Author's note:
Hello...it's me.
Hi my beautiful readers, I am back! To bring you guys up to date, the reason I was M.I.A was because of finals and finishing up the semester. After all of that chaos, I took a few days off for myself to recoup. I appreciate your patience, and this story would not be as big if it wasn't for all of you. Honestly, this story was created just for fun, and I didn't imagine that so many of yall would react so positively to the random ideas spurring out of my head.
Keep in mind, I let the story write itself, and basically go chapter by chapter while writing. All chapters on here are rough drafts, and I will later go in and tweak them up. I plan to write more frequently, and certainly stress free this break lol. But lets get to the good stuff, enjoy!
***
She remained skeptical the entire drive home. Naomi constantly checked her surroundings and looked in all directions outside of her car, making sure she wasn't being watched or even followed. The night sky deepened as she drove down the streets of Atlanta. Signs, people, and lights all came alive, which gave the city a unique glow. Now, Naomi didn't care to study the lights. She repeatedly peeked out of her mirrors. Finally after minutes of excessive side glances, she pulled up to her apartment entrance. Without hesitating, Naomi sprinted to the front door, and locked herself inside.
Her breathing was jagged as she plopped her belongings on the floor next to her. She quickly scanned her apartment. Naomi tiptoed throughout her residence, and attempted to mimic the discreetness of a mouse. First, she checked her small, compact kitchen. Her paranoia resulting her checking even the smallest cabinets. She traveled to her living room, and all the way to her bedroom. Naomi looked within the contents of her closet as well as under her bed, and other tight spaces. Once she felt thoroughly satisfied with her room sweep, she sat on the edge of her bed. She ripped her shoes from her ankles, and removed the heavy earrings from her lobes.
She decided that she would set a hot bath to wrap up the night, and try to wash away the built up tension. Stripping herself of her remaining clothing, she strolled into the bathroom connected to her bedroom. She walked over to the small tub, turned on the faucet, and stood patiently while the water filled up. She slowly dipped her toe into the water, and when she was satisfied with the temperature, Naomi slid effortlessly into the heated water. She allowed her head to rest backwards as the liquid swished over her body. She closed her eyes tightly, and fell deeper into the water.
After a long bath, Naomi dried off and put on a comfortable pair of shorts and a big t-shirt. She walked in the kitchen, and grabbed a water bottle from the bottom of the fridge, then made her way to the couch. She planned to distract herself from the hectic day. So, Naomi turned on the t.v., and quickly pulled up Netflix. She searched through the dozens of shows and movies, but finally came to a decision to catch up on Scandal.
Four episodes deep, Naomi shook her head back in forth at the love triangle between Olivia, Fitz, and Jake. While throwing her hand up in frustration, she heard the doorbell go off.
Naomi reached toward the remote, and paused the episode. Looking at the time under her t.v. stand, her heart jumped. 12:00a.m.
Who the hell is visiting this late?
She paused for a moment.
Maybe if I stay quiet they'll go away.
Naomi stood abnormally still, praying that the person at the other side of her door would leave. But as soon as she thought that they'd given up, she heard the bell buzz again. Dammit. Hesitantly, Naomi tiptoed towards her front door. She was careful enough not to make a sound, and give off that she was awake.
Once she came up to the door frame, Naomi leaned up to the peep hole. With one eye squinted, she looked into the tiny hole, but blackness blocked her view.
Now they're playing with me. She scoffed, all the while still fighting against her nerves. Momentarily, she backed away from the peep hole, but the ringing continued at a more frantic pace.
She contemplated what she should do. Whether she should call her apartment complex's security, or confront them herself. The ringing kept going. The person on the other side of the door was persistent. They continued with such aggression and force. Naomi now growing aggravated stormed back to the door. Her fists were twitching with irritation. She lunged toward the door handle, ready to give the asshole on the other side of the frame a piece of her mind, but when she flung the door open...the ringing stopped. And the hallway was empty. She poked her head out into the hallway's air, and saw no trace of anyone.
They were gone.
Naomi brought herself back into her apartment, and hastily locked the door again. She blinked away her curiosity. Whoever that was, she felt like with that sort of dedication, they'd be back again.
***
Morning crept around, and hit every inch of her bedroom. She groaned. She didn't manage to get much sleep. Her mind was churning all night, and she couldn't turn it off. Rolling to her side, facing her dresser, she grabbed her cell phone and checked for any messages, or emails. She noticed a message from Veronica checking up on her, and also a couple of emails of people reaching out to her about possibly meeting with her. She would answer them later, but for now she clicked on the Youtube app, and searched for calming meditation sounds. She propped herself up until she sat upright. Naomi crossed her legs and rested her palms in her lap. She started to breathe deeply, and allowed the music to enter her. After all of the thinking she'd done last night, she figured a little meditation would help in clearing her mind. Therefore, after twenty minutes of complete silence and focus, Naomi finally got ready for work.
