The Realest Ever - By Keith Thomas Walker Page 0,14
That’s why I couldn’t accept your friend request until I came back to the library.”
“Oh,” Donovan said. Kyra was glad she couldn’t see his expression. She knew he’d be looking down on her, like she was an abandoned puppy or something. “That’s cool,” he said. “Will you call me later?”
“Yeah,” Kyra said, heading for the door.
“This is your phone, right?” Donovan asked. “I can call you on this number?”
“Yes,” Kyra said. “I’m sorry, but I gotta get on this bus, or I’ll be stuck here another forty minutes.”
“I can come get you,” Donovan offered.
“No, that’s alright,” Kyra said. “I’m sorry. I gotta go.”
“Okay, bye,” Donovan said, but she had already hung up.
≈≈≈≈≈≈≈
Donovan sat back in his recliner with a broad grin, but it was short-lived. The woman sitting on the sofa next to him had been waiting most impatiently for the call to end so she could ask him, “Who the hell was that?”
Donovan gave her a look. “Don’t trip.”
“What do you mean, don’t trip?” The woman rose to her feet and took a step closer. “Who the hell was that, Donovan?”
“I said her name at least fifty times,” Donovan stated. “That was Kyra. Her name is Kyra.”
Donovan wore long basketball shorts with a sparkling clean, white tee shirt. It was twelve-thirty on a warm, Saturday afternoon. Donovan began his day with a two mile run with his German shepherd Wyatt and his pit bull dog Doc. When he returned to the house, he showered and had a simple breakfast of grapefruit and granola bars. He planned to grade papers and watch a few MMA fights during the hottest part of the day, but his visitor thought that was boring. She wanted him to take her to the movies instead.
That was fine. But one thing Donovan did not want to do today was try to explain himself to someone who would probably never understand the intangibles of his and Kyra’s relationship. But his visitor wasn’t just anybody. She was the woman from his Facebook photos (who couldn’t possibly have made Kyra jealous because she and Donovan were like brother and sister).
Ewww!
The woman stood six feet even. She wore skinny jeans with three-inch heels that boosted her height even more. She was thin and beautiful with long, curly hair that was worth every cent she paid for it. Her name was Brianna, but at times like this she preferred to go by her other title, which was Donovan’s woman. His only woman.
“Baby, sit down,” he told her.
“I don’t want to sit down, Donovan! You just sat there and talked to some other woman like I wasn’t even here!”
“Exactly!” Donovan said, trying not to give in to frustration. “I just had a conversation with her right in front of you. I didn’t go to another room, and I didn’t tell her I’ll call her later.”
“Yes you did tell her you’ll call her later.”
“You know what I mean,” Donovan said. “I took the call in front of you because I have nothing to hide, Brianna. Now, if you’ll sit down, we can talk about this like calm individuals. You don’t have to scream every time you don’t understand something.”
Brianna folded her arms over her chest, and Donovan knew they were going to argue anyway. Something he would never understand about his woman was how she could be so beautiful, yet so insecure. Brianna had smooth skin the color of cinnamon. She was fit and stylish. Her face had classic angles, and she knew how to accentuate her beauty with very little makeup.
But when it came to not understanding, Brianna was in the same boat. She didn’t get how Donovan could remain cool and collected when she was at her hottest – especially when you considered what a brawny and aggressive guy Donovan was. He played football for the better part of his life, during which time he was constantly trying to rip the opposing quarterback’s head off. He had to tone it down a little when he started coaching, but he was still a big, tough guy.
Looking at the two of them, you’d never expect Donovan to be the one to say, Sit down. We can talk about this like calm individuals.
“Explain yourself,” Brianna said. She tried to match his poise. Even while angry, most people would think she was still gorgeous. Donovan was not one of those people. He sighed.
“Kyra is my best friend from back in the day.”
“How far back?” Brianna asked. “I never heard of her.”