Drained.

I feel absolutely drained as I get out of bed. It's one of those days that I have to force myself out of bed even though I do not want to. I just got back home after a business trip and I'm exhausted but I have to get up. Something that always motivates me to get out of bed every morning is the fact I have a business to run and money to make. I take a cold shower to awaken my sleepy self and I get dressed before heading to work. I make my daily stop at Cassie's and I get myself the usual, a cup of coffee and some fresh jam doughnuts.

My assistant walks into my office and tells me the agenda for today. I have been contemplating on firing her because she always flirts with me and dresses provocatively but I always decide to keep her because she does her job well and we have a similar life story. I met my assistant in my final year of college and she came on to me strong but I wasn't interested because I was in a relationship. Don't get me wrong, she's a beautiful woman but the way she behaves around me turns me all the way off. She's hard working, a team player, supportive and those are the main reason why I've kept her around.

The rest of the day goes by smoothly and it actually ends on a high note which is great because it didn't start as well. I'm in a jovial mood because I've just signed a contract with a group of investors that would like to help me take my products international. It's moments like this that make proud of taking the leap of faith and starting my business. I'm so excited about this new venture and I've even called some of my friends to celebrate with me at my apartment.

I leave work before six o'clock and stop by Cassie's to get a few goodies for myself and to check up on the owner. Ms Cassie always told me that she wanted to start a baking business but her husband then, now ex husband wanted her to stay at home and look after their five kids. I promised her that I would sponsor her when my business started doing well and I'm glad I was able to fulfill that promise. Her business has been running for two years now and it already has a huge name. They make the best croissants and doughnuts hands down. The owner of the shop is a mother figure to me and I appreciate her immensely because of what she has done for me.

She has a special place in my heart because she would encourage me, support me, she would cook for me whenever I didn't have money to buy food. I will continue to treat her like a queen because without her, I don't know where I would be today. I walk into the shop and like any other day, I get lustful looks from women.

I'm standing in line, waiting to order when I get this feeling that someone is gawking at me and when I turn my head, I find a beautiful woman staring at me. I typically keep a straight face whenever I find someone looking at me but she makes me smile instantly. I smile and wink at her which causes her to blush and quickly look away. I start talking to the staff upfront before walking to the back where Ms Cassie usually is.

"Hi ma" I smile

"Hey baby. How are you?" she says as she embraces me in her warm arms. She has this beautiful smile that can turn your gloomy day into a bright one.

"I'm good ma. You look beautiful."

"Thank you son."

"How was the rest of your birthday weekend?" I ask

"It was amazing, I had a good time with my friends" she replies

"Did you enjoy the spa treatment?" I ask

"It was amazing, I felt so relaxed afterwards. Thank you for that" she says

"You're welcome. You deserve it" I add

"What do you want today?" she asks

"The usual, some croissants and a dozen doughnuts" I respond.

"Okay baby. I need to talk to you about something" she says

"What is it ma? Are you sick or in debt? Is someone bothering you" I ask with concern.

"No one is bothering me baby plus my body and bank balance are both healthy. I'm getting old baby, when am I going to meet your girlfriend?" she says and I laugh. I should have known that this question was coming.

"I haven't met anyone yet" I admit

"How come? You're handsome, hard working, financially stable, loving, caring. What's the issue? Is there something about you that I don't know?" she asks

"No ma. I just haven't found her yet. I have been working overtime to get my products shipped all over the world, so a woman is the furthest thing from my mind right now. I have thought about it but I'm focusing on my business right now." I say

"I understand but you should give it a try" she says

"I hear you ma" I say

"How did the date with Anelise go?" she asks.

About two weeks ago, Ms Cassie set me up on a date with her friends daughter. I have asked her on several occasions not to set me up on dates but this lady does not quit. Saying the date didn't go well is an understatement, the date was horrible. Anelise is beautiful but she acted snobby, she was rude to the waitress and she only spoke about herself the entire time. I was nice enough to sit through the entire date but in my mind, I was thinking about the football game I could have been watching at that time.

"It didn't go so well ma. I told you not to set me up on these dates"

"I know son, I'm just trying to help"

"I understand but I'm not in a rush for anything. Whatever is meant for me, I'll find" I add

"Okay. Do you remember what I told you?" she reminds me

"That I should treat her like a queen" I say

"Good, I see how some of these men treat their women and it angers me. I don't want you out there acting like a fool" she says

"Yes ma'am" I say

"If you mistreat her, you'll getting a nice whooping from me and you know I don't play" she says with a serious tone.

"I'm twenty nine, isn't that too old for a whooping?" I ask

"Says who? You're never too old for these hands" she says and I laugh.

"It was good to see you ma. Take care."

"Bye. I love you" she says

"I love you too ma" I respond and kiss her cheek before walking out of the kitchen.