Driving to the office was an utter pain. Cars were backed up for a few blocks. And she heard several horns roaring throughout the street. Gladly for her, she left the house several minutes early with the intention to get coffee along the way, but instead she skipped out on the coffee and managed to make it into work on time.
Walking out of the elevator, she greeted Heather with a grin. She passed her by, keeping an eye out for an infuriated Mr. Mogul. So far she didn't see him while she walked over to her desk. The other match-makers were in-tune with work. She stayed quiet. Veronica was already typing away at her computer when she saw Naomi arrive.
"Hey, you got my text?" she casually mustered.
"Yeah, sorry I didn't get a chance to message you back," Naomi responded calmly.
"It's alright. I was just seeing how you were doing."
Veronica stopped for a moment. She recognized Naomi's quietness. Veronica wanted to lighten up the mood, so she quickly added,
"This weekend a couple of us are going out. It's gonna be fun. You should come with."
Naomi raised her full attention to Veronica.
"I might. That's if you behave yourself."
Veronica gasped.
"Whatever...I always do."
"Mmhm, sure. I'm not dragging you off the stage this time, you're on your own," Naomi chuckled. She remembered the last time she went to the club with Veronica, and her friend got so drunk she practically started stripping on the stage.
"I promise I'll be good." Veronica flashed her long lashes towards Naomi. Naomi shook her head back and forth, and slightly rolled her eyes.
"We'll see."
They made casual conversation while they began working. Naomi emailed a few people, and scheduled some meetings for the week. But as time passed, she realized that the office had a different quietness to it, something was missing.
Where is he? He hasn't came in here to bother us all day.
Mr. Mogul was nowhere to be found. A lump formed in her throat, thinking about of the possibilities of his absence.
He probably went to the police and told them everything. What was I thinking he didn't care about the company, he just wants to see me go down.
She looked over at Veronica who was zoned into her screen.
"Where's Mr. Mogul? I haven't seen him all day," she began to speak.
"I don't know. I think Heather mentioned he went on a last minute business trip."
Veronica raised her gaze, and studied her intently. She gently lowered her voice to a whisper.
"Has he tried anything with you lately?"
Her eyes were filled with concern as she stared down Naomi.
"No," Naomi lied. She didn't know why she decided to lie. At the moment it just seemed easier. This way she could avoid all of the explaining and Veronica's raving questions. She promised to tell her later, at a better time and definitely a better location. Once again, Veronica saw the uncertainty in Naomi's eyes. Her head turned slightly at her friend's uneasy tone. And her eyes searched Naomi's for the truth.
"Alright," Veronica threw up her hands. "Don't tell me." She huffed under her breath, and annoyingly rotated her chair back in her desk's direction.
"There's nothing to worry about Vee. I'm fine."
Naomi scooted her chair closer to Veronica's proximity, and reached out her hand to rest on her shoulder.
"Really," she said again. Her tone almost convincing herself.
"Vee."
There was no response.
Naomi ran her palms across her features. She sighed. Disregarding Veronica's silence, she finished up some final responses on her computer. She rose out of her chair. Veronica seeming unfazed by her movements.
"I got a meeting with a client. I'll talk to you later."
She saw Veronica coldly nod, and retreated for the door.
***
As Naomi set up the space for a meeting. The events of the day before buzzed her memory. Mr. Mogul threatening her. Noah lashing out. She couldn't believe how fast things changed, and was nervous about where they were headed.
She shook the memories out of her head, and walked over to the desk and propped herself up. She wanted to clean up the space for new client, so she started by arranging some of the papers along the desk. She also put other miscellaneous items in their proper places. A couple minutes later while Naomi continued to arrange her belongings, a knock emanated from the door.
"Come in!" she croaked. Naomi shot up from her seat, and placed her palms on the flat surface.
Heather smiled as she cracked the door open farther.
"One of your clients is here to see you," she said motioning towards a woman standing next to her.
"Of course. My apologies for not meeting you at the front. I was trying to straighten up around here."
Naomi strolled from behind the desk, and came closer to the woman.
"It's nice to finally meet you, Yolanda," Naomi smiled, and stuck out her hand.
"Don't worry about it," Yolanda replied coolly. She returned the gesture, keeping her eyes trained on Naomi. "Same to you."
