text: “Excuse me would be nice,” Oshun Kingston spat, as she looked down at her champagne glass that had fallen out of her hand and onto the floor as she was bum rushed by a large male causing the contents of her glass to make contact with the freshly polished cherry-wood flooring of the party’s venue. Oshun had flown out from her New York brownstone to Atlanta for her friend, Natalie’s New Years Eve party. She and Natalie had met in high school, and while they remained in touch over the years, they hadn’t exactly seen one another in person. Natalie had invited her before the Thanksgiving holiday and Oshun being the type to keep her promises, she turned down all of her other party offers just to spend time with Natalie. The man, who’d bumped into her stopped in his stride and turned on his heels to apologize, but it fell on blind ears when Oshun noticed that it wasn’t just a random man. Her eyes took in those insanely dark eyes, and the intense stare they had on her face--a stare that she’d grown to love years ago. Her eyes trailed over his full eyebrows accompanied by thin but long eyelashes. His full lips were plump and moisturized, something she’d taught him to do years ago, and a full beard filled the lower portion of his cheeks and chin. She didn’t bother to check out his body because his face was enough to make her knees go weak and have thoughts that she shouldn’t have, considering she was engaged to be married. Faraj Mueller was his name, and the simple action of him smiling at her had her mind rethinking the past that they’d shared. “Oshun? Girl, what are you doing here?” He asked her, as he filled the distance between them. Oshun couldn’t form the words to say to him before he wrapped his arms around her in a bone-crushing hug, squeezing her small body to his chest like he’d done millions of times before. Except they were no longer a couple now. Oshun and Faraj had dated for a little over a year in high school. The two had ended on a good note during the summer before college. They’d collectively agreed that it was best to end their relationship there instead of holding onto one another since they had planned to go to two completely opposite regions for college. After college at Georgetown University, Oshun had moved to New York having not wanted to return to Georgia where her family was located. Faraj, on the other hand, returned home after attending Xavier University to go to medical school at Emory University. Eight and a half years had passed since, and the two hadn’t seen one another since their breakup. While they had mutual friends, Oshun hadn’t been a social butterfly like she had been in high school. She had piled work on herself, taking on different projects and assignments at work to the point that she barely had any free time. As a project manager and accountant--her dual majors at Georgetown--it was nothing for her to work ten to twelve hours a day, anyway. It was a wonder that she’d found time to date, and it was even more a surprise that she was currently planning for a wedding to her boyfriend of the last two years. Faraj, on the other hand, had made a lot of effort to see their mutual friends and stay in contact with the people they’d grown close to in high school. Although he was currently in his residency as a family physician, even as a medical school student, he went out every once in a while just to keep the bonds strong. Natalie was known for throwing amazing parties, especially for the holidays and this was not one to miss. Especially now that he was seeing Oshun for the first time since their split. Oshun didn’t know how long they hugged, but at the end, she felt drugged up on his strong cologne. She held onto his arm to gain her balance and fight against her knees growing weak as she inhaled his masculine scent, having missed being in his arms. While Faraj hadn’t been nearly as muscular when they dated, he always gave her a sense of security and comfort whenever she was in his arms. “Natalie invited me before all the holidays. How about you?” she asked him, as she dropped her hand to her side. “Same here,” Faraj nodded his head. “It’s been so long since I saw you, but you still look like the Oshun I remember. I know you went off to New York and stuff, I was kind of expecting you to be a full-blown city girl.” Faraj’s southern accent was strong, lacing all of his words but it had been another one of the things she liked about him. Although she’d also been born and raised in Georgia, her accent was not nearly as strong even before going off to college. Since then, her accent had dwindled down even more. Oshun chuckled, as she ran her fingers through her hair and pushed a piece that had fallen into her face behind her ear, “I might live in New York, but I’ll always be a Georgia girl at heart.” “Mhm,” Faraj hummed, his Adam’s apple bobbing, “it seems like you do more than live there,” his eyes fell onto her hand, the single-carat heart-shaped diamond ring glistening underneath the disco lights. “Congratulations.” Oshun gave him a tight-lipped smile, “Thank you.” Faraj nodded, “When was the big day?” “It’s actually this upcoming August,” she informed him. “Cool,” Faraj told her. “Did you bring the lucky man along?” Oshun shook her head no, “He’s actually in New York with his family for the New Years. Did you bring anyone special along?” Faraj shook his own head no, “My girlfriend is spending her New Years in Vegas with her sisters. So, I came alone too.” Oshun nodded, forcing a smile onto her face, “Well, it was nice seeing you, Faraj. I want to go get another drink since someone knocked the other one out of my hand.” Faraj chuckled, “I apologize for that. Let me buy you something, as a peace offering. Whatever drink you want, on me.” “That’s quite a heavy offer. Let me think about what I really want,” she teased him, by plating her hand on her chin as she turned on her heels in the direction of the bar and strutted over with Faraj in tow. The tail of her one-sleeve, sequined, designer mini dress moved from side-to-side with the sway of her hips and the small muscles in her arms flexed as she swayed her bare arm with each step. Her naturally long hair that reached her tailbone swung behind her, considering the slick-back, wet-look she’d sported for the night’s occasion. Oshun was confident in her stride, gaining the attention of several other party goers, and she’d never lost Faraj’s attention since he realized that he’d ran into her. He