Everyone around us was cheering. “Go head, girl!” one woman shouted, waving her towel. Another man clapped his hands and yelled, “She getting it now!”
Maison was grinning like he’d just changed my life. “That’s what I’m talking about!”
I couldn’t stop laughing, couldn’t stop moving, couldn’t stop smiling. The music was wild, the energy impossible to resist.
Maison leaned in close, his voice warm against my ear. “See? You don’t just visit New Orleans, you join it.”
I looked up at him, heart thumping and hair sticking to my forehead. “You might be right about that.”
He grinned, still swaying to the beat. “Told you I know how to show a girl a good time.”
We danced until the parade moved on, leaving the street with leftover joy. I was out of breath and glowing, and he was still smiling at me like I’d just passed some kind of initiation test.
“That,” I said, fanning myself, “was insane.”
“That,” he said, “was New Orleans.”
“Come on,” he said, grabbing my hand before I could even ask where we were going. His hand was warm. For a split second, I almost pulled back, but something in me just… didn’t. It had been so long since I’d held anyone’s hand. So long since I’d even wanted to. The feeling was simple, but it hit me like muscle memory waking up after a long nap.
At first, I tried to think too much into it. Tried to tell myself it was just friendly, just part of the moment. But then I remembered that it was my Heaux Phase.I wasn’t supposed to overthink. I was supposed to let go. So I squeezed his hand and followed.
We crossed the street, dodging a man selling hats and a woman handing out flyers. We stopped in front of a little shop with candles glowing in the windows, and I realized where we were.
The door was painted deep red, and the window display was full of crystals, incense, and little dolls that looked like they had stories to tell. The sign above the door said,Madame’s Voodoo & Readings.
I laughed. “What is this adventure, Maison?”
He smirked, still holding the door open for me. “Your vision board said to get a reading, right?”
I looked up at him. “Yeah, but it said a reading about my sex life. You just trying to hear what she’s gonna say.”
He grinned. “Maybe. But I’m just trying to make sure you cross everything off that list.”
I gave him a look. “Don’t worry, my sex life’s been so dry, she’s probably gonna tell me even the spiders in there died from all the dust.”
He laughed, shaking his head. “You’re crazy.”
“I’m realistic,” I said, pointing at him. “There’s a difference.”
He opened the door wider, the smell of sage and something sweet rolling out. “Come on, Lyrix. Do it for the Heaux Vision Board.”
I groaned dramatically, crossing my arms. “You’re really gonna guilt-trip me with my own goals?”
He grinned. “Yup.”
“Fine,” I said, rolling my eyes, though I couldn’t stop smiling. “Let’s go see what the spirits think about my tragic sex life.”
He laughed as I brushed past him into the shop. A beaded curtain hung in the back, and somewhere behind it, a woman’s voice said, “I’ll be right with y’all!”
I turned to him and whispered, “If she tells me I’m cursed, I’m slapping you.”
He leaned in close, his breath brushing my ear. “If she does, I’ll buy you the candle to fix it.”
The woman stepped out with bangles clinking and a deep magenta scarf wrapped around her head.
“What can I help y’all with today?” she asked, looking between the two of us.
“I was wondering if I could get a reading,” I said, clearing my throat. “About my sex life.”
