The work week had begun and Gianna had once again drowned herself in activities to do at the clinic. Not because she wanted to, but because she had to. Her father was checking the stats for the last two months and she was making sure it was up to par.
Clients list updated, doctors' training instilled, and more. This was all responsibility of Gianna and she wanted to make sure they were of standard to her father. The clinic had been doing well so far, all thanks to her, and she only planned on improving further on.
The adult sat by her desk on Wednesday afternoon, looking over the doctor's clientele for the next two weeks and comparing it with everyone's schedule. The downfall of being a young authoritarian was that older employees tend to take advantage of that.
Three doctors were already requesting a holiday for a whole upcoming week, which would cause them to be short-staffed. She can't just deny them it because according to their contract, they were entitled to that holiday. Now, she either had to start recruiting immediately or she would be doing double clients when that time comes.
She wanted to bring it up with her father, but she wanted to sort this out on her own.
Amid her stress, there was a knock on her door. She lifted her head to see one of her doctors, Chloe, with a beaming grin on her face. Gianna squinted her eyes at her, "Why do you look so happy?" She asked.
"That's because I am." The tanned-skinned woman who chestnut brown hair pulled into a loose ponytail stepped further into the office and that's when Gianna saw the work IPad tucked under her white coat.
"Enlighten me, please." She covered the Tupperware with tuna salad and gave her attention to her colleague.
"Well, first off we're gonna need to have a celebratory party because..." she turned the IPad on and gave it to Gianna to look over the screen. Before she could even interpret what was on the screen, Chloe exclaimed, "We reached the target money for the project in Nigeria!"
Indeed, the figures on the screen far exceeded the amount that they had set the target for the project to take off. Her mind went to one person and she was flabbergasted. Of course, after telling him about it, she thought he would donate just a bit like everyone else, not the overall amount.
"Wow." Was all she could say.
"Right. With this amount, we'll be able to help thousands of animals. Oh my God."
"Yeah. Wow."
This was news that she couldn't wait to share with her father. This project meant a lot to her and when she pitched it to him, he was all for it—especially seeing how she would pull it off.
After talking a bit and gushing over this news, Chloe left and Gianna was now stuck with her thoughts. She reached for her phone by her cup of tea and went for his contact. It rang twice before it was answered.
"Hey." He greeted first. His voice was breathy and she could hear the screeching of sneakers in his background. He was at practice, she presumed.
"Hi, crazy man." She returned and he let out a chuckle, "Why would you donate so much? You didn't have to."
"No, I didn't have to, but I wanted to. I saw how important this was to you and when I saw the amount you were at, I knew you couldn't reach that milestone by November. So, I just sent what I thought was necessary. I have the money so why not?"
Love-bombing came to her mind but she quickly pushed it back. Donte was a good guy and she knew he sent it out of the goodness of his heart.
"Thank you. This means so much to me." She admitted, feeling a bit emotional.
"I got you whenever."
"When do you get off practice?"
"In about two hours. Why?"
She bit down on her bottom lip, wondering if she should do what she was contemplating. "Would you like to stop by my house later? For dinner."
Though she couldn't see his face, she knew he was smirking and that made her face heat up. "You're asking me out? Wow, I never expected mn that."
"It's not a date or anything. Just a friend wanting to celebrate with another friend."
There was a short period of silence before he responded, "Aight. What time do you want me over, Doc?"
"Around eight. I finish my shift at six."
"Bet. I'll see you at eight."
"Okay."
When the two hung up, Gianna leaned back in her seat and thought about what she would be cooking later. She had initially planned on ordering in and relaxing with her dog, but she knew after a long, hard day of work, Donte would need a warm, home-cooked meal.
The long hand on the modern silver square clock mounted on her wall was on twelve while the short hand was on eight. The savory smell of food filled the air as Brent Faiyaz played through the speakers in the building. Snow was in her playpen, fiddling with her toy just as Gianna turned off the stove to her soft-cooked broccoli and cheese.
On the marble counter were two square white ceramic plates of steaming hot white rice and honey chili chicken. The last portion to go onto the plates was the broccoli and cheese.
She had taken a shower after cooking the chicken and was now dressed in a pair of gallery dept. straight-legged sweatpants and a white crop top. Her hair was pulled back with a black claw clip and her face was free of any makeup, her dark brown freckles littering certain areas on her face.
