Session 33

Chapter seventy four

The nail salon hummed with noise—dryers whirring, drills buzzing, and women chatting. Naomi and I were in our usual spots, me soaking my feet in warm water as the massage chair worked out knots in my back that Cassius had put there. I closed my eyes for a second, savoring the moment of calm.

Naomi, sat next to me sipping her iced matcha latte and scrolling her phone or was pretending to. She had that look on her face, like she was just biding her time, She was waiting for the right moment to pry into my business. She couldn’t help herself—it was her love language.

“You’re quiet today,” she said finally.

I shrugged, leaning my head back against the chair as it kneaded my shoulders. “Just soaking up the silence,” I told her.

“Unhuh.” She hummed.” Why have you been MIA since the camping trip?” she asked.

I kept my face neutral, refusing to give her an inch. “I’ve been around.”

Her eyes finally flicked over to me. I could feel it, I looked over and she had them narrowed and on me like she was a human lie detector. “Mmmhmm.”

I sighed dramatically, deciding to block her interrogation. “Y’all really hurt my feelings that last day of the trip,” I said, my voice dripping with mock sadness. “All that judgment and jumping to conclusions. I didn’t deserve that, Naomi.”

Her face softened instantly, and I had to fight back a smirk. Got her .

“My bad,” she said, sounding genuinely apologetic. “We shouldn’t have doubted you, but...” Her words trailed off, her attention shifting past me. I turned to follow her gaze, and my heart stalled.

Cassius.

He strode into the salon like he owned it. I waited for heads to turn. And turn they did. Women were shamelessly staring, but his focus never wavered. It was locked on me. I was going to ban his eyes from showing up when I was around a bunch of women. But then maybe not. It gave me a little tingle to know they wanted him and he was mine.

He was carrying a paper bag. The scent of oxtails and rice and peas he even reached me hit me like a wave of nostalgia.

He stopped in front of me, holding out the bag.

I took it, my fingers brushing his for the briefest second. “Thanks,” I murmured, barely meeting his eyes, but I could feel the heat of his gaze.

He turned to Naomi next, handing her a bag too. She lit up like he’d just gave her a lottery ticket.

“For me?” she asked, clutching it to her chest all dramatically.

Cassius ignored her theatrics, leaning down to kiss me—a quick, soft kiss on the lips that sent a ripple through me. “Hi, beautiful,” he said, his voice low and intimate, meant just for me.

Then he kissed me again. This one lingered, his lips pressing just a little harder, a little longer. My eyes darted around the salon, and sure enough, all eyes were on us. People were definitely watching.

“Bye, beautiful,” he said, standing back up with that infuriating smirk of his. He gave Naomi a nod, his tone teasing as he added, “Bye, sea witch.”

And just like that, he was gone, striding back out the door .

“Ahhhhh, I knew it!” Naomi screeched, loud enough to draw even more attention. Half the salon turned to look at us.

“Keep your voice down!” I hissed, ducking my head as my cheeks flamed, dimple going deep.

Naomi slapped a hand over her mouth, but her eyes sparkled. She leaned closer, whispering loudly enough for only me to hear, “Silas said you were walking around that house naked. Y’all been back doing the dirty for two months or more and you didn’t tell me? I thought we were friends!”

I groaned, already regretting the decision that had led to Silas having that kind of information. “Silas talks too damn much,” I muttered.

Naomi grinned, her fake pout vanishing as she opened her bag and peeked inside. “Oh my God, these oxtails smell amazing,” she said, popping a piece into her mouth like she hadn’t just been clowning me.

I sighed again, shaking my head. “It’s not like that,” I said, my tone serious now.

Naomi raised an eyebrow, skepticism practically radiating off her. “Mmmhmm.”

I sat back in my chair, choosing my words carefully. “I just didn’t want a repeat of the past. I didn’t want you telling me it’s not a good idea. We’re not back together, but we’re working on it. Cassius has grown so much, Naomi. He’s really trying—for me, for himself.”

Naomi’s expression softened, and she leaned back. “I understand,” she said finally, nodding slowly. “And I agree. He’s changed for the better. That’s why I’m rooting for y’all this time.”

Her words caught me off guard. Naomi had always been Cassius’s biggest critic, the one who’d side-eye me every time I tried to defend him. Hearing her say she was rooting for us now? It hit me in a place I didn’t even realize I needed it to.

“Really?” I asked, my voice laced with cautious hope.

She grinned, popping another piece of oxtail into her mouth. “Really.”

I smiled, a small but genuine one. “Thank you, Naomi.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” she teased, pointing her fork at me. “You know I’ll still cuss his ass out if he steps out of line. Then Imma cuss your ass out for giving him another chance to hurt you. Y’all better make it work.”

I laughed. “That’s fine with me.We can jump him together if he fucks up this time. And your cussing don’t scare nobody. You do it too much.”

Naomi laughed too.

The rest of the appointment flew by, the two of us slipping back into our usual rhythm of easy conversation and laughter.

As I stepped with freshly done nail, I felt something that had been absent all my life. It felt foreign.

Maybe this was what it looked like when life started to align. Maybe this was what it felt like to reach for something better, something solid.

But then again, maybe it wasn’t. Time would tell.