Tinder, Love and Care

Epilogue: Prior Engagements

Justice POV; Five years later

My fingers were itching to grab my camera as I laid against Hyacinthe's naked back.

She was snoring lowly, and her long twists were wrapped in a scarf as the sun came shining into the window. I told her I always forgot to buy blackout curtains, but in reality, I just loved waking up to this view.

I had a sneaking suspicion she knew it, too.

Throughout the years, few things had changed about her. Now, she had a few tattoos along her back that I made sure to kiss each time I got her out her clothes. Her body had turned even more curvaceous, but all my favorites were still there.

Like the birthmark behind her ear that almost looked like a star, and the concentrated pout of her lips.

Looking at her made me realize why women asked for flowers. They... she was the perfect gift. Sweet smells and beautiful petals that made you want to stay in the garden for a few moments longer.

Sliding impossibly closer, I ran my nose along her neck and shoulder to catch her scent. Hyacinthe unconsciously moved closer in her sleep and let out a contented sigh that brought a smile to my lips.

The urge to capture this moment was growing more intense, so I slowly started to move away from her warmth.

Quietly, I pulled open the bedside drawer to grab my camera. To get a better vantage point, I sat against the headboard before snapping a few.

Each photo had a little element of me in it with my flower as the focus. My legs beside her resting form, and my shadow when I stood to walk around.

If she was going to be frozen in time, I wanted to be there with her.

It was a kind of ritual now in our relationship. We'd been so afraid of when the last moment would be that now we took every chance to immortalize ourselves.

Some part of me also loved the way hints of me in the photo highlighted that Hyacinthe was mine, and I was hers.

"You better not be taking pictures of me, Justice Davis." Hyacinthe mumbled into her pile of pillows, stopping me in my tracks.

"You make it sound so sinister, Lil' Cin." I teased, sitting on the bed before pressing a sugared kiss to her lips.

"You're happy today." She commented, raising an eyebrow but still relenting as I snapped a couple more photos.

It was hard masking the nervous energy trill of my fingers from her words, but I quickly responded to shift her focus.

"I'm happy every day I wake up next to your fine ass." I said and was rewarded with her laugh and smile.

"And while I would love to lay here all day with you, I promised Divine and Olivia we'd have a girls day."

Even as the words left her lips, I watched her snuggle deeper into the covers. Normally, I'd wait and see just how long it would take her to finally get up.

But today was different.

"Come on, Lil' Cin. I'm not trying to hear Divine honking the whole neighborhood down." I laughed, easing the covers down.

"She'll do it too." Hyacinthe sighed but got up nonetheless.

As she passed me, I reached to softly grasp her wrists.

"You're forgetting something, Cinthe." My voice deepened in faux seriousness.

"What?"

The sleepy confusion on her face was adorable, and my plans for the day further cemented. This was right.