PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4

Amad sent Phillip a message to drive slower, he wanted his time with Chevon to be extended as much as possible; Phillip nodded and drove as slowly as the Brooklyn traffic would allow him.

“So, Chevon, tell me more about you—like something that isn’t public knowledge.”

Chevon heard Amad, but she had started a new dream as they rode along the streets of Brooklyn. Amad didn’t rush her, he was just happy to hear her breathe. Phillip glanced and caught Amad’s attention, he smiled at Amad who only nodded and gave him a small smirk.

“I, ah,” Chevon began to say bringing Amad back to her; he realized that he wanted to be present in her space, present in the place she is, and present in who she could be in his life. “So, there’s only two people in my family, that we know of, my great-uncle Vincent, and me who were born with gray hair,” Chevon said and smiled big at Amad.

Amad responded with a similar smile and fell into Chevon’s eyes. “Gray hair, you say? I’ve heard that people who are either born with or gray early tend to be wise beyond their years, do you think that’s about right?”

“I mean that is what they say, but I don’t think mine is wise beyond my years, it’s more like I know things I’m not supposed to, is that the same thing?” She said and they all laughed.

Phillip then looked at Chevon who was bent over laughing at this point.

Chevon knew her joke was corny, but she needed to change the atmosphere, it was getting tense, in the car, in her mind, and, especially, in her loins; she needed a break! The only way she knew to do this was always to crack a joke—corny or not.

“Ms. Matthews, you’re very wise! I have no doubt about that.”

“Why thank you, sir,” she added with her smile that hasn’t found the nerve to leave her face. “Ok, so, now, it’s your turn to tell me something…”

Amad thought about what he wanted to share because there were a lot of things people didn’t know in general since he was a superstar on the basketball court and now in the court of law. “Well, let’s see…”

“It’s that much, huh? If it’s too personal…”

“No, it’s not that at all,” he said turning to face her. “It is only because in my world everything is scrutinized, and it can be a bit overwhelming,” Amad said. He’d not been this nervous about a woman in quite some time, and he wanted to tread as lightly as he could.

He wanted her to know everything there was to know about him, but he was also aware of what could happen—nothing—and he didn’t want to give her too much of himself, at least, not right now anyway.

Chevon took a deep breath thinking she didn’t have the strength for this kind of relationship. Amad needed to say something and quickly, he could tell that she wasn’t one to share and be left out of the game, so he said, “Ah, something no one knows,” Amad continued and looked at Phillip—next to Franklin, Phillip is probably the only other person who knew most, if not all, of Amad private affairs. “I had a twin sister, she died at four months old…” he said and sighed. It’s not easy for Amad to talk about that because he was loved by his parents unconditionally, but he wasn’t at the same time.

He had to make up for the loss of his sister, Alia, his father was a huge Dune fan, and he named his daughter after the Duke and Lady Irulan’s daughter. Once when Amad was about eight years old, right after his birthday, he learned about Alia, and he started to understand why he was doted on so much by his mother, and shunned, in some ways, by his father. When he turned twenty-one, just before Howard Law, he totally understood why his father shunned him—his father was also a twin, and his father’s brother died at the same age as Alia, and Amad’s father’s underlying guilt for surviving spilled over to his son.

Amad didn’t hate his father for the way he treated him, but he was thrilled to have a reason to understand his father’s standoffish mood; years later, and many hours of therapy, he and his father have a relationship that no one can penetrate.

“I’m sorry, that couldn’t be easy to deal with…” Chevaon said and touched Amad’s hand; “thank you for sharing that.”

At this point, Phillip let the partition up to give the couple some privacy—not that Phillip needed to do that, but Chevon is new in Amad’s life and he wanted to give her the sense that the people in Amad’s life can be trusted.

“Are you ok?”

“I’m ok, very few people know that.”

“Thank you for trusting me with that. I do understand loss,” Amad knew she did because of the loss of her parents. “Amad,” Chevon said singing his name, and he closed his eyes embracing the sound of his name sailing off her lips. “Are you, really, ok?” He nodded yes letting her know that he was.

Chevon sat silently holding Amad’s hand, neither said a word, neither breathe.

The car stopped and Phillip got out the car. “Phil, give me a minute,” Amad said and rolled the window back up; Phillip adjusted his jacket and waited by the passenger side door. “Chevon, I am thrilled to have meet you; I didn’t know this would be the way we would meet, but it looks like the universe understood what I needed.”

