Page 16 of Solid

When my doorbell rang, I yelped as my heart dropped.

This was it.

This was finally happening.

I was about to go on a date with my best fucking friend.

My other half.

My soul mate.

Jesus . . .What have we gotten ourselves into?

It didn’t take me long to come up with what I wanted to do with Jayla for our first date, because it was something I’d fantasized about for years. Rose Valley Hills had a lot to offer, but I wanted this to be something she’d remember forever. This morning, I picked her up, and we went to the airport. We flew to Chicago to start our date.

There, we had Italian beef sandwiches for lunch. Of course I had to take her to Chinatown afterward so she could get some mango ice cream. Then, we went shopping and to a custom shoe shop. After that, we went to chill and change at the hotel suite I’d booked for the day. The main event of the trip was dinner at Pappadeaux, then a boat ride on the river, where we saw the fireworks at the Navy Pier. To end our night, we went to Reggie’s for drinks and live music.

We both loved music, so it was perfect. Though we didn’t talk any differently, the vibe felt different. Our conversation flowed like it always did, but we held hands and stole kisses here and there. I liked how comfortable and natural the date had gone, but I knew we also would need to talk about how things would be different if we took this next step. On our flight back to Rose Valley Hills, I decided we’d do that before we parted ways, so instead of taking her straight home, we went to the beach so we could walk and talk.

“So,” I started, looking down at her as we walked across the sand, “did you enjoy yourself?”

“I did,” she cooed, wrapping her free arm around mine. “I loved every moment of the day, and I’m going to sleep dead to the world when I get home.”

“Good,” I said through my chuckle before licking my lips. “Did today feel different for you?”

Her mouth twisted to the side as she considered my question. “Yes and no. It felt the same but with a level of affection we didn’t have before. Kissing you on the lips and holding your hand . . . being held by you while we watched the fireworks . . . it provided an intimacy to our friendship that we’ve never had before. I loved it. What about you?”

“Same. I love that we were comfortable with each other and that the only big difference was the heightened physical touch. I do think it’ll be beneficial for us to have that cliché get to know you first date conversation just to get it out the way.”

“I agree. I was talking to Brooke about that earlier.”

So that was what we did.

We kept it simple first, sharing the things we already knew about each other. Except now, my mind worked out ways I could use the facts I already knew about her in different ways. For instance, she loved music and singing, dancing, and musicals and plays. Now, I’d be planning dates that revolved aroundher hobbies. Jayla was a weed head, so I would plan trips so she could experience different strains on the West coast and different countries.

I got down with plays too because they were a form of live entertainment, which I loved. We’d be going to New York to experience Broadway soon, and London. I also loved sports, reading, and gaming of any kind. I spent Sundays at church with family before we went to the casino, and Jayla thought it was funny until she started joining us once a month. Now, she loved it too.

We talked about our likes and dislikes, our wants, needs, and what we had to offer. By the time we got to our love languages, we were near the boardwalk.

“You wanna go to the dispensary and get some pretzels?” I suggested.

“Baby, if I smoke, I’m falling asleep expeditiously, but that does sound like the perfect way to end our night.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time you went to sleep on me,” I teased. “You know I’ll get you home safely.”

“Okay,” she agreed with a warm smile and skip that made my heart fill with pride.

Loving her was going to be easy, but I’d work at it relentlessly as if it was the hardest thing I’d ever have to do. She was worth the effort to me, and I was willing to spend every day of my life making sure she never questioned my love, commitment, and priority of her.

“Now what’s your love language?” Jayla asked. “I feel like it’s quality time.”

“It is. Acts of service too.”

“That makes sense. It always feels nice when someone serves or caters to you.”

“Yeah, just as long as they are doing it because they want to. Intention is everything.”

“You got that right.”