The soft colors twinkled like fine sand under the bright lights. It brought out her gorgeous hazel eyes that finally sparkled with a bit of happiness. Her hair, now up to her chin, had long strands bowing from her forehead to her chin, dropping in height as it trailed to her back. Angular. She always wanted to try the angular look but was always afraid to try. Having nice thick hair, it worked perfectly.
“I love it, Freddie. I absolutely love it. Like always, you performed a miracle.”
He gave her a sweet hug, then framed her face with his delicate hands. “No, like always, you made it easy. You two skedaddle while I finish my shift. You’re not finished with this adventurous day.”
“I’m taking you out for dinner one of these nights. No arguments,” she told him.
“I look forward to it. Now shoo!” He waved his hands for them to get going, but not before Dominic gave him the sweetest kiss to last the rest of the day.
“So, next is some shopping. I think a few more dresses like this one would be perfect,” Dominic said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder as they walked out of the salon.
“I’m glad we did the spa and massage treatment before my hair. I’d hate to ruin the beauty of it right now. Trying on clothes could ruin it as well.”
“Oh, no, my sweetie. You’re not getting out of shopping. Don’t even try.”
“Okay, you twisted my arm,” she said with a boisterous laugh.
Another two hours later, they sat at a quaint café in the heart of the city, surrounded by bags galore. She should’ve known at the beginning of their relationship when she and Dominic had dated that something was off. He always enjoyed shopping with her. He could pick through clothes with delicate patience, never foaming at the mouth that she was taking too long. If anything, he dawdled more than her.
While at times she was sad she lost such a beautiful relationship with a man, she was still happy to have his friendship. Surviving this downfall from Dax would’ve been impossible without him by her side.
“What is that crazy mind of yours thinking?” Dominic asked as he set the menu down on the table and waited for the server to come back with their drinks.
“That I had such a great day. Thank you. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“I have no idea either.” He chuckled as his eyes twinkled with delight. “Freddie adores you as well. We’re thinking about moving in together. Well, he asked me. I’m not sure I’m ready for that.”
She lowered her menu as the surprise took over. “I’ve been wallowing in self-pity over a man I barely know and you’ve been keeping this monstrous of a thing hidden from me. What is wrong with you? When did this happen?”
He shrugged like it wasn’t that big of a deal. “A couple of days ago. You were busy with Lily’s wedding and I was afraid to talk about it. He asked me. I froze. We haven’t talked about it again. That’s a big step in a relationship. You and I didn’t even move in together.”
Reaching across the table, she grabbed his hand and squeezed. “You also weren’t being true to yourself. That’s the only reason you and I didn’t move in together. You’re crazy about him. He’s crazy about you. What part scares you?”
“The part where he sees more of me than he does now. What happens if he hates my habits? I can be a little messy, while he’s more of a neat freak.”
“He knows everything there is about you. Nothing like you being a little messy is going to scare him away. But if you’re not ready for that step, then talk to him. Nothing is ever solved if you don’t talk about it. He’ll understand either way. He loves you.”
“You’re probably right.”
She scoffed with merriment. “I’m always right.”
Dominic lifted her hand, kissing the back of it with tenderness. “That you are.”
Just like that, the issue was solved. She knew Dominic would talk to Freddy and more than likely move in with him. Freddie could be very persuasive when he wanted to be. Sarafina knew that he would do anything for Dominic, including getting his way when it came to him.
They ordered food, talked more about everyday life, a little more about the moving situation and who would move where. That told her that Dominic was already leaning toward saying yes.
“Oh, my. Is that you, Fina?” a voice screeched behind her.
Slowly turning around, she came face-to-face with Lora.
“Oh, my, it is you. Look at your hair. I love it. It frames your face much better than that other look. You look great,” Lora crooned with too much excitement.
“Thanks, Lora. Dominic insisted I would, so I decided to take a chance.” Sarafina stood up, gave her an obligatory hug, and sat back down gesturing a hand to an empty chair at their table. “Care to join us?”
“Only for a minute.” She sat down, giving Dominic a fake smile. “How are you?”
“I’m good.”
A short and sweet answer like he always displayed to any member of the Chilani family, besides Lily, of course. He never did give any of them more than he wanted. Sarafina figured Lora expected him to ask her how she was, but he’d never do that because that would give her an opening to talk about herself. Something she loved to do.
“Very nice choice on the hair. Truly, it brings out your beauty so much more.” Lora had no sense of personal space as she grabbed a handful of Sarafina’s hair and tossed it around.
“Thanks, Lora.” She swiped her hand through the strands Lora messed up and tried to fix it back to her liking.
“I’ve been meaning to talk to you. I’m so glad I ran into you.”
Surprised, considering they only talked when Lily was around, she smiled. “What about? Have you talked to Lily? Is she having a good time?”
“I have no idea. I haven’t talked to her, but I’m sure she is. It’s her honeymoon.” Lora waved her hand like none of that was important. “I wanted to talk to you about Dax.”
Sarafina tried not to look taken aback by the comment, or let Lora see the shakes that wanted to inhabit her body. “Oh, yeah, what about him?”
“Don’t play coy with me, Sarafina. I saw you leave with him the night of the wedding.”
She wanted to lie through her teeth, sort of how she evaded the question with Travis. Lora was different, more brutal than Travis would ever be. Lying wouldn’t go over well with her.
“We shared a cab.”
Lora leaned forward, the intrigue written all over. “Really? That’s all?”
“Of course. Why would there be anything else? I swore he was into you way more than me.”
“I thought so, too.” She giggled, making the statement sound like it would be ridiculous a man would want another woman over her. “Of course, Daddy wasn’t happy about that for whatever reason.” Lora rolled her eyes in disgust. “So, by any chance, did the cab drop him off first?”
“Are you trying to find him, Lora? Do you think I know where to find him?”
“I was hoping. I wasn’t sure if there was something between you two and didn’t want to intrude.”
Sarafina wanted to laugh at that notion. Lora would snatch him away regardless of her feelings if that’s what she wanted. And clearly, she wanted Dax. Too bad she would never have him. Not even Sarafina could have him.