A Christmas Miracle (Excerpt Only) - BWWM Interracial Romance

A Christmas Miracle (Chapter 3)

CHAPTER THREE

SATURDAY

Brenda didn't know why she was thinking so hard about what to wear—it was just the movies, for goodness' sake.
A pair of jeans, some comfy shoes...but what kind of top? she kept wondering. She didn't want to look too frumpy and casual—a plain T-shirt wouldn't do. But she didn't want to look like some hussy, either. Also, nothing that wasn't flattering. But not too flattering.
It's just a movie, she kept reminding herself.
She decided to dress like she was going out with her ex, but to do her hair and makeup like they weren't just going to a movie.
She approved of the casual, yet pretty image reflected back to her in the mirror. A flattering, modest black top, just dressy enough to look like a date, yet casual enough to be worn while shopping, plus built for the cold, and subtle, yet enhancing makeup around her eyes, and a natural gloss to her lips.
She finished off her look with a few accessories, grabbed her coat and a scarf, and stared at the clock until Alex arrived.
Alex turned out to be even more stubborn than her, insisting on picking her up despite her offer to just meet him there. She had practically panicked once she realized how intent he was on it.
"What are you so afraid of?" he had asked.
She liked the illusion of being in control, and being in control meant being able to have time to herself in her car as she prepared for the movie, getting there when she wanted, and leaving when she wanted. Being in control did not mean relying on someone else to get her home.
"In my line of work, every little detail matters," he had said to her. "And unfortunately for you, you've given me enough information that I can find where you live quite easily."
"What do you do?" she finally got to ask.
He hesitated before answering. "I work in IT. What about you?"
"I'm a teacher."
"Well, Miss Cochran, the movie starts at seven twenty, so see you at six thirty. It'll take about twenty minutes to get to the theater from your place, but I'm factoring in at least ten minutes you'll make me wait as you women tend to do."
How did he know and figure all of that? He must have already tracked down where she lived. Could he have figured it out from her email? Her IP address?
"Okay, you need to stop that creepy shit," she said to him with a nervous giggle. She had started to feel worried. What if he was some criminal after all?
"No worries—I'm no stalker or crazy person," he said as if he had read her mind. "I just know what I want, and I want to spend time with you. And I will do everything in my power to wrap you up in my web—at least for this moment in time. So consider yourself forewarned."
And now here she was, wondering what his plans were to start wrapping her up. She wished he'd start with his arms.
Stop it! she scolded herself yet again. You'll be in serious trouble sooner or later if you let him start working your mind this way.
But she couldn't help it. She was more than glad he had insisted on seeing more of her, and that he wasn't letting her take the easy way out.
Still, she couldn't help but wonder—why was he affecting her like this? She didn't know much about him! Then again, crushes were never informed decisions in her experience. Something in her was responding to something in him—beyond her current understanding and knowledge. Something primal.
Besides Alex's obvious attractiveness, she had seen how confidently he moved through the world, and while Ralph didn't lack any of these qualities, a quality beyond the surface was pulling her to Alex, and she racked her brain to try to figure it out.
Good luck with that, she told herself.
She had seen girls in school with questionable partners, and had found herself wondering why they bothered. She figured half of those girls probably wouldn't know how to respond had she asked them why they were so into their loser boyfriends. The other half would likely come up with justifications, but she knew as well as they probably did that there was no real rhyme or reason to it—at least not one that was immediately obvious.
She understood those who went after men with money, influence, and power, or even just because they were cute, but that was a calculated decision for some particular benefit, and not quite based on love. Love was never logical was it?
Girl, you better stop talking about love. You might have a crush on him, but this guy is not one to fall for.
But she knew she was already in trouble. The way she watched her hand shake for over a minute as she waited for him, as if concentrating on it would make it stop. The way she couldn't stop thinking about what it would be like for him to take her in his arms. The way she couldn't wait until he showed up at her door with those engaging emerald eyes and that inviting smile.
Alex had awoken dormant regions in her body.
Brenda had missed intimacy with Ralph eventually, after she had begun to peek out of her pain and sense of betrayal to realize how much a body next to hers in bed every now and then meant, and the tender kisses and touches from that body.
Then, even the memory of that faded away, and she was concentrating mostly on advancing her career—or at least trying to stay afloat, working. Finding her job became her obsession, and trying to stay positive about life became a passion.
She had gone to a place so dark and deep in her time of depression, she never wanted to go back there; she valued life and still had so many dreams and hopes for her future.
She would get her dream job, damn it, and she would start a family with a wonderful, devoted man who knew her value and treated her as such, and she would be happy—she'd show them all.
She found her thoughts interrupted by her cell phone ringing.
She saw Alex's name on her screen, and when she answered, he let her know he had arrived and was headed toward her apartment.
