"Isaiah. Isaiah get up yo." Aubrey mushed his head to wake him up, and he groaned to himself as his eyes adjusted to the light in their bedroom. He smacked his lips once she threw something at his chest, and he realized it was his phone when it dinged.

"Who blowing you up this early? Unlock it Isaiah." He could hear the attitude laced in her voice, but he ignored her in an attempt to doze off again.

"Isaiah!" She frowned, hearing his phone ding with yet another message.

"Aight. I'm up. I'm up man, watch out." He grabbed his phone from his chest before she could, finally opening his eyes all the way.

"What bitch you give your number to? It's ten in the morning and she done texted five hundred times in the last five minutes."

Isaiah unlocked his phone with his passcode and swiped down on the notifications bar to look at the messages she was referring to. Though Aubrey was exaggerating, Namiko really had sent him ten messages in the span of two minutes. When he went to the message thread, he saw the bubble that indicated she was typing yet another message.

"It's the autistic girl I was telling you about. The one who never had a phone before. When have I ever just gave my number out to a bitch? You know I ain't into fuckin' wit' more than one woman. Chill out with that Bre." He turned over to lay on his side, and Aubrey's frown disappeared.

He sent Namiko a message to tell her to stop blowing his phone up, and she responded almost immediately after he pressed send. He wanted to laugh out loud at the way she used emojis but he didn't want to give Aubrey a reason to chop his head off.

"I'm sorry baby." She climbed on top of him and wrapped her arms around his neck, forcing him to lay on his back again.

"You so damn fine yo, I know bitches be tryna slide and I can't fight everybody. I didn't mean to jump to conclusions though." She held his face in her hands, and he chuckled as she left multiple kisses on his lips.

"Let me make it up to you before I go to work." She kissed him again while her right hand left his face to slide into his boxers.

"Take yo' hair out the bun." He said in agreement, and she smiled before doing as told. He wrapped her now loose bundles around his fist once she lowered her head, pushing his boxers down to give herself some more room.

"I'm cooking tonight so please pull out the meat you want me to use before you leave. I love you so much." Aubrey pulled Isaiah's face down to give him a kiss, and he smiled when she wiped her lip gloss off of his lips.

"I love you more. Have a good day. Let me know what you want for lunch and I'll DoorDash it to you." He told her before tightening the towel around his waist.

"Ok baby. You have a good day too. I have to go, I'm already late." She gave him one more kiss then ran out of the bathroom, and he chuckled since that was nobody's fault but her own.

Isaiah headed towards their walk-in closet after completing his morning routine at the bathroom sink. He rubbed himself down in unscented Dove lotion and went over it with Bleu De Chanel cologne in his 'hot spots'—i.e. behind his knees, his inner elbows, both sides of his wrists, and around his neck.

Then, he got dressed in his outfit for the day. It was rare that he went out on weekdays because he was always at work, but since Namiko was ok with working outside of the building, there was no need for him to wear a suit or formal dress clothing.

Today was one of the rare days in January where it was 57 degrees outside with no snow on the ground—for now. That was still technically cold but real New Yorkers were so used to it that it was practically an early summer day. There was no need for a coat but he'd take one anyway because it would more than likely rain later.

He wore a pair of stacked flared jeans over black Timberland boots and a black acid washed waist cropped Valabasas shirt. He didn't wear a beanie or hat because his cornrow braids were fresh and he wanted to show them off. The Dominican ladies in Harlem always did his hair just how he liked.

He took his wallet and a small wad of cash out of the pants he wore yesterday and stuffed them in his pocket, then he completed his look of the day by spraying a few more pumps of cologne over himself.

Since his work bag was already in his car, he grabbed his keys and his phone off of the charger and headed out of the house.

A little less than half an hour later, he was parked in front of the hotel Namiko was staying at, currently waiting on her to come down. Thankfully traffic wasn't bad around this time and he only stayed twenty minutes away anyway.

"Hi Mr. Attorney!" Namiko waved excitedly at him, basically running down the steps to get to where he was parked.

"What's my name Namiko?" His voice rasped with a chuckle at how she constantly referred to him by the nickname she made up.

"Hiiii Isaiah!" She corrected herself and then threw her arms around him in a hug. "Why do you always smell so good like this? Like—like a man!"

"I thought I told you 'bout personal space?" He tilted his head to the side while holding the passenger side door open.

"You did but I don't really like that. You know, back home I kiss everyone on the cheek when I first see them. But I know enough about personal space to not do that to you, so you should be thanking me." She said to him before she let him go to get inside the car.

Isaiah shook his head at her as he closed the door, walking around the front of the car to get in on his side.

