“I wondered if you would come out with me...attend a function, an occasion with me next week? Saturday?”
The mere fact that Kenneth Okorie was stumbling over his words was enough to perk Emily’s interest in what he had to say. She smiled at that. A more self assured man she had yet to meet.
“Saturday? Next week you say?” she teased smilingly. However, Kenneth had no way of seeing her smile through the phone as he waited on tenterhooks for her answer.
“I think I can swing that.” she drawled laughingly. “Why? What’s happening on Saturday next week?”
“A series of events.” Kenneth tried to control his rush of relief. How had this girl slipped so...quietly under his skin? ‘When had her company become so important to me?’ he wondered.
“A wedding. A meeting. Some family involved.” he said as lightly as possible.
Emily jolted up from her reclining position on her bed. “Did you just say family?” she asked breathlessly.
Kenneth listened for her tone. “We don’t bite. Honestly.” he teased.
“I never said you did!” she scolded and Kenneth chuckled.
“We’ve been dancing around each other for some time now.” He said.
“And?” Emily asked.
“I thought it was time for us to move a step forward.” He stated implicitly.
Emily would have sworn that her whole body ignited at his implacable tone. She smiled a little foolishly.
“When you say ‘a step forward’” she minced, “What do you mean?”
“Emily?”
“Yes.”
She heard him chuckle across the line. “You’re not my lawyer trying to understand the facts of the case.” he chided.
“What has that got to do with the question I asked you?” asked a baffled Emily.
“A step forward means, I want to define what exactly it is we have between us. Are we going to be just friends or are we trying for something more.”
Emily was quiet for a while as she turned his words over in her mind.
“Em?”
“I’m here.” she responded.
“What’s going through your mind?”
Emily blew out a mouthful of air.
“Em?” he questioned. “Right! Are you trying to worry me?” he asked.
“I like you, a lot.” Emily said.
“Okay! I kind of knew you did and I like you, really like you too.” he said, his smile in his voice.
“I think I am frightened.”
“Frightened?”
Emily sighed. “I think I’m projecting Banjo and I...you know that whole mess unto you.”
Kenneth was quiet for a while.
“Ken?”
Kenneth’s sigh was long and deep across the phone.
“I’m not Banjo, Em.” he said quietly.
Emily scoffed. “I know it.” she sniffled. “Doesn’t mean that I’m not frightened to be in a new relationship. You guys tend to hold all the aces in this thing.”
There was another span of silence and then Kenneth asked the thing that shattered all her defenses, defenses she had not even consciously realized that she had been building up.
“What can I do to make you feel that you can trust me? How can I make you more at ease?”
Emily nearly choked on her own saliva.
“Talk to me Em.”
Emily felt her lips stretch into a ridiculously wide smile.
“It’s okay. I’m not scared of you.” she said.
“Good.” Kenneth rejoined. “So see you on Saturday next.”
“Really? Till Saturday next?”
“Yeah! I have to take a short trip. I will be leaving tomorrow’s evening and will probably be away for the rest of the week. And it will be a bit crazy next week. I have a few deals I need to close so...I just might not get to see you till Saturday. Saturday, I’m all yours! Cleared up everything so...”
Emily smiled into the phone. “Saturday next then, except I can work something out.”
“If you can, I’d really like that.” she could hear his smile in his voice.
Emily giggled. “We sound like...a couple...making plans.” she said with barely constrained excitement.
“We are a couple making plans.” Kenneth opined making Emily’s already ridiculous smile stretch even wider.
“I’ll miss you during your trip.” she said.
“I’ll call every day. Or at least regularly.” Kenneth promised.
Emily burst into laughter at that. “Alright. I’ll hold you to it. I’ll whine and complain for any day that you miss.” she threatened in hilarity.
Kenneth was quiet for a heartbeat and then he said, “Fair enough.”
“Good night Ken.”
“Good night Em.”
Emily clicked the phone shut and squeezed it tightly as if she could squeeze out some essence of Kenneth from it.
“I think I’m falling in love with you.” she whispered to the empty room that had darkened in the course of her conversation with Kenneth.