Page 57 of Loving a Libra
“Of course.”
“You gon’ answer it.”
“Nah. Let’s enjoy our meal.”
And that was precisely what we did after he put his phone on silent and placed it face down on the opposite corner of the table. Between bites of deliciousness, he shared how much lighter he’d felt since he cut ties with Maurice, his ideas to help his family’s hardware store bring in additional revenue, and his excitement about our future together.
Tariq wasn’t a talker, and as he spoke, I realized how much I usually monopolized our conversations. Tariq was an amazing listener, and I took advantage of that, rarely giving him the opportunity to speak as freely as he did just now.
“Baby, I am so sorry.”
He looked genuinely confused. “Sorry? About what?”
“I never let you speak.”
I was genuinely confused. “Baby, what are you talking about?”
“I always do most of the talking. You lead our conversations, but I just realized you lead them in a way that makes me the center. I end up doing all the talking.”
“Because I love the sound of your voice. I love to hear about your day. I love to listen to you talk about your hopes, dreams, and fears. I even love when you complain. I love you.”
“I love you too, but I’m not talking about just since we’ve been together. You’ve always made me the center of our conversations.”
“I wanted you to feel seen and heard. I was very intentional about it because I knew it was something you needed.”
“Wow. How did I miss this? How did I not see you?”
“You couldn’t see me because the life you thought you would have with him was blocking your view. History, the fear of starting over, and the possibility of being alone stopped you from seeing the love that was right in front of you.”
Her response wasn’t immediate, and I could tell she was pondering my words as she enjoyed another bite of her food. The server returned to see if we needed anything, refilling our waters while there.
“Everything is great,” I assured her.
Once we were alone again, Devyn spoke.
“What took you so long to make your move? We’ve wasted so much time.”
That wasn’t what I expected her to say, but I wasn’t surprised, because she’d said something similar before.
“Oh, so now it’s my fault you met the wrong friend first.”
“Exactly. If I’d seen you first, Maurice wouldn’t have stood a chance.”
“That might not have been as good as you think. Like I told you before, I’m a different man now. Back then, I was on some good bullshit. Remember, things happen when they're supposed to.”
“I guess you’re right.”
We continued to converse until we finished our food. After I paid the bill, we walked out of the restaurant, holding hands, and she reminded me she wanted to take pictures.
“C’mon.” She pulled me along with one hand while holding her baby bump with the other.
She found a spot she thought was good and gave me her phone. I moved back and waited for her to pose. All I could dowas smile as she did what seemed like fifty poses. Once she was satisfied, she headed toward me wearing a big smile.
“Let me—” she began before she was interrupted.
“Is this what we doing?”
Devyn looked around me, and I could tell she was surprised to see Maurice. I was halfway expecting him, so I wasn’t shocked when I heard his voice. I slowly turned around, making sure Devyn was safely tucked underneath my arm.
