"We? Why do I have to get involved in your little scheme?" It was funny how easily Tife pretended not to care, especially since he was the one person who dedicated his life to protecting her.

"Because Imade's your little sister and you care deeply about her."

Tife grunted. "You've got to try a lot better than that."

"You know I love helping people with their love lives. It's my job. I can't ignore the needs of someone close to me and turn deaf ears." I admitted, shifting my gaze to meet his. He seemed unhinged by his stare down and it seemed like I was drowning within his dark pools.

"You can help me with MY love life. I have a thing for petite ladies, so I'd like that. Oh, and an excellent cook would do too." I knew he was joking about that. I hated to admit it but Tife was a great cook and loved showing off his skills to his then-girlfriends. He was just trying to frustrate my idea and I wasn't going to let him.

"I'm being serious here."

"You think I'm not?" His exasperated look made his mouth sag.

"Obviously. Imade needs our help. Even if she won't admit it."

A refined eyebrow arched up. "I still don't get why I'm being put in this equation."

I leveled the tone of my voice, hating the way our conversation was drawing the attention of guests. "Look around. You literarily put a lot of eligible single bachelors in this room for Imade's business opening. We can take it to our advantage and help her snag one of these men as her own."

Tife said, with a firm shake of his head. "This is ridiculous."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "I've helped hundreds of people find love and helped people with their love lives. I just want to do one more good thing for someone I love."

"It's still ridiculous. I have my own life to live, but I'll help you. Just this once." He huffed. I already knew he was going to help. That was Tife for you. Always ready to drag every second of it, even when his opinions were altered. Besides, he couldn't say no to me.

I broke into a smile. Tife watched me softly. "Thank you. Thank you. See, we're getting along. It's a good step."

"Don't be too excited about it. Your plan may fail."

Determination coarsed through my words. "Fail? No. Never. I'm an expert at this. I just need you to look around here for any potential candidate. You know these guys pretty well. Right? Who do you think would be the best fit?"

His casual shrug didn't help. "I only worked or schooled with a bunch of them. I don't really know them that much in person."

"Who the hell invites a lot of people they don't really know, to their sister's shindig?" I was exasperated.

"Who says shindig in the 21st century?" I rolled my eyes at his words, then Tife shrugged again. "I was in a hurry. Imade and I don't really have friends, so I just invited just about anyone I used to know."

I felt a wave of exhaustion run through me. This was harder than I thought it'd be. "This is so frustrating. How am I going to pick the right person for Imade?"

"By minding your business." The mischievous lines in his eyes had him spreading his lips into a grin.

I shot him a look. "You're a real pain in my ass, Tife."

He winked at me. "You too, Nara."

.......
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.......

Getting away from Tife as quickly as possible, I looked around Imade's store and admired the bottles of wine in the oval shaped wine shelves in front of me. I instantly picked out one and smiled. It was one of my favorite.

"Sauvignon blanc. It's a real beauty." I turned around, completely startled by the baritone voice behind me and found myself facing a man with striking, brown eyes. He stood as tall as I was and had a generous smile. His hair was dark and short, cut in the usual low-cut style. Faint facial hair covered his jaw and he wore casual t-shirt on simple jeans.

"Yes, it is. Hi, I'm Nara. You seem to know a lot about wine." I offered my warmest smile.

"I'm Victor and I always appreciate good wine. It's one of my many hobbies." He ran his eyes over my medium hued tawny skin and lingered on my face.

Smiling slightly, I felt a burst of energy run through me. Attractive and a wine lover. I just found Imade's match. He fitted all the criteria Imade liked. And he was handsome too. What could possibly go wrong? "What other interests do you have, aside from knowing good wine?"

"Lately, I don't have many hobbies because of how busy my job is, as a lawyer. But I do love reading good books. I believe that books are the keys to one's soul."

Dancing on the inside, I felt elated. A book lover and a budding philosopher too. Imade would definitely love him. She always loved when people were in their most natural form.  "Would you mind if I introduce you to a good friend of mine? Sorry if I'm being too forward but I can't wait any moment for you two to meet. You two seem perfect for each other."

Victor cocked his head to the side. His face going still. "Here I was, thinking you were interested in me."

"Oh no, I have a boyfriend. I apologize for any misunderstanding. I do have to ask. Are you single?" I quickly said, not wanting to make things awkward.

He seemed hesitant to reply, but then he slipped on a charming grin. "As far as I can remember, Yes."

My smile sloped in. "Brilliant. Are you in?"

"What makes you so confident that your friend and I would get along?"

Shrugging, I pointed out. "We can't really know until you find out."

His lips twitched into a smile. He seemed amused and I was pleased he didn't want to back out. "Lead the way, then."

★★★

From afar, I watched Victor and Imade interact and felt pleased with what I saw. It seemed like they were getting along really well and fist-pumped in the air, rejoicing all by myself.

I felt warm breath tingling against my back. "What's gotten you in such a good mood?" I turned around and locked my gaze with Tife's magnetic eyes.

"My masterpiece. Vóila. Victor and Imade are getting along really well." I unconsciously patted my chestnut brown weave.

Tife's nose crinkled. "Victor?"

"I'm sure he knows you. He mentioned that he was a lawyer."

"Yeah. We went to law school together but we weren't really friends. I barely knew him." Tife waved his hand dismissively. It almost seemed like they hardly ever talked. That worried me a bit. How would I know if he wasn't a mistake then?

"So tell me anything you know about him. Is he any good for your sister?" I had to ask. If he was a terrible asshole, it wasn't too late to stop things from going any further.

"I thought you were the great match maker. Couldn't you figure it out all on your own?"

I smacked his arm and grinned devilishly, when I saw him wince in pain. "Can you not be a jackass, for once?"

His piercing gaze never left my face. "Depends. What do I gain from being nice?"

"I always assumed all lawyers were not nice, because of you. But Victor is proof that you're the only one. Victor's a nice guy." I teased him lightly.

"No, Victor's a guy. Period. You can't just assume he's nice, just from one conversation. All straight adult male are nice to women they're interested in. Either platonic or romantic."

"You're a full blooded sadist." I shook my head. I really couldn't tell if he was teasing or being serious.

"The truth is bitter, don't you know." Amusement once again shone in his eyes. He was teasing. He clearly didn't mean what he had said. He wanted my reaction and I was going to give him just that.

"Does that mean you're horrible to me because you're not interested in me?"

A small smile played on his lips. "Who says I'm not interested in you?"

"Stop joking around." My mouth dried. I didn't want to overthink his words. He was kidding, nothing else.

"I'm not horrible to you. If anything, I'm nice to you." An unreadable expression softened his gaze.

I really found that hard to believe. I replied in mock-horror. "This is you being nice? Shocker."

"Sarcasm isn't your thing, Nara. It's mine." His lips tipped up.

I rolled my eyes at him and chuckled. Shifting my gaze back to Victor and Imade, I felt really sure things would work out well between them.

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Victor and Imade seem to be enjoying each other's company, from what Nara can see.
Nara and Tife are one of my favorite couple. A matchmaker and a real estate lawyer. Let's see how far both of them can get, especially with that explosive chemistry between them.
Xoxo
Jasmine