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Aria chuckled. “I think Will is patience personified.”
“Which is probably good,” Janessa said. “Because I think I try the patience of pretty much everyone.”
“See! You’re perfect for each other.”
“Because I require patience, and he has more than the average person?”
“Something like that,” Aria said with a laugh. “But I think there are more things than that that make you well suited for each other.”
Janessa thought there was too, however, she didn’t dwell on it. Part of her was worried that if she thought too much about the way they complemented each other, the ways they didn’t would also surface.
She was sure that once it became apparent that they were a couple, people would have questions. Like why—after they’d known each other for years—were they only just now beginning to date? Or maybe they’d wonder what he saw in her after dating someone like Daphne.
Visually, people might think that Daphne and Will were a better match. Janessa had never thought much about whether she’d prefer to date a Black man. She hadn’t planned to dateanyone. But now that she was, she couldn’t imagine dating anyone but Will.
“You need to tell the family,” Aria said. “Everyone kind of knows, but you should confirm it.”
Janessa hadn’t had an in-depth conversation with Will about how or when to tell their families, but perhaps that time had come. It was a bit ridiculous to continue on without telling everyone, especially when they already suspected they were dating.
“I’ll talk to Will about it,” she said. “It’s a decision we need to make together.”
Will had made it clear that he was fine with the whole world knowing. She was the reluctant one. However, she hadn’t told him exactly what was on her mind.
Will seemed to be convinced that because they’d known each other for a long time, dating was going to be a breeze. Janessa, however, wasn’t as certain that shifting from friendship to dating was going to be smooth sailing.
She was concerned that reality would set in with Will too late. Which was why she hadn’t tried to act differently during the time they spent together. She’d wanted him to be well aware of what dating her would mean, and she wasn’t sure that they’d had enough time as a dating couple for him to fully comprehend that yet.
But time had run out.
“Maybe you can go on a double date with me and Gareth,” Aria said.
“Maybe.” Janessa wasn’t sure she wanted to be going on double dates just yet.
“That doesn’t sound too enthusiastic,” Aria said with a laugh. “Should I be offended?”
“Will and I already spend a lot of time with all of you guys,” Janessa told her. “I think we need some time on our own.”
“That’s true. I guess I just kind of want to see the two of you interacting on a date.”
Janessa let out a huff of laughter. “You’ll get your chance to see us interact.”
“Well, I won’t say anything to anyone—except maybe Gareth—until you have a chance to tell everyone else.”
“Thank you.”
Aria bumped her shoulder. “Thankyoufor telling me what’s going on.”
Now that they were on the cusp of being official, Janessa felt a frisson of excitement. Though she’d been reluctant to go public, it had been mostly because she expected Will to change his mind after spending more time with her. She’d wanted to be able to save face.
But now, everyone was going to know, and for the moment, her happiness about that eclipsed her worry. Will was an amazing man, and she was happy that he’d decided he wanted to be with her.
Aria rested her head against Janessa’s shoulder. “I think you two make a great couple, and I can’t tell you how happy I am about this.”
“I’m pretty happy too,” Janessa told her.
They chatted for a little while, then Aria left. Janessa pulled the blanket she’d spread over her lap up to her chin. She stared out the window for a moment, taking in the lights on in the houses around the neighborhood.
As the towering trees in the neighborhood lost their leaves, the surrounding houses became more visible. She loved the bare branches during Christmas time because it gave her a clearer view of the decorated trees their neighbors put up in front of their large living room windows.