Snow's bowls were filled by the rectangular dining table, ready for her to eat when it was time.
The sound of the doorbell made Gianna quickly place the plates on the dining table, check herself in the mirror, and make sure her house wasn't looking like a mess. No matter the person, she always made sure her house was spotless. Her bare feet trodded along the floor, leading to the front door, with Snow right behind her.
After one last breath, Gianna opened the door, revealing Donte who had a small smile on his face. "Hey." His deep voice ripped through the silence and he stepped into the house—and her space—pulling her in for a hug.
She returned the hug, loving the strong, husky smell of his cologne. The used her hand and locked the door as the two of them continued to hug. He didn't seem to plan on letting her go until there was a loud bark from down the hall.
Gianna sucked her teeth as Donte pulled away with a chuckle. "Come here, girl." He instructed and just like that, Snow was galloping over to him excitedly. He bent down to pet her as Gianna watched them. He stood to his feet after petting her and went to take off his all-white New Balance 550.
"You look tired." The woman commented and he blew out a breath.
"Shit, I am. Tired and sore? That's what I am. But it's expected with the type of work I do. And you? How has your day been?"
"Amazing, thanks to you. Donte, I can't tell you how much your donation means not only to me but my team and our cause."
He looked at her, his face holding an expression she couldn't quite decipher. "It's no problem. I did it because I wanted to. Not because I'm tryna butter you up or make you like me more. I hope you don't feel like you're obligated to do stuff with me now." He said truthfully.
"No, I know. I just invited you over because I felt like you were the perfect person to celebrate this with."
"Well, I feel honored."
She smiled softly and moved ahead of him. "Now, come. Are you hungry?"
"Fucking starving. When I got off practice, got some food, napped, woke up to get ready and now I'm here, starving. What'd you cook?" His question was answered silently when his eyes landed on the table that displayed the food. "Wow, not only does this smell amazing, but it's bomb as fuck."
"Thank you." Gianna grinned, happy to see that he was satisfied.
"Man...do you think it's weird if I proposed after one date." He joked and she giggled.
"Yes."
The pair sat by the table while Snow was instructed to eat her dinner.
Thirty minutes later, Donte downed the rest of the white wine and placed the glass right beside his empty plate on the table. Gianna sat close to him, legs crossed as she ate a forkful of her rice.
"Do you travel often?" Gianna inquired and he shook his head. "Why not?"
"The only traveling I do right now is for games. Not that I'm against traveling, I just never have the amusement for it at this moment in time."
"But you have the money for it."
"I do, but I rather spend it on making my sister and her friends fly out to Mexico for her nineteenth birthday. Or for my mom and aunt to go to Hawaii for a girls' trip. I planned a previous vacation with my previous girlfriends, but it was always someplace that they wanted to go. I still enjoy it though."
"Fair enough. What's like your top three places to travel to...before you're thirty?" She asked, curious to see what his response was.
"Top three...I'd say Greece, Singapore, and France."
"I'd love to travel to Greece one day. It just looks so peaceful and calming."
"Yeah, you get it. This off-season was just all over the fucking place but I want to travel more before I'm an old ass thirty-year-old."
"You have four more years to go, Mr DiVincenzo."
He groaned, "Ugh, don't rub it in. What about you? Any places you have in mind?"
"Iceland, Canada, and Greece. Most countries in the Caribbean."
Donte tilted his head at her response. "Hmm. Canada. Why?" He was asking as if that was a stupid response.
"Why not? I want to go to another country and see how different they are from America. It's intriguing."
"Fair enough." The man nodded in understanding. "Do you know if I can get a plate to bring back to my crib? That shit slapped."
"Of course." She had made enough food that could save her the next couple of days. There was enough for Donte and even Jeliyah, who had told her she was coming over the next day for her plate.
"Preciate' it. You must think I'm a fatass."
Gianna chuckled as she stood to her feet after feeling rather full. "Nope. If food is a love language of yours, I have no problem because I love to eat."
"So the two of us can be fatasses together, right?"
"I don't think soo." She drawled in a sing-song voice, taking his plate and making her way to the kitchen. Donte trailed behind her with the wine glasses in his hand. "I like food but I refuse to be a big back woman. Not in this economy."
He only let out a laugh, quickly snatching the sponge out of her hand and gently pushing her from the sink with his hip. "Move, woman."
