Page 42 of My Heart Belongs to You

I’d known Adrienne for five years and she’d never told me about Q. My gaze bounced between them, picking up on the sexual tension. Q was a few inches taller than Adrienne, smooth brown skin, expressive sable eyes, and a low-cut fade with a clean-shaven face.

Okay, Adrienne!

“Nice to meet you, Q.” I stepped in, holding out my hand.

He accepted my hand, finally meeting my gaze when he replied, “Yeah, you too.”

Then his eyes snapped back to Adrienne. “What are you doing here of all places? I thought you lived in Paris?”

Q nodded. “I’m still there. I came home to spend time with my family. My cousin is performing with his band today and invited me to the show.” He shrugged, then smiled at her. “I wasn’t feeling this too much until I saw you.”

Adrienne stopped blushing long enough to ask, “How long are you in town?”

“Two weeks. We should go to dinner while I’m here.”

“We should. Take my number.”

They exchanged numbers before sharing another long, cozy embrace. Once he was gone, I shot her a look.

“Q was definitely undressing you with his eyes,” I imitated her while moving my hips. We fell into a fit of laughter. “Why haven’t you told me about him or your time abroad?”

After discarding our plates, we started toward the main stage.

“I don’t talk about my time in Paris because he is a part of my favorite memories there. I can’t believe I did the most cliche thing ever; fell in love.”

“I love a good love story. So, give me all the details.”

“Well, I met him during my second year of culinary school. He was interning at the World Bank with hopes of getting a permanent role by the end of the term. We were new to the city and both from the DMV. We just clicked.”

“I’m swooning, already,” I said, hooking my arm around hers.

She giggled. “It definitely started like a fairytale. I was the whimsical cook; he was the meticulous finance guy. I could see us being together forever, honestly.”

“What happened then?”

Her eyebrows furrowed. “We were on two different paths. I wanted to be here and he had to stay there. I think we were able to part ways amicably because deep down we knew it was temporary. I still haven’t met a man who could make me forget him.”

“You should’ve seen the sparks between you two. It was cute to watch.”

“I felt it.” Adrienne paused. I glanced her way, catching the wistful look in her eyes. “I can’t wait for us to catch up.”

We stopped walking once we met the crowd forming around the stage. Adrienne and I scanned the shaded hillocks for a place to watch the show. Our scout ended once I spotted Mel and Nadir near a tree, dancing. I pointed in their direction and Adrienne followed without objection. By the time we reached them, everyone was doing Roseville’s Two-Step to the DJ’s mix.

Nadir had a beer in one hand as he did the line dance with an older woman next to him. Joy danced in his eyes as he stepped to the right, then clapped his hands. He wore last year’s festival shirt, gray cotton shorts, and a pair of sneakers, super casual. But he still looked good as hell. His hair was down, cascading down his shoulders and back. When he caught me staring, he waved me over to him.

“Come on, Goldie,” he shouted with a grin.

“Yeah, come on, baby,” the lady next to him chimed in.

Adrienne pushed my shoulder, smirking. “Go on.”

I shot her a glare before begrudgingly walking toward him.

“Dance with us,” he said, taking my hand. He spun me around, then held my waist, “Follow my lead, okay?” I nodded, settling in his hold.

The DJ had just transitioned to Tamia’s “Can’t Get Enough,” and everyone around us got in formation, literally. Nadir tapped my right thigh, urging me to step forward. I did so, swaying my hip before stepping back into place. He repeated the gesture on the left. His grip tightened, guiding me to the left while crossing one foot over the other.

“Now swing,” he said, impelling my body in the direction it needed to go. “Yeah, like that.” I glanced over my shoulder in time to catch his grin.