Chapter 3
Three
T he panel was entertaining and informative. While my main objective for attending was to fawn over Nick Williams, I was actually incredibly moved by the resilience and the tenacity of all of the panelists. The consensus of the audience was the same—we were impressed and motivated. It was tradition for Friday night to start on a professional note ahead of the rowdy Saturday night. So, the networking mixer was the best opportunity for me to get up close with Nick.
There was a DJ playing instrumental and classical versions of popular songs in the lobby of the library. There was a bar right outside and people were congregating on the steps outside the front doors. There were as many people outside as there were inside. People were milling around, catching up with old friends and making new ones. We ran into a woman who lived in our dorm sophomore year.
“Did you hear about the SONs kickback at that rental house on Elm?” Nicole asked us. She jerked her thumb toward the front door. “It’s by invite only but I just saw a bunch of fine ass SONs outside so I’m going to see about getting invited.”
“Oh?” Paris’s eyes widened. “Who did you see?”
She rattled off a list of names—some of them I knew, some of them I didn’t. “…Dennis, Tuck and?—”
“Tuck was outside?” Paris asked, trying to sound casual.
“Oh yeah, I forgot you were friends with him!” Nicole exclaimed. “He was walking around with Dennis.” Her eyes widened. “You should go say hi to your friend Tuck and then introduce me to his friend Dennis and get us invited tonight!”
Paris shook her head. “I’m sure Tuck doesn’t even remember me.”
“Of course he does!” I assured her. “You two were friends and talked regularly.”
“Let’s go find him and find out,” Nicole insisted, grabbing her arm.
Paris looked at me with wide eyes. I knew she wasn’t asking for my permission or approval. I nodded because she needed my encouragement.
“You two go,” I told them, scanning the room again. “I have my own little side mission I need to tend to. Text me.”
Patting Paris on the back, I mentally gave her a pep talk. A small smirk pulled at her lips before she took a deep breath and left with Nicole. On my own, I didn’t have a second pair of eyes looking for Nick with me. I needed to find a better vantage point to find him.
Climbing the stairs to the second floor of the library, I thought about how I planned to approach Nick when I found him. I was making my way to the little cove that overlooked the first-floor lobby when I heard men laughing. I was hidden by the privacy divider so they couldn’t see me approaching, but once a name was called, I stopped in my tracks.
“Nick, I’m trying to put you on,” the man said with a chuckle.
I took a step closer, listening more intently. Could it be my Nick?
“Jason,” Nick said his name with exasperation.
My stomach flipped.
It was him. It was definitely him. After our interaction at the hotel and hearing him on the panel, I knew it was him.
“I’m not looking for you to line shit up for me,” Nick continued. “You worry about you. I’m good.”
“This is your first homecoming as a single man in a long time,” Jason reminded him. “I think you forgot how to do this. And besides, Tara asked about you.”
“I’m good. I’m not interested in her and I’m not here for all that. After the bullshit that just happened, I don’t even know if I’m going to be at the kickback for more than fifteen minutes. I’m just going for the meeting.”
Jason exhaled loudly and dramatically. “So, you’re telling me that you can’t take one for the team?”
“That’s exactly what the fuck I’m saying. I know you didn’t follow me up here to ask me that. I know you didn’t.”
“You don’t even gotta do anything with her. Just entertain her for ten minutes so I can get Leslie alone.”
“I’m not doing that shit. If it’s not about business, I don’t talk to anybody I don’t want to talk to.”
“Well, ask her something about business! Damn!”
Nick, Jason and a third male who had yet to be identified all burst out laughing.
“Get your shit together and talk to Leslie yourself,” Nick instructed.
My phone vibrated and even though it wasn’t loud, I scrambled backward a few feet. I didn’t want it to seem like I was listening if they came around the corner too soon. I pulled out my phone and checked it.
Paris Brown: Tuck asked me to ride with him to make a run for the kickback.
Asha James: Go! I’ll meet you there!
Even if I had to play it like I was there to pick Paris up, I was going to be at the kickback. Grinning, I slipped my phone in my bag as the guys were all talking at once. It seemed like they were getting closer, and I could hear that the third voice had a distinct accent.
“Maybe you could just lie and…” His voice trailed off as I started humming softly.
I pretended to be completely oblivious of them as I walked to the cove balcony.
“You didn’t hear that, did you?” the accented voice that I knew didn’t belong to Nick or Jason questioned.
I glanced over my shoulder, pretending to be surprised by their presence. “Hm?”
I recognized Nick immediately and Jason looked familiar from his social media page—the page that confirmed to me that Nick was single. But the third man, an attractive man I’d never seen before, was the one who stepped forward.
“Hi, I’m Mitchell Lee,” he said, extending his hand. When I shook it, he continued. “Please forgive anything you might’ve heard. What brings you up here?”
“I didn’t hear a thing,” I told them with a knowing smile. I jutted my thumb over my shoulder toward the balcony. “And I like the bird’s-eye view.”
