Page 54 of Kisses Behind the Spotlight

“This is delicious,” I moaned. “Who needs a tour guide when I have you?”

“I won’t ever steer you wrong. With that said, I made an appointment for you to get henna,” Xain notified me after his alarm went off.

I was busy stuffing my face with another pastry. He silenced the alarm and bit into his own, leading the way again. We waded through the crowd until we saw a henna cafe off the main area and down a tight corridor. The big blue door was propped open, and we wandered inside, ascending a small flight of steps.

“Hello. How can I help you?” A cute older woman greeted us as we entered the main area.

“Hello. I called earlier and made an appointment for Khaleesi,” he informed her.

I was too busy admiring the tile covering the floors and walls. Cute pictures of henna art hung on the walls.

“Oh yes. Come,” she smiled, waving us back.

I followed her back, and she passed me a book of henna art, then directed me to an empty seat.

“Choose. I’ll be back,” she advised me.

“Are you going to get one too?” I asked Xain as I flipped through the book.

“Naw, I have enough tattoos covering my body,” he declined. He told nothing but the truth. As he sat completely covered in a jogger set, you could see the tattoo that went across his throat. “You’re getting it for us though. Henna is done for many reasons: beauty, joy, health, transitions into a new stage of life.”

“That’s right,” the woman smiled up at him.

Xain nodded his head. “Today, I feel like her henna is the mark of a new chapter for us. Starting fresh.”

“Awwwww,” the woman gushed.

Silently, I was gushing too.

“I like the sound of that,” I admitted.

It took me a minute to choose the design. There were so many options. After a while, I flashed one to Xain. “Do you like it?”

“I love it. It’s going to look sexy on you. It has the evil eye too. Ward off the evil and harm.”

“I’m going to do this one,” I advised the woman.

She nodded, having everything prepared for me. The woman gently took my arm and got started. The design was intricate and would cover my hand, including my fingers, and up past my wrist. It took us a while, and Xain offered to grab drinks from the cafe upstairs midway through. I used that alone time to check on Noah, but he didn’t answer when I called.

Xain returned with our drinks, and I quickly accepted mine. We were almost done by the time he returned, and I was parched. Drinking some of the water, I looked at the bowl in Xain’s hand. “What’s in the bowl?”

“A cucumber salad. I figured it must be some shit you like since that was the only thing in your fridge the other day,” Xain noted, lifting the spoon to my mouth. “Here. See if you like it.”

My mouth slipped open, and I let Xain shovel a spoonful into my mouth. Whatever vinaigrette they used was delicious, and I closed my eyes to savor the flavor.

“Mmmmmm,” I hummed.

When my eyes popped open, Xain was silently admiring me, waiting to offer another spoonful. I relaxed and let Xain cater to me again. A lady could get used to that type of treatment.

I finished the salad, and Xain pulled a peppermint out of his pocket, taking his time to ensure his hand only touched the wrapper as he placed it in my mouth. If we weren’t in public, I promise I would’ve found my way onto his dick. He had been protective and thoughtful over the last few days. The benefit of being in a relationship that I desperately missed.

A FaceTime call from Noah came through as I sipped my water.

“Hello,” I answered, lifting the phone to my face.

“Wassup sis. You good out there?”

“I’m good. I just wanted to check on you.”