Chapter 36 Nyree
Even though Asia seemed fine once we started eating dinner, I could tell she was still conflicted. And as her man, I felt I should do something about it. The only thing was, I didn't know what.
We binge-watched a couple shows in her bedroom after dinner, then fell asleep.
The next morning, I had to do the photo shoot for the client who wanted to update her LinkedIn profile, so I had to leave before she woke up.
I went through the motions with the client then went home to edit her photos because she wanted them posted ASAP.
Once finished, an idea came to me. It was small and might be stupid, but as the man in our relationship, I felt the need to take the lead. I went to social media and updated my status to Engaged and tagged Asia as my fiancé.
Soon as it posted, congratulations comments and texts started coming in on my phone, including a private message from Que saying, TF? When did this happen? with his dry-hating ass.
But I couldn't care less about what Que or anyone else thought about our relationship. Asia was my wife and sooner or later everyone would know it. Updating my status was my way of letting her know in front of the world that I was ready to stand ten toes about our relationship.
I stared at my phone screen, watching the notifications pile up.
With each ping, a wave of anxiety rolled through my chest. What had I just done?
I hadn't even talked to Asia about this first. Last night she was worried about keeping our secret, and here I was, blasting it across social media like it was nothing.
I grabbed my phone and pulled up Asia's contact, my thumb hovering over the call button. Should I warn her? Explain myself? But what would I say? "Hey babe, hope you're having a good morning. By the way, I just announced our engagement to everyone we know without asking you first."
I put the phone down and ran my hands over my face.
This was not how a husband was supposed to act.
We were supposed to be a team, making decisions together.
But something inside me had just snapped when I saw that conflicted look in her eyes last night.
I needed her to know I wasn't having second thoughts.
That I was all in, even if we had to pretend for a while that we weren't already married.
My phone buzzed again. Another friend congratulating me.
I wrote back to thank them then liked a few other people’s comments on my post.
My phone kept lighting up, but the more it did, the more I hoped I didn’t make things worse for us. What if Asia was upset? What if she thought I was pressuring her?
The phone buzzed in my hand, and Asia's name flashed on the screen. My heart jumped into my throat.
"Hey," I answered, trying to sound casual.
"So..." Her voice was measured, giving nothing away. "I just woke up to about fifty notifications."
I closed my eyes. "I'm sorry. I should have talked to you first."
"Yeah, you should have." She paused, and I held my breath, waiting for her to continue. "But... it's done now."
"Are you mad?" I asked, feeling like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
"I'm..." she hesitated. "I'm processing. This means everyone knows now."
"Not everything," I said quickly. "Just that we're engaged. Which is what we agreed to tell people, right? I thought it would make it real. For everyone else, I mean."
"Nyree, I—"
"I just wanted to show you I'm serious about us," I cut in, the words rushing out of me.
"After last night, I could tell you were worried.
About us moving too fast, about what everyone would think.
And I know we agreed to wait, but I just..
. I needed to do something to prove to you that I'm not going anywhere. "
There was silence on the other end of the line, and for a second, I thought she might have hung up on me.
"Asia?"
"I'm here," she said, her voice softer now. "I'm not mad, Nyree. Just a little blindsided."
"I know, and I'm sorry—"
"But," she continued, talking over my apology, "I think maybe it's good. Like ripping off a Band-Aid, you know? Now everyone knows we're engaged, and we can stop tiptoeing around it."
Relief flooded through me. "So... we're good?"
"We're good," she confirmed. "Hold on a second..."
I heard the sound of her tapping on her phone, then a moment later, my phone pinged with a new notification.
"Check your phone," she said.
I pulled the phone away from my ear and opened the notification. Asia had accepted my relationship status change and updated hers as well. Her profile now proudly declared she was engaged to me.
"You didn't have to do that," I said, though a smile was spreading across my face.
"I wanted to," she said. "Like you said, we're in this together. Ten toes down."
I laughed, some of the tension. leaving my body. "That's right. Ten toes down."
"Now I just have to deal with Bella," Asia said with a sigh. "She's already called me three times."
"That nigga Que hit me up too," I admitted.
“Que?” Asia said, and I could imagine her scrunched up facial expression when she said it. “The guy from the blind date?”
I chuckled. “Yeah. He always been a low key hater.”
Asia giggled. “What makes it even funnier is Bella was trying to hook me up with him the night we met.”
I hadn’t even thought about that. “Damn,” I chuckled. “That is kind of wild. Maybe we should have coordinated this better."
"Ya think?" she said, but I could hear the smile in her voice. "It's okay. We'll figure it out. Together."
"Together," I repeated, the word filling me with warmth. "I've got another photo shoot this afternoon, but I should be at your place by seven."
"That sounds good," she said. "I've got some more mock-ups to finish for Messy Tees anyway. Come over when you're done."
"Will do. And Asia?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you."
"I love you too," she said. "Even when you make impulsive decisions without consulting me."
"I'll try not to make a habit of it," I promised.
After we hung up, I stared at my phone for a long moment, taking in the reality of what had just happened. We were engaged in the eyes of the world.
With a renewed sense of purpose, I glanced around my apartment. This place that had been my bachelor pad for years suddenly felt like a temporary stopping point. It wasn't home anymore. Home was with Asia.
I grabbed a trash bag from under the sink and started moving through the apartment, eyeing my possessions with new scrutiny. Time to throw away all the shit I wasn’t keeping.