Into the Starry Night

Thirteen

My phone rang as I set up the last of the dusty pink balloons that decorated the dining room where the small party would hold.

Fishing my sleek peach iPhone from the pocket of my pink strapless jumpsuit I checked who the caller was.

Seeing it was Harry for the fifth time this night I pressed the red button so hard the phone squeaked in protest.

He was calling because it was Wednesday and I was supposed to be at the hotel to help him practice the song he would sing at his wedding.

Normally I'd be there without being prompted to but I wasn't ready to see Daniel. I was still pissed at him, still pissed at everything he had said and not said. I was determined to stick to what I had told him, as such, I wasn't going to go anywhere near him or anything that embodied him.

Was it a little childish? Maybe, but I would rather be childish than get hurt again or worse, get my hopes up for something that would never happen.

Thankfully at that moment, the doorbell rang out.

After a glance at the arrangement of the refreshments and cleaning a smudge of dirt off one of the three elaborate vases containing bunches of fresh pink chrysanthemums, I hiked my top up and patted the high ponytail my hair was styled in.

With a cool, relaxed smile on my face, I pulled the door open.

“If you're going to be such a baby, you're uninvited from this party,” Yemisi was saying to an unfamiliar man standing beside her, her phone poised in a selfie angle.

“Was I invited to begin with? I barely even . . .”

I cleared my throat and interrupted the deep, slightly raspy voice of the light-skinned man that had accompanied my friend.

Instantly both their heads snapped in my direction.

“Amara!” Yemisi cried and graced my cheeks with two air kisses. “How are you darling? Thank you again for hosting, you're a lifesaver.”

“Oh you're welcome,” I returned the kisses and took the opportunity to whisper into her ear, “Who the hell is that? I thought we agreed no men were allowed?”

She straightened and I caught the eye roll that followed. “Forget about him. Please can we go inside? There is better lighting and I need more pics.”

“Wow, and here I was thinking Aunt Rachael raised you with some manners,” the tall man let out a chuckle before turning his attention to me. He stretched out a hand. “My name is Timini. Unfortunately, I'm her cousin. It's a pleasure to meet you.”

There was something about the way his grey eyes flashed under the bright white porch light that had me slipping my hand into his before I could even think about it. An involuntary shiver went up my arm at the shocking contrast between the cool metal of the sliver rings on his fingers and the warm, soft flesh of his palm.

For a second I forgot I was supposed to say something. I was distracted by the way his mouth curled into a perfect curve that I was sure hid perfectly straight, white teeth. For some reason, I suddenly wanted to see his teeth.

“Oh, it's really nice to meet you too, I haven't met any of Yemisi's family yet, I was starting to think you all didn't exist,” I projected with a voice that did well to conceal the fact that my mind was starting to wander.

“That's because she's afraid we'd start telling people about how much of an ugly duckling she was before the growth spurt.”

I giggled and looked to see if Yemisi had any rebuttal. She was nowhere to be found.