Page 18 of Embrace

“I’m just saying. You sucking them bones dry. I ain’t had no action like that in months,” I admitted.

“You know we’re going to have sex one day. Are you nervous?” she asked. She’d wiped her hands and mouth with a napkin, then lifted her cup to her lips to wash the meal down.

“Kinda. We’re not going to force it, though. We gon’ let time and our feelings lead the way to an unforgettable orgasm.”

She shifted in her seat on the bench. She ate the remaining fries in her container. I could tell my choice of words had her speechless, which was fine with me. I meant every word I said, too. The shift from friend to lover happened in the blink of an eye. To me, Arranged Hearts shined a light on feelings we’d both ignored for the sake of our friendship. Now, we’d have no choice but to embrace the relationship and watch it flourish.

“We won’t be in the hotel forever. I think check out is tomorrow at eleven. Have you put any thought to if you’d move in with me? We could also find a nice house to move into. Should I contact my realtor to get us some estimates on some properties?”

Suvi’s movements halted. She wiped her hands on a clean napkin and nervously played with the straw in her cup. “I didn’t even think about that.”

“Yeah, I know it’ll probably be easier for the two of us because of the fact we’re both familiar with the city. Had we’d been set up with other people, it might have been hard as hell to find common ground on living situations. My house is cool to begin with if you don’t mind moving.”

“Blaze, slow down.” She frowned.

“What’s wrong?”

She blew a gentle sigh from her lips. “It’s all happening too fast. I’m not sure what I want to do just yet. My lease isn’t up until September.”

“Six months. I don’t mind paying your rent until your lease is up, or you could sub-lease if it’s allowed in your agreement.”

“I’ll need a little more time.”

“We’ve got the rest of this week, our honeymoon, and however much time you need. Remember, we’re allowing fate to guide us. There’s no timeframe to get things done, but we have to keep things in mind, you know?”

She tilted her head. “When did you become so wise?”

“I’ve always been wise. You never listened before.”

She laughed. “I always listen to you.”

“Not in this way,” I clarified.

She hummed. “Maybe you’re right. I don’t know who I thought I was signing up for a damn arranged marriage service. I don’t know how to be a wife. Hell, according to all of my exes, I don’t know how to be much of a girlfriend either.”

“Fuck them niggas. It’s their loss and my gain. They couldn’t handle the woman you are, but I can guarantee I’m not gon’ fumble it.”

“How can you be so sure?” she asked.

“We’ve been best friends yo’ whole life. I’ve always had yo’ back and you’ve had mine. I know you better than I know myself, damn near, and I know this marriage ain’t gon’ do nothing but bring us closer together in every sense of the word.”

“Thank you for the reassurance.”

“Anytime, juicy booty.”

She stale faced me, then she busted out laughing. “Don’t ever call me that again.”

“Why not? It’s true. That thang jiggle better than Jell-O. I could get lost in the waves, for real.”

“You’re a fool!”

We shared a laugh. Once the laughter died down to a few chuckles, Suvi stood up and tossed our trash into the bin a few feet away. She dusted her hands off on her leggings before she returned to me.

“Can I drive back to the hotel?”

“In my ’maro?”

“Yes. I’m a great driver.”

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