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I stand next to Chasity, with a virgin Piña colada to my mouth.
This is my 14th one. I am most definitely going to get an upset stomach but it will be worth it.
I love Mocktails.
I sit on the sofa with Chasity, people-watching when her niece Christy comes up to me with an eyebrow raised.
"Daddy said to check in on you to make sure you're okay. We saw you drink so much Piña colada. We are scared you're going to pass out from the sugar."
Chasity speaks before I could muster up a thought. "Go tell Rocco to mind his damn business and not to comment on what women do. Then tell your mommy what your daddy said so she can yell at him. Then riot."
"Will do, thank you," Christy replies and walks away to her father.
"Guess what. Angelo bought the Piña coladas. He went on a quest to find the best ones. We usually don't even have non-alcoholic drinks except water but we wanted to include you. He actually made it from scratch. It costed around 5 thousand dollars." I swallow my drink and look at her with wide eyes.
"You guys should have told me before I downed 20 glasses!" I say glaring at Angelo. He could probably feel the intensity of my stare as he slowly turns to look at me.
He takes small steps toward me, hopefully fearing for his life.
"Hi, Naya." He says, softly.
"5 thousand dollars."
"What's 5 thousand dollars?"
"The drink in my hand." I point out and he grins.
"Technically that drink in your hand is only worth 50 bucks." 50 DOLLARS?!
Breathe Inaya. The Russos are rich people. They enjoy spending their money.
"If I could touch you, I'd push you into the pool," I say, smiling innocently.
"Marry me. Then we could touch." I throw my keys at him and he pockets them.
"Are you trapping me in your home, Mr. Russo?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.
"Stay around and you'll find out, Mrs. Russo." He replies and walks away.
"He is so in love with you. It's literally disgusting." Chasity tells me. Hearing the words "in love with you" sends shivers down my spine because I know deep down that if I were to let myself, I'd fall in love with him too.
If I am granted one wish about my love life, it would be to marry my soulmate. But I wouldn't marry my soulmate if he is anything other than Muslim no matter how in love I am. I want my honeymoon to be a trip to hajj and afterward, we visit the Middle East and go on a halal fast food binge. I want to read the Quran together at the beach while the sun sets. I want a family where all of us make Iftar together and take it to the Mosque. I may be Americanized but I still want an Islamic life.
