21. Nourah Marcell
A few days later…
Iwas tired as hell.
Not regular tired either. I was the kind of tired where if somebody asked me one more question, I might’ve started crying. A bitch needed sleep BAD!
I had been in my office damn near all day finishing up three mystery boxes for clients who booked my personal shopping package.
They’d already sent over their measurements, sizes, pictures, style preferences, the type of looks they normally wore, what they absolutely hated, and the amount they wanted to spend.
From there, I did what I did best.
Shopped.
One client wanted cute, grown-woman pieces she could wear to brunch, dinner, and date nights with her booski without looking like she tried too hard.
Another wanted to completely switch up her wardrobe after losing 100 pounds.
Okay, clock it! The last one had basically told me to do whatever the hell I wanted as long as she looked expensive.
That was my favorite kind of client! Okurrr!
I had picked out tops, bottoms, dresses, shoes, accessories, and even a few pieces of shapewear where needed. Everything had been folded in tissue paper, boxed up, labeled, and was ready to be shipped first thing in the morning.
On top of that, I’d finished altering a custom birthday outfit somebody needed for next weekend and put the final touches on a prom dress a mama had ordered ridiculously early for her daughter that I had been working on for almost three weeks.
It was so fucking cute. Like, literally, chef’s kiss.
I really did my biggest one and couldn’t wait to see the young lady wear her dress.
I stood in the middle of my office for a second and looked around.
Man. I was proud of this shit.
It wasn’t huge or overly fancy, but it was mine. Clothing racks lined one wall, while shelves held fabrics and supplies on another. My desk sat toward the back with my laptop, sketchpad, receipts, and the iced coffee I’d forgotten about hours ago.
Bodied By NouNou had really grown.
Sometimes I got so caught up in being tired that I forgot to appreciate that.
But tonight?
I was appreciating my bed.
“See your ass tomorrow.” I laughed because I had the worst habit of talking to myself. I really needed to cut that out.
I turned off the lights, locked everything up, and headed outside. The second that air hit me, I smiled.
It was still bright out, the sun sitting high enough to make it feel like the day wasn’t even close to being over. I tossed my purse onto the passenger seat, climbed into my car, and immediately turned my music up.
My phone lit up in the cupholder, and the good mood I was in was automatically put on pause when I saw an unknown call light up on the screen.
I rolled my eyes and let it ring. I wasn’t interested in hearing anything else Carl had to say.
My phone stopped ringing, then started again.
I kissed my teeth. “Boy, fuck you.”
I kept driving and yawned because it was almost like my body just knew that I was pulling into my apartment complex and that I was about to take a good-ass shower, put on some cute PJs, sip a little wine, and go to sleep.
I gathered all my things, hopped out of the car, and made it halfway up the steps when I heard my name.
“Nourah.”
I froze.
You have got to be fucking kidding me.
I slowly turned around.
Carl stood near the bottom of the stairs holding a bouquet of flowers. And unfortunately for me, he looked good.
Tired, but good.
His locs were pulled back, glasses sitting on his face, and he had on a plain T-shirt with a pair of dark jeans and sneakers. But it was his expression that caught me.
He looked miserable.
Like somebody had been dragging his ass through hell all week and forgot to bring him back.
Or was that me?
Oops, nigga!
I turned fully toward him and folded my arms.
“What do you want, Carl?”
He released a slow breath. “I’ve been calling and texting you nonstop from different numbers.”
“Uh, yeah… I know.”
He sighed. “I didn’t like the way our last conversation ended.”
I laughed, but there wasn’t shit funny.
“Well, I didn’t like the way it ended either, but that’s neither here nor there.”
He stepped closer, and I immediately held up my hand.
“Don’t.”
He stopped.
I pointed at him. “You’re a lying-ass dog, Carl. I really thought you were different too. That’s the crazy part.”
His eyebrows lifted. “Baby, how did I lie?”
“Look, I’m tired and I’m going in the house, so you wasted good time coming over—”
“Will you just listen to me?”
“I listened enough.”
“No, you didn’t.” He shook his head. “Because everything that happened isn’t what you’re thinking. That’s what I’ve been trying to explain to you.”
I sucked my teeth.
“I just got back in town last night. I barely slept because I knew I had to talk to you… in person.”
I stared at him. “Am I supposed to feel bad about that?”
His shoulders dropped.
“No. I’m just saying…” He rubbed his hand down his face. “Nourah, don’t be so cold with me. I’m not the bad guy here.”
I looked to my left, then my right, then behind me.
Carl frowned. “What are you doing?”
“Looking for the nigga who is.”
“Nourah.”
“Because if you’re not the bad guy, then who the hell is?”
“Nobody.”
“Boy, you butt-dialed me!” I snapped. “I sat there and listened to you asking another woman to fucking marry you! Please just get out of my face… I’m done!”
He stared at me for a long moment. “What you heard was correct.”
Everything inside me went still.
“Excuse me?”
“You did hear me asking a woman to marry me.”
“Carl, I swear to God, if you don’t get the fuck on before I start swinging on you, they’re gonna have to call the police to get me up off your ass.”
A couple walking their dog glanced in our direction. I didn’t give a damn.
Carl glanced around before looking back at me.
“Can you please stop yelling?”
“NO!”
“Okay.” He nodded quickly. “Okay. Fine.”
“And take them flowers with you too.”
“I will.”
“Good.”
“But first, look at this.”
“I don’t want to look at shit!”
He reached into his pocket, and my eyes narrowed.
“What are you doing?”
Instead of answering me, he pulled out a small box.
My mouth closed. Carl stared at me for a second before slowly opening it.
My heart stopped. Inside was the biggest princess-cut diamond ring I had ever seen in person.
“Carl…”
He stepped up several steps, meeting me halfway, but I was stuck standing still, shocked as hell.
“What the fuck is that ring for?”
He laughed nervously, but his eyes were already getting glossy.
Then this fool got down on one knee the best he could on the stairs and sat the flowers down next to him.
My hand flew to my mouth, and Carl swallowed.
“Everything I told you about my work trip was true. I had meetings, system installations, inspections, all that stuff. But I was planning to propose to you as soon as I got back, and I had the ring sent to my hotel just so I could make sure it was perfect for you. My coworker that you heard on the phone was pretending to be you so I could work up the courage to ask you to marry me. She was helping me with a run through that morning… Actually, a couple of my coworkers were helping me plan a special night for you. But… that clearly got ruined after the butt dial.”
He lifted the ring box slightly, then looked down for a second before meeting my eyes again.
I just stared at him.
“Even after all that practicing, Nourah, I’m still nervous.” He laughed quietly. “I love you.”
My eyes burned.
“Carl… I—”
“No. Let me finish… I love you, Nourah. I would never cheat on you. I would never intentionally hurt you, and I damn sure wouldn’t do anything that could jeopardize this relationship…
you’re the only woman I want to be with,” he continued.
“You’re the person I want to come home to.
You’re who I want to build with. I want us to buy a house.
I want to have kids with you. I want family vacations and arguments over dumb things and you taking over every closet in the house, even though you’ll swear you don’t have enough clothes. ”
A tear slipped down my cheek. “Oh my God,” I whispered.
I stepped closer, my eyes dropping to the ring again.
His eyes locked on mine. “I love you more than I’ve ever loved anybody. You’re my best friend.”
Behind Carl’s face, PB’s flashed through my mind.
His lips against mine and the look in his eyes…
Fuck.
Carl smiled softly. “Nourah Marcell…” He took one more breath. “Will you marry me?”