April's Heart

I Love You

April tried to work, she really did. She sat at her computer with every intention of editing the hundreds of pictures she had taken at the wedding. But she couldn't keep her mind from wandering back to Jae. She remembered him holding her on the sofa. It had only been a day ago. His hair was a mess, clothes disheveled, but he was still perfect. She knew he must have been able to feel her heart pounding, its pace quickening purely because of his touch. She didn't know then about Miss Bailey's plan or about Jae's intense sadness. But she remembered looking back at him the first night before she got on the elevator. He was standing alone in the moonlight, his heart broken. Then she realized that perhaps Miss Bailey hadn't been thinking only of April when she asked Jae to look after her. Maybe she realized that April would be good for him as well. That they each had what the other needed and without a push from her they would go through life on parallel paths, never to cross without influence from an outside force.

Just as that realization hit her, the alarm on her phone went off. It was time to start getting ready for dinner already! She refocused on her computer screen. Her mouse pointer still hovered over the first picture. "I didn't even click on it!"

She would have tried to hurry and do something so that she didn't feel the entire day was totally wasted but she didn't want to compromise the quality of her work. Anyway, she knew exactly how long it took to get ready to go out with Kenny. About an hour longer than it took to get ready to go anywhere else. And he would be exactly on time yet somehow already impatient. He was a consummate professional, even in his personal life.

Also, she wanted to get ready in enough time to be outside waiting when he arrived. Best not to let him get comfortable being in her apartment again. If she had her way, this would be the last time she ever saw Kenny Mitchell.

At 7:45 April stepped out of her building, the cold wind swirling around her. Summer had given way to fall so abruptly she was still shocked by the nip in the air. She wrapped her arms around herself and tapped her toes on the cement to warm up her leg muscles. She was wearing the one outfit she had that Kenny had never seen her in. It had been a birthday give from Miss Bailey.  She wanted April to wear it on her next date. Little did Miss Bailey know her next date would be with Jae nearly a year later.

Oh, Jae. Thinking of him took some of the bite out of the air as memories of their steamy morning replayed in her mind. His touch, the way he looked, everything about him seemed to speak to her and it told her that she was who he had been looking for. It was a strange sensation, feeling so very wanted. Knowing that she wasn't going to be lonely anymore was such a welcome relief. The burden of loneliness had been weighing on her so heavily the past few months she feared she'd get so used to it that, even if someone did come along, she would prefer to be alone and not take a chance on love. Thankfully, her bitterness hadn't fully set in and she was open to Jae's rather aggressive advances.

April was smiling to herself, lost in thought when she heard the rumble of a sports car engine from down the street. A black Lamborghini rolled to a stop in front of the building and the door swung open. She knew that no one in her building owned such a car so she assumed, correctly, that Kenny had arrived. He stepped out of the car and turned to her, smiling a radiant smile that made her blush. He still had it. He was so charming and sure of himself it was hard not to be attracted to him. He closed the door and as if in slow motion, he walked towards her. His dark blue suit seemed to stretch around his muscular frame, making every flex visible. Owning a gym had been good for him in many ways and April had to force herself to stop staring and act cool as he approached. All she needed was for him to think she was interested in him in any way. If that happened he would never stop trying to get her back.

"April," he said, his smile fading into a sultry grin.

"Hey," April replied, trying to seem uninterested without appearing as if she was trying to do so.