CHAPTER 65: NOW
I did not waste any more time. I directly took my car keys, locked the apartment, and headed downstairs through the elevator to my car.
Inside the car, I started the engine, reversed to the tarmac, and off I went. I was, of course, wearing the black jeans, but I removed the hood as the weather had slightly improved.
So, I was wearing a baggy white t-shirt that reached down to the tip of my thigh, thankfully hiding my sagging trousers, as I had forgotten to carry the belt. I knew sagging was good and all, but it reached a point in my life where I do not get the point of it all.
Anyway, after some thirty minutes, I was already directing the car towards Elvis' apartment's ground floor parking area. Their apartment is usually named 'Marine Lives Only.' It depicts that only marines live there, and very few who aren't marines, but they should belong to the military forces or at least work for the government. To the elevator and to Elvis' apartment. I knocked twice, and Aaliyah did not hesitate to open. She welcomed me in, and I was glad, for she actually was alone. However, my reason for calling her was not to stay indoors. Her bio stated she loved trying out new things, so I thought of maybe taking her to some art exhibitions downtown in the city, then maybe to enjoy the beach, and then maybe bring her home to Elvis. I was thinking of just spoiling her for the day. Just having her so that actually, she can have more skills to showcase in her creative writing work.
"Have a seat," Aaliyah said, pointing at one of the seats in the living room.
"Actually, I wasn't planning on staying. I wanted to pick you up," I stated, making her stand in surprise, still eyes on me.
"Where to?" she questioned.
"Are you busy?" I asked.
"No..."
"Then come," I finished and ended up outside to the grills in front of Elvis' apartment door, waiting for Aaliyah to just lock the door. After some minutes, she came outside, actually changed. She wore some jeans, ragged black trousers somehow matching mine, and my white hood. I think she has become fond of that hood, and days haven't passed since I gave it to her. It is just earlier when I did. After locking the door, we headed straight downstairs and into the car.
"Where to?" she questioned.
"A surprise," I stated. With that, I started the car, reversed it, aligned it to the tarmac, and started off, as Google Maps directed me to the greatest art exhibition center in San Francisco. It would take about an hour to two, depending on the traffic.
"Did you get fired?" Aaliyah questioned, in between the journey.
"No, why?" I asked, chuckling a bit.
"I haven't seen you going to work."
"Oooh... I just got off work, the whole week. An intern is taking over, so I gotta relax," I finished, as I saw her nod.
"And what's your deal with your boyfriend?" I questioned. It was not my intention to talk about the guy, but that thought just popped up, and it would be hard not to talk; suppressing it would be really hard.
"We are just friends," she emphasized, especially the 'friends' part. She had told me that they were friends before, but I was having a hard time processing it.
"I don't think he sees you that way," I decided to just say it, to at least know her perception. "I don't know what to say. But for me, I have made things quite clear," she finished, and I found myself smiling. Smiling because this meant that she was actually giving me a heads-up on the pursuing I was trying. This meant I still had a chance. The rest of the journey was silent. Just Aaliyah making little videos. I realized she had also taken some of me while I was busy on the road. After an hour, we arrived at Green's exhibition. It is the largest center, filled with all sorts of artworks, from the stone carvings of safari to the welcoming serene of different arts inside.
"Surprise!" I stated, smiling ear to ear, as I led the way for Aaliyah to enter. I was a little bit fond of art, but not that much. Right after I started medicine, anything artistic became beautiful if it sparked something about the human body or about being in the hospital. "
Wow, nice art," she stated, as we looked at the various works, from ancient drawings of Da Vinci to Van Gogh and all that.
However, I noticed Aaliyah was just passing through the artworks. She was not embracing them as I expected. I wanted her to smile. Take pictures and all that, at least, the same way as her TikTok was full of beautiful book quotes from various writers. We finished the exhibitions on the ground floor and went to the first floor. Modern, live art was still there, but I just wanted us to see the ancient work. I recognized in her socials that she was a sucker for past artwork.
Despite, one artwork, where a man was holding a book, made Aaliyah engrossed in it. It was not one of those great arts that I would go for. It was randomly a man holding a book; I think if it were not the Bible, it was the Quran, as there were a lot of other written words beyond my understanding. My mind depicted them as Arabic. As my face got engrossed in the artwork, I looked to find no Aaliyah beside me, but just seated on one of the benches, head down, as if in tears or sad. I suddenly regretted bringing her here, so I walked fast straight to her, and held her hands off her face, and gave her a hug.
"Let's go back to the car," I stated, without even asking her what the problem was. Maybe we would have a deeper conversation about it in the car. With her by my side, we walked out of the exhibition as the doorkeepers told me all their thank you for coming in and see you soon. Straight to the car. After realizing she was comfortable, I decided to break the silence, "I thought you liked art."
"I did, not anymore though," she stated, her voice and words seeming to hide more than she was speaking about. "Is there a reason behind?" "Did you check my TikTok account?" she questioned, now eyeing me as if I had done one of the most terrible things on earth. "I...," nervous, so I restarted again, "I did not mean it, it just popped up," I finished, but she just nodded.
"It's alright, what else did you check?"
"Your Instagram and X," I added, making her laugh for the first time since coming out of the exhibition.
"You stalked me?"
"No... they just popped up."
She just shook her head, and then, "What else did you learn?"
"You like visiting new places, you like books," I finished, not wanting to sound like a real stalker right there. I could not tell her that I viewed all her pictures. That would be hilarious. In addition to watching all her TikTok posts, as if she were my new Netflix movie.
"I think you are trying really hard. I'm not that complicated," she stated, and I felt really bad for that. It was not that I was trying really hard, I was just trying to uncover her, and one thing is, she is the best person any man would love uncovering, like imagine just knowing things about someone, things that most people barely know. That is; knowing her socially and in person.
"Did your boyfriend ever hurt you?" I questioned, remembering that tweet of hers on X, 'Why does he do me that?'
"You read all my tweets?" she questioned, her face suddenly burning red. She was not even talking normally, she was having this beautiful voice of embarrassment.
"Not all, a few just to clarify it is you," I stated, and she just shook her head.
"You are hilarious. I was just sad that day. I'm not telling you anything else," she stated, her eyes fixated on me, and then slightly lowered onto my lips, and then looked away. 'God! She looked at my lips,' my mind screamed, as I still stared at her. Her face was purely, fully burning, her cheeks were purely red.
"Aaliyah," I stated, almost a whisper, and she looked at me, and then made a little smile towards me. The next was me leaning towards her seat, and our foreheads touched, as her hand embraced my right hand.
"I'm sorry," I found myself stating. I was sorry for everything I had done, everything, purely everything, and then our lips brushed a little, as I saw the smile that suddenly formed on her lips, and I was glad. I was already on cloud nine; this meant I was winning her over, and I promise to heaven and earth, I would rest not until I have her.