Settling down

I have a week off from work, and I'm going to enjoy my free time to the max. Moving states and changing jobs takes some getting used to.

Khaleed had gone from living alone and doing whatever the hell he wanted at his own pace to putting up with his father's high expectations... again.

The old man had expected him to move back home, and that’s when he put his foot down.

"I'm an adult, Dad. It's enough that you appointed me as the acting CEO within a short time. You don't get to dictate where I'll live. I'm getting a house, and that's it."

He stormed out of the study and drove off in his car without any destination in mind. He was pissed and needed to clear his head.

Cassandra had called him months before he came back and pleaded with him to consider his father's request.

He refused, and nothing would have changed his mind until she disclosed to him the real reason why their dad wanted him back desperately.

The old man was dying. He had cancer and only wished for him to take over the company before his death.

"Cassie, your mom should be the one taking his place. Hell, even you can," he said.

She had laughed dryly. "I'm a model, not a business mogul, and mom is having a hard time enough as it is. They didn’t tell me about it, I overheard them talking one night and figured that's why he’s been adamant about you coming home."

The news stunned him into silence.

"I know you left to be away from him, but he needs you now, bro. He needs all of us together... but he's too stubborn to say it. Please come home," she said, then hung up.

So, he came and resumed work as the CEO at his father's company, HADI ENTERPRISES HOLDINGS— a tech company that designs and manufactures networking hardware equipment, software, and communications technology.

He knew for a fact that some people on the board disagreed with his father's decision. He couldn’t care less about trying to impress them. They would come to respect him.

What he needed to do was take charge, and one thing he got from his father was his ruthless approach to work.

He called Damon, his best friend since diapers. Even after he'd left for college, they kept in touch.

"Hey, bro."

"What's up?" he replied gruffly, and by the sound of his voice, Khaleed could tell he was still in bed.

"Get out of bed, princess. I'll be at your place in five," he said, chuckling. It was a short drive to Damon's place.

"Fuck off, what do you want?" Damon grumbled, irritated at being called a princess.

"Breakfast at the usual place, and I'm paying." He knew Damon would get up at the mention of food. Damon was just grumpy from sleep.

"Alright," he griped, then hung up.

When Khaleed got to Damon's, he stood waiting in front of his apartment, wearing a T-shirt and shorts that looked like they needed to be laundered on close inspection.

"Are you wearing clothes from yesterday?" Khaleed asked, wrinkling his nose playfully.

"Yeah... so?" Damon said, looking down at himself, then glancing back at him. "The fuck you look so put together for this early? It's 10 in the morning, for fuck's sake. You didn’t sleep at all?"

Khaleed laughed. "I slept. Not all of us have jobs that can be done from home. I gotta slave off at the office."

He snorted and looked Khaleed up and down. "Yeah... I see you slaving off."

"Whatever. And do you have to swear all the time?"

"Fuck you."

Their playful banter went on until they got to the restaurant.

They sat at a table facing the windows. Damon ordered rice, a portion of beans, fried plantains, beef, and stew with orange juice. He had great metabolism and didn’t have to work out for hours in the gym to stay in shape. He ate large meals, and today's choice of food was moderate, in Khaleed's opinion.

Khaleed pulled down his baseball cap and avoided looking directly at the waitress, in case she recognized him. He ordered doughnuts and a cup of coffee; he avoided eating heavy for breakfast.

While waiting for their food, they talked about random things, though Khaleed seemed distracted. Damon made no comment on it.

When the waitress brought their food, they both started eating, one with more vigor than the other.

Damon had noticed how his best friend kept staring outside, so he decided to ask him about it.

"What's on your mind?" he asked between mouthfuls.

"What?" Khaleed answered distractedly.

"You've been looking across the street since we got here."

"It's nothing, just work."

"Well, you're not working now."

He nodded and stared outside again, then froze.

Noticing the change in him, Damon asked, "What?"

"That girl," Khaleed replied, pointing outside.

His eyebrows scrunched in confusion at his friend's weird behavior. "What about her?"

"We met a few weeks ago... well, more like she walked into me" he answered, still staring outside.

"So, it wasn't work after all?" Damon said dryly.

Khaleed rolled his eyes at the shit-eating grin on his face, and that’s when Damon looked at the girl. His eyes widened in recognition.

"I know that girl." That got Khaleed’s attention.

"Really?"

Damon nodded, and then Khaleed asked what exactly he knew about her.

"Oh, it's nothing, bruh," Damon said, which usually means there's something.

"There's something, obviously."

"Let’s just say she's trouble, doesn’t do well with men, and not worth drooling over. Not to mention crazy. So, wipe that love-stricken look off your face. We'll hit the clubs this weekend if you need to get laid; more willing chicks there."

Trouble? He figured that much from the first time they met, and Damon’s comment only increased his curiosity. But doesn’t do well with men? Only one way to find out.

"Come on, I'm gonna go talk to her, and maybe I'll get her number." He had watched her go into a building, and if his memory served him right, that was his stepmom’s favorite makeup artist’s studio. It had a cliché name—what was it again? TheStudio? Yes, that’s it, he thought.

Damon laughed at his stubbornness but flagged a waiter.

"That's if she would talk to you."

Khaleed nodded absently, already on his way out after paying.