Idée Fixe

Indigo (2)

Chapter Seven

"You look good," Jalen compliments as I climb out of the car. He holds his hand out towards me and I gladly place mine into his while peering up at the restaurant.

I decided to wear a black dress that hugs my figure perfectly with a unique cut in the fabric underneath my right chest and matching black heels. My hair is pulled back into a low ponytail and I kept my makeup look natural.

"Thank you, so do you," I reply back as I take him in. He's wearing a black Gucci jumpsuit with matching Gucci shoes and a few gold chains are hanging from his neck.

"Good evening, Mr. Salvatore," the host greets as we enter the building and I look around, admiring the well-established restaurant. It looks expensive.

Jalen whispers something to the older woman, causing her to nod in response and he thanks her before pulling me closer towards him. He guides me towards a dark staircase and I knit my eyebrows in confusion as we ascend them.

"Where are we going?" I ask, but he doesn't say anything.

We ascend another flight of stairs, before reaching the top and Jalen pushes open a door. I walk out closely behind him and my breath is damn near taken away as I take in the view. We're on a rooftop that overlooks the ocean and there's a beautifully set table already waiting for us.

"Jalen, this is beautiful," I say as I continue to take everything in, "nobody has ever done anything like this for me."

"Good, that means you won't forget tonight," he smiles while walking towards the table and pulling a chair out for me. I settle into it before he scoots it closer towards the table and takes his seat across from me.

I turn my attention towards the ocean, the sky is illuminated with multiple different colors; fiery orange, scorching red, hints of yellow and yet the outer edges of the radiant sky have started to cool with the indigo of the night. In the midst of it, the glowing sun distributes itself over the water, illuminating a quivering path across it.

"This is so beautiful," I let out.

"Yeah, it is," Jalen agrees.

My attention falls onto him and I admire how at peace he looks as he takes in the sunset, no view is better.

"Thank you for bringing me here."

"You ain't gotta thank me," he says as he pulls his attention away from the ocean. He grabs the bottle of wine, before opening it and pouring us each a glass.

"Thanks," I say, before taking a small sip. The wine is sweet and fresh, leaving a fruity taste in my mouth.

"Do you regret meeting your ex?" Jalen asks and I turn towards the ocean again, pondering on his question.

"My bad," he says after a while, "we ain't gotta talk about him."

"No, it's fine," I turn back towards him, "I feel like everything happens for a reason. I never understood why God allowed me to fall for someone like him, but if I didn't I would probably still be living with my overprotective grandmother and not sitting here having this conversation with you."

"You don't think dealing with your overprotective grandmother would've been better than what you endured with him?"

"If I didn't endure it, I wouldn't have met you and your family. I've never felt this amount of love and security in my life, not even with my grandmother. I felt like I was suffocating and I needed an escape. Unfortunately, my escape came with consequences but those consequences led me to you."

Jalen nods while drinking some of his wine. He sits back in his seat and stares at me.

"I admire how strong you are," he says after a few minutes of silence, "you've been through a lot on your own and you continue to strive through it, I know a lot of niggas that couldn't even handle the shit you do."

I smile as I take in his words, "I'm just trying to find my purpose in life."

"I'm glad your 'consequences'," he uses his fingers to air-quote the word, "led you to me."

"Yeah?"

He nods as we continue to hold each other's stare. That night, we share more of ourselves than we ever have with anyone else. I felt myself falling for him and I didn't mind, because for some reason I believed that in the end, he'd catch me.