Page 19 of Loving a Libra
“I’ll drive.”
“I’m sure Maurice will notice my car, so we should probably drive separately.”
“But do we care if he notices?”
I thought about it for half a second. “No. Let’s go.”
The last thing I cared to do was protect Maurice’s feelings. If he noticed my car was still parked next to his truck, I’d be surprised.
After looking at five houses, three in Oak Lawn and two in Evergreen Park, Tariq booked a room at the same hotel as before. Once we were settled in the room, we showered, wrapped ourselves in the robes provided, and ordered room service. While waiting for our food, we talked about the houses we’d seen.
“I like the first one we saw in Oak Lawn, but I wish the basement was finished. The third one we saw in Evergreen Park would be my next choice,” I told him.
“Those are both good choices. Do you plan to look at more, or will you choose between those two?”
“Which one do you like?”
“It’s not about what I like.”
“But I thought the whole reason you wanted to come was to pick something together.”
“Nah, that was never the reason. I was there for moral support and to make sure the realtor wasn’t on some bullshit.”
“Oh.”
“Are you disappointed that I don’t plan to force my way into your home and never leave?”
“I am. I mean, I didn’t think you’d move right in, but I thought we were looking for something we both liked.”
He chuckled. “If you want to do this together, just say that, baby. I’m trying to move at your pace, which seems to be closer to my pace than you want to admit.”
I shrugged because I was truly in unfamiliar territory. Sleeping with someone who I thought was my boyfriend’s best friend was one thing, but building a life with him was another. Tariq made it so easy because he was damn near perfect. He possessed all the qualities I wanted in a man, plus a few bonus ones.
“Which house was your favorite?”
A knock at the door stopped him from responding. He stood, tightened the belt of the robe around his waist, and went to answer the door. After pushing the cart of food inside, he gave the person a tip and locked up.
“At the table or in bed?”
“Let’s walk on the wild side and eat in bed.”
“Whatever you want, as long as you don’t do this shit inourbed.”
I smacked my lips. “I would never.”
He rolled the cart closer to the bed and sat next to me. We took the covers from our trays to reveal our meals. He ordered a quarter-pound cheeseburger with fries, and I ordered a spicy chicken sandwich with fries.
“To answer your question, I like the first house in Oak Lawn the most. It has the most square footage, a bigger yard that’s already fenced in, the appliances are newer, and the basement is unfinished.”
“You like the unfinished basement?”
“Yeah. That way, we can do what we want with it.”
“True.” I paused and thought about what this meant. “Are we really doing this?”
“We’re really doing this if this is what you want to do. I’ll keep my condo until you give me the okay to put it up for sale, and only your name will be on the title for the house until you’re ready to add me. Plus, I’m paying everything, including the mortgage.”
“Tariq, you don’t have to do all that to prove?—”
