Free Turn It Loose by Britni Danielle Page B

Westminster, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and the River Thames hovered below their feet. Despite the magnificent view, it paled in comparison to how Jaylah felt at that moment.
    She kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you,” she said, almost whispering. “This is amazing.”
    She rose to get a closer look at the panoramic view and Johnny followed, pressing close to her.
    “I wanted to call you sooner. I couldn’t stop thinking about you. It’s just,” he hesitated, “my life is so complicated right now.”
    She leaned into him and listened.
    “And…I felt silly about how the night ended. I just didn’t want to fuck up by rushing anything, innit? It sounds corny, but I didn’t want it to be a one off thing. I want to get to know you, Jaylah. I hope that’s cool.”
    She turned around and kissed him . “That’s fine with me.”
    Right there, above the clouds, Jaylah gave up.
    She let go of the idea that whatever was brewing with Johnny was just for kicks, and admitted what she’d been trying to push out of her mind all along—this could actually be something.
    Now she prayed that allowing him to see the real Jaylah wouldn’t backfire and leave her broken all over again.
     
    * * *
     
    “So is Johnny short for Jonathan?” she asked as they sat in the park near his office eating gelato. He’d called and asked if he could see her between meetings since the only thing they’d been able to do the past few days was play phone tag. Even though she was in the middle of writing an article due the following day she happily agreed.
    He nodded. “ Jonathan Enam Poku.”
    “ Does it mean anything special?”
    “Sort of. Both Jonathan and Enam mean ‘Gift from God.’”
    “Your parents were really happy to have you, eh?”
    “I guess so,” he chortled. “I have three sisters and I’m the only boy in the family. I guess they were a little excited when I was born. You know , carry on the bloodlines and all that.”
    “I bet your parents can’t wait fo r you to get married and have a bunch of kids,” she laughed. “An army of Pokus.”
    He shrugged. “My sisters all have children.”
    “Uh oh, you know what that means? The pressure’s on,” she elbowed him.
    Jaylah sensed a shift in his mood. She wondered if talking about his family was a sore spot.
    “You ok? You went quiet on me all of a sudden.”
    “I ju st miss them. I haven’t seen my family in about a year. Too busy working.”
    “You know what they say: all work and no play…kinda sucks,” she winked.
    He leaned over and wiped a smear of ice cream from the side of her lip. He let his finger linger and she licked it.
    Johnny had said he wanted to take things slow and she wondered how long she would have to wait to finally be with him. They had only gone out a couple of times and she was more than ready to let him round the corner and slide into home base.
    He gave her a quick peck. “I need to get back to the office. Are you free tonight?”
    “ I think I have plans with my other boyfriend.”
    “Tell him you’re sick,” he smiled and kissed her again , this time with his tongue. “If I can get out early, want to grab dinner?”
    “ Or, you can come to my place and I can whip something up,” she said, hoping he’d take the bait.
    “I wouldn’t want you to go to any trouble , especially on such short notice. I’ll let you know, ok?”
    “ Sure.”
    Jaylah watched as Johnny walked out of the park and faded down the block. She took out her journal and started to write.
     
    Day 3 9, Canada Square Park
     
    Johnny just went back to work and I miss him already. Crazy, I know. I need to slow down, but it’s so easy to fall for him. I feel like a giddy teenager when he’s around. Just hearing his voice drives me fucking insane—in the best way possible, of course.
    We’re still in that I-could-talk-to-you-for-hours stage. Last night we fell asleep together on the phone. Apparently, I’m 17 all over agai n. There’s only one down side: