14
Rashad opened the door, and Layla gazed in at him. “Hi.”
His lips spread into a pleased smile. “You showed up.”
“I said I would.”
“Come on in. I’m almost finished putting the food in the basket.”
Because the temperature was still rather chilly, Layla dressed carefully for the rooftop picnic at Rashad’s place. She pulled her long hair into a ball on top of her head and wrapped a chocolate and cream-colored cashmere scarf around her neck. The rest of her outfit included an undershirt and a cream-colored cashmere sweater, brown jeans, and high-heeled boots. Rashad was dressed warmly in layers, as well, consisting of a thin navy-blue sweater covered by a light jacket, jeans, and casual leather shoes.
When they arrived on the roof, the fire was already going strong. Flames flickered from the middle of the six foot long, concrete table and warmed the air in its immediate vicinity. Another couple sat on the long end of the cushioned L-shaped bench that faced it, and they smiled briefly and then went back to talking as Rashad and Layla went to the other end of the bench.
Rashad set the basket between them and removed the food items—hot chocolate in a flask, tomato soup, roasted chicken-and-brie grilled cheese sandwiches, and chocolate cake with chocolate icing.
“Don’t tell me you made all this,” Layla said.
“If I did, I’d be lying. The sandwich and soup are from the deli down the street, but I made the hot chocolate and the chocolate cake.”
“Of course you made the chocolate cake,” she said with a smile. She still couldn’t get over that he enjoyed baking. Baking didn’t seem to fit his personality at all, but he was really good at it.
“Eat up. There’s plenty,” Rashad said.
Layla lifted a mug of the hot chocolate to her face and paused, sniffing. “This is no regular hot chocolate. Is there alcohol in here?”
“Chocolate liqueur and vodka,” Rashad answered.
Her eyes widened. “Marry me.”
He chuckled. “Is that all it takes?”
“Almost.” She sipped the warm drink and relished the heat as it flowed down her throat and into her chest. “Mmm, so good.”
“I knew your wino ass would like that.”
“Shut up! So I like a good wine and a nice drink every now and again.” She cut her eyes at him and took another sip of the delicious beverage.
“What does it really take… to marry you, I mean?” Rashad asked.
Her heart raced as she wondered where he was taking the conversation. Layla glanced at him out of the corner of her eye but kept her gaze on the flickering flames. “Marriage is pretty serious. It’s not something that should be entered into lightly. For me, I’d have to really know the person, inside and out.”
He nodded, as if she’d said something profound. “Even when you think you know a person, they can hide their true nature for years, though, and you’d never know.”
That sounded like a loaded comment, as if he were talking about something very specific. “Being open and honest is important to building trust,” Layla stated matter-of-factly.
Rashad didn’t respond to that.
Her closest relationships—friendships as well as familial—were the ones where they shared the most intimate parts of each other’s lives. Having someone to talk to in a nonjudgmental way created a safe space, the importance of which couldn’t be underestimated. When Rashad had been less than forthcoming with information about himself and his past, the foundation of their relationship had suffered. She struggled to trust him, even as she recognized her addiction to him. When he suggested they slow down, lack of trust made it that much easier to walk away.
“What got you into baking? You have to admit, you don’t look like the typical man who bakes.”
He didn’t answer right away, and she could tell he was about to say something important. “My foster mother used to bake bread and cakes and pies for church all the time. She and her husband were big on going to church, and they dragged me with them on Sunday and Wednesday nights.”
Layla turned her entire body toward him, fully engaged and ready to soak up the tidbits he shared like a sponge. “Dragged?” she asked with amusement.
“I didn’t exactly volunteer to go.”
She listened with rapt attention and could see him struggling to give her more details about his background. This was the first time he’d shared this information with her, and a flutter of excitement came to life inside of her.
