The Girl He Didn't Want

Chapter 41

James POV

I couldn't believe it when I heard what my mother and father did. Did they go all the way to meet my girlfriend and then say sorry? 

It occurred to me that I must have hit the jackpot. My mother for that matter was not easily persuaded to say sorry to anybody. She was a strong-willed woman who thought about her image – and saying sorry only meant that you humbled yourself. But Maya confirmed it on the phone. I was still at work when she had texted me about them visiting her at her workplace.
First, I got completely surprised and then I was flustered to know that my parents did something behind my back. I only relaxed when she told me what they said.

I knew that it must have been because of Owen. I smiled by myself after hanging up the phone. I had so much respect for Maya. She was really one of a kind. I was constantly amazed by the person she was. In so many ways she was traditional, but on the other hand she was also so unpredictable, brave, modest, and generous. I remembered back to the day where I met Andrew again.

Ugh, not again.

I meant Anna. I had to get used to the fact that one of my closest friends was now a woman.

I remembered Anna eying both me and her at Connors' place. When Maya had left suddenly, I didn't follow her right after. I had to at least say something to Anna first. I hadn't seen her for so many years.

I saw how Anna observed the little situation. 'Oh, James. You are so not only friends. It's so obvious that you love her. Bad move of you. You should have said something. Now that poor girl must have thought something was going on between us. I would suggest you run after her and tell her that I once had a penis. That would clear things up, right?'

She gave me a nonchalant look and giggled.

I cringed at her weird joke, but also a very honest fact. She was right, after all. One of my best friends had just gone from being a full-grown man with a beard, a penis, and a deep voice to a tall, slim, and very feminine woman with a more high-pitched voice and... with a vagina apparently.
If he... I mean she was happy; I was too. It would just take some time to get used to it.

'Uh'

'James, get over it. Anyway, I'm staying here for a while. But I must say. I never thought you would end up with a woman like her. I thought you didn't want to date a woman with her skin color. Finally you came to your senses!'

She shifted her foot and put pressure on her other foot. She had her arms crossed so her breasts were almost popping out of the blouse. I swallowed and looked away. This was so weird.

'I didn't either, but I assure you. She is so different than any other woman I've ever met before'

'I know. I've never seen you behave like that with anyone else. The way you looked at her and the way you laughed with her right before I came and interrupted you guys. What happened to the 'My name is James and I don't date black girls?'

She laughed a bit but then held back her grinning.

I turned red on my face. My friend was right. She knew me and she knew what I thought of women like Maya before. But that was until I got all my prejudices crushed by her. The bottom line was that what I searched for in a woman – she had that.

'Um... And she's not black you know. She i brown'

Anna cleared her throat and pushed me gently away.

'Go on my friend. Go get that girl. Something tells me that if you lose her, you are gonna lose yourself!'

Then it hit me.

I excused myself to Rose and were now looking for Connor. When I reached him, I grabbed his shoulder and turned him around.

'Connor, I have to go now' I gave him a sad face and hoped he would understand.

'Hey, man! I wanted to warn you, but Maya already told me he, ugh I mean she found you guys in the kitchen...'

I shook my head. 'Yeah, I think she got the wrong impression of Anna'

'Dude, who wouldn't? Have you seen our best friend? Of course, it must have surprised Maya. I tried to explain it to her, but I ended up not. I guess that's your assignment, after all, my friend' He gave me a half-smile and patted me on the back as a piece of good luck.

'Yeah, I think I'm gonna head off and find her. Say thanks once again to Rose for the keys!'

I gave him a brotherly hug and then went out to my car. 

I stopped and then turned back into the house again. I found Connor still talking with his father-in-law. I interrupted him shortly to tell him one thing more.

'And Connor...'

'Yeah?'

'I'm going to propose to Maya soon'

His eyes enlarged to big round balls and his mouth was to some extent open. Then he grinned.

'I knew it! I was so right when I set you up with her! Good for you bro. I'm really happy for you'

'Thanks'

Then I walked back out again to the car with the biggest smile on my face.

Just thinking back on that day where it hit me that I wanted her as my wife made me laugh. And now because of what my parents did today made my decision to ask her to marry me even more clear. She was definitely the one.

I never thought in my life that I would end up proposing to a woman like Maya but god, I was lucky. I was so lucky that she gave me a second chance after blowing it at first. If she didn't dare me to be her friend at first, I might never have gotten to know her more. I would never have been a part of her little world. I would never experience my little brother so happy. Maya turned my world upside down. 

Tonight, was the night. I wanted to propose to her. I quickly searched on the internet for the most romantic restaurants in the City. I found the perfect one and called there to book a table for us at seven-thirty this evening.

As I got off from work, I drove back to my house to get ready. I had to walk Nico before and feed him also.

* * * * * * * *

When I arrived in front of Maya's apartment a couple of hours later I was thrilled to see her. I wondered what she chose to wear. I noticed that through these couple of months we had been together as a couple, she never wore clothes that indicated her looking cheap. 

Interestingly, she always tended to wear clothes that showed her beautiful figure, but in a modest way. In that way I never got to see much of her body. But I was sure that she looked stunning underneath.

My mind often wandered back to her when we got close to each other. I was regularly tempted to feel her and get so close to her that it made me frustrated. But at the end of the day, I would wait for her. 

This relationship was more than just sex. I wanted to experience everything with her.
When she opened the door, I was amazed by her beauty. She had a white dress that fitted her perfectly. She looked fresh and very feminine with her light makeup and hairstyle. She really made tonight extra special by her loving appearance.

When we arrived at the restaurant, I could see she was impressed. She was taking it all in, the place, the atmosphere, the way the lighting was inside, and the dark brown chairs. The tables with crème white tablecloths. And she was particularly amazed by the chandeliers that hung above us.
We enjoyed our dinner and celebrated. I put my hand on my left side of the blazer. It was still there. The box with the ring inside. I had bought it a few days ago. I thought it would be a good idea to propose to her here, but I then decided not to after some time. 

I wanted to wait until we got home. Somehow, I wanted the proposal to be private and intimate. The way I knew Maya, I was sure she would like that too. So, I waited until we got out.

As we got outside of the restaurant after paying for the food we walked over to my car. There was a little distance, so we just walked for a while. Soon I was going to propose, and I couldn't wait.