Page 34 of My Heart Belongs to You

“His girlfriend Malika,” she squealed.

Nadir rounded the corner with furrowed eyebrows. My gaze met his, but I looked away quickly, too worried he’d sense my sadness.

“Already?”

“Listen, I’m just as surprised as you. They haven’t been together long.”

I winced after hearing another gut-punching revelation. It was only a matter of time before I got an update on him. Terrance and Sadé were cousins who hung out often.

“How long has it been?”

The question came out before I could stop myself. As badly as I wanted to be unbothered by the news, I was on the edge of my seat waiting for the details.

“Nine months, maybe ten. Like I said, not long.”

The rest of the call was a blur, but I remembered hearing her apologize profusely. It wasn’t her fault that I’d wasted five years of my life just for him to propose to someone right after me.

Tears filled my eyes as I remembered the many arguments we had about marriage. When we met, we were focused on our careers but liked each other enough to see where it could go. A year into dating, we made it official, and by year two, we were living together. During that time, I was working at a restaurant in D.C. and starting my journey to becoming a master sommelier. Marriage wasn’t a priority at the moment, but Terrance knew it was something I wanted later on. Our relationship was going smoothly until his mom started pressuring us to get engaged since we were living together. His favorite lie to tell was that we were “discussing” engagement, knowing we hadn’t discussed a thing.

The truth was, he wasn't interested in “signing a document.” He was satisfied with our arrangement as it was. It infuriated me to no end how he refused to tell his mom the truth to save her feelings but had no problem hurting mine whenever I broached the topic.

Terrance knew I’d grown up in a loving family. My parents were the epitome of love to me. Once he realized I wouldn’t compromise on that, we ended things.

A year later, he was proposing and making a big deal about it. A private dinner party with fifty of their closest friends was the opposite of the ultimatum I’d received days after our five-year anniversary.

We can stay together and be happy, but marriage is off the table.

“Ray… I need to go,” I mumbled.

She sighed. “Okay. We’ll talk later.”

By later, I hoped she meant tomorrow because I was in no shape to talk about this anymore today. After ending the call, I dropped my phone beside me and buried my face in my hands. Seconds later, I was pulled from my seat and pressed into a firm, warm chest. I exhaled in his embrace.

Tears ran down my cheeks and whimpers spilled from my lips. This was so embarrassing. I shouldn’t have been in my best friend’s arms crying over Terrance, of all people. However, my feelings were hurt and I deserved to grieve a relationship I’d once considered meaningful. I earned the right to be disappointed in my ex for gaslighting me all those years.

“Hey.” Nadir’s throaty chords pulled me from my thoughts. “Fuck him,” he groaned, forcing a mirthless laugh from me.

He cupped my cheeks, tilting my head back to meet his gaze. The pads of his thumbs were gentle on my cheeks while he wiped away tears. His touch brought me so much comfort.

“You’re gonna be okay, Goldie. I’ll make sure of it.”

Nadir punctuated his statement with a kiss on my forehead. Warmth shot through me as I peered into his eyes. I knew he meant every word, but something in his eyes told me he was holding back too. One hand moved from my cheek to my waist and my heart rate spiked. I pressed deeper into him while biting my bottom lip.

"What can I do to help you feel better?"

I shrugged, although several ideas came to mind.

Nadir's eyes narrowed at me. I looked away as another wave of tears filled my eyes.

"I hate seeing you cry," he said with furrowed eyebrows.

"And I hate crying, especially over that asshole."

“It’s okay,” Nadir crooned while rubbing my back.

I draped my arm over his shoulder all while holding his gaze. The thoughts swirling in my mind were unholy as my pulse thumped in my neck. I swallowed the lump in my throat, deciding to throw caution to the wind and do what I'd wanted for so long. I wasn’t afraid to admit how vulnerable I felt at the moment. There was no one else I felt safer with than Nadir. Tomorrow I would unpack everything, but right now, I just wanted to be reassured. After the conversation with Joseph and the news about Terrance, my ego was a little crushed.

“I know, I know,” I whined, making him chuckle. Drawing in a deep breath, I sighed as his cologne tickled my nose.