tried to keep his eyes up ahead, but he couldn’t refrain himself from taking a glance at her derriere that was all the more full due to how tightly the dress hugged her body like a second skin. Reaching the bar, Oshun slid into the stool causing her dress to ride up her thighs leaving even more skin exposed as Faraj sat down in the empty stool beside her. The bar was packed, full of party goers--some retrieving their first drink since arrival and others at the brink of reaching their limit for the night. As soon as Oshun sat down, a male bartender was standing in front of her with a wide smile awaiting her drink request. Deciding she wanted something stronger than champagne, she got a mix of Vodka and Cranberry juice before Faraj added on a few shots of brown alcohol which sent the bartender on his way to make their orders. “So how long are you in town?” Faraj asked her. “Just until tomorrow night. I only get the rest of the weekend off, then it’s back to work on Monday so I want to prepare myself for this long week ahead,” she told him. Faraj nodded, “What did you study again?” “Accounting and project management. Dr. Mueller in the making right?” She asked, remembering how much Faraj talked about becoming a physician. Faraj nodded with a smile on his face, “Yes ma’am.” Their drinks were placed in front of them, and for the rest of the night they stayed at the bar sharing a couple of drinks--courtesy of Faraj. They caught up further with one another and even asked prying questions about their individual families and if children were a factor for either of them. They weren’t. “So how is it in New York? I was planning to visit during the Spring, maybe you can show me around,” Faraj told her, as she finished off her second drink. “Well, the winters are cold and the place in itself is crowded, but there's a lot to do. I don't have a car because I would be late to work every day with the traffic, but it's really become home for me. I like the fast-paced environment and the pay for my job makes it even better,” she told him. Faraj nodded, as he ran his fingers through his freshly trimmed beard. “Sounds like the complete opposite of things here,” he gathered. “You know, I really can't see myself now being here in Georgia. My whole life is here, but I admire you for going off to chase your dreams. That takes a lot of courage to do.” Oshun smiled, tapping her medium-length acrylic nails against the bar. “I wanted a change of scenery, and when I got the offer after graduating college to go to New York and start at a rate that usually isn't achieved until you have at least five years of experience, I knew it was an opportunity of a lifetime. I do need to travel home more often because this is the first time I came south for the holidays in two years, but hopefully after the wedding, my husband and I can alternate holidays with our families,” she told him, with honesty in her words. While Oshun had some resentment towards her parents for things unknown to Faraj and others around her, being home had brought a nostalgic feeling to her that she hadn't felt since signing her lease for her brownstone. That feeling alone let her know that she had to do better. Growing up, her family had struggled tremendously and partly was because of her parents inability to communicate and listen to one another. She had a strong-willed mother and a father that wanted to be the wholesome breadwinner, which led to them fighting and arguing on several occasions. It wasn't until Oshun was in high school that her family had gotten to the best position in their lives, partly because church and prayer had grown more common among her parents. Though she loved her parents, she hated the environment she had had to endure for the majority of her life before the peace came about. That had been part of her reason for wanting to go away for college, anyway. Faraj smiled to refrain from visually cringing at Oshun’s mention of her future husband. He didn't know why, but he should have not been feeling like that especially when he had a girlfriend of his own. It had been years since he’d last seen Oshun in person, yet he still felt like a seventeen year old boy approaching her at the English table she shared with a few of her friends to ask her out on a date. They’d gone to school together for years, but it wasn't until the near end of their junior year that he approached her with hope that she’d give him a chance. To his own surprise, she had, and the rest had been history until it was time to start preparing to go away for school. As much as Faraj wanted to tell her that he wanted them to try long-distance and try to make their relationship work, he knew it was best to allow Oshun her space. So, he agreed and told himself that he’d get over it with time. Honestly, he had never got over it. He’d simply just learned to suppress the emotions he felt and with Oshun across the country, it made it easier to move on. That was until he saw her tonight. “Well, I’m happy you enjoyed your time at home. I’d really like for you to show me around when I come in March, that’s if you don't mind,” he persisted but remained cool in his stance, not wanting to come off as being needy. When in doubt, he’d just find his own way around New York. “Sure, let’s exchange numbers.” Oshun picked up her phone from the bar with intent and looked to Faraj, who’d begun to recite his telephone number. It’s still the same, she thought. She had never forgotten his number, and she’d even been close to dialing his number up during undergrad on multiple occasions just to talk. She never had though. She then told him her number, which was different than it had been in high school simply because she changed her number after the move to New York. It was her way of closing the chapter of her life that contained her childhood, and while her childhood was definitely a huge part of her, she liked it better knowing that the majority of Georgia no longer had her number. Faraj locked the number into his phone before shoving the device back into his pocket. As their conversation continued, Oshun didn't know why but old sparks started to fly and her body began to do things that she didn't want it to. She had no control over it, though. She was experiencing things with Faraj that even her fiancé hadn't evoked, and that alone was scary. She just hoped that she was making a mistake. One in marrying her acquired New York love. Two in exchanging numbers with Faraj.