Stolen Identity: Mute Heiress

"So..."

Jamal looked around the table.

"The day finally came."

Mari blinked. "What day?"

"The day I got to meet your boyfriend. I always thought you’d either end up single or a lesbian."

Jax raised an eyebrow, while Dawn gasped and slapped Jamal’s arm at the outrageous statement, but to her surprise, Mari threw back her head and laughed.

"Right? Me too."

Jax looked at Mari, "You thought you’d end up a lesbian?"

She laughed. "That was an inside joke. I always said I was never going to end up with anyone unless I had the kind of love every other person in my life seemed to have. At some point, I thought I might try my luck with girls since I wasn’t feeling it with guys."

"Did you?" Dawn asked curiously.

Mari laughed. "Nope. I got discouraged when Aunt Sonia told me about the one time she tried it with a girl and ended up with an STI."

They all laughed.

A waiter approached, and they all placed their orders.

After the waiter left, Jamal looked at Jax. "I still can’t believe you’re Mari’s boyfriend."

Mari scowled. "Jam, not you too. Has Callan and Stefan influenced you?"

Jamal laughed. "I don’t mean that in a bad way."

Mari rolled her eyes. "Really? How do you mean it then?"

Jamal shrugged. "I’ve always wondered the kind of man who’d be lucky enough to win your heart. I just find it surprising it’s Jax."

Mari grinned. "He’s lucky, right?"

"Of course, he is. I’m sure he knows it too," Jamal said, looking at Jax.

Jax smiled and nodded. "The luckiest man in the world."

"Second only to me though. I’m the luckiest to have Dawn," Jamal said, and both Dawn and Mari giggled.

"True. I still remember our first meeting. Jamal said he could be my big brother but not my best friend because Dawn was his only best friend. And then, despite all the odds, they ended up together," Mari said with a grin.

Dawn smiled as she glanced at Jamal.

Jax reached for his water. "Well, you’re my only best friend now. I can’t be your big brother, though."

Everyone laughed.

Soon the waiter brought their orders, and as they ate, they conversed.

"This is so much fun. The double date, I mean," Dawn said as she sipped from her glass of wine.

"Imagine if it were a couple date with Em, Cal, Stef, and Gen," Mari said, making Dawn almost choke on her drink.

"Couple what?" She asked, making Jamal and Jax laugh.

"Couple date. Four couples date," Mari said matter-of-factly.

"Is couple even a word?" Jamal asked with amusement.

"I just made it one if it wasn’t. Deal with it," Mari said, and Jax chuckled.

"I like it. It sounds cool just like you," he said, and Mari blew him a kiss.

Jamal and Dawn laughed.

"It would be likely chaotic if it were a couple date. You’d be busy arguing with Callan or Emily, and Stefan and Genevieve would likely be all over each other," Jamal pointed out.

Mari laughed so hard she nearly dropped her fork. "That is so true."

Jax smiled. "Would they really?"

"Oh, absolutely," Dawn said without hesitation. "Stefan and Genevieve forget other people exist when they’re together."

Jamal nodded, laughing. "They really do."

Mari’s eyes lit up. "Remember their engagement night? How they kept staring at each other without touching their meal until Uncle Harry teased them?"

Dawn giggled. "They totally forgot they weren’t alone."

"I’m sure they wished the rest of us would disappear and leave them alone," Jamal said, and they all burst into laughter.

Dawn smiled. "I can’t wait to watch those two walk down the aisle. It’s going to be so beautiful."

Jamal smiled into his drink. "Yeah. They’re good for each other."

Mari nodded. "Indeed. I suppose we can say we all are good for each other, I suppose. How did we have the good sense to settle for the right people?"

Jax leaned forward in his seat. "I’m curious about that, Jamal. How did a little boy at your age decide that Dawn was the one for you?"

Jamal chuckled. "I ask myself that sometimes."

They all smiled but watched him curiously.

He leaned back in his chair. "I don’t think I decided she was the one for me."

"What do you mean?" Jax asked.

Jamal looked at Dawn. "I think the universe decided long before I understood what it was doing."

