A single, pre-med naturalista named, India, met a 6’5”, chiseled personal trainer named, Anthony, at Starbucks last autumn. He approached her, made her laugh, had amazing conversation, then complimented her beauty.

After giving India multiple laughgasms, Anthony confessed, “Listen sweetheart, I have to met a client in five, but I’ve been dying to ask you this since I first approached you, are you single?”

India smiled & exhaled, before replying,” actually I’m not. I have a boyfriend hun.”

“If figures,” Anthony responded, “the good ones are always taken.”

He stood up, grabbed his blazer, put a $20 on the table, placed her empty Iced Caramel Macchiato grande on top of the money & said, “the next one is on me. Take care pretty lady.”

India bit her lip as she watched Anthony’s talk, dark chocolate, muscular physique turn away.

As she watched her dream man walk out of her life, a cold thought came to her mind, “Wanting something so badly you know you can’t have is the second worst feeling in the world. The worst feeling is doubting you made the right decision between holding onto something good, or letting it go for the possibility of something great.”

By: Ebrahim Aseem Follow @fuel4thebody

Six weeks later, India found out her boyfriend of two years, J.R., was cheating on her with a girl he met on SnapChat who lived in the UK. She broke up with him, blocked him on all her social networks & cried four days straight. She was so depressed she neglected to snap one selfie. She missed two days of school & two days of work mourning being side-pieced by her first love.

On the fifth day, she decided to go back to work & school. She drug herself out of bed, wrapped her hair in a struggle-scar, threw on some leggings & her favorite burgundy hoodie & drove for her morning fix, coffee. When she walked into Starbucks before work & saw Anthony sitting inside, reading a newspaper, her heartbreak went away.

She had never wanted a man more than she wanted him, at that very moment. Unfortunately, she knew he was too much of a gentleman to approach her again, as he still thought she was taken. She knew what she had to do. She walked up to him, took a deep breath & said,

“Good morning Anthony. I know men don’t receive a lot of compliments, but I just wanted to tell you, you look really handsome.”

“Actually, I get paid compliments by beautiful women all the time,” Anthony replied with a straight face.

India’s heart sank. She had never felt more embarrassed in her entire 22-years on earth. She had never approached a man before in her life & after he defecated on her so nonchalantly, she immediately regretted her decision. Anthony begin to laugh hysterically.

“I’m kidding India,” Anthony admitted with a huge smile. “God, could you imagine? I’d have to be the biggest asshole in the state of California to respond to my crush that way. Thank you for the compliment beautiful.”

“Oh my Gosh! You are so mean for that,” India said with a huge smile, playfully slapping him on his wrist. “I almost cried when you…wait, did you just say I’m your crush?”

“Honestly, I’ve said too much & my client’s gonna kill me for being late,” Anthony said, folding his newspaper, standing up & grabbing his blazer. “I just feel like beautiful treasures should be valued constantly, appreciated consistently & adored openly, just like that diamond on your left ring finger.”

A cold chill suddenly came over India. She knew he assumed she was still taken. Judging by the comment he made on her ring, he might as well have thought she was engaged. She knew this was her last chance. She had to do the unthinkable.

She took a deep breath & said, “Anthony, wait. I know you’re in a rush, so I won’t take up much of your time. But, you have really good conversation & I’d love for us to catch up, can I have your phone number?”

100 years ago, before American women got the right to vote, they were not allowed to own property, have legal custody of their own children from birth & they were sold like slaves from their father to the highest-bidding husband. White women in America had less rights than Black male slaves in America. They had no choice in choosing who they’d spend the rest of their life ‘serving’ as a wife.

100 years after women got the right to vote, girls are still taught it is wrong for them to choose who they want to date, how many & for how long, because a woman asking a man for his phone number is universally considered “wrong”.

Should a woman just wait & hope the man SHE wants asks her first?
What if he never asks?
Is she supposed to just settle for a baby daddy material man, instead of voicing what SHE wants for a change?
Doesn’t a woman deserve choice in who she talks to?

