Temperature Changes Ch. 01

"Other than Mama?" He asked. I found it slightly odd when others referred to me as 'mama', but that changed the moment it rolled off his tongue. I wonder what else sounds nice rolling off his tongue, or what else he could do with his tongue. Feeling instantly jealous of the food. I shifted, crossing my legs in an attempt to contain the thoughts swirling around in my head.

"Mmhm," I say, changing the subject. I nod towards a man who appears to be fresh out of college. "He definitely looks like a Chad," I continued, looking at his pullover, shorts, and boat shoe combo.

Theo chuckled again, causing me to laugh. "I'd say he's a pledge trying to leverage tacos to climb up the ranks in his frat."

I chuckle. "That seems oddly specific, Theodore." I notice his smile at the mention of his name and the immediate reaction it has on me.

"That's because it was me 8 years ago," he admits.

I'm intrigued. "Hm. Interesting. A man who's not afraid to clean and run errands," I say, bemused.

There goes his resounding laugh again. "Now, that stuff I don't actually mind," he says, his warm eyes hanging onto mine. "In some ways more than others,"

A man who pleases or serves? Interesting, also.

"I'm listening," I say in a flirtatious manner. Let's see what he ends up revealing.

He slyly smiles as he finishes his last bite, telling me a story about how he grew up without a dad and the respect he has for his mom. It yearns at my heart since I could only imagine how hard it was for him, and how much he could want the opposite. He's originally from Seattle, then college in Texas and recently relocated to ATL 1 year ago for a job in tech.

"So how are you liking Atlanta so far?"I continue on beat, wanting to know more about the way he saw the city. Wondering if we were interested in the same things. Trying to read the situation so I could better prepare myself. It's what I do, I analyze things.

"The people or the culture?" he asked, not bothered by my quizzical nature.

I chuckle. "A mixture of both. Atlanta wouldn't be the same without either,"

"And the food, of course," he agrees, licking the sauce off of his finger. I remind myself to look at the taco left in front of me.

"Mmm. I was in North Dakota for 9 months and I can easily say my love for food and appreciation for Atlanta quadrupled,"

"A place lacking culture, real food, and people who don't look like they belong in Trumps family," he jokes.

I laughed so hard, I end up doing the quirky vacuum sounding laugh that I'd been trying to avoid. He joins me in laughter and starts mocking me, causing me to laugh even harder. This was nice. A welcome change. I genuinely feel warm and in good company. All with Theo. I start to notice his features, the shape of his jaw-bone, the slight curve of his cleft chin, soft cupids bow. Not a bad sight to look at. So why was he single? Or, if he was, what was the catch?

He grabs our plates, clearing the table as I check my phone for an update.

"Well, fuck. You need to tell me when you get home," the text reads. Of course, I shake my head in amusement. Leave it up to Devanee to be both loving and blunt.

"Everything okay? He didn't break too many things, did he?" Theo asks, light-heartedly.

"Nah," I say smiling, "not yet, anyway"

He places his hand back on the small of my back as we make our way out of the restaurant. This feeling is one that I welcome and I could get used to. He has a clean, slightly sweet yet woodsy scent. I casually try to stay close, so I am surrounded by it. He doesn't seem to notice, and if he does, he didn't comment on it.

We make our way back to the parking lot, chatting about some of our favorite activities and hobbies. He has an affinity for comedy movies, somehow knows how to knit, and likes to run on the weekends. I was right about the athletic tendencies, but the others I didn't predict.

As we make our way back to my silver Honda, I'm apprehensive about leaving.

"So this is Miss. Danielle's spot," He says, his eyes never leaving mine. His hand keeps its place at the small of my back, his other hand mimicking the placement.

My chestnut colored skin couldn't reveal my sudden blush, "So it is," I say, pausing to assess his next move.

He leans in closer, "How about we see what fate has in store?" Pausing to innocently kiss the area where my neck and shoulder meet.

I feel myself shiver from pleasure, reveling in the feeling of his lips on my skin. His scent is, even more, intoxicating up close. He grabs my hands, making eye contact while kissing their backs. I feel the familiar chill reverberate throughout my body.

Then he just walks away.

I smile to myself opening my car door, running the series of events through my head again.