Page 59 of Honey's Special Roux

The voice.

I froze in place as I closed my eyes. This had to be my mind playing tricks on me. There was no way my Honey was in the store, right? There was no way we’d be here together. I slowly opened my eyes and turned toward the sound of the voice.

The air in my lungs depleted.

Honey.

She looked so fucking good. She had her hair pulled into a ponytail. She wore a simple tank top and leggings, but got damn, her body was spectacular. She’d gotten thicker since the last time I saw her.

Do I approach her?

What do I say?

How do I say it?

Memories of our last conversation flooded my mind.“I can’t wait for you. I’m sorry. Please, don’t contact me.”

Those words haunted me all six years. For the first year, I assumed she’d come around. How could she completely wash her hands of me after all we’d been through together? When one year turned into three, I accepted my fate. I’d lost the love of my life.

However, she was a few feet away from me now. Was it God who put us here at the same time? I couldn’t let her go without at least speaking to her, right? Would she even want to see me?

As my mind swirled from the chaotic thoughts running through my head, I hadn’t realized my feet moved until I’d crashed into the source of my turmoil.

Honey.

The feel of her body against mine unlocked memories I’d suppressed long ago. Her scent differed from what I remembered but was captivating. When our eyes met, my soul awakened once again.

My Honey.

“Hey.” I smiled at her.

Her eyes widened as if she’d seen a ghost. Granted, it probably felt like it.

Lord, don’t let her reject me again.

“Jenifer,hold on. I think we need to get an extra heavy whipping cream.”

As I lifted the small sticky note with the scribbled ingredients, I read the list over. Then I looked at the items in the cart and shook my head. Mama should have known I would go overboard. We had a big family and needed to have enough food to get through the planning, repast, and whatever else may arise in the time I would be here.

“I’ll run and get it. Do we need anything else? You can head to the register if not.”

“That’s all. I’ll head to the checkout line. The poor cashier is going to be in for a long time.”

Jenifer chuckled. “Because you never know how to stick to a list.”

“Girl, boo!” I waved her off and pushed the basket toward the checkout lines.

I focused my attention on the list; I didn’t notice the man approaching me until I’d crashed into his chest. The firm chest made me pause as I looked up into the familiar light brown eyes of Marquise.

I froze.

It can’t be him. He’s supposed to be in prison.

“Hey.”

He smiled that beautiful, bright, white-tooth smile. My heart pounded in my chest. Was I supposed to speak back? His hands held my arms firmly.

“No.”

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