It gives you confidence to know you have the option of approaching who you like, instead of just settling for who likes you. In reality, the one’s meant for you will find you, naturally, as long as your spirit is yoked to the energy & frequency meant for you.

By asking for Anthony’s number, India proclaimed loud & clear, a woman deserves the option of choosing who she wants to have her number, rather than just wait on her soul mate, who may never come, to “find” her. As if she was ever “lost” in the first place.

“I have to say, I’ve never been asked for my number before by a woman in real life,” Anthony admitted. “On Instagram, girls will comment a pic of me at the gym like 36 weeks old, tag my name & leave their number, but never in person. That’s the most attractive, confident, feminine thing I’ve ever seen a woman do. You’re damn right you can have my number. Under one condition.

I want you to know that whoever he is, however long he’s known you &
no matter how much you think he loves you, I promise you, I can love you better.
The chemistry we share is undeniable. My attraction to you extends far beyond your physical beauty.
The way your face lights up when you speak about your passions truly attracts my aura to yours.
The way joy oozes out your pores when you ramble endlessness about all your ambitions,
all pain you’ve endured & all your future has in store, that inspires me.

I will not hide my flaws from you.
Growing to be a better man, growing closer to you, that’s all I want to do.
I know somewhere, in the deep shadows of your heart, you still love him.
Just know, I can love you better.
And if you allow yourself to be open & feel the same,
I promise I will love you so deeply, reassure you so consistently, you will forget his name.
When I see what I want, I claim,
and you beautiful, you give me all I have ever wanted in life. Peace.”

Anthony grabbed India’s phone from off the table and put his number in her contacts.

“Listen mister smooth talker?” India swooned, gripping the edges of her hoodie. “You’re lucky I’m quite fond of you. The last nigga to grab my property like you just did without my permission got five fingers to the face. But I have to admit, your words have me blown away. It’s like all the feelings I have been holding deep inside ever since I meet you last month have come pouring out of your lips. Lawd have mercy, I never been spoken to like that before.”

“Maybe that’s because you never fucked with a man on your mental level before,” Anthony replied aggressively.

“My my my, I love how confident & demanding your voice is,” India admitted, squeezing her hoodie, like she was ringing out a wet towel. “You talk a good talk, but can you put actions were that handsome mouth is?”

“You’re got damn right I can,” Anthony answered. “And I love how smart mouthed you are. It’s good to know you can keep up. Hit my line later, I mean, if my demanding voice didn’t scare you off.”

As Anthony left the Starbucks, he left India speechless. It took her a moment to regain her composure, but once she did, she immediately texted her twin sister.

“Anthony may be the one! We just met at Starbucks and I got his number! Bae is so smooth tho sis, got ya girl all moist with his words and shit!” India texted.

“Yasssssss!!” India’s twin sister Rosaria texted back, “I’m so happy for you, but you need to swing by work asap! J.R. over here trippin’! Causing a scene & scaring away all our customers. He said he’s not leaving until you come so he can talk to you.”

India quickly ordered her coffee, paid with credit & power walked to her job at Verizon across the street. When she got in the store, she saw her EX standing there, holding both a blunt & everyone in the room’s attention.

“What nigga?” India snapped. “Unless you are dying of some terminal illness & you came to say your last goodbyes, why the hell are you here, inside my place of work, when I clearly kicked you out of my life?”

“Look, I ain’t tryna stalk you, or start no shit up in here,” J.R. explained, “but I thought you should know, I just found out this morning, I got herpes.”

To be continued……
Read episode #2 now => http://wp.me/sT7Bl-bib002

This is a fictional, weekly web-story, based on true events, written by:

By: Ebrahim Aseem Follow @fuel4thebody
Author of the book, “Why Men Cheat on Loyal Women”
Facebook.com/AEAseem
IG: @Fuel4TheBODY
Twitter.com/EbrahimAseem
Blog: RealNewsPaper.wordpress.com
Motivational #SpeakLife vidoes: Youtube.com/RealNewsmagazine