"You look beautiful," he said once she opened her door.
As she stepped out, closing her door behind her, he extended his arm to her so that she could hook on to it as he escorted her to his car.
She couldn't help smiling at the contact and felt her cheeks grow warm.
"Thank you," she managed to say, and she eventually realized as they reached his car that she had been swinging her purse as she walked as if it was all she could do to keep from skipping in carefree happiness like a child.
*
Brenda's laugh was doing something to him.
Alex was getting used to the sound of it, and the way her eyes sparkled when that twinkling laugh took over her. It made him smile to hear it, and want to see and hear more of it—just like the way he was getting used to how she smiled—that shy smile slowly emerging and surprising him with its unintended slyness every time.
He was glad to see no sign of the pain he'd seen the day he bumped into her, or yesterday, when she asked him out.
He chuckled to himself.
That's what he'd tell everybody if anyone ever asked: she asked him out. She would protest, of course, and mention how before she even thought to do so, he had asked her out. And, of course, he would win the argument by saying, Well, who suggested coffee, our first date?
Alex tried to stop himself from grinning at his thoughts, and then tried to stop the thoughts themselves—he was indulging in a ridiculous fantasy.
He knew she was into him, but the girl was still somewhat raw, and not quite ready for what he had to offer. But whenever she was ready, he would be there for her; in the meantime, he'd keep planting seeds. She would open up to him, soon, and hopefully sooner than later. He'd keep nudging her gently along.
Before he realized what he was doing, he had reached his hand over to hers and squeezed it gently, flashing her a quick grin before removing it so she didn't get frightened.
She looked at him, and the only way he could interpret her expression was as grateful.
Once the movie ended, Alex took his sweet time walking them out of the movie theater and back to the parking lot.
"I really enjoyed that," Brenda said, her smile radiant. "Just mindless, yet ultimately heartwarming fun. Good pick."
"I figured it would be most appropriate considering this time of year, and where we are in..."—he indicated the two of them—"...this."
"This being just...you know, remember?"
"I know, but it's something. To me, anyway. None of us knows how long we've got here on the planet, and I made a conscious decision to spend some of my days with you. So it might not be a big deal to you, but it is to me."
She looked guilty and apologetic. "I didn't mean it was nothing, just that it's a means to an end of sorts."
"Look, if you have better things to do, I won't force you to keep your promise to me. I'll just see you on Christmas Day..."
"No! I...look, Alex. I don't want to mess up what we have going here."
Alex couldn't stop his smile. She had fallen right into his trap. "So you're admitting we have something going?"
She finally studied his face, and he could no longer hide that he had only been teasing her—at least in the latter part.
She shoved him lightly. "You're so confusing," she said.
"How so? Because I'll make it really clear right here, right now. I respect you wanting to keep your distance and only using me for one night to be your backbone, but with the time you've agreed to give me, I will do everything in my power to make you rethink my usefulness for just one night."
"You're making me nervous," she said suddenly, and he got the distinct impression she was about to start hyperventilating.
"Are you all right?" he asked, immediately reaching out to her and grabbing on to her shoulders. "You're breathing pretty hard...are you asthmatic? Do you have an inhaler? Should I get you to a doctor?"
She was holding on to his arm with one hand, and covering half her face with the other, her mouth and eyes closed. Soon, her breathing became normal.
He knew it had been less than twenty seconds, but the event felt like an hour.
"Okay, that was kind of scary. Are you prone to panic attacks? Anything in particular I should know if I'm going to be dating you?"
She giggled, suddenly and deliciously. "You are something else, you know that?" she said, and he was relieved to hear she sounded completely unaffected by what had just happened.
He shrugged. "So I've been told. But don't change the subject. What the hell was that? You better not die on me."
She looked away. "A mini-panic attack. Nothing to worry about. It passes in under a minute."
"So, next time I should just tell you to go sit down and put your head between your knees or something?"
She smiled. "Something like that."
He wanted to ask her why she had suddenly started to panic, and what her possible triggers were, but he didn't want to risk sending her into another one.
He would let it go, for now.
*
As Alex walked her back to his car, Brenda felt sad that their time was coming to an end so soon.
She should have been happy that Alex was keeping his promise to some degree, and not pushing her for more—despite letting her know that he fully intended to get more—but she found it difficult to appreciate his restraint.
"So what about tomorrow?" she said, looking up at him and studying his handsome profile.
He shrugged. "Up to you."
"Well, I'll be in church in the morning, but maybe we can do lunch somewhere? I don't expect you to pay..."
He made a sound that cut her off immediately. "Didn't I already tell you how this works? I appreciate the time you're spending of your life with me. Plus, I'm the one who asked for this whole deal—you think I'm going to let you pay? Don't even bring it up again, please. You're my treat, so this is the least I can do. Now what do you think you'll be in the mood for?"