Simply Complicated (16 page)

Soon after he left, she called her friend Candace to tell her the good news. To her surprise, Candace was on her way over to tell Camille about her new friend.

Camille opened her door, “Hey girl, you’ll never guess what happened to me last night,” she said with a big smile on her face.

“What—did Paul ask you to marry him?” she replied.

“No not quite. You’re close,” Camille said.

“Okay, then he asked you to be his lady?” Candace asked.

“No...”

“Okay I give up. Why don’t you tell me what happened?”

“You may want to sit down. Jake asked me to marry him and I said yes,” said Camille, waving the engagement ring.

Candace wanted to be happy for her but she was very surprised; she knew Camille had been seeing Paul and that he had just left town.

“What the hell! Jake asked you to marry him? I admit I’m surprised to hear that. What brought this on and how did you and Jake end up together?

“The last time we spoke you two had broken up and I thought Paul was in town?” asked Candace with a shocked look on her face.

“Paul was in town. He left the other day,” Camille replied.

“Okay that answers that question, but how did you and Jake end up together?” she asked.

“Well, it’s a long story but I’ll be brief.” Camille described meeting up with Jake during her dinner, “I admit he was intoxicated and I’m sure seeing me with another man wasn’t easy for him. Anyway, he asked if we could meet another time and I agreed.”

“What did Paul have to say about you and Jake going outside to talk? I’m sure he wasn’t too happy with that,” said Candace.

“He was a real gentleman about the entire situation. Besides he didn’t know who Jake was at first. When he came outside to check on me I ended my conversation with Jake and left with him.”

“Wow, Paul seems like a really nice guy, Camille. So you and Jake got together that same evening?” she asked.

“No. Paul came back to my apartment and spent the night with me. I really needed someone that night. Paul is a decent and kind man. If I weren’t in love with Jake I would honestly and truly be with him.

“Anyway, the next day Jake called and begged me to meet with him and while we were at dinner he got on one knee and proposed,” she said.

“Well, I hope you know what you’re doing. Are you sure he proposed because he’s ready to be faithful and settle down? I hope this was not just an attempt to keep you all to him. You need to be careful, Camille,” cautioned Candace.

“He’s different this time. I believe he’s indeed ready to settle down and be committed,” she replied.

Candace was not convinced but she didn’t want her friend to think that she was not supportive. “Well, congratulations. Knowing you like I do, I bet you’ve set a date,” she said jokingly.

“No we haven’t, but we both agree that we want to get married next year. We’re going to have an engagement party to celebrate and will announce the date then.”

“What about Paul? When are you going to tell him? Don’t you think it’s only fair that he knows what is going on?” asked Candace.

“I know. I haven’t decided when I’m going to tell him. I really don’t want to hurt him. I’ll figure something out,” sighed Camille.

“I’m happy for you. I really hope things work out for you. You deserve to be happy. Just please be careful,” said Candace.

“I am being careful. Anyway, I’m sorry I took over the conversation. You came over to tell me something and I started talking about me and Jake,” she said.

“That’s okay. Besides, we needed to talk about that,” she replied sarcastically.

“Don’t be that way, Candace. So tell me again about this guy you’re dating. Is it the married lawyer from the Prosecutor’s Office you’ve been telling me about?” questioned Camille.

“No. We went out for a few drinks but that was it,” said Candace. “His name is Timothy and I was introduced to him by a co-worker. We’ve been going out for about two months now and he has been the perfect gentleman.

“In fact, he’s too perfect and that is what’s bothering me. He has not made any attempts to touch me. Not even hold my hand. Does that seem strange to you?” asked Candace.

“Not really. What do you want him to do? Grab you by the back of your neck and kiss you passionately? Give me a break, Candace. You’ve only been dating him for two months.

“Maybe he’s trying to respect you or perhaps he is following your lead. You need to calm down and see what happens,” Camille advised.

“I guess you’re right. Most of the guys I date try to make a move on the first or second date. I guess I’m not used to a gentleman,” she said.

“How old is he?” Camille asked.

“He is six years older than I am so that makes him thirty-four,” said Candace.

“What does he do? Where does he work?” she asked.

“Believe it or not, he’s a police officer,” she replied.

“What? Candace, you know what they say about policemen,” laughed Camille.

“I know what you’re going to say. Not all policemen cheat. He is a Christian and he says he believes in being faithful to his woman once they decide to date monogamously,” said Candace.

“That is what they all say,” Camille said jokingly.

“I believe him. He seems different,” she replied.

“Well that may explain why he hasn’t made any moves on you yet,” said Camille wisely.

“I don’t get it. What are you talking about, Camille?” she asked.

“You said he is a Christian, right? Maybe he has committed himself to God or something and feels it’s wrong to be intimate or have sex before marriage,” said Camille.

“I didn’t think of that! You may be right. I suppose that does make sense,” she exclaimed.

“Of course you grew up a Christian and look at you. Too hot to trot,” Camille joked.

“Very funny, Camille. I’m still a Christian.”

“I’m just kidding. Well, I wouldn’t worry about it for now. Just enjoy the time the two of you spend together,” she said.

“You’re right. He is a nice guy and he does treat me well,” she replied.

“Who knows? Maybe things will work out for the two of you and we’ll have a joint wedding,” Camille said jokingly.

“On that note, I need to be going. I hope things really work out for you and Jake this time,” said Candace as she walked towards the door.

