Session 33

Chapter- twenty five

Six months ago, I wouldn’t have believed this was my life—this warm, golden thing where I wasn’t lonely anymore. Now here I was, snuggled up with my man on one side and my best friend on the other, half-watching a movie, half-basking in the hum of good company. Cassius and I had been together for nine months now.

At first, I’d worried—like, seriously worried . I couldn’t stop thinking about the version of him I’d seen with Keisha: guarded, cocky, maybe even mean. I was scared that one day, the real Cassius would come out of hiding and ruin everything. But after that whole mess with Naomi dragging me into her drama? He hadn’t been anything but sweet.

I love him. I know I love him. And I think he loves me too—but neither of us has said it yet. I’m waiting for him to say it first because, God forbid, I read the signs wrong and make a fool of myself.

He was still a bit more guarded than I would like. And he’d disappear for days with only short phone calls or text messages, and I found myself wondering where he went and if he was fucking somebody else. But I realized those were my own insecurities. He had finally told me in detail what happened with his parents. I had cried for him. There was barely any emotion or inflection in his voice as he did. That couldn’t be healthy. Telling me about his parents helped me understand that he may need a little time to himself, so I let his disappearing acts go and trusted him since he hadn’t given me a reason not to..

When he finally told me what happened with his parents, it all clicked. I cried for him—ugly cried. Meanwhile, he told the story like it was an entry on a grocery list: detached, no emotion in his voice, nothing. That couldn’t be healthy. But it helped me understand him better, so I’ve tried to give him grace. If he needs his space sometimes, fine. I trust him because, honestly, he hasn’t given me a reason not to.

And then there’s the money. He inherited a small fortune after what happened with his parents, and when he showed me his bank statements, I caught this quick flicker in his eyes, like he was waiting for me to get all gold-digger-y. As if dollar signs were about to pop into my eyes like a cartoon.

I wanted to be offended, but I get it. Women probably tried him in the past. Still, I didn’t appreciate the assumption. So I showed him mine. Sure, my account didn’t look like his, but I was doing fine for myself. I didn’t need him. I wanted him. And there’s a difference.

The only bad thing I could think of was that I found myself cursing and wanting to drink and party more than I ever thought I would or wanted to. I had been to the club more times in the past few months than I had in my whole life before Cassius. He brought out this wild streak in me that I wasn’t sure I liked.

Naomi laughed, bringing me out of my thoughts. I dropped my head to Cassius’ shoulder and tried to focus, but the next thing I knew, I was being shaken awake by Cassius.

“Baby, wake up. I’m about to go,” Cassius said softly.

I blinked, looking around. Naomi and Jonas were gone, the TV was off, and it hit me—I’d fallen asleep. Cassius was trying to ease me up off the sofa.

“Baby, where you going?” I murmured.

“I’m about to head out and meet up with Silas real quick. We’re gonna grab a few drinks,” he said casually, slipping into his leather jacket.

Fucking Silas. My stomach twisted just hearing his name. Naomi hated him, and honestly? I wasn’t a fan either. He was always calling Jonas and Cassius to hit the club with him like they were young boys who didn’t have shit else to do.

“Do you have to go?” I said, rising and wrapping my arms around his waist. Standing on the tip of my toes, I gripped his chin and slid my tongue into his mouth. He responded, sucking my tongue and gripping my ass. I thought I could change his mind.

Pulling away, there was a smirk curving his lips. “I’ll be back soon, and I’ll make it up to you,” he said, sliding his arms into his leather jacket. He knew I hated being alone on Friday nights, and he was about to leave me to go chill with Silas’s ass.

I stared at him, irritated. “Okay, bye. Have a good fucking night,” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm as I stormed up the stairs.

I heard him laugh softly before the door closed behind him.

Oh, so he thinks this is cute?

I’d be damned if I sat in this house, waiting on him while he partied with Silas’ messy ass. Knowing Naomi wouldn’t be down because she was pregnant, I made a decision right then. I was going to the club. By myself.

I jumped in the shower, letting the hot water work out my frustration. Afterward, I moisturized with strawberry body butter, the sweet scent calming me a little. Walking to my closet, I slipped into the knee-length sweater dress I’d been waiting to wear all season. Black tights, ankle boots, and a red lace bra-and-panty set completed the look.

Before heading out, I stopped in front of the mirror, giving myself a quick once-over. My confidence was on one hundred, and by the time I left the house, I was ready —ready for drinks, fun, and a little attention.

When I pulled up to the club, the line was long as hell, and finding parking was a headache. For a second, I thought about turning around and going home, but the thirty-dollar valet and seventy-five-dollar VIP entrance called my name.

Walking straight to the front of the line was a rush. Men kept trying to stop me, throwing compliments and lame pickup lines, while women gave me the kind of side-eyes that could cut glass. I’d never been the type to threaten another woman’s confidence before, but tonight? Tonight was different.

The three hundred-pound, dark-as-night bouncer waved me in for free.

As soon as I stepped inside, Rihanna’s “Turn Up the Music” blasted through the speakers.

“Turn it up, turn up!”

And that was exactly what I planned to do, right after I got a few drinks in me.