“What’s your name?” Jason asked, checking me out as he moved toward me.
“Asha,” Nick answered for me. Stepping forward, he reached for my hand. “It’s good to see you again.”
His hand slid across mine and a tingly feeling ran up my arm and throughout the rest of my body. Our eyes locked and the air left my lungs.
“Hi,” I breathed.
“You two know each other?” Jason wondered, looking back and forth. “Because I could use an introduction.”
“I introduced myself,” Mitchell pointed out, stepping in front of Jason. “I didn’t need an introduction.”
“It’s funny how you never have anything to say until there’s a pretty girl around,” Jason commented, bemused.
Nick ignored them as his thumb ran across the back of my hand. “I see you’re not concussed, so that’s what’s up.”
I giggled. “Yeah, I survived.”
“A concussion?” Jason asked loudly, confused. “What the hell y’all got going on?”
“I kind of ran into her at the hotel,” Nick admitted, giving my hand a squeeze before relinquishing it.
“Kind of?” I quirked an eyebrow. “You kinda ‘bowed me.”
“I didn’t see you,” he explained, eyes wide. “They moved the time up for the panelists to meet before we were to go on and I was rushing. I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you.”
I chewed on my bottom lip, so I didn’t start grinning. I have a few suggestions as to how you could make it up to me.
“You telling me this big ass Neanderthal looking muthafucka put his hands on you?” Jason’s eyes were wide as he pointed an accusatory finger at Nick. He was fighting his amusement as he shook his head. “I can’t believe you’d do some shit like that! That’s messed up.”
“Hey, Asha, I would never do some shit like that,” Mitchell offered, causing us all to laugh.
“I didn’t see her,” Nick explained loudly over our laughter. “I was rushing into the elevator and—mmcht, I ain’t explaining shit to neither one of y’all! As long as Asha knows the truth and forgives me, that’s all that matters.”
“Are you coming to the party tomorrow?” Jason wondered, eyeing me.
“Yes. My ticket is secured.”
He nodded. “Okay good. I was going to say you should get Nick to get you a ticket since he fought you in the elevator.”
Mitchell shook his head dramatically. “Again, something I would never do.”
“Both of you can go to hell,” Nick grumbled. “Asha, please don’t pay attention?—”
“Hold up, hold up, hold up,” Jason interrupted. “Did we have a class together? Are you Asha from Comm 250?”
I opened my eyes wide and pretended I’d just made the connect. “Oh, yeah! We did!”
“Oh shit!” He clapped his hands together. “This girl was all quiet and shy, so you never expected how cool she was,” he said of me. “Now that I know that you’re good people, I’ll for real fight this dude for throwing you to the ground earlier.”
I laughed. “There’s no need for all that.”
He looked at Nick and pointed forcefully. “You’re lucky,” he said in a warning tone.
Nick rolled his eyes.
“What are you doing later?” Mitchell asked me.
I glanced at Nick. “I don’t know.”
“Because of the concussion? Understood,” Jason commented with a sympathetic look. He glared at Nick. “Did you at least invite her to the kickback after you drop-kicked her?”
“I would’ve invited you to the kickback,” Mitchell chimed in. “Without the violence.”
I snickered. “I mean, this kickback seems cool.”
“That settles it.” Jason slapped Nick’s shoulder. “You’ll be at the kickback tonight and you’ll be bringing Asha. We’ll see y’all later.”
Before either of us had a chance to respond, Jason and Mitchell had walked off and were damn near running down the steps.
Nick looked confused and then his eyes met mine and he let out a short laugh. “I’m sorry about that.” He shook his head as he headed to the railing that overlooked the mixer below. “Homecoming Weekend and Alumni Weekend bring out the college versions of those fools.”
I joined him. “And what about you?”
He shook his head. “I actually don’t drink anymore so I’m a lot more laid-back than the college version of me.”
“Oh really?”
“Yeah. I like to be in control, so I try to stay away from anything that takes that away from me.”
I nodded slowly. “I get that.” I paused. “I’m sure that’s how you got to be so successful so young.”
“That’s been a team effort,” he argued modestly.
“I’m sure you’ve had a great team supporting you, but this thing you’ve built is impressive and it’s been impressive from its inception.”
He looked at me quizzically.
Nerves fluttered my belly. “I remember you making a speech outside of the rose garden about making tech more accessible for kids from low-income families and I knew then you were going to make big things happen.”
His eyebrows shot up. “You remember that?”
I nodded. “It was impressive and inspiring.”
He stared at me for a few seconds. “I don’t remember you from back then.” His eyes quickly dipped to my lips before returning. “And I would remember seeing you around.”
“I look a little different than I did when we were here. And I was kind of a wallflower.”
“You? Really?” He looked surprised.
I nodded. “Yeah, I was shy back then so I wouldn’t have really been around like that.”
“So, you came to homecoming brand new?”
“Something like that,” I giggled.
