Brandon sat silently waiting to see if Gwen had more to say. When he
was certain that she was finished, he spoke.
"Gwen, I understand the way you feel about our situation, but is to
completely shut down what we are trying to have the only solution to
ease the doubt that you're feeling?"
"Brandon," Gwen said with frustration, "I really need you to
understand that there is not going to be an us. That is not what I want
for me."
"It sounds as if you have been thinking about this decision for a
while," Brandon said removing the napkin from his lap and placing it on
the table.
"Yes I have. The time off work has helped me a lot. It gave me the
opportunity to reflect on the past as well as look forward to the future."
"So I guess there really is no need for us to have lunch right?"
Brandon said as he got up from the table.
"I guess not," Gwen said softly.
Brandon looked at Gwen deeply before taking her hand in his and
leading her to stand. With a soft kiss on her lips and a simple goodbye,
they hugged knowing that this goodbye would be forever.
"Game time," Allen said after hitting the game winning shot. Allen
congratulated his teammates and walked off the court to a ringing cell
phone. Though Allen had been given the week off, he had instructed
Mary to keep him posted on any events that would call for his immediate
involvement.
Keeping true to her reputation of being on top of Allen's
affairs, Mary was calling to advise him of the request made by Cochran
Matthews and Associates. After hearing that the request was coming
from Ms. Matthews' office, Allen immediately told Mary to call and
confirm the meeting for 4:00pm. Allen changed from his sweat absorbed
sleeveless Jordan t-shirt into a dry one as he talked to Cupid, Charles
and Gigolo about what their plans would be for the rest of the day.
Each of them decided that they needed to eat, but none had the time to sit
down for a waiter-catered meal. They spoke momentarily about the
plans for Sunday and whose house would be the game watching house.
They decided to meet at Walter's house. Cupid said that he would take
the initiative and contact his brother with the plans. Being the first
dressed, Allen gave pounds to each of his boy's and left the gym.
On the way to his car, he indulged in the thought of sitting face to face with
Gwen. He wondered if this was a personal meeting or a meeting to
discuss Mitchell's case. He hoped that it would be more than just a
business meeting. He hoped this would be an opportunity to tell her that
he had not stopped thinking of her since the day that he saw her at the
grocery store.
Allen placed his bag in the trunk of the car, removing his
cellular phone and water bottle before getting in the drivers seat. He
reached home close to 2:00pm and quickly showered and changed into
casual attire. Though Allen was only 20 minutes away, it was nearing
3:00pm and Allen knew the consequences for leaving too late and
attempting to drive in LA traffic.