Page 25 of Set My Soul Ablaze

She shrugged. “I have two other clients. One coming in about an hour. The other isn’t until this afternoon.”

“Would you let me treat you to lunch?”

The smile on her face fell slightly as she paused. The physical rejection hurt. I couldn’t lie about it, but I did not intend to overstep. I was eager to spend more time with her. I had to clean it up before I scared her away completely.

I cleared my throat. “I didn’t mean to cross a boundary or make you feel uncomfortable. I really enjoy talking to you.”

“I enjoy talking to you too. I don’t feel comfortable going on a date right now . . . with anyone. I’m still fresh out of a breakup and don’t want to rush into a relationship or dating too soon, you know?” She rubbed her arm awkwardly before she took a sip of her coffee.

“I apologize for moving too fast. I don’t want you to feel pressured into doing anything with me. We don’t have to go on romantic dates. We can do the platonic thing and have our fun as friends,” I explained.

Mali poked out her bottom lip. “You know when to say all the right things.”

“Yes he does, girl. You need to let this man take you out to dinner, or I’ll accept the offer on your behalf.” Kira, from the front desk, appeared out of thin air as she wrapped an arm around Mali’s shoulder.

“Are you eavesdropping on my conversations?” Mali asked her as she shook her head with an amused smile.

“Just a little, but I’m doing it out of love. You deserve to go on fun adventures with fine men . . . extremely fine men . . .” Kira’s eyes openly perused my frame.

“That’s enough out of you,” Mali announced. She playfully pushed Kira away. “Let’s talk outside.”

Mali grabbed my hand and led me outside of the shop. We walked along the path and stood under the shade of a few trees.

“What’s up?” I asked as a breeze passed by us. Her hair blew slightly, and I enjoyed the sight of her curls moving wildly around her face.

“I wanted to talk to you privately, away from nosy workers.”

“I feel you.”

“A part of me wants to explore with you. I haven’t had a conversation flow that well with a man ever. I just need some time to make sure my mind and heart are in one accord.”

“You set the tone for how you want things to go. Like I said, we don’t have to pursue a relationship. I genuinely enjoy your presence and would be more than happy just being your friend. A lunch date—as friends—doesn’t have to come today or this week. We can eyeball it later down the line.”

“I would like that a lot. Thank you so much, Flame.”

“Of course. I hope the rest of your day goes well.” I stepped forward and gave her a warm hug. For a moment, it felt like she melted into my embrace. Time stilled. No one and nothing else mattered. All I cared about was the feel of her body pressed against mine, with our hearts beating as one.

People could call me a simp, cliché, and corny, but I was certain Mali would be my wife one day. Fuck a spark. My whole body burned with desire.

A week later

“Order 222.” I stepped up to the window and grabbed the two trays of food. I walked over to the black bench where Mali awaited me.

“It looks so good,” Mali commented as I set her food in front of her.

“It smells good too. This is probably my favorite authentic street taco truck in the city.” I sat across from Mali and said a quick grace over our food. Then we dug in.

It had taken exactly a week for us to go on our first friend-date together. The weather was perfect—not too hot, not too cold. The sky was bright blue with fluffy clouds slowly rotating around us. City life moved quickly around us, but my attention was on the woman in front of me.

Today, Mali wore a yellow sundress with her hair pulled back by a white headband. The unrestricted view of her face was mesmerizing, especially with the soft makeup look she had.

Mali dug into her food without a care in the world for appearances, and I loved that. Once she was done, she wiped the corners of her mouth and sat up straight. “What?” she asked with a smile pulling on the corners of her lips.

“Nothing. Just admiring the view.” I grinned.

“Oh, brother.” She playfully rolled her eyes.

“Mommy! Two tay-cos pretty peas!” Our gaze shifted over to a toddler running up to the taco truck with his mother. He jumped up and down as his mother ordered their lunch.