12. Clarissa

I rush downthe side hall and take a glance behind me. Tyson is focused on his phone, and I pause. I shake my head and continue to the bathroom, checking the stalls before I dial Rissa.

“Hello.”

“Rissa, oh my gosh. I’m having a meltdown.”

“What? What’s going on?”

I take a deep breath and spill everything. How I showed up and the guy from my dream was here. How Tyree had to leave early, and how I’m hiding in the bathroom, loudly whispering, trying to make sense of this.

Her laugh fills my ear, and irritation comes over me.

“Rissa, this is serious.”

“Is it, though? Okay, okay, you’re right, But let’s take a moment and be fucking for real.” Rissa always has a way of getting right to the point. “Lis, I love you, but you’re doing too much. Like do you think this is some kind of premonition or bad omen?”

“I mean, maybe,” I say, biting my nail and clutching the phone to my ear.

“Let’s break it down. You can’t conjure up faces you’ve never seen before. Even artists need real people as a reference to create. So is it more or less likely that you saw a picture somewhere from Tyree or social media, forgot about it, then pulled it back into your subconscious while combating the stress of wedding planning solo dolo?”

I press my fingers into my temple and turn to stare at my reflection in the mirror. “Damn, Rissa.”

“I’m just saying. You’re freaking out for nothing. That man doesn’t know you from a can of paint. Whatever feelings you had in your dream cannot be held against him.”

This isn’t the first time I’ve heard this. One time, I had a lively dream of Tyree in bed with twins, and I held onto that anger for days. Eventually, I did have to accept it was only a dream and he didn’t actually cheat on me, no matter how real my heartbreak felt. She’s right. Tyson is a perfect stranger and Tyree’s best man.

I take a breath and stare at my reflection. “Thank you, Rissa.”

“Hey, what are best friends for?” she asks with a laugh, and I throw my head back with a groan.

“I know, I know. Let me get back out there.”

She laughs again, and we say goodbye. I fluff my hair and walk out of the bathroom. Tyson is still on his phone, but as I get closer, he puts it down and gives me his attention. I give a closed-mouth smile and take a seat.

“So, do you mind if I call you Issa?”

What would Rissa say to that? What are the odds of him calling me the same name from a dream as a nickname no one in my life has ever used?

“Sure,” I mutter as the waitress approaches us with her arms full.

“Oh, can we get this to go?” Tyson steps in about Tyree’s lunch.

“Sure thing. Can I get you anything else?”

“No, that’ll be all.”

A chicken sandwich is placed in front of me with a small cup of chicken soup.

“Oh, that smells good,” Tyson says as he unwraps his silverware. He has a salmon and shrimp dish with a side of green beans and salad. We begin to eat, and this is still so awkward. I’m typically not a girl who is afraid to eat in front of a man, but he still makes me nervous. Those eyes continue to dart away from his plate, and my stomach churns when he gives me such intense focus.

“Issa, so what do we have on the agenda?”

I cover my mouth to finish my bite and take a sip of water.

“Agenda?”

He places his fork on his plate and claps. “I’m here to help with anything you need. Tyree mentioned you’ve been handling a lot by yourself, and I’m still finalizing things with the move, so I have more free time than I know what to do with.”

“You’d help me…with wedding stuff?”

“Absolutely. I know Tyree is not the planning type. Even back in college, he just wanted to be told where to show up for the party, but his ass refused to set up.” Tyson’s laugh is deep, and my eyes snap to him. Again, I get another flash of a distant memory from that dream, but his words ring true.

“That definitely sounds like Tyree.” I finally got his mom to stop adding new people to my guest list, and he was very little help with that. She was really about to invite her nail tech and wax lady to my wedding.

“So, give me something,” he says, pulling me from my thoughts. I tilt my head and put my napkin on the table.

“I can be particular. I mean, I’m no Bridezilla, but I have a vision.” I shrug.

“Cool, fill me in on this vision, Ms. Issa.” His voice comes out with that unique accent—a mix of his past and present selves co-mingling.

“Your accent is so different.”

