in?”
“This place isn’t really my style. I’m more old school.”
“It’s already paid for. Sean paid for it. And you probably won’t find anything else tonight. Not in the city. The city is hosting a small emergency summit of African leaders in two days because of the thing.”
“What thing?”
“You know. The thing.”
Cameron shrugged.
Li said, “You don’t know what happened in Ganbola?”
Cameron shook his head and said, “Let’s get out of this hotel. You can fill me in about whatever happened over that drink—out on the street.”
“So no checking in first?”
“No reason to check in right this second. You offered to buy me a drink. I’m more interested in that right now.”
She nodded.
“Tell you what,” Cameron said. “I’ll do you one better. Let me buy you dinner? I’m starving.”
Li shrugged and said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t even think that you might be hungry.”
Cameron stayed quiet and stared at her.
“No big deal,” he said. “Let’s get something to eat now.”
She hesitated and looked at his clothes. It was like a reflex, not intentional—at least, Cameron didn’t think it was. She said nothing.
He said, “What? You don’t want to be seen with me? Is it my clothes?”
She nodded.
Cameron said, “Ouch!”
“I don’t mean it like I don’t want to be seen with you.”
“Just my clothes?” He paused a beat and said, “I could lose them. Right here if you want.”
He started to pretend like he was taking them off.
Li cracked a hint of a smile but not quite the real thing, and then she said, “That’s not what I meant, either!”
Cameron said, “I know. Just kidding. So what? You want me to get new clothes?”
Li said, “Can we, please? No place is going to let you in wearing that anyway.”
“What places? Where are we going? I can’t afford a five-star restaurant.”
“You couldn’t get into a five-star restaurant here. So don’t worry about that!”
“What’s that supposed to mean? My clothes are that bad?”
Li smiled wide, and for the first time since they’d met, she not only smiled, she lit up the dim corridors of The Fifth. Her smile was all teeth. All white. All straight.
Cameron actually felt a little nervous now and embarrassed. Because of his clothes, he felt that perhaps he should have put more thought into style rather than convenience and affordability. After all, one thing that’s not convenient is being turned down by a woman before you even start to show interest.
Li said, “Let’s just get you some new clothes. They don’t need to be fancy, just better. They can be casual. Do you have any money?”
Cameron nodded.
“Good. Then let’s go buy something new for you to wear, and then we’ll grab that drink. Don’t worry—there are plenty of places I think you’ll like. But even those places wouldn’t let you in wearing this crap.”
She grabbed his shirt and pinched it. Her fingers brushed his abdomen. It was barely a touch, really, and lasted only a brief second, but Cameron noticed it. He definitely noticed it. He smiled. She gave him a big smile in return. At least he had gotten a reaction from her, and that wasn’t such a bad thing in Cameron’s opinion.
Thoughts were involuntary. A man couldn’t be judged by what ran through his head, only by the actions he took. That was something Cameron believed. The brain couldn’t be controlled, and it wasn’t always predictable. Neurons fired randomly, and electrons and tissue scattered about just as randomly. The human mind would think things that couldn’t be helped and couldn’t be stopped.
Cameron’s mind thought about two things. Both involved women, and neither involved clothing. He thought about Karen, and then he thought about Li. It was like he had left one bedroom and walked straight into another. Two beautiful women on different sides of the spectrum and on different sides of the country.
Everything in life was relative.
One thing
“This place isn’t really my style. I’m more old school.”
“It’s already paid for. Sean paid for it. And you probably won’t find anything else tonight. Not in the city. The city is hosting a small emergency summit of African leaders in two days because of the thing.”
“What thing?”
“You know. The thing.”
Cameron shrugged.
Li said, “You don’t know what happened in Ganbola?”
Cameron shook his head and said, “Let’s get out of this hotel. You can fill me in about whatever happened over that drink—out on the street.”
“So no checking in first?”
“No reason to check in right this second. You offered to buy me a drink. I’m more interested in that right now.”
She nodded.
“Tell you what,” Cameron said. “I’ll do you one better. Let me buy you dinner? I’m starving.”
Li shrugged and said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t even think that you might be hungry.”
Cameron stayed quiet and stared at her.
“No big deal,” he said. “Let’s get something to eat now.”
She hesitated and looked at his clothes. It was like a reflex, not intentional—at least, Cameron didn’t think it was. She said nothing.
He said, “What? You don’t want to be seen with me? Is it my clothes?”
She nodded.
Cameron said, “Ouch!”
“I don’t mean it like I don’t want to be seen with you.”
“Just my clothes?” He paused a beat and said, “I could lose them. Right here if you want.”
He started to pretend like he was taking them off.
Li cracked a hint of a smile but not quite the real thing, and then she said, “That’s not what I meant, either!”
Cameron said, “I know. Just kidding. So what? You want me to get new clothes?”
Li said, “Can we, please? No place is going to let you in wearing that anyway.”
“What places? Where are we going? I can’t afford a five-star restaurant.”
“You couldn’t get into a five-star restaurant here. So don’t worry about that!”
“What’s that supposed to mean? My clothes are that bad?”
Li smiled wide, and for the first time since they’d met, she not only smiled, she lit up the dim corridors of The Fifth. Her smile was all teeth. All white. All straight.
Cameron actually felt a little nervous now and embarrassed. Because of his clothes, he felt that perhaps he should have put more thought into style rather than convenience and affordability. After all, one thing that’s not convenient is being turned down by a woman before you even start to show interest.
Li said, “Let’s just get you some new clothes. They don’t need to be fancy, just better. They can be casual. Do you have any money?”
Cameron nodded.
“Good. Then let’s go buy something new for you to wear, and then we’ll grab that drink. Don’t worry—there are plenty of places I think you’ll like. But even those places wouldn’t let you in wearing this crap.”
She grabbed his shirt and pinched it. Her fingers brushed his abdomen. It was barely a touch, really, and lasted only a brief second, but Cameron noticed it. He definitely noticed it. He smiled. She gave him a big smile in return. At least he had gotten a reaction from her, and that wasn’t such a bad thing in Cameron’s opinion.
Thoughts were involuntary. A man couldn’t be judged by what ran through his head, only by the actions he took. That was something Cameron believed. The brain couldn’t be controlled, and it wasn’t always predictable. Neurons fired randomly, and electrons and tissue scattered about just as randomly. The human mind would think things that couldn’t be helped and couldn’t be stopped.
Cameron’s mind thought about two things. Both involved women, and neither involved clothing. He thought about Karen, and then he thought about Li. It was like he had left one bedroom and walked straight into another. Two beautiful women on different sides of the spectrum and on different sides of the country.
Everything in life was relative.
One thing
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