The ride to Boucherie West Village consisted of Namiko talking her head off and showing Isaiah all of the games and apps she'd downloaded on her phone during the three days that they were apart. She loved this darn thing!

"Oh my goodness! I didn't know you had all of these. I love them! What are they called here?!" As the two of them waited at the entrance booth to be seated, Namiko grabbed both of his arms that were covered in tattoos. It was her first time seeing them since he normally wore long sleeved button downs or suits.

"Tattoos."

"Oh, we call them that too! They're beautiful on you. And you have so many." She tilted his head back to look at the rose on his throat, then rubbed her hand across his neck to see what was there; a microphone and dove was on the left side while dice and music notes were on the other.

"You really gotta learn to keep yo' hands to yourself mama." He pulled himself out of her grip, shaking his head once again.

"Oops. I'm sorry." She put her hands behind her back and focused her gaze on her surroundings. This restaurant looked so cute and it was mostly empty, too. Most likely because it wasn't even noon yet.

While they waited on the host to return, Isaiah took the time to let his eyes roam her body as well. He was a man at the end of the day and honestly couldn't help himself. The dark navy blue Lulu Lemon set she wore really snatched everything up and emphasized the curves he didn't realize she had.

"Come onnnn. She's leaving us." Namiko grabbed his hand to pull him in the direction of the host who was leading them to their table, and Isaiah's eyes lowered to her backside. He mentally cursed himself out for disrespecting both her and Aubrey, tearing his gaze away.

"Could I get you two started off with some drinks today?" The host asked.

"A water would be nice. Thank you." Namiko spoke first with a smile.

"Let me get a lemonade. And a Lillet Rosé cocktail." Isaiah didn't bother to look at the menu since he'd been here plenty of times before.

"Did I make you upset when I messaged you this morning?" Namiko asked.

"Not me. My girlfriend."

"Ouu, I'm so sorry. I don't know texting courtesy yet but I won't do that anymore. Will you tell her that I'm sorry?" She sounded desperately apologetic.

"You good Namiko. It's fine."

"Ok, good. I'm sorry. And also, you can just call me Nami please because only the elder workers in the castle call me Namiko." She said, crossing her left leg over the right.

"Okay."

"Do your friends call you Isaiah or do you have a nickname too?"

"Zay. That ah' be a lil' unprofessional if you call me that though." He chuckled.

"Well we are friends, remember? We're not in your office." She gestured to the outdoor patio of the restaurant.

"I never agreed to that."

"I never gave you a choice. Stop being mean to me now please. What is this?" She picked up the menu off of the table, and he smiled at the first thing she said.

"A menu. It has pictures. Look and see what you wanna get."

"Ohhh this is nice! I'm not allowed to go to the restaurants in town. So this is my first time. I'm excited."

"Everything excites you." He said humorously. "I thought you was the Queen though. You don't have to follow the rules. You literally make 'em, don't you?"

"Well I just became Queen two weeks ago. Before that, I was only a Princess. Even now, I probably wouldn't go into town unless I wear a disguise because I get over stimulated pretty fast. Everyone is always taking photos of me with the bright flashes or screaming or asking me to sign something."

"So you like a celebrity, huh?"

"Well, obviously. I'm literally the most important person in the kingdom." She said as if it was the most obvious thing.

"Slipped my mind. You pretty regular to me." He joked.

"Right?! I love that. I love it here. Nobody knows me so I can do whatever I want. It feels so nice to be out in public like this and nobody is—fangirling." She chuckled, turning a page in the menu booklet.

"I want this Zay, please." Namiko turned the menu around to point to the item she wanted, and he nodded in response, watching the waitress approach them with their requested drinks.

"Tell 'er what you want Nami." He gestured to the lady standing there with a notebook, purposely using her nickname since she used his.

"Hi! Can I get the avocado and feta toast with tomatoes and chorizo crumbles? And can I also get the French onion dip with a side of chips? And a side of well done French fries and ketchup. Oh! And I want a side of asparagus too, please. That's all." She closed her menu and handed it back to the waitress once she finished.

"And for you sir?"

"Yeah let me get the medium rare wagyu steak with roasted potatoes and vegetables. And the escargot appetizer plate with peppercorn sauce and ranch." He passed the menu back, grabbing his lemonade and one of the cocktails he'd ordered.

"Of course. I'll have that out to you guys in just a few minutes." The waitress dismissed herself to go put in their hefty order.

"How old are you Namiko?" He asked when the lady walked away.

"23." She answered, and he almost choked on the air he breathed. She looked young but not that young. "And you?" She asked in return.

"34."

"You look good for your age. I would've guessed 27 at most."

