Amila was an early riser but that didn't mean she was a morning person. Nor did that mean she was ready to engage in conversation. Her ability to wake before the sun's rays streamed across the dim sky was a skill of necessity from her teenhood. She needed to lace up her shoes and get her practice out of the way before having to go to school or she'd be unable to think about anything else.

However, this morning wasn't like those mornings years ago. She didn't need to practice but she still had positions to study. Positions to learn and commit to memory so she could execute them with precision. Where does your arm go? Where is your leg supposed to be?

She examined the various printed sheets of sexual positions that were neatly blanketing the cream granite surface of the island in the master bedroom's closet. It was an odd place for her study session nor was it a place she picked. Deja had led them there with the one suitcase Amila had shown up at her doorstep with and two overnight bags filled with things she'd collected during the year of her stay with her.

Amila didn't take Deja showing up that morning with her things packed the wrong way. She knew it was a gesture of kindness and good will. Some of the things Amila had in those bags were mementos of life and time that would threaten the ounce of happiness she woke up with. A happiness her friend could feel through the phone as she caught up on where her roomie was during the night hours. She was now seeing her task through as she unpacked the one overnight bag that contained photo albums and scrapbooks that her sister took pride in creating. Amila set her eyes back on her erotic illustations trying to determine which muscle allowed one to twist their body in such a manner so she wouldn't see the locked box Deja put on the top shelf that was filled with relics of twinlife.

"I'm flexible but this is contortionism." Amila twisted her head trying to figure out how Person A got their leg to go that way and how did Person B not pull a hamstring. "The elbow is a hinge joint, it's not supposed to go that way."

Deja pushed the box all the way to the back then joined her at the island. She nonchalantly shrugged. "I did that. Your triceps will be sore but your elbow will be fine."

Amila nodded revering her friend for a second then going back to her inquisition.

"LaLa..." Deja called her nickname in such a peculiar way that she knew she was about to say something blunt, true, and to the point. "You're weird."

"Huh." Amila asked pulling the cap off the highlight she found in the executive design office earlier that morning after printing out her study material.

Deja swallowed her sip of warm tea then gestured to the illustrated sheets of paper. "You're about to take a fluorescent orange highlighter to The Advanced Crab Walk like someone whose been married eleven-hundred years trying to reinvigorate their sex life. Chill out."

"I'm just trying to..." She snapped the top back on the highlighter. "Be good at this."

"No one is on their first time." Deja blurted with her arms stretched out. "Don't believe the hype the Hollywood churns out or PornHub."

"Isn't PornHub banned in Texas?" She asked, picking up a pen.

"Is it? Shit. I don't know. All I know is..." Deja yanked the pen out of her hand before she could jot it down. "...if you keep this up and you're going to have performance anxiety."

"Is that a thing?"

Deja abruptly shrugged. "I don't know but if it is you'll get it." She sat her cup down and snatched up all the sheets of paper and folded them over. "Sex isn't something you practice before hand. It's a dance you practice with your partner, learning yawls rhythm and repeating it until the both of ya'll are adequately satisfied. I know it's hard for you to grasp, you're so use to learning the steps and practicing until it becomes second nature and relying on muscle memory but with sex you learn while doing. And trust me it's more fun that way."

"If you say so." Amila let out a heavy breath trying to quell the worries, doubts, and hamster wheel of horrible scenarios that congested her mind. "I'll just go with the flow. Let it flow." She rolled her shoulders back standing a little taller improving her already perfect posture.

Amila didn't know why her friend's advice sounded slightly off. Maybe it was because she wasn't used to going with the flow. She was used to putting in work, time, and practice to be the best she could be; if it was ballet or academics. She worked at it and she knew she had to be her best at her next endeavor. She owed him that after all he'd done. It wasn't just the house, the car, and the expense account. It was also last night. A night where he put Prince Eric to shame.

He listened to her intently and without interrupting. He made her laugh. His lips were divine upon her neck and his hands gripped her thighs in just the right way as they shared the bed and when they had gotten their fill of tasting each other's skin he held her until sleep welcomed them into its embrace. She woke that morning without him but utterly intent on making sure that the next time they were in the bed together he'd get further than second base. There was going to be a home run.

"What we need to be giving our attention is this." Deja tapped on the iPad screen displaying a professionally typed checklist or rather put list of suggestions that Dominic sent her in an email early that morning while she was still asleep. "You've got to love a man that's thorough."

Amila smirked, shaking her head at her friend knowing she loved a lot of things about men and had her own thorough list. "It's his list of things he finds sexy and or things he wants me to do." She skipped over the preamble he typed at the top declaring he wasn't trying to change her before stating a list of twenty-five things he loves for his partner to do.

"Diamonds, heels, thongs...oh my." Deja read some of the things on the list. Her fingertip slid down to number twenty-one. "He's a little kinky, too. You lucky, bitch." She set the iPad down with a smirk. "I'm going to see if Keaton will try that."

"Ya'll are good, now."

"Yeah." Deja shrugged. "The bouquet worked and he learned not to say dumb things while going down on me."

"Too much." Amila shrieked while fanning at her eyes. "I don't need that image of our boss in my head."

Deja laughed. "It's not my fault you have a vivid imagination but so do I and after you complete twenty-three give me all the details."

Amila reread the suggestion to refresh her memory and grew warm just from the suggestion alone. "I don't know if I can pull that off."

Deja shushed her with a wag of her finger. "Don't underestimate yourself and with the right partner you can pull off anything."

"Interesting." She simply responded not really believing it but nodded anyway.

Deja glanced over at the doorway and asked. "Where is he anyway?"

"Toronto." She answered, exiting from the email and ignored the reminder from Justin's opening that appeared and brightened up her phone that was next to the iPad. "He'll be back in three days."

"You know what this means." Deja said with that grin that told Amila she was going to be busy for the next three days also.

"What?" She asked, wanting to know what her friend had in mind.

"You have a brand new black card and...." Deja gestured to the space across from them. "Empty shelves and per his list he likes a woman that dresses in a way that'll make his dick hard on sight."

Amila laughed with a shake of her head. "That's no where on there."

"Fine! I'm paraphrasing." She chuckled. "But if I had a penis it would go straight up for Cartier, Chanel, and Louboutin."

"So, what you're saying is...we should go shopping."

"Yass, bitch...." Deja snapped her fingers twice. "Yes."

Amila followed an eager to shop Deja down the hallway feeling more excitement than she had in the last twelve months. She was going to ride this high and try her hardest to ignore her perfectionism by living in the moment. It's what her sister always told her to do. It was about time she took Akeela's advice.

Should they go shopping and what do you think will happen in 3 days when Dominic gets back?

Do you think Deja has finally gotten through to Amila about her need to prepare ahead of time?

What do you think Savion's opening is for and why do you think Amila wants to ignore it?

Finally, some light has been shed on what's going on between Deja and Keaton. Do you think he learned his lesson? (As you can tell I have no idea how he looks by the way.)

What do you think is #21 on Dominic's list?