Tino was tired of going back and forth. He decided to conclude the matter once and for all. He had to settle on a definitive decision and run with it.

As far as he was concerned, he had only three choices: Tino, Tasha or “us”. That is, to break things off completely, keep Tasha in the loop as a friend or to dive straight into love.

As for love, could he control it? Did he still have the capacity to dive into it, or had he already sunk deep into it? Did he have any control over the matter? The long phone calls he endured in the two weeks since they last met helped him conclude.

Tino decided not to fight the current. He would no longer swim upstream. He would float with the tide lest he run out of energy and sink.

Tasha was coming in for the weekend. Her father had lent her the SUV for the trip. Immediately after she arrived, Tino planted a passionate kiss and broached the subject.

“I missed you so much, Natasha.”

“I missed you too, Tinotenda”

“Are we now a we, Tasha?”

“What do you think, Tino?”

“I think you now have me on a leash.”

“That I do. Your cute behind is mine, Tino.”