"Donte, stop."
"The fuck I look like filling my gut and not cleaning up after. It's the least I can do."
"Okay, but you're my guest. I invited you. It's okay if—"
"It won't take me five minutes, Gianna. It's fine."
The woman shook her head and waved a dismissive hand. "You so stubborn, whatever." She muttered and he let out a laugh. After making sure the table and Snow's food section were clean, she returned to the kitchen to discard any garbage.
Donte had finished washing up and was drying his hands. Gianna quickly clicked on the electronic kettle and grabbed a mug from her white sleek cabinet. "D, can you go sit in the living room, please? And take your shirt off."
The man froze in his spot, shocked and a bit intrigued by her instructions. "Um...after just one date? I know I'm fine as hell but you're better than that, Doc."
"Shut up." She rolled her eyes as she blushed. "Just go do it. I'll be over in a minute."
"Okay, boss." He saluted before heading off to the living in the conjoined area. Snow boldly hopped onto his lap when he sat down on the couch and Gianna shook her head at her pet.
The water was boiling in the kettle after some time and she took out everything she needed to put into the plain grey mug she had chosen. Five minutes later, she got to the living room and as expected, Donte was sitting there, in only his black sweatpants while petting Snow in his lap.
Gianna cleared her throat to get their attention and outstretched the mug to him. He curiously took it and looked at the steaming hot, dark brown liquid. "What's this?" That was his first question.
"Chamomile tea. It helps with sleep. And this..." she reached into the slick white side table by the couch and retrieved her precious oil, "this is Juniper Oil and it works wonders for tension."
Gianna smiled down at him as he stared up at her jn somewhat admiration. After hearing that he was tired and sore, she felt the best way to end the night was to introduce him to remedies she used when she was feeling the same.
A moment of silence passed before she shyly spoke, "Um, can I?" She gestured to his upper body and he straightened his back subconsciously.
"Uh, yeah, go for it." At his consent, she moved to the back of the couch and instructed her Alexa to put on a random movie on the flat screen.
The movie that was picked was Something New, with Sanaa Lathan and Simon Baker.
Gianna poured some of the oil into her palm and gently rubbed it into his skin. She noticed a few deep, long scars on his back as she massaged his shoulders, but only made a mental note of it. As her hand moved along his muscles, she could feel how tense he was. "Hey, relax." She coached and Donte cleared his throat.
"I'm relaxed."
"Sure. When's your first game?" She asked softly.
"First preseason game is the last of this month." He answered, "You gonna be there?"
"Only if you want me there."
"You know I do." His reply was quick and assertive, which made her blush.
Thank God he was looking straight ahead. "Then I'll be there."
"'Preciate it. Y'know, I didn't say it earlier, but I fuck with your house. It's hella cozy and I like the art you got up." He complimented.
Her house wasn't the most decorative, but she made sure it fit her style as much as possible. Grey, black, and white was her color scheme, with a few paintings she had bought from black painters she found on Instagram.
"Thank you. It's still a work in progress."
"Looks better than my crib, that's fashoo. But, tell me more about your project. What steps are you gonna take now that you got the money?"
Gianna wasted no time in filling him in on the plans she and her team had come up with. All that took about thirty minutes. When she was done, she playfully pushed his head and he sucked his teeth. "I'm done now, sleepyhead."
"I ain't tired. This tea is hella good."
"I have a new packet for you to carry home." She shrugged, heading over to the sink to wash her hands.
"Thank you."
"No problem." She made her way back to the couch and took a seat beside him. A pout formed on her lips as she saw that Snow was fast asleep on the man's lap. "As I said before, she loves you."
"I have that effect on people. What time is it?"
"Um.." she checked the clock on the wall, "Just thirty minutes after nine. Are you gonna head home now? It is getting late."
"Nah, I'll just. I'll wait for this movie to end. It's interesting."
"You sure? That tea puts me to sleep pretty quickly."
"I'll be fine." He brushed it off, reaching for the grey fluffy throw that was spread on the armrest and putting it over Snow.
"She has a bed for a reason." Gianna pointed out.
"Shhh. Watch the movie."
With a shake of her head, Gianna diverted her attention back to her flat screen that was illuminating the now-dark room, watching as the black actress and her white romantic lover kissed on screen. She looked at Donte as dozens of thoughts ran through her mind.
Coincidence, right?