“It does get a little old sometimes. Don’t you get tired of women telling you how fine you are?” she asked.
“They don’t. But as soon as they start, I’ll let you know.”
“Well you are. And you’re the perfect gentleman. That’s why I’m wondering why some woman just let you get away. What happened?”
“We agreed to disagree.”
“How come?”
“Control more than anything else. Control of my agenda.”
“What was she like?”
“Carmen was cool. Not as pretty as you, but no one is. She just wanted me around her all the time.”
“She wanted to monopolize your time, huh?”
“It was always about what she wanted to do. All about her needs, you know what I’m saying? I got tired of that me, me, me stuff.”
“Did Tavarus feel that his needs weren’t being met?” Tyhedra said mockingly.
“Very funny.” I thought about it. “But maybe you’re right.”
“See, another sensitive man dying to come out.” Tyhedra laughed. “She was probably in love with you, Tavarus. She just wanted to be with you.”
“Yeah, but all the time? She came out the gate like that. Moving too fast. I felt like we should take time and grow to that point.”
“So how long did you want her to pledge?”
“Until I thought . . .” I froze in midsentence.
“See, there’s a little me, me, me in you, too.”
“Maybe,” I said grudgingly.
“People’s emotions evolve at different rates.”
“I know that. But just once I’d like them to evolve at the same rate.”
“Would be nice, wouldn’t it? But I know what you’re saying.”
We talked for a while, several times during conversational lulls, Tyhedra said, “I gotta go.” But each time she said it, our conversation would take off in another direction. “This time I mean it. I have to go.” After that, we proceeded to talk for another hour. Tyhedra said good night again and got in her car.
“I’m not ready for you to go yet,” I said, stepping away from the car.
“That’s because you want me.”
“I do want you. I love talking to you.” I smiled, but I knew what she meant.
“No, Tavarus, you want me,” she said. “You want to fuck me, Tavarus.”
“Since the first time I saw you, Tyhedra. But then I found out that there is so much more to you than just your considerable sexuality.”
“No, Tavarus, don’t try to dress it up. I can tell by the way you look at me. You want me. That’s all it’s ever been, Tavarus. You just wanna fuck me.”
My smile turned to a light laugh. “You think that’s all it is? I’m hurt that you think I’m that shallow. I can have sex just about anytime I want to. Sex is easy to come by.”
“Oh really? That’s easy to say.” Tyhedra flirted.