Her Bundles Of Joy

Gathering her belongings from the locker, Nicole said goodbye to the receptionist and started unlocking her bike from the rack.

“Hello, stranger.” A deep voice whispered next to her ear. Nicole jumped and placed a hand on her heart.

“Don’t scare me like that, Leon!” She gave the man a pointed look. “I could’ve died.”

“Oh no! I can’t imagine life without you, so please don’t die on me.”

“Leon…” Nicole sighed. It wasn’t that she didn’t like Leon. There was absolutely nothing not to like about him. Leon was a tall, muscular, and handsome man. His ebony skin and green eyes made him very attractive. On top of looking stunning, Leon was also very respectful and kind, and Nicole loved that about him. She loved that she could always count on him…as a friend. Despite his good looks and beautiful personality, Nicole couldn’t return his romantic feelings even if she tried. Leon, on the other hand, always made sure to express what he felt, even though Nicole had said on more than one occasion that she felt uncomfortable about it because it made her feel guilty about being unable to look at him as more than a friend. Carrying the burden of knowing that there was someone who loved you but you couldn’t love them back wasn’t easy.

“I’m sorry. I know you asked me not to say that kind of stuff,” he apologized. “But, Nicole, please don’t take this away from me. You know that joking about my feelings is my way of coping with this unrequited love of mine. I’m not asking you to love me back, I’m just expressing what I feel in hopes that one day you’ll realize that I’m the perfect guy for you.”

“That’s the thing, Leon, I don’t think that day will ever come,” Nicole said in a calm, gentle tone. “I don’t want you to hang around waiting for me while you could be out there trying to find the woman of your life. A woman who’ll love you in the way you deserve to be loved. But that ain’t me.”

“Look,” Leon pinched the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb. “Can we start over? I don’t want to discuss this anymore. I came from Manhattan to see you. I just want to hang out with my dear friend.”

Nicole narrowed her eyes. “Promise you won’t make any comments like that again?”

“Cross my heart.” Leon grinned and pulled Nicole into a side hug. “So, what are the plans for tonight?”

She shook her head but smiled anyway. She appreciated having Leon as a friend. It was like having an older brother. An older brother who was in love with her. Nicole shook her head at the creepy thought. Okay, maybe not an older brother, but an older cousin. Yeah, that sounded less weird.

“Well,” she started. “Dani invited me over for dinner. It’s game night. Want to join us?”

“I’ll never say no to seeing Danielle raging over a soccer match.”

“Don’t be mean. She’s just…” Nicole paused, trying to find a proper word to define her friend’s passion for soccer. “fond of football.”

Leon scoffed. “If you say so. Anyways, I have my car so I guess I’ll meet you at your apartment?”

“Race you there?”

“Loser washes the dishes at Dani’s,” Leon smirked. “Better get ready to ruin your manicure, Ms. Nicole Carter.”

“In your dreams, Leon Murray.” Nicole hopped on her bike while Leon got into his sleek black BMW. The young instructor focused all her strength and stamina into pedaling as hard as she could to get back home. Leon didn’t count on Nicole knowing some shortcuts, though. She cut through an alley and was home in less time than it took her to get to the studio. Nicole parked her bicycle in the designated spot and leaned against the wall of her apartment building.

“Well, well, well…” Nicole teased Leon as soon as he got out of his car. It took him at least five minutes longer than it took Nicole to get to East Flatbush.

“Don’t say anything, smart-ass. I got caught in traffic, okay?”

“Yep, sure did.” Nicole chuckled. “I’ll get ready, yeah? I’d invite you to come upstairs but my place is a mess. I haven’t got the time to clean it this week.”

“I’ve seen your messy apartment several times, but suit yourself. I’ll wait for you down here.”

“Okay. I won’t take long, I’ll just take a quick shower.” Nicole flashed Leon a smile and rushed upstairs. Luckily, her apartment building only had 4 stories and she lived on the second floor, so climbing up the stairs wasn’t that difficult. Nicole had been living at the same place for about two years now and never once did she see the elevator working. Maybe it was just a prop. Her landlord probably put it there so the rent could be more expensive.

Twenty minutes later and Nicole was coming out of the apartment, looking fresh and clean. She had washed and dried her beautiful Afro, and had opted to do two side braids. She wore an open-back floral dress that she’d bought a while ago but had yet to have the opportunity to use it. The dress probably made her look overdressed, but she didn’t care. She hadn’t spent eighty dollars on a dress to not wear it. She matched her cute dress with her favorite pair of ankle-strap sandals and checked herself in the mirror.

Nicole looked as beautiful as ever, even though she felt tired as hell. She was the type of woman that had heads turning the minute she walked into a room. She wasn’t perfect, but she had a kind of beauty that one just couldn’t overlook. Full lips that weren’t quite plump, slightly curved nose that widened at the base. Nicole believed her most prominent feature was her eyes, though. Her hazel orbs had an intense stare to them that could have any man begging on his knees just for a chance to take Nicole on a date.

And her body…

Nicole had a gorgeous, naturally toned body due to years of dancing. She wasn’t tall, but she had a strong figure.

The young dancer was well aware of how good she looked. Nicole just never used her beauty to her advantage. Although sometimes she wished she had; people were willing to do anything for her or would happily give her anything as long as she used her charm on them.

“Wow, Nikki,” Leon whistled the moment she was outside her building. “You look stunning. In a friendly way, of course.”

Nicole rolled her eyes, “Let’s go, Leon. I’m starving and Dani’s making us some empanadas. We don’t want to be late.”

“Of course not, ma’am.” Leon chuckled while opening the car door for Nicole. The journey to Dani’s house was uneventful. The duo drove in a slightly uncomfortable silence. Nicole sometimes felt kind of awkward around Leon. She always ended up regretting her decision to dress up when she was hanging out with him because Nicole had a feeling that deep down Leon would tell himself she was dressing up for him, which was far from the truth.

Oh, well. Leon was a grown man.

One day he’d have to learn to deal with his feelings on his own. Nicole’s conscience was clean; she’d never led him on or anything like that. He fell for her and he’d have to get over it one day. Nicole didn’t love him back and she certainly never would.