Chapter 11
This day had no business being this perfect. By the time we walked up the ramp to the boat Duality had booked for a sunset dinner cruise, my cheeks hurt from smiling and my thighs hurt from well . . . Hasheem.
“Y’all, look at this,” I squealed, swinging my camera around to catch the view. It looked like something straight from Pinterest. It had strung lights, candles, and little white tables lined up along the rail. Duality amazed me again.
“Come on,” Hasheem said, guiding me down the dock with his hand resting on his new favorite place, the small of my back. The second we stepped on board, one of the staff members greeted us with a tray of pink drinks.
“Welcome, welcome!” She spoke, thrusting the tray of pink drinks toward us as we stepped on board. “Mr. and Mrs.?”
“Hart,” Hasheem said before I could open my mouth.
My head snapped up to look at him. He didn’t even hesitate.
He just took two drinks and handed one to me like he had just done the most normal thing ever, like he hadn’t just tried his last name on me in public.
My heart skipped a beat, and my cheeks flushed pink.
I lifted the drink to my lips and took a sip.
It was my attempt at trying to act normal and not like some excited little schoolgirl.
“Right this way, Mr. and Mrs. Hart.” Another staff member gestured us forward.
We moved onto the deck where tables were set up facing the ocean.
Most of the couples had already arrived.
Everybody looked good in their all-white outfits, laughing, posing for pictures, clinking glasses.
We found our names at one of the middle tables right across from Tiana and Malik, a few seats down from where Simone was posted with other Duality staff members.
The second she spotted us, her eyes rolled so hard I could feel it from here.
Hasheem either didn’t notice or didn’t care because he pulled my chair out like a gentleman and bent down to kiss me against my cheek.
“Comfortable?” he whispered.
“Yes.” I nodded with the biggest smile on my face. I didn’t have to look to know Simone saw all of that. Tiana caught my eye from across the table and did this slow little smirk, lifting her glass like she was toasting us.
Y’all cute or whatever, she mouthed.
Thank ya, I mouthed back as Hasheem’s fingers found my thigh, giving me a reassuring squeeze that said I’m right here. For the first time all day, I let myself lean into it just a little. If Simone had a problem with it, that was her issue.
“Okay, Duality couples,” Simone said into the mic as she took center stage.
“Y’all look stunning. Give yourselves a round of applause.
” Everyone around us started clapping, but I just sipped my drink.
“This cruise is about celebrating love,” she went on.
“So we’re gonna have a little fun tonight with a game .
. .” She paused for dramatic effect. “Tonight, we’re playing Truth or Dare.
” The boat broke out into little oohs and giggles just as the servers started coming around with trays, setting salads in front of us.
“Truth or Dare?” I muttered, unfolding my napkin. “They need to just let us eat in peace.”
Hasheem laughed, resting his arm along the back of my chair.
“That wouldn’t be any fun. Now, would it?” Hasheem grinned, and I shot him a look as I dug into my salad.
They didn’t even let all the food get out before they started coming around, making couples draw cards from a little glass bowl. The questions were cute. Things like ‘say one thing you love about your partner’s body,’ or ‘who said I love you first, and where?’
Tiana and Malik ended up choosing dare and had to recite “Dreams and Nightmares” while she slow whined on him.
By the time they were done, half the boat was hollering, and the DJ was begging them to keep it PG-13.
I cheered them along with everybody else, but I couldn’t take my eyes off Simone.
She was already shuffling the deck and making her way over to us.
I wanted her to skip us so bad, but I knew that was a hard pass.
“Next up . . .” Simone’s eyes landed right on me. “Harlowe and Hasheem.”
My stomach dipped. Hasheem’s hand slid over my thigh under the table, and my eyes shot to him. Now was the time to pep talk myself. You can do this, Harlowe.
“Y’all know the rules,” Simone said, smiling wide. “What y’all taking? Truth or dare?”
“Dare,” Hasheem said at the same time I said, “Truth.” We both looked at each other. In my head, truth was the safe bet. Every couple before us had gotten cute little questions. There was no way I was taking a dare. A dare was going to have us half naked taking shots on the bar or something.
“Interesting,” Simone said slowly, gazing between us.
