Page 27 of Aquarius Awakening
Imani moved her hand back and tilted her head sideways.
“I told Jacob I wanted the divorce to be finalized before we pursue anything. Now that everything is pretty much done, I’m nervous to put myself out there,” I confessed.
“Out where? Jacob has made it clear he’s on whatever vibe you are on. We can tell he wants more from you. I think you want more from him too. The man has taken you down memory lane. You guys have had vulnerable, honest conversations. All you do is blush when you talk to him or about him. He seems to be the total opposite of Mason. Thank God. So why the hesitation?” Milani asked.
“With all the time I spent alone thinking of what went wrong with Mason, I had to take some accountability. I accepted Mason even when I noticed the red flags. The idea of checking off my boxes and getting my fairytale took away my common sense. I don’t want to be in another situation where I put the man I love on a pedestal and ignore his flaws. It’s a hard pill to swallow when you admit that you loved the idea of the person and not who they really were,” I admitted.
“Damn, friend, that’s deep. First of all, applaud yourself for doing the hard task of honest self-reflection. Most people jump from person to person without a second thought. Now that you understand where you went wrong, you should have also figured out how to avoid repeating the same thing in the future. Don’t be hard on yourself, Mason was a lesson you had to learn,” Milani advised.
I took a sip of my drink as I tried to deflect the stares Milani and Imani sent my way. It wasn’t my intention to get so deep. Jacob had been at the forefront of my mind after I found out the news. Part of me wanted to call him and give him the news, while the other part of me wanted to sit on it a little longer. Was I ready for what came next for Jacob and me? Could we really date and make it work? There were so many questions I couldn’t seem to answer. The unknown was what scared me. Just the thought of Jacob switching up on me and potentially breaking my heart made me want to hide.
“This is not a decision you have to make tonight. I’ll say Jacob is a very eligible bachelor, so I wouldn’t wait too long to decide. The man has been patient, which is commendable. If you aren’t ready, don’t force it. Everything should flow and feel right between you two,” Imani reminded me.
“Everything has flowed and felt right. That’s the scary part. Is this the real thing this time, or another form of me believing what I want to happen? What I experienced with Mason makes me doubt myself. Normally, I would trust my gut, but being in love clouds my judgement,” I admitted.
“Without thinking too hard, tell me. Do you want to see where things go with Jacob? Just yes or no. Blurt it out,” Imani coaxed.
“Yes!” I shouted.
“Then I think you need to tell that man your good news,” Imani responded.
I poured myself another glass of mango margarita from the pitcher. Before I called Jacob, I needed some liquid courage. I downed the glass before pouring myself another drink. My stomach did somersaults while my nerves tried to get the best of me. The restaurant was too noisy for me to call him at the table.
“I’ll be right back. It’s too loud in here for me to make the call,” I told the ladies.
Imani and Milani were so embarrassing, clapping for me as I got up to call Jacob. I tapped on his number as I exited the restaurant, and after a few rings, he answered.
“Hey, love. Please tell me your day has been better than mine,” he stated.
“As a matter of fact, I do have some good news to share,” I replied.
“Oh, yeah, what is it?” Jacob asked.
“Mason accepted the terms of our divorce. The paperwork was filed to finalize everything, so in thirty days, it’ll be official,” I disclosed.
“Wow. That is good news. How are you feeling?” he inquired.
“Right now, I’m feeling very good. Imani, Milani, and I are out celebrating, so ask me again when I’m sober,” I admitted.
Jacob let out a low chuckle. “I’m glad to hear that you’re enjoying yourself. Something tells me you’ll be feeling the same when you’re sober. When do I get to celebrate with you?” he asked.
“I can make time for you whenever. Just let me know when your schedule opens up,” I replied.
“Soon, love. My schedule will be opening real soon. I can’t wait to see you,” he assured me.
Someone in the background interrupted us.
“I’m sorry, love, I have to get back to the set. Congratulations, and I’ll check in with you soon,” Jacob stated as we ended the call.
I walked back into the restaurant where Imani and Milani were enjoying themselves.
“How did it go?” they asked in unison.
“Fine. We made plans to celebrate when his schedule opens up. He’s on set filming for the foreseeable future,” I told them.
“Sounds good to me. We need to turn up. All that man talk can wait for another day,” Milani said.
Milani passed me a drink, which I gladly accepted. For tonight, I just wanted to enjoy the moment. Whatever did or did not happen with Jacob was to be determined. Milani walked over to the bar and introduced herself to a guy who was alone. I looked and shook my head. All she needed was some liquid courage to become extra friendly. This was going to be a night to remember.
