Chapter 31
REINA
To say that I was having a blast in Tokyo was an understatement.
The vibes were immaculate. The fun was unlimited.
And I truly didn’t have to bring anything but my passport and my lip gloss.
Though I didn’t mind, Vasiah didn’t let me swipe my card one time.
I’m so used to planning and curating everything when it comes to trips that it felt weird to just go with someone else’s flow each day.
I now understood Reign when he said that his favorite thing was to make Rae turn her brain off when they traveled together.
I didn’t give a damn about my shop, the suite, or those clients and stylists of mine for the past ten days. I wish I could live like this forever.
I was still going strong in therapy, and Dr. Love and her hard-hitting questions were starting to frighten me less.
The relationship among Reign, me, and our mama was getting stronger by the day.
We talked every morning on our way to work and sent each other funny TikToks and inspirational messages.
Nana’s birthday was coming up in October, and we planned to go visit her at the cemetery and have a picnic in her honor.
None of us had gone back since the funeral over seven years ago, but it was time to start new traditions.
Poppa Hill and I continued our bi-weekly outings, and I was so happy to see him come out of his shell and start dating.
Miss Diane seemed like a good catch, and I wished them nothing but bliss.
As for Mykita and Enrico, we didn’t hear from either of them again.
Enrico actually closed his hookah lounge and moved out of state last I heard, and Mykita crawled back to wherever the hell she came from.
As long as she was out of my man’s face, I didn’t care.
Life felt incredibly good to me right now, and while not perfect, I was basking in the moment.
Vasiah and I were growing beautifully, too, I think.
Outside of my brother and my friends, never have I ever experienced so much kindness and patience from a man.
As someone who never had expectations for how a relationship should go, Vasiah exceeded them all.
My Nana told me once that you know someone is for you when you can recite the Corinthians prayer and replace love with their name.
Vasiah was patient.
Vasiah was kind.
Vasiah didn’t boast.
Vasiah didn’t envy me.
Vasiah didn’t keep a record of my wrongs.
Vasiah was not self-seeking, and he never dishonored me.
I was sprung.
I was in love.
I was devoted.
I felt cherished.
“You bout ready, Hayami?” He came to the doorway and met my eyes in the mirror.
The band on my wig for the day was just about ready to come off as I carefully applied my makeup.
We were going shopping and having a picnic under some cherry blossom trees.
We were leaving tomorrow, and after a non-stop adventure, I wanted something chill to do because once we got back to the States, it would be non-stop hustle for a while.
“Mmhmm. I’m ready.” I stood and twirled in my orange and blue sundress.
I was grateful that the weather still felt pretty summery and that we would be leaving right before typhoon season.
Vasiah looked handsome in his green cargos and a Dragon Ball Z shirt.
We took the train, and I’ll be honest, the U.S.
ain’t got shit on Tokyo’s transportation system.
We were light-years behind. Walking the quiet bridge in Kyoto, I marveled at the sight of the greenery and how serene it felt.
“Oooh, baby, look over there–” I turned, and the rest of the sentence died on my lips because Vasiah was on one knee.
“What….wha…. Vasiah, I’m finna fart!”
“Fart?”
“I mean faint!” I shook my head, overcome with emotion.
He laughed while tears forced their way out of my eyes and down my cheeks.
“LaReina Daeyonna King…To be honest, this is indeed crazy. All the rules say you shouldn’t move so fast, but with you, time doesn’t exist for real.
Not because we are frozen in it, but because I am too busy enjoying every millisecond with you.
Every smile, every laugh, every cuddle, every kiss, everything that makes you you, adds more time to my life.
I’ve spent 32 years without you, and in just a few short months, my life has become fuller because of you.
I wanna marry you, Hayami. I want to grow deeper in love with you; I want to grow old with you, and I want you to proudly rock my last name.
I love you, and everything you come with –”
“Even my attitude?”
“Especially that attitude. You are my favorite problem to solve and my favorite brat to reprimand. You were too much for those other niggas…but you are just enough for me. The missing link, but I finally found you… So will you do me the honors?”
I wanted to screech like Braxton from The Jamie Foxx Show.
Me? About to be someone’s wife?
I smirked, thinking of how my Nana said nobody would want a crazy woman. Now, I had a nigga on his knees, proposing to me.
Joke's on you, Nana. I found a nigga who loves me AND all my crazy.
“Hayami, I’d wait down here all day if I could…But I need an answer.”
“Vasiah…hell yeah, I’ll marry you. Who else do you think would do it?”
He slipped the rock on my finger. I didn’t know how many carats, nor did I give a damn. I just knew that I found the one who made me wanna break every arbitrary rule I had.
In this life.
In the next one.
I was loved.
Supported.
Revered.
And so, so cherished. Love found me in the most unlikely places, but as I kissed Vasiah, I was reminded of something very important:
Love doesn’t follow the rules. And in this instance, it never had to.
The End