Loving Contrasts - Chapter 5.2

Later that day, when the rain had stopped and the sun could be seen again, thoughts of Inaya returned with a vengeance. Chandler was at a local high school career seminar talking about the pros and cons of going into radio when the first thought hit him. The more he talked, the more he thought of her. He wondered what she was doing at that very moment, what she had on that gorgeous body of hers, and whether or not her brown eyes had actually been the same color of a melted chocolate bar. Or had that color just been his imagination.

After the seminar, Chandler went to visit his parents for a while in order to help occupy his time and his mind. When their favorite sitcom came on, he went out back and played a little B-Ball on the basketball court with his older brother, Mario, who was visiting, too.

It wasn’t long before more thoughts of Inaya returned. It got so bad that Chandler could barely concentrate on the game. Mario, who was much shorter, took advantage of his distraction and beat him like he stole something, all within forty-five minutes. The final score was twenty-one to ten. That had never happened before.

“Enjoy your victory while you can, because it will never happen again,” Chandler told his gloating brother.

“Maybe. Maybe not.” Mario grinned, continuing his victory dance around him on the basketball court. “Now say cheese for my selfie.”

Chandler scowled as his brother quickly stopped and snapped a picture of them with his cell phone camera.

“A couple more. I’m gonna need more proof to show Joe,” Mario said, referring to his college buddy, who had yet to beat Chandler in a game of basketball.

“Joe couldn’t beat me on my worst day,” he said, unwilling to let go of his giant size ego.

“Maybe not, but I sure did.” Mario chuckled, gleefully taking two more pictures.

Chandler growled at him. Then after saying goodbye to their parents, he left and went home to sulk alone.

What is it about this woman that keeps haunting me? What’s so special about her anyway? Chandler pondered on the way home. Yes, she’s beautiful. Yes, she’s fine. But I barely even know her to be catching feelings this deep.

Yet what Chandler did know about Inaya, he liked. He liked how passionate she was about protecting innocent children. He liked her upbeat attitude, the way her eyes sparkled when she laughed. His physical attraction to her was like white icing on a chocolate cake.

By the time Chandler finally made it home, he prayed and asked God to either remove his craving for this woman or else give him this woman. The very idea of pining away for any female, no matter how beautiful, was unacceptable to the former ladies’ man. It was also humbling. Too humbling.

Chandler hadn’t felt this humble since he stood at the altar three months ago and asked God to change him any way that He saw fit. Was this how the Lord saw fit to change him? Was He using Inaya to humble him? To chop his mammoth sized ego back down to normal?

>>>> 

What is wrong with me? Why can’t I shake this man off my mind? Inaya struggled to push away yet another thought of Chandler as she rolled out another pie crust. He’d been on her mind all day.

She blamed it on the rain. Rainy days tended to make her nostalgic and wistful. Even now images of Chandler repopulated her mind.

Thinking about his handsome face caused her hands to tingle and long to caress it. She remembered wanting to get lost in his blue eyes. How his tall frame beckoned her to climb him like a tree, slide down his trunk, and rest in his shade.

And that magnificent voice.

Inaya could listen to it all day and well into the night. Don’t forget about Chandler’s stimulating cologne. It was woodsy and down-to-earth just like him.

You can’t have him, she reminded herself, determined to avoid some of the same mistakes that she and her mother had made. She was also determined to stay up late tonight and bake a few more pies. She had to stay busy, lest her thoughts spiraled out of control.  

Maybe I should call Kali, Inaya thought, suddenly in the mood to talk to someone that she knew loved her. She just hoped her aerobics instructor of a sister wasn’t scheduled for Zumba class tonight. Kali refused to be interrupted when she was exercising.

© 2014 by Suprina Frazier

Photo Credit:

http://forums.provida.com/forums/p/2697583/3792617.aspx