“I know. My mom won’t let me hear the end of it.” He smiles and gives me his focus. “Let’s stay on track, though. Willing participant at your disposal here.”

“Are you sure?”

“I wouldn’t have suggested it otherwise.”

I lean back with a half-smile and dig into my purse for my phone. I forgot my book at home, or it would have been packed in my purse. However, I keep a running list in my notes and update it each day as things are completed.

“Let’s see. How are you with taste testing?” I ask, finally relaxing in my seat.

“The best.”

“Okay, I’ve been on the hunt for a decent menu. All our recommendations so far have been terrible. I really need to get that full menu booked. It’s one of the last major things still on my to-do list.”

He takes a bite of his food and chews as I speak, humming and giving me his full attention.

“I have a few ideas. What type of food did you have in mind?”

“Honestly, I wanted to go with Chinese and be done with it, but Tyree’s not the biggest fan. He’ll eat it, but I could have it every day.” I smile, thinking of the next time I can indulge.

“I feel you on that. There’s this little spot I found in London. The food over there is definitely an acquired taste, so I was on a mission for something with flavor,” he says with a laugh. “I found this small Chinese spot just outside of the city, and I ate there damn near every day for a few months.”

He gets a faraway look. “Shit, I’m going to miss that place. It was a hole in the wall, and you wouldn’t think twice about it, but their dumplings? I’m telling you, the best food you’ve ever tasted. One day, I have to get y’all over there when I go back.”

“That sounds amazing. I’ve never been to Europe. Have you always traveled? My friend Rissa, who you’ll meet at some point, travels all the time too.”

I really want to start traveling more. It’s just my job is pretty set, and working remotely is not an option with them. I envy that about Rissa. She can literally work from anywhere in the world, and she does it frequently. Last year, she was in Barcelona for about a month. I missed her terribly, but the stories she told were amazing. She had so many tales of celebrity parties I still can’t believe it.

“We didn’t travel when I was younger. I’m the oldest, and I have two little sisters; other than summer vacations spent at my grandma’s house, we didn’t do too much. So when I got an offer, after my internship, to work in the Spain branch, I jumped on it. But I didn’t stay in Spain. I could work from anywhere, so I’d spend time in different parts of the country and then sort of work my way around Europe, even making a few trips to South America and Canada, just because nothing was stopping me and I’d never been, so I did it.” He shrugs like it’s no big deal, and I sit back in my seat.

“Wow, you’re kind of goals right now.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, why haven’t you done something about it? No judgment, but if you want to travel, then travel,” he says so smoothly. True to his words, I feel no judgment from him. It’s a fair question that I don’t mind answering.

“My job isn’t really structured for remote work.”

“Do you get paid an astronomical amount of money to stay put?”

“I mean, I do okay, but no.”

“Are your current job duties so niche there are no other opportunities for you to explore?”

“Well, no, not really.”

“Well, then I’ll tell you like my dad always told us. There’s nothing wrong with being selfish sometimes. If your cup is empty because you never refill it and you’re breaking your back at a company that would post a help wanted ad before you’re cold in the ground, God forbid, how would you feel?” He pauses and tilts his head. “Life waits for no one, Issa. This is the final show before the curtains fall. What do you want when you look back? A flash of you at the office or eating the best fucking dumplings in a little spot over in London that I’m now certain I’m going to get you to?”

He laughs and sits back deeper in his chair. The steady flow of traffic in the restaurant has died down, and there are only a few tables filled next to us. “If your goal is to stay put, then go for it, but if not, you should do something about it.”

His words settle in my mind and seep into my skin. I never heard anyone put it quite like that. Rissa travels a lot, but it’s just a thing that she does. I never thought about how I could shift my life to make those things a reality for me.

“I appreciate that, Tyson. My mind is now spinning.” I laugh, and he joins in.

“Cool, well, let’s spin it into a menu. I think I can come up with a few places for us to try. Tyree is coming too, right?”

“Yeah, he will.”

“Okay, cool, I’ll have a list for you before the end of the day.”

We continue our lunch, and that awkward haze has lifted. Tyson is funny and has so many stories about Tyree from their college days. I think we’ll get along well.