“As I said earlier, I think this time is different. He wouldn’t have asked me to marry him if he wasn’t serious. Besides, he now knows I’ll leave him so I’m sure he’s serious,” she said reassuringly.

“Okay, girl. If you say so. I’ll talk to you later,” Candace replied.

Three months had passed and she had yet to mention anything to Paul of her intended nuptials. Whenever he would call she made it a point to be very brief. She pretended to be too busy to talk. All the while she continued making plans for the engagement. She knew she would eventually have to tell him but she was afraid.

Camille started making all kinds of preparations and plans for the engagement party. She thought since Jake had a big house, they would have the party at his place.

She contacted caterers and a florist and was ready to pick out invitations. In the midst of all of her planning however, she realized that she and Jake had never really set a date for the party. In fact they never spoke about the wedding since he proposed.

So she contacted him at work to go over possible dates for the party. At first he was happy to hear from her and was readily available to talk. The moment the conversation shifted to the engagement party, he suddenly had a meeting he was running late for and promised they would talk about everything later that week.

She was so focused on the plans that she didn’t notice his abruptness to end the conversation once she mentioned the engagement party.

More time passed and they had yet to sit down to make definitive plans for the party. Whenever the subject came up he would conveniently change the topic or if they were at her place, start kissing and touching her in hopes of getting her mind off of it.

As time continued to pass, she began to think about what Candace had said about his reasons for proposing. She did not want to believe it but she was starting to wonder. She mentioned her concerns to him and he convinced her that they were not true.

He assured her that he really wanted to be with her but things at work had been a little hectic. He told her to pick a date for the party and let him know and they would make it happen.

That was all she needed to hear. She contacted the caterer and florist she had chosen. She asked him to give her a list of his friends and family he wanted to invite.

Surprisingly, he complied and gave her the names of several people. This reassured her even more that he was serious about marrying her. In her mind, he was starting to actively participate in the planning.

Two weeks before the party she contacted him to get keys to his house so she could let the florist see the layout and discuss how the house would be decorated.

“Hey, Jake.”

“Hey baby, what’s going on?”

“I need to get the keys to your house so I can let the florist in.”

“What time do you plan on going by my house?”

“I’m not sure. I think it’s scheduled for 2 p.m.”

He was not too happy about giving her the keys but he didn’t want her to know.

“Once you confirm the time, why don’t you call me about thirty minutes before and I’ll meet you there.”

“It would probably be easier if I get them now since I’m not sure what time she will be available.”

“Okay, but I thought it would be nice if we both could meet her there.”

“I didn’t think you would be interested in something like that. That sounds great. I’ll call you when we’re ready.”

Three hours later she called him. He didn’t answer his cellular phone and when she called him at work she was told he was in a meeting.

She wondered why he didn’t leave the keys with his secretary. About an hour passed and he had yet to call her. It was now 1:15 p.m. and he still had not called. She decided that if she had not spoken with him by 1:30, she would cancel the appointment with the florist. Sure enough, 1:30 p.m. came and he had not called her back.

Jake finally called her around 4:30. He apologized and explained that after his meeting he had two appointments with clients that he had forgotten about. He asked her to come over.

They ended up arriving to his house at the same time.

“Hey sweetheart, I’m glad to see you. I’ve missed you so much,” he said while giving her a big hug and a warm kiss.

“Hey baby, I’ve missed you too,” she said and then kissed him on the lips.

“Let me take your coat,” he said.

“Okay, baby,” said Camille.

When she handed him her coat she stood there completely naked. He was pleasantly surprised.

“Do you see anything you like?” she asked.

He dropped his briefcase and carried her into the bedroom. This was her first time arriving at his house like this. He was not used to this side of her but was not complaining.

The two of them made love for nearly two hours. She took their relationship to sexual heights that he never experienced with her before.

Later that evening they decided to order some Thai food for dinner. After ordering, he asked her to get dressed and go with him to pick it up. She decided that she wanted to stay in bed.

As he drove to get the food he couldn’t help but wonder if she was going through his belongings. He had never left her or any woman at his house while he was away. He hoped he could trust her. He knew he had some things at his house that he didn’t want her to know about. More importantly, he was afraid that one of his other women would call and she would find out that he was still seeing them even though he told her he had stopped.

He was gone for about twenty minutes. When he returned, he tried to quietly enter so he could catch her if she was going through his things. As he approached the bedroom he noticed it was quiet. When he opened the door he saw her asleep in the bed. She had fallen asleep waiting for him to return.

She had no interest in going through his things because in her heart and mind, he was not hiding anything from her. She believed him when he told her he had given up the other women.

He woke her up to eat dinner.

“How long have you been back?” she questioned.

“I just returned,” he said.

“Everything smells good,” she said.

“Here—taste this,” said Jake as he put some spicy fish in her mouth.

“Wow, that is spicy but it tastes good,” she said.

“Are you staying the night?” he asked.

“I had planned on it, especially since it’s so late,” she replied.

“Good, because I’m not finished making love to you,” he said with a sly grin on his face.

She rubbed her hands across his lap, “Who said I was finished with you, lover?”

“You’re a bad girl and bad girls should be punished,” he joked as he reached between her legs.

“Please punish me. I’m a bad girl,” she said as she stood up and sat on the dining room table.

“I like this side of you. Where have you been hiding her?”

“I was saving her for this moment,” said Camille, teasing him by spreading open her legs.