Boundaries

Secrets.

"Still haven't heard from him?" Khadijah asks, pouring me a cup of coffee.

I shake my head in response as I take a bite from my bagel. "This just... doesn't seem like him. I mean it does, but I thought we've moved past this."

"What do you mean?" Khadijah asks, taking a seat next to me.

"Well, we've gotten pretty close lately. Especially after that whole fiasco with Alex. He's been opening up to me a lot. We practically know everything about each other now. I don't think I've ever been this honest with-"

I stop when I notice Khadijah's knowing look. "Oh, stop." I gush.

"What? Oh come on, Jo. I'm happy for you. I know you've been through a lot. I'm glad you found someone to open up to, because it sure as hell wasn't going to be me."

I frown, feeling my heart sink. "Khadijah I'm-"

But she keeps a wholehearted smile on her face. "It's no worries Jo. You've got your person, I've got mine. I'm happy we're both happy."

"See that's the thing though," I sigh. "I don't want to confuse this for something it's not. Hero and I have had a complicated relationship from the start. I feel like everything's been happening so fast, but the thing is, I wanted it to happen. I wanted him to open up to me and I wanted to open up to him. It's like I had this instant connection with him. Like we were meant to be in each other's lives. But now that we've opened up, I have this fear he's going to shut me out again. Especially when he goes and does stuff like this. I don't want any more secrets between us. Whatever we are, as long as we're honest, I'm fine."

"I get it." Khadijah nods. "Communication is one of the most important parts of any relationship, if not the most. Without communication, there's no trust, and without trust... hah, that's a sinking ship my friend."

"What should I do?" I ask.

"Well, I can tell you what you're not going to do." Khadijah says as she abruptly places her cup of coffee down on the table. "You're not going to pine over Hero all day. Let's have a girl's day!"

"I have to work." I tell her.

"Call out!" Khadijah shrugs, as if it were so simple.

I shake my head. "I can't just call out. I'm already taking off for my art show next... shit!"

"What?" She questions.

"I don't have anything to wear!"

A smile spreads across her face. "Guess I just figured out what we're doing today."

***

Khadijah reluctantly lets me go in for the short shift I had for the day and meets me out front of Delilah's after.

We take a cab into Piccadilly, where tons of shops are, to look for an outfit for my art show.

I attempt to steer Khadijah away from overly expensive stores, but she's having none of it.

"Come on, Jo. Don't you want to show off more than just your art?"

"Not really." I admit with a slight laugh.

"Stop being a pain." She huffs before dragging me into a clothing store. "I'll treat."

"What? No!" I frantically say.

"Consider this my early Christmas gift."

"Christmas is a month away." I remind her.

"Are you always this difficult?" She huffs again as she drags me through the store.