After listening to the voicemail from Jibri a second time, I put my phone down and impulsively took my braids out. Aisha wouldn't be happy to know that I'd done that after only having them done by her a few days before, but I was antsy. I turned on my favorite playlist as I worked, trying to take my mind off the person who had taken up residence there since the first day that I'd met him. Though it took some time, the feeling of running my fingers through my hair was worth it- for a few minutes. I sighed at my reflection before brushing my hair into a low bun; it was my go-to look between hairstyles.
When I was satisfied with my hair, I resumed the task of sourcing a dress for Raquel, I'd used some of my contacts and planned to pick up a few options for her to try later on in the day. Until then, I wanted to spend some time with Mari and Jericho; I hadn't seen them as much as I used to, and I missed the way we were able to make a good time out of any situation. I called Mari and waited for her to answer.
"Hey Za! What's up?" She answered in her typical bubbly manner.
I smiled at the sound of her voice, "Nothing, are you and Jericho busy today? I wanna do lunch with my besties."
"Sounds good, I've been dying to get out of the house." Mari chirped, "I'll talk to Rico and then I'll text you where to meet us, okay?"
I nodded as though she could see me, "Okay, that sounds perfect."
The call ended and my mood had already lifted at the prospect of being around two of my favorite people. I wanted desperately to catch up with them, given the fact that we hadn't talked about anything other than Jibri the last time.
While I waited for them, I sent a few work-related emails, I couldn't believe that I'd reached a place in my career where people were asking to send me items on the off chance that one of my clients would wear them. Though so many positive things were happening in my life, it felt like I couldn't share them with the person who I wanted to the most and that was all that I could focus on.
I met up with Mari and Jericho at the entrance to one of our favorite bistros about half an hour later and could physically feel the change in my mood as they came into view. Though they didn't last long, I appreciated the moments when I felt genuinely happy and present with the people I was around.
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Jericho was on the phone and hugged me quickly while he wrapped up the conversation. Mari on the other hand, practically jumped on me.
"You look so good Za!" She clutched me tightly, "How are you feeling babe? You were pretty down the last time we saw each other!"
I giggled as we rocked from side to side, "I'm fine for now, that's what I'm choosing to focus on. I know that I just saw you guys but I missed you!"
"We missed our favorite third wheel too." Jericho added after he ended the call.
Mari elbowed him, "Shut up! Let's go eat some food!"
"Your vibe is positively infectious Mariana." I told her as we strolled into the building. "You're done with exams, right?" I asked her, assuming that it was why she seemed so happy.