Naomi offered Yolanda a glass of water, and motioned her to one of the chairs to have a seat. Yolanda was a younger woman, maybe in her early twenties. She had a full form. A dazzlingly smile, and hair that collected down her back. As Naomi discreetly watched her, she instantly recognized her beauty. She had a certain charm to her in just the way she looked at Naomi. Her demeanor was elegant and carefree. She wished to resemble this sort of 'free' behavior. Naomi crossed the room for a pad, paper, and a pen. Then, she proceeded to sit down in a chair across from Yolanda. She adjusted herself, and the pad in her lap. The entire time she felt Yolanda's lovely eyes beaming into her. Naomi started to speak,
"I just want to start off and say, thank you for reaching out to me and allow me to work with you."
"No, no, thank you for accepting and having me. I heard you are the best around," Yolanda responded sweetly.
The two women went into conversation. Naomi asked about her life and what influenced her to get into match-making. She used this time to get accustomed to Yolanda, and help her to match her with the best match as possible.
"So what are you looking for in a man?" Naomi said. Even though she strived to uphold a professional persona. She felt relaxed when talking to Yolanda.
Yolanda tensed at the statement. Her right hand immediately raised and scratched the back of her neck. Yolanda froze, and for the first time during their conversation, she seemed somewhat uncomfortable.
"Did I say something wrong?"
"No." Yolanda cleared the shakiness out of her voice. She continued,
"I'm just not looking for a man."
Naomi's brows twisted.
"You're not looking for a man?" Naomi repeated slowly. She tried to fathom and make sense of her words. If she's not looking for a match why is she here?
"Yes." Yolanda forced out a chuckle.
"I'm not interested in them romantically or sexually."
Oh shit.
Redness flowed through Naomi's cheeks as she realized what Yolanda was implying. Before she could utter out a reply, Yolanda voiced,
"Don't be too shocked. It's not like being gay is a new concept in 2015."
Naomi hid her amusement, but her obvious curiosity also peeked Yolanda's interest.
"You never had a queer client before?" she questioned, knowing the answer.
"No, I can't say I have."
"Don't tell me you're uncomfortable with it?"
"No! Not at all. I'm not some kind of homophobe. It's just new...that's all."
Yolanda went on to explain the type of women she liked. Naomi was surprised at how opened minded she actually was, and the description of the women in the past she'd dated. From conversation alone, Naomi felt a friendly connection with Yolanda. Not only was she inquisitive and funny, Yolanda was extremely educated. She was one of the head math tutors at the University she attended. She received a scholarship to help pursue her degree in engineering. Naomi was surprised at her difficulty to find a partner. Yolanda held the qualities that anyone would want in a lover. Naomi continued to ask questions, and jot the important info on her notepad. She instantly became determined in finding the perfect match for Yolanda.
"I think that would be all for today. Thank you again for meeting with me. I certainly will be diligent in finding you your first match. And I will let you know, when your first date will be. It will probably be sometime this week," Naomi projected. She clicked her pen closed and placed the notepad on the table in front of her. She looked over at Yolanda who maintained a smile over her lovely features.
"I know a dedicated woman like you always follows through."
Naomi raised from her seat, and waltzed over to Yolanda and shook her hand for a final goodbye. She quickly excused herself, and shuffled over to the desk and got out her business card. She walked back in front of Yolanda.
"Please let me know or contact me if you have any questions."
Yolanda took the card in her palm and shoved it into her pocket.
"I will, thank you Ms. Riley."
After a moment, Yolanda finally excited the room.
***
Naomi returned back to her desk shortly after her meeting with Yolanda. Today she was going to focus on looking for matches for her clients. And right now, the only two she had for the week was Noah and Yolanda.
She promised herself to search for Noah first. His handsome face clouded her mind as she clicked opened the screen of her computer, and pulled up Cupid's Arrow's website. She remembered what he described as a good woman for him. Outgoing. Ambitious. Intelligent. Beautiful. Compassionate. Noah wanted loyal partner. Looking at other matches in the Atlanta area. She shook her head as she scrolled through the possible matches. None of these women were good enough for Noah. She scoffed to herself.
Noah needs someone else.
Her eyes trailed down the choices once more until she noticed a cute brunette grinning in her profile picture. Clicking on her profile, Naomi read all of the information and saw that the woman's name was Faith. She was studying to become an officer, and had a keen fascination in criminal justice. From her profile alone, she knew Noah and her would instantly hit it off. But why was a knot forming in her stomach at the idea of Noah and this woman standing hand and hand.
You have to do it. This isn't about you, it's about what's best for Noah.
Naomi pushed back the hard lump in her throat, and forced herself to message the woman, asking if she would be willing to possibly meet Noah.
***
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