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Langston’s gut tightened and his face warmed as he remembered the glow from Lisa’s dark eyes. “I wish I could answer that with certainty—but I can’t.”
“You must have an idea about what she feels.”
Langston’s laugh was filled with sarcasm. “No, I’d rather not attempt to assume.”
“Why?”
“My assumptions are weak and misleading to my heart. It’s a game I’d rather not play again.”
“For the next sixty seconds, I want you to erase any memory of past relationships. For sixty seconds,” he repeated. “During that time, think of your friend and tell me the vibes she gives you.”
Langston inhaled a deep breath and nodded. “Okay.”
“Close your eyes if you need to.”
Langston shut his eyes and sat for a second, trying to empty his mind.
A moment later, he could see Lisa’s smile, her laughter, her surprise when he’d taken her to the old bean factory.
“What do you see?”
“She’s thrilled to be in my presence. Happiness rolls off her, praise for me, excitement for our spontaneous adventures.”
“You’re alone now, with no eyes on you but each other’s. What do you see?”
Langston quieted a bit then his nostrils flared. “Desire, softness, relaxation, openness.”
“Open your eyes.”
Langston blinked, and Malcolm came back into focus. “Do you trust what you feel, see, and hear?”
Langston stared at Malcolm, sucked his teeth, then locked his jaw.
“Take as long as you need to before answering.”
He rubbed his lips together, glanced out the window, and tried to ignore the tingle around his heart. “It wouldn’t be fair to her.”
Malcolm frowned. “What wouldn’t be fair?”
“To take our situation further, into something more than friendship.”
“Why?”
“Because…. As much as I want her, I’m still angry at…”
“Say her name.”
Langston gritted his teeth, but nothing was said between them until Langston gave in and gritted out, “Destiny.”
“How does it feel to say her name?”
“Like I’ve been stabbed in the chest.”
“That’s an intense reaction.”
Langston sighed. “I’m doing this all wrong.”
“I don’t think you are.”
