My heart felt as if it were about to leap out of my chest as we walked hand in hand to our table. Danita had already let me know where they were sitting, so I led the way over to them. As soon as we turned the corner, I spotted Gio. He wore civilianclothes instead of his regular military attire. Danita sat beside him, leaving two open seats across from them. Jabari squeezed my hand.
“You got this, baby. I’m here with you.”
I smiled back at him and continued walking. I mustered a smile and added excitement to my voice once we made it to the table.
“Brother! It’s so good to see you!” I gushed, releasing Jabari’s hand, extending my arms to hug him.
Gio stood from his seat, towering over me. He lightly lifted me off my feet as he squeezed me tight.
“Peanut, it’s good to see you. For real.”
“You too, bro.”
He placed me down, and his attention went behind me. I knew who he was staring at, but I moved over to Danita since Jabari and Danita hadn’t met in person yet.
“Danita, this is Jabari. Jabari, this is my sister Danita.”
Danita smiled big as she extended her hand.
“Nice to meet you, Amina’s boyfriend!” she squealed.
I rolled my eyes and shook my head at her. Jabari laughed just as well.
I took a deep breath and faced Gio again.
“Jabari, this is my brother, Gio. Gio, this is my boyfriend, Jabari.”
I could hear Danita squeal, and I shot her a warning look. Jabari offered his hand to Gio.
“How are you doing? It’s nice to meet you.”
I held my breath, anticipating whether Gio would return the handshake. He hesitated for a second but eventually connected with Jabari.
“Gio.”
The two released hands, and Jabari pulled out my seat. I knew Gio and Danita watched the interaction. Jabari sat acrossfrom Gio, while I sat across from Danita. The server approached the table to take our drink orders. Danita and Gio already had drinks.
“May I have an Old Fashioned?” Jabari requested. “And can she have a glass of red wine, please?”
“Coming right up!”
The server walked away, and before she could get out of ear range, Gio started his shit.
“Damn, Peanut, you can’t order for yourself?”
“I can but?—”
“I just know what she likes. So, if I can make any process around her easier, I’ll do that. I know my lady likes red wine. She loves pairing it with her dinner, so regardless of the price, my baby is getting her a glass of red wine,” Jabari interjected.
“Whew, I know that shit right,” Danita mumbled under her breath, making me kick her leg.
She looked at me, trying to act innocent. I warned her with my eyes, and she lifted her drink to sip.
“So, how did y’all meet?” Gio asked.
I didn’t want to tell Gio because he would think I was fraternizing on the job, but I knew if I didn’t, he wouldn’t stop pressing the issue.
“His mama is one of my patients. She’s been trying her hardest to hook us up together. One day, he came with her to one of her appointments, and the rest is history.”
