Page 80 of Beyond The Stars

Qamar looked at her with concern, his eyes softening. "You good, mama?” he asked gently.

Siasia nodded, though her voice wavered slightly. "I probably need to rethink my profession." She laughed. “Like damn, they acting like thirsty zombies.”

“That shit gets annoying.” Qamar sighed. “But tonight is about us, let me spoil you and love on you.”

“You such a damn lover boy, Qamar.” She blushed.

Her hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail that she did herself. With the hair away from her face, he saw her beauty more fluidly. Her makeup was lightly painted on her face only adding to the structure of her face—slanted eyes, upturned more with wispy lashes and her juicy lips glossed to perfection. Qamar would be in her skin if he could. To satisfy his hunger of her, he wrapped her in his arms, inhaling her clean scent.

“Welcome to Steak 530, Mr. Moony.” The hostess smiled as she walked up to the hostess stand. Grabbing the drink menu only, she ushered them to their table.

As Qamar and Siasia followed behind her, they were greeted by a grand chandelier hanging from the ceiling, its crystal facets casting a warm and romantic glow across the room. The walls were adorned with tasteful artwork, each piece carefully selected to complement the luxurious decor.

The tables were draped in white linens, with flickering candlelight adding more romance to the atmosphere. Plush, high-backed chairs provided comfort and a sense of privacy, while the soft murmur of conversation and the gentle clinking of glassware created a soothing background ambiance. Siasia smiled at an older Black couple as they passed them.

In the center of the room, a grand piano played soft, melodic tunes, adding to the sophisticated vibe. The waitstaff moved gracefully between the tables, attending to each guest with care.

Siasia smirked at him when the hostess took them to the table next to the window. “You love a damn window.” She snickered.

“Hell yea.” He smiled, showing off his bottom grill. Qamar put that shit on everyday but he really took it up a notch for their date. He also spared no expense when it came to Siasia’s outfit as well. The only thing she did was her own hair and makeup which he offered to pay for that as well.

The restaurant's large windows offered a stunning view of the city’s skyline, the lights twinkling like stars in the distance. The entire setting exuded an air of exclusivity and refinement, making it the perfect backdrop for a special evening—their first official date.

The hostess placed their drink menus on the table before announcing, “Your waitress will be over shortly for your drink orders. The chef has already started preparing your meals for the night.”

“Oh, we don’t get to order here?” Siasia’s brows dipped.

The hostess laughed. “Girl, yes but your date here has ordered everything so you can taste it all.”

That filled Siasia with pride. The saying if he wanted to, he would played over in her head because she’d never had a man let alone one that wanted to. “You showing out, tonight.”

“Trying to tell you, I’m going to show out every night when it comes to you and my kids. That includes Noodle.”

She loved the way he always included her sister. That gesture alone was enough to steal her heart but Qamar never stopped at what seemed to be easy to him. He applied pressure, turning her into the rarest, most exquisite diamond known to man. That was how he made her feel. Worthy. Expensive. Black excellence.

Neither of them were twenty-one yet, with Qamar’s birthday coming around the corner but with money, no one really carded them. It was no different when the waitress came to take their drink order.

“You didn’t have to order all the damn lemon drops.” Siasia laughed, taking a sip form the strawberry lemon drop that seemed to be her favorite.

Qamar sipped his own brown liquor. “I told you I was going to take you one of the fancy restaurants and get you a cute, girly drink. I mean ain’t nothing wrong with drinking beer but my wife gotta have taste.”

“You just be talking… wife?” Her eyes gazed at him from over the rim of the fancy, thin glass.

“Name a time, I said some shit that I didn’t back up?” He waited a few seconds for her to name one. “Just like I thought, you can’t.”

“Oh, puh-lese,” she huffed.

The two of them fell into natural conversation. They were so into each other that the prior events and getting swarmed with intrusive questions no longer seemed relevant.

When the food came, she danced in her seat at how good it was. The tables was full, so they had to pull up another one to accommodate all the food and drinks. Qamar ordered everything from steak to lobsters and every fixing in between.

As they sat at the table with full bellies, Qamar, with a mischievous glint in his eye, pulled out his phone and scrolled through his playlist. He found the perfect song and hit play, not giving a damn about the patrons around them. He wanted to make every moment between them memorable and fun. They were young and although the restaurant was nice, he felt the date needed to be turned up a notch.

Siasia looked up, curious. "What you doing?” she asked with a nervous smile.

Qamar stood up and extended his hand to her. "Dance with me, mama," he whispered. His height and hood looks had all eyes on him. That and how fine he was.

Butta Love started to play and Siasia almost fell out form laughing. “What you know ‘bout this?” Tears misted her eyes, thinking about her mama and how she knew all the old stuff from Cynthia.

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