I make a stop in the men's room and as I'm walking out, I'm too busy focusing on my phone that I don't realize that I have bumped into someone. I hear a loud thud and I lift my gaze from my phone only to find out that I made someone fall. When I look down at the woman and it's the beauty that I winked at earlier. I take in her scent and it's mainly vanilla with a woody undertone.

I start apologizing and I offer her my hand so she can get off the floor. Simply touching her hand makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I don't realize that I'm still holding her hand until she say so. I honestly don't pay much attention to what she is saying because I'm too busy looking at the way her lips are moving. I would love to kiss those lips. She excuses herself before I have the chance to ask for her phone number but something tells me that this will not be our last meeting. I watch her walk in front of me and all I can say is, it's a beautiful sight to see.

I collect my order from the front and I smile at her once more before heading out. I walk into my apartment and I go straight to the shower so I can freshen up before the boys come over. I heat the leftovers from last night, switch on my tv so I can watch the news and I start devouring the food. I end up falling asleep on the couch and I'm startled from my sleep by loud banging on my door. I check the time and it's nine o'clock. I open the door for my boys before giving them hugs as they walk in.

"I didn't think you guys were still coming" I say

"Of course we'd come, we wouldn't miss celebrating a big moment with our bro" Elijah says

Elijah, Obi and Daniel make themselves comfortable on the couch while I retreat to the kitchen where I get the beer and a few snacks.

"Congratulations on that deal you just signed. I'm so proud of you Kofi. Your hard work is finally paying off." my bro Elijah says.

"Thank you" I say and we all cheers with our beers.

We do some catching up and I'm in an extremely good mood which Daniel seems to notice it and he speaks on it.

"You seem to be in a very good mood, is there something else you want to tell us?" he says

"What do you mean?" I ask acting clueless

"You know what I mean, is it a girl?" he asks.

"Why would you think it's a girl."

"Well I always get the same look on my face whenever I see my girl or think of her, so am I right?" he says and I can't help myself as I blurt,

"I think I met my future wife today"

"Are you serious?" he asks and they all start laughing

"Yes" I say with a smile on my face

"Where did you meet the future Mrs?" he asks

"We met at Ms Cassie's. She is a very beautiful woman. I felt an inexplicable feeling when our hands touched. I know it sounds a bit crazy but this woman made me feel something I have never felt in my twenty nine years on this planet."

"Slow down buddy. You just met her and you're already thinking about going down on one knee" Daniel jokes and they all laugh again

"Laugh all you want but she's amazing" I say and I start thinking about her face once again.

"I never thought I'd see the day when Kofi would smile like this while talking about a girl." Obi says because he knows how I used to be so I know this is definitely shocking to him.

"I know but there's just something about her that is magnetic."

"Well did you get her name or her phone number?"

"No. She was in a hurry"

"You're an idiot" Elijah says

"What if that was the only chance you had?" he asks

"I'm not worried because I have a feeling that we will meet some day"

"Okay man. Lets say you meet her again, what would you actually want from her? A fling or an actual relationship?"

"I would hope to eventually get into a relationship with her. From what I saw today, she's what I have been looking for in a woman." I admit.

"You have to be careful man. She may seem like an angel now then end up being your biggest nightmare. You know what they say, evil girls sometimes have the prettiest faces." Obi adds.

"Well I don't think she's like that and if she turns out to be like that then I'll deal with it when I get there."

"Who are you and what have you done to Kofi?" they joke.

"I'm serious guys. I have enjoyed the no strings attached phase but I'm almost thirty and I would like to settle down."

"Wow, I can't believe what I'm hearing." Elijah adds.

"I understand where he is coming from guys. When I met my soon to be wife, I just knew she was the one." Daniel adds.

"So you're really giving up the players card."

"Yes."

"Don't listen to these idiots Kofi, if she's what you want, then go for it" Daniel says

They stay for another hour and we do some catching up. They tease me throughout the evening because I'm whipped like cream but I let them know that I'm acting the way I am because it was love at first sight.

When they leave, I am left to my thoughts and the solitude that I despise. It gets lonely in this apartment and it would be nice to have someone to come home to every night.

I have always wanted to get married and start a family despite the fact that I didn't have the best examples as a child. What my parents had wasn't love, it was just them staying together because they had a child. I want my children to grow up knowing that their parents love each other and that they are loved by their parents. Until then, I'll have to ride out this solo wave but I have a feeling that it won't last long.

I clean up the mess the boys and I made before I retire to my bedroom. I change into some plaid pajama bottoms and I slip under the covers where I toss and turn for a long time. I have episodes where I can't sleep and it's mainly caused by stress and anxiety but what's keeping me up tonight is different. The encounter I had with the beauty is all that is on my mind and I lay restless until the early hours of the morning.