“I’m excited as well,” she said and stared into Amad eyes. She leaned over and kissed him. Amad’s hands immediately went to her face, his warm hands pillowed her face and Chevon gave him the softest moan and pulled away from him. “I’m so sorry, I couldn’t resist…”

Smiling at Chevon, watching her face go completely red, while still holding her face in his hands, Amad said, “Can I see you tomorrow?” Chevon nodded yes. “I have a meeting at four, I should be done around 6, I’ll pick you up?”

“Ok,” Chevon whispered. “Amad, here’s my card,” she said realizing that neither of them had each other’s number. “I think you need this…”

“Yes, I sure do,” he responded and took out his phone, sent her a text, and said, “we need to get out this car before we don’t.”

They both giggled and he went out the car first, he noticed that Chevon didn’t move, she was still looking at the heart emoji Amad sent her, and, besides, she always believed what her grandfather told her and showed her, a man should always hold a door for his lady.

His lady she thought. “Could I be his lady?”

“Ms. Matthews,” Phillip said as Amad reached for her hand. “I’ll turn the car around, sir,” Phillip said giving him the royal treatment because he never called Amad sir.

Amad nodded and walked Chevon to the elevator in her building. “Which floor, ah, apartment, are you?”

“4G,” she said and reached to hug him. Amad gladly went into her arms. “Good night, can you let me know when you get home?”

“I can do that, beautiful,” he said and gave Chevon a soft kiss on her forehead. He didn’t dare kiss her lips because he knew that that would create a storm of which would be never ending—talk about a scandal, he saw the headlines now.

Ex-basketball star, prominent attorney, Amad Bishop,

seen stripping a woman naked in lobby of Brooklyn high-rise…

Amad shook his head and smiled at Chevon.

They stood staring at each other after Amad’s kiss, with the elevator door opening and closing, “I better let you go, I need you to be rested for tomorrow, ok?”

“Ok,” Chevon answered and pressed the button for the elevator again, the doors opened, and she stepped in smiling at Amad who stood there until the doors closed.

Chevon released a deep breath, and almost fell to the elevator floor. She didn’t realize that her knees where truly weak at the possibility that her life has literally changed seemingly by sheer accident.

Amad gets in the car and puts his face in his hands, full of possibilities.

“Amad, you need a minute?” Phillip asked him; Amad only nodded that he did, and Phillip began to drive back to Manhattan. Phillip didn’t say anything on the drive because he needed to be quiet for his friend.

Phillip understood Amad’s emotion because Amad had just lost the love of his life, a few years ago, and on vacation in Cyprus, Amad saw Vogue Italia and saw Chevon and said, “Phil, man, look at this woman…” Phillip knew what was behind that comment, Chevon had similar features to Nina, Amad’s fiancé, Nina was killed by a drunk driver weeks before their wedding.

A while later, Phillip said, “So, when you got on the train what did you do first?”

“Well, I saw her and thought, it can’t be. I had to catch my breath because I knew I had fallen asleep. The delicate way she was turning the pages of the book, her giggle. But what got me was when I sat next to her and saw those eyes, she may have mannerisms like Nina, but she’s definitely not Nina.”

“And now…”

“Now, I’m going to do whatever I can to not let this chance meeting go to waste,” Phillip nodded, gave Amad a smirk, and took the Brooklyn Bridge heading north to Madison Ave.

Amad sighed.

He wiped his face.

He looked out the window at the city, loving the twinkle of the night lights which only lead him back to Chevon.

He took out his phone and sent Chevon a message.

I’m not home yet, but somehow my heart is already missing you. I hope you don’t feel like I’m pulling your leg or playing with your heart—I AM NOT! I do find you everything I need, in just a few hours, I have lost the game, and I’m happy about it. I’ll call you in the morning. Sweetest of dreams, Amad.

Chevon smiled, took her shower, and let her tears flow with the warmth of the water—tears of joy, Chevon thought about the Faith Evans song, Tears of Joy, believing things as though they were, she sang “When I think about it, baby, all I can do is shake my head; cause there ain’t no explanation, no reason, oh, you must be heaven-sent. With your crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy love; boy, you got me so messed up–so messed up!”

Chevon responded to Amad.

I can’t wait to say good morning to you.