“An intentionally general truth because Idon’tknow you,” I replied with a grin, giggling once he lifted his glass as if to say“Touché.”Then we settled into a comfortable silence as Darnell sipped from his drink and I sat there watching him, every second that went by making him look a little more attractive in a way that almost seemed…dangerous.
Not that he was out to harm anybody physically. He just had this aura about him that told me I wouldn’t want to ever leave his bed. And since that was exactly the kind of shit I didn’t need in my life right now, I decided it was best for me to get away while I still could, trying to be polite about it when I told him, “You know, I’ve actually been here for a while now, so I think I’m gonna get going. But it was really nice meeting you, Darnell.”
Sitting up so that he could put his drink down on the table, he immediately pulled his phone from his pocket and offered, “Let me get you an Uber.”
“You really don’t have to…”
“I want to,” he interrupted, handing his phone my way so that I could type in an address that I didn’t really want to give.
Because that was actually dangerous.
My fingers hovered the screen as I contemplated what to put, deciding to use the Hawkins’ address as a buffer just as Darnell said, “I promise I’ll clear it whenever you arrive at your destination. I just wanna make sure you get home safely, love.”
It might’ve been naive of me to trust him, but I did for that moment; especially since I knew he wouldn’tactuallyhave my home address. And once the car was ordered, it wasn’t much of a surprise when he insisted on waiting outside with me, his company actually a bit comforting until he randomly inquired, “What’s your handle on Instagram, Bri?”
“Ummm… I don’t have one.”
“You don’t have an IG?” he asked with a confused frown that had me quick to try and come up with an explanation.
“I mean, I do. But I also kinda don’t.”
“Oh, it’s like that,” he sighed, half-amused and half-disappointed as I defended, “It’s just a privacy thing.”
“What? You’re like, secretly the Heiress of Zamunda or some shit?” he questioned teasingly, making me giggle as I nodded and told him, “Yeah, let’s go with that.”
“Well open your notes app, and I’ma drop my handle so you can hit me up whenever you ready for me to get to know you.”
His suggestion was slick enough for me to do exactly as he’d asked when I unlocked my phone, opened the app, and then handed it his way. And with perfect timing, a blacked-out truck pulled up to the curb just as he’d finished typing, the fact that Darnell hadn’t gone with the more basic rideshare option something I made a mental note of as I told him, “Thank you. For the Uber.”
Smirking, he got the door for me and insisted, “It’s nothin’, love,” making sure I was in securely before he added, “I’ll see you.” Then he shut the door to send me on my way, the entire interaction leaving me warm in the cheeks...and hot between the thighs.
Maybe being back in Houston wasn’t going to be so bad after all.
At least, that’s what I thought until I got dropped off at the Hawkins’ house and immediately started removing my heels to give my feet a break, only for both shoes to fall from my hands when I heard a male voice behind me ask, “Been in town for like a week and already got a nigga tryna wife you, huh?”
After turning around to confirm the source of the question, I hissed, “Lance, what the fuck?! You scared me!”
“Well imagine my surprise when I’m getting ready to turn on my car so I can pull out of my parents’ driveway and find out that I can’t cause your little friend is in my way.”
Rolling my eyes, I picked up my heels from the ground while annoyedly defending, “It was literally just an Uber, but okay.” Then I stood upright and was completely ready for a second showdown until I found Lance staring at me like he was…impressed?
My body reacted to that before my mind fully could, the heat between my thighs turning the tiny flicker that was left over from earlier into a full-blown flame as my former best friend gave me a slow once-over then said, “Must’ve been somebody special if he’s got you out here wearing heels and shit.”
Looking away,because looking at his fine ass was too stressful, I answered, “I wasn’t on a date, Lance.”
“Where you coming from then?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“So it was a date?”
Instead of answering his question, I decided to change the subject, crossing my arms over my chest when I asked, “Do you like… live with your parents now or something? Why are you always here?”
With a deep chuckle that made me feel things, Lance argued, “You’ve legit only seen me at my parents’ house twice.”
“Oh yeah. Mmhmm. That’stotallytrue,” I responded awkwardly, trying to play off the fact that I’d definitely seen him over there more times than he knew about. But recognizing how weird that was, I was grateful that he didn’t know enough to call me out on it when he explained, “To answer your question though, I was actually here celebrating my contract being finalized.”
“More millions to go with your millions. Congrats on that,” I told him sarcastically even though I really was happy for him.