Whatever training program Maison followed, it was working overtime. The man had endurance, balance, and focus like a personal trainer sent by the ancestors. I don’t know if he does squats, lunges, or bench presses, but the way he handled me should honestly be studied by science. My feet didn’t touch the ground the whole time. I was floating, literally and spiritually. Like every part of me that had been waiting, clenching, and overthinking just…let go.
When I finally caught my breath, leaning against the sink and still half laughing, I couldn’t believe what just happened. “That was—crazy,” I whispered, shaking my head.
Maison laughed too, pulling me close again. “Guess you can add improvisation to your list.”
Later, when I fixed my hair in the mirror, I couldn’t stop smiling. It wasn’t just the thrill of it, it was the power in it. I’dspent a whole year trying to heal quietly, loving myself in silence, journaling about what I hoped to feel again someday. But that trip? Maison? The heauxphase? It reminded me that I could love myself loud too.
That sometimes healing ain’t sitting still. Sometimes it’s moving to music, saying yes, doing something wild just because you can.
Because freedom isn’t about control. It’s about trust—trusting your heart, your body, your happiness.
Heaux Phase wasn’t recklessness. It was release.
I wasn’t lost.I was finally finding myself again.
We stood at the rails, side by side, leaning over just enough to feel the breeze off the water. The city lights sparkled in the distance as the cruise began sailing back toward the dock. The jazz band behind us hadn’t missed a note, filling the air with soulful notes.
I exhaled, still catching up to the whirlwind of the day.
Maison looked over at me, then asked, “So… you said you’ve been single for over a year? Healing? What happened in your last relationship?”
I stared out at the water for a second before answering. “It ended bad enough that I started therapy.” I laughed softly. “I needed to know if I was the problem. Not just in that relationship, but in how I showed up in all of them. I keptpouring and hoping for different outcomes, and when that last one ended, it broke something in me.”
He stayed silent, letting me talk.
“My therapist told me to stop dating. She said, ‘Learn who you are without romantic expectations. Heal in stillness. Date yourself.’ So I did. I pulled away. Learned what I liked. What I didn’t. Who I am when I’m not trying to be everything to someone else.” I glanced at him, a little nervous to share so much.
But his smile was gentle, warm, and not judgmental.
“That’s beautiful,” he said. “Seriously. Most people just jump into the next thing, hoping it’ll fix the last one. But you slowed down. You did the hard work. That says a lot about you, Lyrix.”
I blinked a little too fast, trying not to get emotional. “Thank you.”
He looked out at the water. “I’ve been single for about seven months.”
I looked at him, surprised. “That’s not bad. What happened with you?”
He smirked. “Apparently, I’m too spontaneous for the women I choose.”
I laughed. “Too spontaneous? What does that even mean?”
“It means I’ll wake up on a Tuesday and say, ‘Let’s go see what they doing in Pennsylvania for two days.’ No plan. Just vibes.”
I cracked up. “And they didn’t like that?”
“Shidd, nope. Most of them were corporate workers, business owners, and nine-to-fivers who had to be stationary. They’d get irritated when I’d still go travel solo. Said it made them feel left behind.”
“I get it,” I said. “But also… I kind of love that.”
He looked at me. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. I work for a medical company, and I’m remote too. I gotta go in maybe three times a month, but most of the time, I’m home.”
“See,” he said, bumping my shoulder with his, “that’s what I’m talking about. You still flexible. We’d be catching flights and still clocking in.”
We laughed, but then I turned toward him more seriously. “I actually liked being alone, though. Like, I enjoyed it. I found comfort in myself. I realized I don’t need a partner… but I do want one. There’s a difference.”
He nodded slowly. “That’s real.”
