Come Share My Love - By Carrie Macon Page 0,4

vacation, Zackary was invited to an old schoolmate’s home on one of the islands. They hadn’t gotten together in years and it seemed like it was time to get out and have some fun for a change.

Zackary decided to go to the outdoor lounge overlooking the beach where he saw Shyla and her companion that first day. They were riding bikes away from it so maybe they would be back there today. He hoped so. He didn’t want to leave there without some kind of contact with Shyla.

He had been on the beach for the past few hours but no sign of her anywhere.

He was disappointed to say the very least. All he wanted to do was be able to spend just a little time with her, away from the city, prying eyes and her family. His best friend Felton and wife Essence were her cousins but he felt sure that she didn’t want them in her business. Shyla was always too uptight or acting like he didn’t exist. But she was feeling him as much as he was feeling her that much he knew. Whenever they were in the same room she purposefully started an argument with him, he’d catch her watching him out the corner of her eye. There was always something.

It was already after one and Zackary would be meeting his friends in the hotel’s lobby at three. He figured he’d start back now and try again tomorrow. He was a desperate man and desperate men just didn’t give up. He wasn’t ready to go but he should, even though he felt she would eventually show. He gulped down the last of his drink, lowered the shades over his eyes and turned from the water to walk back through the lounge and stopped dead in his tracks.

Shyla.

There she was, in living color. And she was wearing a sundress. He had never seen her in a sundress before. Dresses or suits for church but never anything that exposed so much upper body flesh before. Yesterday she had been wearing blue shorts and a tank-top T-shirt, today a lime green printed halter sundress. He was delighted. Her hair was swept up in a loose but high ponytail. Zackary had a clear view of her inviting neck which he really wanted to get acquainted. And her ears. Many dreamed filled nights he’d whisper sweet, sexual, mouth-watering things in those ears. He caressed that neck and wrapped her body around his. He wondered if she tasted as good in person as she had in his dreams. There was only one way to find out and it wouldn’t happen while he was standing on the beach staring at her and drooling.

“Shy?” Kemah called as they both sat and ordered their drinks from the waiter.

“Yeah?” she answered, fumbling with the string on her sundress.

“Don’t look now but you have an admirer? Ooh girl, and he is fine. He’s been looking at you since yesterday.

“Where?” she looked around but Kemah stopped her.

“Don’t, I said. You have such a hard head.” She shook hers. “Sometimes I worry about you.

“You know that when somebody says don’t look everybody, especially black people, we look.”

“I thought we were brown people.”

“Whatever, that was yesterday. Now stop acting like my mother and start acting like an equal, friend. Why didn’t you say something yesterday?”

“Because I wasn’t sure at the time but I am today. Uh oh, he’s on his way over here.” Kemah took a long sip from her Jamaican Long Island Iced Tea with more tea than island.

“You are so dramatic, Kemah. Where is this,” she bent her fingers in the quote unquote position, “mystery man? I didn’t notice anyone staring at me.”

“You wouldn’t. You need to be more aware of your surroundings. I am always telling you that. Look, the cute one that’s headed this way. Here, follow my finger.” Kemah pointed for here to see.

“Don’t point.” Shyla smacked at her hand but she pulled it away quickly and laughed. “That’s so rude. He’s going to know that you are talking about him.”

“Just casually look out toward the beach on your left side and he’s the guy in the white linen pants with the navy blue dashiki.”

She turned to look and saw no one at first. “Kee, how can you even see that far out?”

“You know I have 20/20 x-ray vision, and besides he’s closer than you think.”

She looked at her friend and shook her head. “Yeah right.” She turned back and then she saw him. “Who are