Slow Down | ✓

10. FRIENDS

10. FRIENDS

WHEN ALIYAH RECEIVED THE text from Elijah West, she honestly couldn't fight the smile that broke out on her face.

Even Loren took notice of the happiness radiating from her boss as she stopped by the reception desk and bid her a good lunch but she didn't question it too much.

Aliyah Pryce is allowed to be happy, after all.

Glancing down at her phone with the address that Elijah sent her, the wedding planner makes her way to the building that didn't even seem that far away, so she walks.

When she enters the small Jamaican restaurant ━ Island Vybez, her eyes immediately hone in on the man seated in a corner seat right by the windows. He looks up, bright green eyes meeting her brown ones.

She approaches him, a wide smile on her face. He stands to greet her, his eyes sparkling.

"Hi," She greets, not really sure what to do with her arms ━ hug him or shake his hand?

He answers her question for her, pulling her into a short hug, "Hey."

When they pull away, Aliyah can't avert her gaze. She felt like a creep, being unable to stop looking at him, but this man is really fine.

"I hope you haven't been waiting too long," She runs a hand through her braids, nervously, "I tried to get here as fast as I could."

Elijah nods and motions for her to sit across the table, "You're fine. I actually just got off work and was already on my way here."

She sends him a smile, glad to get a topic to work off of, "How was it? Save anybody today?"

Elijah chuckles and shakes his head, "Just fixed a couple bones ━ the usual."

"Just a typical Friday," Aliyah jokes, grabbing a menu from the end of the table, "Can you believe I've never been here before? I didn't even know there was a Jamaican restaurant like right down the road from my house."

"Well, that depends," Elijah smiles, grabbing a menu for himself, "How long have you lived in Charlotte?"

Aliyah shrugs, "Since I was ten, however long ago that was, but I don't really go out much."

Flipping through the laminated pages, Elijah doesn't even read what's on them, his eyes moreso focused on the woman sat across from him.

"Well, I'm glad that I introduced you to it," He gazes at her, "So, I'm guessing you moved from Jamaica?"

Aliyah scoffs, playfully, "Was it the cussing my brother out thing that gave it away?"

Elijah chortles, amusedly, "Just a little bit," The two laugh quietly before an awkward silence passes between them, the heavy topic that they'd been avoiding on the verge of surfacing. The doctor pulls it out of the water, "About that night . . . I'm sorry ━"

"No," Aliyah shakes her head, knowing where this is going, "Don't apologize. We were," She clears her throat, awkwardly, "Both drunk and hurting, so I understand."

Honestly, Elijah wasn't completely sure if that's where he was planning on going with the conversation, but now that it was out in the air, he wasn't really sure what to say.

Aliyah notices this so she continues, "I was the rebound. And, I guess you kind of were for me too. So, I understand," She repeats with more emphasis. Her stare has been set on the menu for the longest time, "Maybe we could slow down. Start over as friends. I mean, you just got out of a relationship, so . . . "

Elijah's eyes scan her face, taking in the fact that she's avoiding his stare. While it wasn't his full intent to be just friends, he found it to be better than nothing. In the time that he's known this woman, he can already tell that she's a great person to have in his life and he wasn't going to throw that away just because she wants to be just friends.

Damn, he'd be the person she nods to while passing each other on the street if that means that he still gets to see her.

The way she showed how much she cared for her brother and how sweet her voice is . . . He doesn't want to throw away what could be.

A part of him was happy that she'd accepted the fact that she was a rebound ━ the more he thought about it, that perspective is very valid.

The silence becomes too much for the chocolate-skinned woman and so she places the menu back on the table and looks up at the man across from her only to see him still staring at her.

Her eyes widen in realization, "I also understand if you don't want to be ━"

"I want to." Elijah tells her, nodding, "I want us to be friends ━ maybe even best friends. On one condition." Aliyah raises a perfect eyebrow at him, waiting to hear his words. A beautiful smirk on his face, he leans back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest, "I pay for every meal we have together."

"Oh?" Aliyah reels back, jokingly, "We haven't even started the first one and there's more?"

"You're in for a wild ride," Elijah chuckles, before lifting the menu, "Any suggestions from the expert herself?"

A wide smile on her face, Aliyah becomes doe-eyed as she switches positions and now she's the one staring at him read the menu.

This friend thing will be easy, she tells herself not knowing just how wrong she is.

another one!!!!

alright lemme take my ass to sleep,,, it's almost 2am

ALSO WATTPAD GETCHO LIFE TOGETHER 😭😭😭 i ain't getting no type of notifications
shit better be working when i wake up 👀👀