"I get that a lot. Sometimes I hear that I look older too, though. It's a blessing and a curse." He shrugged.

"How's your job going?" He then asked, finding himself wondering what she'd been doing the last few days.

"It's fine. I think I would love it if it wasn't so long. Eight hours is too dramatic for me. I just clean the whole time so that part is easy. I clean at home with the maids too. It's a bit boring though."

"Hm. I filed a motion to waive the hourly requirement so you may not need to keep the job. I submitted the paperwork proving that you run an entire kingdom last night, so I should get a response within a few days. You clearly make enough to care for a hundred kids." He exaggerated in a joke, making her smile.

"And—I found your daughter. She hasn't been adopted yet." He told her.

"Oh, thank God. Oh my god that's so good! That means it'll be easier to get her back, right?" She asked, and he nodded his head in response. "Where is she? When can I see her?"

"As soon as the foster parents respond to the summons from the court. They should deliver it within the next week or so. We won't actually need to have a trial or anything since she's only a ward of the state. We just have to show the judge that you're fit to be a parent at the next court date."

"Oh my god. I'm trying not to cry because I have eyeliner on right now." She sniffed, fanning her eyes with her hand to stop her tears from escaping.

"Thank you so much. You have no idea what this means to me." She got up from her seat to wrap her arms around his neck in a hug, then let him go seconds later when she remembered their talk about personal space.

"Sorry. I'm just excited. I miss her so much. This means a lot to me." She sat down again, using one of the napkins to dab the corners of her eyes.

"If you don't mind me asking, why did your mom send her here anyway?" He asked.

"I wasn't supposed to have a child before marriage. I could've lost my chance to be Queen and the heir would've went to a cousin of mine who doesn't even live in San Senova anymore. I guess Mother thought she was doing me a favor by making sure I became Queen. I would've chosen my baby over that on any day though."

"That deadass sounds like the evil stepmother in literally every princess movie. No offense." Isaiah raised his hands in surrender, and she laughed as she sat the balled up napkin down on the table.

"None taken. I think so too. Mother is never mean to me though, but she is to everyone else. So maybe like evil boss instead of evil stepmother." She chuckled.

Their shared laughter came to a pause when two waitresses brought their food out, carefully sitting the plates down on the table. After making sure they were satisfied for now, the two ladies walked away.

"You are so disgusting." Namiko scrunched her face up at his plate of snails, and he waved her off with another laugh.

Isaiah looked down at Namiko as she briefly conversed with a man who was selling flower bouquets in Central Park. He bought one for her after noticing her staring at them, and she bought another for him in return but Isaiah told her to just keep them both. He didn't have a need for them.

This girl sure could talk her head off and it didn't matter if anyone was even listening. The man she was talking to only spoke Spanish, but still, she was offering a boatload of thanks for the flowers they bought from him. Isaiah thought it was cute that she didn't realize they were robbed in broad daylight. A dozen roses for $50 and they weren't even long stems.

He didn't know what he was doing right now. After lunch at Boucheries they sat in front of her hotel and talked for at least an hour. He realized he wasn't really ready for her to leave so he brought her to Central Park to show her around. He met this girl four days ago and had a whole girlfriend at home. What the hell was he doing?

It was probably because he didn't have many friends, just like her. The men he did have as friends were now considered his brothers so it was normal for them to go weeks without talking because it never changed their bond. He missed connecting with genuine people though.

Not that he was tired of his girlfriend or anything, but being around only her for so long was a bit too repetitive. They were damn near running out of things to talk about, especially since they were both always at work.

Namiko was refreshing and she lived a completely different life than he did and he found that interesting. It wasn't everyday that you met a real live Disney Princess in New York City. An autistic one, at that. She was a wonder. He enjoyed her company.

"You wasting my money. I could've kept that shit." He looked down at Namiko after she passed out the second to last flower from one of the bouquets, giving it to another random person they walked past.

"Spreading kindness is never a waste. Do you see how happy it makes them?" She said, laying the last rose down in front of a man sleeping in front of a bench.

"You can have that one because you're clearly jealous." She pointed to the other bouquet that she forced him to carry, making him smile.

"You annoy me."

"Don't lie to yourself. It's not healthy." She said while moving closer to him to get out of the way of a couple walking on the opposite side of them with two large dogs.

"You ready to go back now?" He sounded a bit disappointed as she yawned for the third time, grabbing her hand with his free one.

"I can stay out longer with you if you want. Only if you never complain about personal space again." She held up their intertwined fingers, laughing once he rolled his eyes.

Ion do allat slow love shit. Not around here potna!!!!! Obsessed on DAY 1!!!! 😆😍😇