TWELVE #4
Their first stop was a tiny Cuban café tucked away on a side street that most tourists would've driven past without a second glance. It was a hidden gem that Jio and his family both made sure to stop by anytime they were in the city.
The aroma of freshly brewed espresso greeted them before they even made it through the front door. The owner knew Jio by name and he embraced him with one of those hugs that people mainly reserved for family.
He insisted that Nina try every single freshly baked good that they had on the menu, and Nina was happy to do so.
She’d been in the gym and watching what she ate lately, but she was on a one-day trip with the true love of her life, so she figured it was okay to throw discipline out of the window for today.
She’d never had Cuban coffee before. After the first few sips, she told Jio that they had to take some back so Ephrem could try.
They were coffee connoisseurs. The espresso was bold yet sweet and way too strong, but that’s just how she liked hers.
Jio warned her, “Be careful, it’s like liquid Adderall.
” He knew from experience that Cuban coffee would have her talking a mile a minute for the rest of the day.
“You New Yorkers think y’all invented coffee,” the owner teased.
“We absolutely did,” she argued.
Jio kissed the top of her head before stealing another bite of her pastry. “This is good.” He took a quick picture and sent it to his auntie. She needed to re-create these for the bakery.
“Never! Y’all just made it expensive,” he laughed.
From the coffee shop, they went to one of the most relaxing spas that Nina had ever stepped foot inside, and she’d been to plenty. Massages were now a part of her monthly maintenance appointments.
Jio booked her a ninety-minute deep tissue massage.
She assumed he was getting one too but he had the driver take him to run an errand.
He wouldn’t be the rich nigga that he was if he didn’t kill two birds with one stone.
Jio was back in perfect timing and met her in the sauna, where she told him how good her massage was.
“I never realized how much stress lived in my shoulders.” She literally felt lighter after the massage.
“Yeah, I heard you snoring from down the hallway,” he lied.
“I needed this, thank you, babe.”
Jio was just happy to be with her. By the afternoon, he’d ate her out twice and fucked her once, but instead of putting her to sleep like he thought was going to happen, his baby girl wanted to go swimming.
So they ended up on the rooftop of a luxury condominium that he ended up telling her he used to rent a unit at a few years ago and still had a great relationship with the property manager.
Nina didn’t know if that was code for “I used to fuck her” or not.
She honestly didn’t care to ask. She told him that she wanted to swim and he made it happen… like he always did.
The infinity pool overlooked a popular area known as Biscayne Bay. Nina was in heaven as they floated alongside each other, stealing kisses and splashing each other every now and then. This was exactly what she considered to be the perfect example of pure relaxation.
Jio left his phones on one of the pool chairs, and Nina didn’t know where hers were, and she didn’t care either. Nothing could stop their flow today. The only thing that mattered today was the breathtaking view, sunshine, and how their souls intertwined with every passing second.
Later, they rented bicycles and wandered through South Beach without a destination in mind.
They rode slower than everyone else, stopping whenever something caught Nina's attention.
A street musician playing the saxophone.
An elderly couple dancing beside an outdoor café.
A little girl chasing bubbles while her father clapped from the sidewalk.
Jio never rushed her. The only thing he did was wait with one hand resting on the handlebars, watching her admire ordinary moments she'd been moving too fast to notice back home. He purposely didn’t keep up with the time when they were in Miami because she was already shackled to calendar dates and alarm clocks.
He loved seeing her be free to just breathe and live in the moment.
Jio vowed to give her more moments such as these.
Lunch turned into an early dinner at a waterfront restaurant that specialized in seafood, her favorite.
Seasoned crab claws, grilled snapper, and buttery lobster tails covered nearly every inch of the table.
Nina insisted there was no way two people could eat that much food, yet somehow, they managed to clear every plate placed in front of them.
She spent most of the meal stealing bites from Jio’s plate despite ordering exactly what she’d wanted.
He fake complained every single time while quietly sliding the best pieces in her direction anyway.
“Here baby…” he would say.
It was one of their shared bad habits that neither wanted to break.
As the evening settled over the city, they wandered onto the beach barefoot.
Their designer slides were left somewhere beneath a lounge chair that they didn’t pay to reserve.
The ocean rolled gently against the shoreline and the sand shifted beneath their feet with every step.
Nina slipped her hand into Jio's without thinking. He looked down at their fingers intertwined before squeezing her hand just a little tighter. What his lips didn’t part to say, she felt it regardless. He loved her and she loved him back.
Neither of them had anything to say or prove. The silence between them was filled with peace and all was truly well in their world.
Together they watched the sun slowly disappear beneath the horizon, painting the sky in shades of coral, amber, and lavender that no camera would be able to capture perfectly.
Couples gathered nearby, taking photographs as children chased waves and laughter floated effortlessly across the water.
Nina rested her head against Jio's shoulder and quietly wondered why happiness had always seemed so much more complicated than what it was. It took an impromptu trip to Miami to finally realize that life could be so simple. They’d allowed everything and everyone to get in the middle of what they were building.
Nina finally accepted that she wouldn’t find what she was looking for in another title change or salary bump.
It wasn’t a magazine cover or seven-figure deal that could bring her the joy and peace that she had when she was with Jio.
A cup of cheap coffee, bike-riding, and eating ceviche with her fingers had done the trick.
He was magic. He was the missing ingredient to a recipe that she’d been trying to master all by her lonesome.
For one lovely day, Miami gave them exactly what New York never could.
They’d been given the chance to exist with no titles, expectations, past mistakes, or none of that shit.
They could just be Jio and Nina, no last names needed.
She fell deeper in love with Jio in Miami.
The memories that they created today would soon become the most treasured moments of their lives, and Nina didn’t even know it.
As the jet prepared to get them back to New York safely, Nina curled against Jio’s chest and fell asleep before they reached the stars.
He looked down at the woman who had become his biggest blessing and his greatest vulnerability all at once.
Quietly, he kissed the top of her head and thanked God for giving him another chance to love her the right way.