tennis shoes. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, showing more of her beautiful face. I stood up and walked to her, then started introducing her to my friends.

"Everybody, this is Terry. Terry, this is Mike, Jamie, Tee, Tanya...I introduced her to everyone, and noted the way they all looked at her. They looked at her like I was introducing a new girlfriend, all of them with approval. Even though we weren't dating, it made me smile.

We all sat around and talked, started a volleyball game, and played around. Then Tee announced that we could start eating. Everyone lined up, grabbing plates. We sat down and Terry sat next to me.

"So, when did you two start dating?" Vince said. I looked at Terry a little embarrassed. I think I saw a hint of a blush.

"We're not; Terry's a friend." I said, not wanting to make anyone feel like we were a couple even though I wouldn't have minded if we were.

"Oh, okay. So how'd you meet?" he asked; Terry answered before I could open my mouth.

"In the grocery store; she helped me with my melons." Terry said, smiling at everyone's reaction. "She explained to me how to pick out a ripe cantaloupe."

Everyone looked a little confused, but Terry told the story of how we met, and everyone seemed to think it was cute.

The rest of the meal went as would be expected. Everyone talked and laughed and joked. Everyone told Tee how good everything was. And everyone looked at Terry and me like we two high school kids. Truth be told, we were flirting, stealing little looks and touches. I guess we did look like a new couple.

Later we played some more games and everyone was sitting around talking. Terry sat next to me, and eventually leaned into my shoulder. It felt good to have her there, like she fit. I wrapped an arm around her, and she kinda laid on me. This of course was not missed by any of my friends. They all shot me little looks, but said nothing.

When everyone was leaving, and Tee and I started clearing things away, Terry was the last to go. I walked her to her car.

"I had a great time tonight." She said, leaning against the car door.

"Good. I had a great time, too." I wanted to badly to kiss her. "Can I see you again?"

"Yes, I'd like that."

"Can I kiss you?"

"Yes, I'd like that, too."

I leaned in to kiss her, just lightly. I didn't want to pounce and scare her, even though it would feel really good. Her lips were her so soft; I knew they would be. She parted her lips just a little and I ran my tongue along them, then slipped it in her mouth, pushing her up against the car. She felt like silk, but I knew she would. I knew that kissing her would be amazing and I knew that it would be hard to stop; it was. Wow, this woman was intoxicating! But, I broke the kiss, leaving both of us breathless. I ran my hands across her shoulders and gave her one last kiss and backed away from her. She turned and opened her car.

"Bye. Drive safe." I said, wishing she didn't have to drive anywhere at all, wishing she could just stay with me.

"I will. Goodnight." She said, and got in her car. I watched her drive off and felt for the first time in almost a year that I could really get involved with someone. I couldn't believe the effect she'd had on me.

I walked back to help finish picking up. Tanya looked up at me, saw the smile on my face and said, "You got a kiss! Yay!" She was excited for me, knowing that I needed someone in my life, Tee was smiling too.

"So, are you going to see her again?" Tanya asked like a kid on Christmas Eve asking if Santa was on his way.

"I asked her if I could see her again, and she said yes." I said, feeling good about it.

"Good. You deserve it." Tee said. "Now help me move this table."

We finished cleaning up and went in the house. Tanya followed Tee into her bedroom, and I knew she would be spending the night. She did that more and more these days. I just went to my room, and tried to sleep. I thought about Terry for a while, until I drifted off.

*

The next morning in church, I couldn't even concentrate on the sermon. All I could think about was Terry, Terry, and more Terry. I thought about when I should call, what I should say, how I should say it, where we could go, what we could do, all of these things ran through my mind. I never thought like this about girls. Usually I was cool, calm and collected, never really letting them get under my skin. The last time I had let a girl in like that, I was left with some wounds I didn't even want to think about. It scared me the way Terry dominated my thoughts, the way I'd be reminded of her by the strangest things. I had just met the girl, and we'd only been on one date! What was up with me?

I decided that I wouldn't think about what was going on and how I really felt about Terry. I would ask her out again and see where it went. I was probably overly concerned because she was the first girl I'd really had an interest in for almost a year. I needed to calm down and stop worrying. I told myself that, but it was much easier said than done.

