“Tell me about you. I’m sure your story is much better than mine,” I said after a few minutes.
“I definitely haven’t had the challenges you’ve had, but I think what you’ve gone through has taught you many more life lessons than I’ve had.”
“Yeah. I’ve learned a lot from my experiences, but I want to hear about you.”
“There’s nothing interesting about my life. I’m an only child, but my cousin, Ronin, is like a brother. My family is very close, and I still live at home with my parents and grandfather.”
“Really? That’s surprising.”
“It’s not what you think. Our house is a mini mansion with a basement apartment, which is where I live.”
“Oh. That makes sense.”
“You think so? Ronin talks shit about me living at home at my age.”
“I don’t see anything wrong with it. You may want to move when you get married and have a family. Plus, considering my situation, I have no room to judge.”
Although there was nothing funny about my life, I laughed, but I noticed that Kenzo did not.
“My father was an only child, and my mother only had one brother, Ronin’s dad, who was an alcoholic and died from liver failure years ago. Ronin is an only child, too, so he’s basically my only first cousin,” he continued.
“Wow. My mother and I are only children, so I know what it’s like not to have a built-in best friend like a sibling or a cousin. I had a lonely childhood.”
“Ronin lived in Georgia until we were about twelve, so I can relate to being lonely. I had some friends, but my parents didn’t allow me to spend the night anywhere, and they worked a lot, so I rarely had people over. I spent a lot of time with my grandparents growing up.”
“Were you groomed to take over the family business?” I asked.
“I guess you could say that. It was definitely expected and all I knew, so I never wanted to do anything else. I’ve been going to work with my father for as long as I can remember.”
“That’s pretty dope. I couldn’t imagine what it’s like to be a part of such an amazing legacy. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you, but you’re truly blessed.”
He stopped walking and turned to face me, so I mirrored his actions and looked up at him. The intense look of longing in his eyes stirred something deep in my soul, taking me by surprise.
I nervously licked my lips, and I noticed his eyes zoom in on them. I wasn’t certain, but it felt like his face was getting closer to mine. I thought it was my imagination until I felt his hand on the back of my neck, and he smashed his lips against mine.
Taken aback would be an understatement because kissing Kenzo Goode III was not on my bingo card at any point in my life. As I suspected, his smooth lips felt like silk, and when he pressed his tongue into my mouth, I almost lost it.
This was probably wrong, but everything about it felt right. Kenzo would be fully responsible for ending this kiss because I refused to pull away. In only a few seconds, I’d decided that if I took my last breath standing in the middle of this walking path, with Kenzo’s lips pressed against mine, his tongue tasting the remnants of my breakfast, and his hand softly caressing the back of my neck, I’d be perfectly okay with it.
The disappointment I felt when his mouth finally released mine was indescribable. His eyes landed on mine, filled with something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. With his hand still on my neck and our faces inches apart, he finally spoke.
“Malyah, will you marry me?”
I was certain I didn’t hear him correctly, and confusion covered my face and filled my thoughts.
“Excuse me?”
“I want to marry you.”
I took a step back because, at this point, I thought I was hallucinating.
“Kenzo, are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” He looked around. “Let’s sit on that bench over there and talk.”
He took my hand, and we walked to a bench several feet away. When we sat down, he turned to face me, so I angled my body to face him.
“I promise I’m not crazy,” he said.