“Split decision. Here’s your card.” She handed me a pink and red card from the deck she was holding, and I shut my eyes before reading it.
Please don’t be weird. Please don’t be weird.
Please don’t be— The moment I opened my eyes, my throat closed.
There was no way in hell this was my question.
Have you ever dated or slept with your current partner’s sibling or their ex?
“Well?” Simone tilted her head. “You gotta read it out loud, babe.”
I shook my head before I could stop myself. There was no way I was reading that out loud and answering it. I felt Hasheem sit up beside me. He leaned over and read the card.
“Nah, we not answering that.”
“Oh? So y’all forfeiting?” Simone’s brows raised.
“Nah. We’ll take the dare,” Hasheem replied, plucking the card out of my hand and flipping it over to the other side. His eyes skimmed over it before shooting up to Simone.
“What it say?” somebody called.
“Read it for us, Hasheem.” Simone smiled like she was enjoying every second of this.
“It says…” He paused, then looked right at me.
“Switch partners with another couple for one song and give them a dance they won’t forget.
” The hell? A little ripple of “ohs” rolled through the crowd.
Simone had definitely handpicked this card for us.
She had to because there was no way we’d drawn the messiest card in the deck.
“Rules are rules. Y’all chose dare,” Simone said into the mic.
“Alright,” he said easily, eyes never leaving mine. “Tiana and Malik.” He stood and held his hand out to me. I slid my fingers into his automatically. “Trust me,” he whispered in my ear. I glanced over at Simone, who was smiling like a fool.
“Looks like we got ourselves a trade,” she said tightly. “DJ, give us something slow.”
I bit back a laugh, then shot Simone a look over Malik’s shoulder.
If she wanted a show, we were definitely about to give her one.
Twista’s “Daddy” came through the speakers, and my eyes shot to Hasheem.
He nodded at me with a stupid smile on face.
There was nothing funny about having to give somebody else’s man a lap dance in front of everybody.
I swallowed hard as I glanced over at Tiana.
Sorry, I mouthed just as Hasheem stepped in front of Tiana like he was about to grind her down, hands lifting like he was Channing Tatum in Magic Mike.
Okay, we’re doing this. I took a deep breath, ready to hit a body roll, when Hasheem started stomping his right leg.
Was he doing the A-Town stomp? I stared at him for a second, and sure enough, he was full knees, face screwed up and all.
The whole boat exploded with laughter, and so did I.
“Not the A-Town stomp!” Tiana dropped into her chair, fanning herself.
“Aye, chill! You tryna take my wife?” Malik joked, falling out of his seat, crying laughing.
This I could do. I slid in front of Malik, gave him two seconds of Shakira energy, and then flipped it into the Milly Rock. The rest of the couples lost it, and phones came out all around us. Hasheem and I ran through the best dances of the 2000s.
“Alright, alright.” The DJ caught the vibe and mixed the track.
“Let’s throw this thing back then.” Dem Franchise Boys filled the speakers and “Lean Wit It, Rock Wit It” sailed through the air.
Everybody on the ship jumped to their feet.
Tiana stood from her chair and grabbed my hand as we rocked side by side together, snapping our fingers and doing our step.
I smiled over at Hasheem. Any mess that Simone was trying to start by giving us that card was gone.
“Okay!” Simone called through the mic before the song could even end. “That was . . . cute. Next couple!”
The music slowed, and Hasheem guided us back to our seats. My knees were screaming, and I was wheezing for air, but that was fun.
“You good?” Hasheem asked, dropping his hand back onto my thigh under the table like it belonged there.
“Yeah. Thanks for making what could have been a really embarrassing moment one of the best moments of this trip.”
“That’s how you handle somebody playing in your face,” he said quietly. “You don’t let ’em see you sweat. You let them see you having fun.”
I nodded. Simone could put all of our history out into the world if she wanted.
Yes, I’d slept with his brother, been friends with his ex, invited my best friend on a brand trip, and started falling for him.
The gag was Hasheem already knew all of this, and he was still choosing me.
Maybe people would talk when all this got out.
Maybe his family would have questions. Maybe mine too, but for the first time, that didn’t feel bigger than us.
Maybe we didn’t have to pack this up when we left Zanzibar.