I decided to call her Sunday night. I know that there's supposed to be some rule about calling the next day, but I didn't care. I wanted her to know that I was truly interested in her. So, I decided that I would call around nine. It was eight thirty, and I wanted the clock to move faster. I looked at the clock for the fifth time in ten minutes and stopped. How was she able to have such an effect on me in such a short time? Sure, she was sexy as hell, funny, down to earth and fun to talk to; she was smart, approachable, graceful, and did I mention damn sexy? I took all of these qualities into consideration, and yes she was a wonderful woman, but I'd met wonderful women before. There was something special about her, and I couldn't put my finger on it, but I hoped she'd keep me around long enough to find out.

Finally, nine o'clock came and I told myself it was okay to call. I picked up the receiver, and debated on what I should say exactly. After about five minutes of deliberation, I just dialed her number and waited to hear an answer. The voice that answered was a woman's, but not Terry's I would have recognized her voice, even over the phone.

"Hello?" the woman said

"Hi, how are you this evening?" My mother told me always to be cordial, and this was no exception.

"Fine..." she seemed a bit taken aback by the question.

"May I speak to Terry?"

"Who's speaking?" the woman sounded a little defensive, like she was protecting Terry.

"Umm...Kim" I was about to worry. Did Terry have a girlfriend that wanted her protected?

"Oh! Kim! Just a minute."

I could hear talking while I waited.

"Terry, it's Kim," said the woman, followed by a little giggle. The next voice was unmistakable, and it sent a shiver through me just hearing her say my name.

"Kim?"

"Hi, Terry."

"Hi, how are you?"

"Good..." There was a pause; neither of us knew what to say. (I thought to myself, 'what am I? in high school? Getting this nervous over a girl!') Then, I spoke up.

"I had a wonderful time Saturday, and I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me this Friday...that is if you aren't busy."

"Oh no, I'm not busy," she said hurriedly, I was relieved. I mean, a woman that great? I just knew everyone was lined up to take her out.

"Good. What time should I pick you up?" I know she could hear the smile in my voice, because I was beaming.

"Seven?"

"Great. I'll see you then."

She gave me her address, and directions, and we ended the conversation. I was floating. I had a date with a wonderful woman. Life was good!

Just as I turned from the phone, Tanya walked in the room. She tried to pretend like she just happened to be passing by, but the look on her face told me she had been listening. I didn't care, she could listen. I was happy.

That whole week, I couldn't wait for Friday to come. I went to work, did my work, and left work. All of it was just getting me closer to Friday. My co-workers told me how something seemed different, but they didn't know what. Whatever, I just couldn't wait until Friday!

Friday finally came and from the moment I woke up, I was counting the minutes until seven. I was impatient with the way time seemed to slow down. It was like the Earth turned a little slower just to annoy me. When I got off work, I sped home. I showered, put on my best cologne. Then, I spent forever thinking about what I should wear. I decided on a nice dark pair of Girbauds, a tan Polo, and some brown Timberlands. I checked my reflection in the mirror, and liked what I saw. I left early so that I could go get Terry flowers. I decided on a single rose. I thought a bouquet might be too much, and that a single was charming. I hoped she would see it the same way.

I found the house easily enough, and pulled into the driveway. I nervously checked to make sure my hair was straight, my breathe was fresh, and my breathing was settled. I picked up the rose, and walked to her front door. The house was nice outside, a neatly manicured lawn and garden. I wondered if Terry cut it herself. I rang the door bell, and the butterflies in my stomach multiplied.

Moments later, the door Terry opened the door. 'Damn' was all I could think. She was just as beautiful as the first day I saw her. She had on a cute little sun dress that was loose where it needed to be and fitting where it didn't. I'm sure I stood there looking for longer than I should have, but I couldn't help it. She was gorgeous. Then, I snapped back to reality and smiled.

"Hi, Terry," I said, offering the rose.

She smiled at me and at the rose. She took it from me and asked me to step inside. I did, and closed the door behind me. Her house was just as neat on the inside as it was on the outside. Everything was in rich shades of green and burgundy, it was nice.

Terry disappeared in the kitchen, I assumed she was going to put the rose in a vase or something. Then, I saw movement out of the corner of my eye, but not in the direction that Terry had gone. I looked up to see Terry coming down the stairs, but how had she gotten over there so quickly? But, a second later I realized that the girl wasn't Terry at all, but she did look an awful lot like her. The girl looked up and saw me, and jumped a little. I don't think she expected to see me there.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I thought you guys had left already," it was the woman from the phone! But this wasn't a woman, she looked to be about seventeen. She turned to leave, but I stopped her. I didn't want her to feel uncomfortable.