What We Don't Say at Weddings

 Title: What We Don't Say At Weddings

Tagline: Not all vows are spoken at the altar. 

Category: Contemporary Romance, Lesbian Romance

Description: 

Imani arrives ready to show up, do her duty, and keep her emotions in check. What she doesn’t expect is Jarisha. Or the way one look can unravel everything she worked so hard to leave buried.

This is a slow-burn story about restraint, unfinished desire, and the weight of what’s never spoken. About stolen glances, soft tension, and the kind of connection that doesn’t need grand declarations to feel heavy.

If you love emotionally intimate romance, quiet longing, and Black queer love told with care—this story lives there.

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Snippet 

I snatched up my heels and dropped into the chair, beginning to slip them on. The tips of two white heeled boots came into my line of sight. I paused, then continued, not daring to look up.

“Need a hand?” Jarisha’s voice came soft.

“I got it,” I said, cool.

Instead of listening, Jarisha crouched in front of me and gently took the champagne-gold heel from my hands. She slipped them on slowly, then looked up, meeting my gaze and holding it once she was finished.

“There,” she said, the heat dark in her brown eyes.

“Thanks,” I croaked.

My feet remained cradled in Jarisha's hands, one of her thumbs tracing the skin of my ankle in a slow, hypnotic motion. I swallowed hard, summoning what little willpower I had left to pull away.

Jarisha didn't say a word. She simply stood up slowly, staring down at me with the same heated intensity.

“Damn. I knew you’d look amazing, but my imagination didn’t do you justice,” she said, her eyes roaming over me and the dress.

I tried not to react to the shiver her words sent through me. I turned back to the mirror instead, unable to look at her without revealing what was running through my head. She seemed to sense the shift anyway, moving closer and leaning quietly against the vanity beside me.

“I never did ask you how you feel about all of this,” Jarisha said, out of nowhere.

I frowned. “About what?”

"This," she said, waving a hand around the room. "The wedding. It's going to be a big change for you and Dani's relationship moving forward."

It would be, but it wasn't as if we'd never see or speak to each other again. "I think it's good. It's about time my sis got some happiness for herself."

Lord knows she’d spent far too much of her time wrapped up in my life, always looking out for me, barely leaving room to focus on her own.

I'd always both hated and appreciated that about our relationship. It never sat right with me knowing I was partly to blame for my sis never really moving forward with her life.

“You sure?” Jarisha asked, studying me.

“Yes, Jarisha. I’m happy for her. Why are you even asking me that?”

She shrugged. "I guess I'm just worried you'll feel alone once she's caught up in her new married life. I mean, the two of you barely talk as it is. I'd hate for that to turn into nothing."

I couldn't stop myself from rolling my eyes. "Oh god. You too? Why do people keep acting like I've been neglecting Dani or something? She's a big girl, damn. She isn't going to die just because she hasn't heard from me for a few days."

I took a breath, setting the eyeliner back down. "Dani and I will be just fine. We'll talk like we always do. Jamir is just an added bonus."

Jarisha held up her hands. "Hey, I was just voicing my concerns. No need to bite my head off." There was a spark in her eyes when she said it, as if she wasn't bothered at all.

She lowered her hands and leaned in, her voice dropping until only the two of us could hear. I sucked in a breath, freezing at how close she was.

“Don’t pay attention to what your Aunt Peggy said. This may be Dani’s big moment, but I think you’re the finest woman here.”

I barely registered what she said. My focus remained fixed on her full lips, just inches from mine. It would've taken the slightest movement to press my mouth to hers, but I held myself in check.

Somehow, I found enough rational thought to lean back, creating a little more space between our faces. The look she gave me was hard to read, but it still made my heart flutter.

“Thanks, I guess,” I said. “You look good too.”

Hell, that was an understatement. Jarisha looked downright mouthwatering, but what would I look like saying that out loud? A damn fool, that's what.

A confident smile lifted her lips. “Thanks. I know.”

Cocky ass. I rolled my eyes, even as a small grin slipped out. Jarisha caught it, her smile widening. She rose to her feet and lifted a hand toward my face, as if she were about to brush her fingers under my chin. She stopped just short of touching me, and I found myself wishing she hadn't.

Then her hand fell back to her side.

“Keep your chin up, alright?” She turned to leave, then paused, glancing back at me with a look that felt more serious than before.

“After the wedding. Do you have any plans?” she asked.

“No?” I said, unsure where this was going.

She nodded, her expression shifting to one of determination. "Can you make sure you don't leave? There's something I want to say, and I feel like if I don't, I might not get another chance."

My brows lifted. Normally, I would've shut her down right then. I probably still should've. But the expression on her face stopped me. I didn't have it in me to turn her away when she was looking at me like that, so quiet and pleading.

“Yeah,” I said, hoping I hadn’t just made a mistake. “I’ll wait.”

For some reason, the words felt heavier than I intended. Jarisha's face softened into a relieved grin. "Alright. I'll text you and let you know where to meet me. And don't run off from me again. I'll chase you down this time if you do."

Then she walked away.