Page 44 of Aug
I made it downstairs within a few minutes to find Rome waiting beside the Rolls Royce that hardly left her driveway. The SUV was massive in size and the most beautiful piece of transportation I’d ever laid eyes on.
“Your chariots awaits you, love.”
With her arm in the air, she ran it along the side of her vehicle. When she opened the back door, my entire face lifted with joy. Rome had a way of making every moment better.
“I said no surprises,” I teased.
She shook her head.
“No surprises. Just a day at the shops and one girl on my mind. A very special girl. A very deserving girl. The birthday girl.”
Bags spilled out of the backseat onto the ground. Rome had lost her mind in the shops. While I wasn’t complaining, my pockets were hurting at the thought of her receipts.
“Don’t count my pockets, babe. This didn’t even put a small dent in them.”
“Must be nice.”
“It is. That’s why I’m here, wanting you to know just how nice it is to have me as your best friend. The kind of friend who believes what’s mine is yours.”
“The best kind.”
“Get in, baby. I’m taking you to dinner.”
The black SUV behind her was tinted to perfection, but it didn’t stop me from trying to stare holes into the windows. Sadness coated Rome’s pretty face as she shook her head.
“He’s not here, Tiana. I’m sorry, babe.”
“Where is he?” I asked, unable to contain my curiosity.
Shrugging, Rome admitted, “I don’t know. I wish I did.”
I sighed, shaking my head. “I don’t understand.”
“Me either, but he’s coming back. He will be back soon.”
“You’ve spoken to him?”
“I haven’t, but my heart tells me so.”
“I’m not waiting anymore.”
“Then don’t,” she agreed. “I won’t ever tell you to wait on a man. Not even if I think he’s special and the perfect piece to your puzzle. Never wait for a man. Time waits for no one. Take note of its restrictions and adapt them.”
“You waited–why?”
“Because I’d experienced Saint in every lifetime. He wasn’t new to me. I wasn’t new to him. We’d experienced each othercountless times before. I didn’t wait for him. I waited for my happiness. My joy. My peace. Without him none of that was possible. None of it will ever be possible.”
Inside of the vehicle, I rested my head on the seat behind me.
“I have to move on.”
“You have to move,” Rome corrected. “You have to move, babe. You’ve been stagnant since that man left.Get up, Ti.”
A dagger shot through my heart at those words. Nodding, I agreed fully.
“Yeah.”
“We have a performance in three weeks. We have absolutely no room for error. Get your head in the game, babe. What is meant for you will always find you. Rest in that, and everything will fall into place.”