Dawn smiled softly.

Jamal continued. "When I first met Dawn, I wasn’t looking for a wife."

"I certainly wasn’t looking for a husband," Dawn added.

Mari laughed. "Of course. You were kids."

"Exactly," Jamal agreed. "But then, when I thought Genevieve was Dawn, I didn’t have much of a desire to pursue a relationship with her. I wanted our friendship based on the memories I had of her. But I didn’t feel a particular way towards Genevieve. I wanted to see her in person to confirm how I felt before moving, but then I ended up meeting the real Dawn."

"And you both ended up cooking up a very beautiful boy," Mari said, making everyone laugh.

"What I’m just trying to say is, I don’t think I chose Dawn. The universe chose her for me and sent her to me at every turn. Beyond choice, I believe it’s our destiny to be together," he said, taking her hand and raising it to his lips.

The table grew quieter.

Mari rested her chin on her hand. "I think you chose her. The fact that you chose not to get involved with anyone else until you resolved your feelings for her says a lot about you. I’ve always admired that about you."

The others listened quietly.

The waiter quietly refilled their glasses before leaving again, but no one paid attention.

Jamal smiled. "I don’t know." He shrugged lightly. "Maybe."

Then Jamal looked at Jax with a grin. "So, how did you decide Mari was the one for you?"

Mari giggled. "He didn’t decide. I bewitched him," she said, spreading her fingers like she was performing a spell.

Jax and everyone laughed.

"I didn’t ask you, Mari. I asked Jax," Jamal said, still laughing.

"I don’t know how. From the first time I set my eyes on her, I was cast under her spell," he said, grinning at her.

"Told you so," Mari said, laughing.

"And then I realised just how crazy she was when she was forced to live under my roof. She turned my calm world upside down, and I knew I didn’t want it any other way," he said without taking his eyes off Mari.

"Aww," Dawn cooed.

"I snatched him from his fuckbuddy," Mari announced.

Jax cringed. "Did you have to mention that part?"

"Of course, you unfaithful jerk! Why did you cheat on me before meeting me?" She asked, making Jamal and Dawn laugh.

Jax shook his head. "First of all, you didn’t snatch me. Secondly, I didn’t cheat on you because we weren’t in a relationship."

"You cheated in advance," she said, and Jamal and Dawn laughed harder when Jax massaged his temple.

The rest of the evening passed far too quickly.

The conversation drifted naturally from one topic to another.

Sometimes they laughed until their stomachs hurt.

Other times, they found themselves talking about life, work, family, and the future.

Jamal and Mari spent a good part of the evening embarrassing each other with stories from years of friendship.

Dawn laughed so much that her cheeks began to ache, while Jax mostly listened, smiling quietly as he learned more about the people who had become such an important part of Mari’s life.

It didn’t take long before the conversation shifted to wedding preparations.

They talked about Stefan and Genevieve’s upcoming wedding, Callan and Emily’s relationship, Josh’s first day at his new school, and even Jax’s upcoming art exhibition.

Every topic somehow led to another story, another joke, or another memory.

There was no talk of companies, deadlines, investigations, or responsibilities.

For just a few hours, they were simply four friends enjoying each other’s company.

At one point, Mari insisted they take pictures to mark their first double date.

Jamal immediately protested. "I knew this was coming."

"It absolutely was," Mari replied, already pulling out her phone.

Within minutes, one of the waiters had become their unofficial photographer.

They took proper pictures. Then silly ones which Jax indulged in because of Mari.

When they finally stepped out of the restaurant, the night air was cool and refreshing.

None of them seemed particularly eager to leave.

Jamal slipped an arm around Dawn while Jax reached for Mari’s hand.

"This was fun," Dawn said with a contented smile.

"It really was," Jax agreed.

Mari looked between them. "We’re doing this again."

Jamal nodded immediately. "Definitely."

"Next time," Mari declared, pointing dramatically at all of them, "it’s a double date."

Everyone laughed.

Eventually, they exchanged hugs, promised to make nights like this a regular tradition, and headed home with lighter hearts than when the evening had begun.