Enthralled

capitulo catorce.

I had a few more days left before I was expected to return to work, my parents had Cairo for the weekend and Lani had a break from her workload, so we thought that it was the perfect time for us to spend some quality time together. There were no words to describe how much I missed my best friend, we talked regularly and saw each other when we could but I missed her, missed living with her and being able to lay on her bed in complete silence sometimes. In need of that quality time with her, I got into Mahdi's car and drove to the apartment that she and I used to share.

Lani opened the door, pulled me into a tight embrace and exhaled softly. "We need to make more time for each other my love."

I couldn't stop the laugh from escaping me. "Hello to you too Leilani!" We rocked from side to side as the hug continued. "Ready to spend the day with me?"

She released her hold on me and ushered me into the living room. Of course, I'd been in the apartment many times since moving out but the space always emanated a comforting, safe aura that could not be matched. Subtle things had changed; there was more evidence of Halima, Lani's partner which brought another smile to my face. It was good to see that we'd both found people and kept them, that was something that we'd both needed to work on in different ways.

"Your room is still untouched; you know I've got attachment issues." Lani sighed wistfully, "It's hard to picture how different everything was a year ago." Her gaze danced around the room, almost as if she was cataloguing every item there was and remembering what they meant to her.

I leaned my head against hers, feeling like we hadn't missed a beat. "This time last year I was punching your ex in the face, look how much we've grown!"

"I can't believe that I managed to forget about her, maybe it's a trauma block." Lani laughed softly. "I don't think I've ever thanked you for doing that, but I appreciated you standing up for me in that moment."

I hummed in response, unsure of what to say. She didn't ever have to thank me for anything but I knew my best friend too well and because of that, I knew that wasn't what she wanted to hear. Our conversation shifted to our lives, we caught up on so much, things that we had already spoken to each other about but still wanted to say more on- everything. "We've grown up, Lani."

"I know! You're a mom with a house and a dog- sometimes I can't believe it." She teased. "My Ari who scoffed in the face of love and commitment."

We shared a look before bursting into laughter, "I thought I was tough, didn't I?" The Arinze from a year ago was so far removed from herself that she'd probably die of a heart attack to see me now. "And what about you? My Lani who couldn't stay at a job for more than a few months is about to complete an amazing research project and she's managed to find a woman who doesn't have internalized homophobia! A miracle!"

Lani laughed hysterically, no doubt thinking the same thing I had – her past self would be shocked to see her in the present. "We've been through it all, haven't we? And there's still more growing to be done."

"Alright, alright! Let's just bask in our progress for now." I replied, only half joking. "The future is still a very scary thing for me."

She nodded in agreement. "Which one of us do you think will get married first?"

Her question caused me to physically jerk in my seat. Marriage was not something that I had spent too much time thinking about, mostly because I felt like I already had everything that I wanted. "You. Definitely you."

"Hmm, I think so too." Lani responded thoughtfully. "And it's not because I don't think you and Mahdi will last either- you're perfect for each other- it's because I know you very well my love." That she did, I could already feel my fight or flight instincts threatening to activate because of a simple hypothetical question.