“You really weren’t at any parties or in any groups? You just went to class and back to your dorm?” He frowned. “You didn’t do anything? ”
“Don’t look at me like that,” I laughed, bumping my shoulder into his. “I wasn’t one of the popular kids, but I did stuff! I spent time with friends, went to shows, and I was even part of this group you might have heard of called Hamilton University Community Enrichment.”
“Hold up, you were part of HUCE?” He took a step back and eyed me. “When I was there?”
I nodded. “Yes. That speech you gave was the reason I joined.”
“What?”
I nodded. “It inspired me to look into community-focused work. I was always a psych major, but it was you and working with HUCE that pushed me into the direction that I’m in now.”
“Wow.” A small smile played on his lips as he shook his head. “You have no idea how much I needed to hear that.”
“You have to know how influential you are.” I gestured to the crowd gathered below us. “You were just featured on a panel highlighting what success looks like. Your influence isn’t a secret. It’s well documented and proudly touted.”
He shifted his gaze away from me. Resting his forearms on the railing, he stared down at those below us. His jaw clenched and his expression changed slightly. “Success is relative,” he muttered under his breath.
I stared at his profile. The last question from the audience was directed at him. The person asked how to keep people interested in social services work when the wages weren’t keeping up with the cost of living. He gave a professional answer that sounded good and garnered applause, but I could tell he had more to say and was holding back at the time. And from the way his jaw clenched, it was clear he was still thinking about it.
“Yes, it is,” I agreed slowly.
We were both silent for a moment before I continued. “You made a great point when you said the nonprofit world isn’t financially lucrative, but it’s morally rewarding and spiritually lucrative.”
He exhaled. “Yeah. But…” He shook his head and let the sentence trail off.
“But that’s not what that guy was asking,” I finished for him. “But your answer was real because you can’t control the job market or society’s tendency to undervalue social services work and workers. It’s not on you to convince people to be in this line of work.”
“Right?” Nodding, he continued staring at the crowd below. “Doing this work ain’t for the weak. They either have it in them, or they don’t.”
I tilted my head to the side as I assessed him. “That’s what you wanted to say on stage, wasn’t it?”
A slow smile curled his thick lips as he glanced over at me. “Was it that obvious?”
“I felt like you were holding back.”
He let out a short, dry laugh. “That shit was irking me.”
“Holding back?”
He nodded. “Among other things.”
“Your answer was a good one, though.” I turned my body to fully face him. “And from what I gathered from what you were saying on stage, it’s your corporate job that funded your nonprofit. It’s your corporate job that put you in a position to get the funding that you’ve secured. It’s your corporate job that is allowing you to expand your nonprofit and the work that you do. Just because it’s also your corporate job that allows you to buy expensive watches doesn’t negate the nonprofit work that you do.” I bit my lip as he lifted from the railing and rose to his full height to face me. “So yeah, you’re successful independently of what you do for the community. But you’re also successful because of what you do for the community. If people are just looking at the number of dollars to determine success, they won’t find that in social services. But if people are looking at the number of people you’ve helped, the number of lives you’ve changed, they will absolutely find that in social services work.” I pushed my forefinger into his chest. “In the work that you do.”
He caught my hand before I could pull it back.
I sucked in a sharp breath.
His touch was a shock to my system. Not just because it was unexpected, but because it was intentional. When he’d touched me after elbowing me, it was out of concern and worry.
This was different.
His thumb caressed the palm of my hand as he stared into my eyes.
“Where did you come from?” he wondered softly.
My mouth felt dry, and my mind scrambled momentarily. “Richmond.”
It was his smirk that alerted me to the fact that he wasn’t asking about my hometown.
He squeezed my hand and then released me. “You seem like a good girl. Please don’t feel pressured to go to this bullshit kickback tonight.”
“No, I want to go,” I clarified quickly. I could still feel his thumb pressing into my palm even though we were no longer touching.
“You sure?”
I nodded. “I’m sure.” I paused. “But don’t feel like you have to take me with you if you don’t want to. I kinda feel like Jason forced me on you.”
“If I minded being with you, I wouldn’t still be here.” He cocked his head to the side and brushed my forehead with his fingertips. “Now did they make me feel even guiltier for hurting you earlier? Hell yeah. But I was hoping to hear from you anyway. That’s why I gave you my card. I wanted to make sure you were good and also make this”—he gently tapped the spot above my eyebrow— “up to you.”
Leaning into his touch, I nodded. “A party is a good start.”
“It’s part-party, part-meeting,” he explained, dropping his fingers from my skin. “There’s about twenty of us who have to link up about the real party tomorrow.”
“So, you’ll be busy?”
“For like thirty minutes. The rest of the time I’ll be protecting you from any drunken homecoming stupidity.”
“The SONs aren’t known for drunken homecoming stupidity. That’s that frat responsible for The Lost Boys.”
“Mu Epsilon Nu.” He chuckled, running a hand over his chiseled jawline. “Most of them are pretty cool, but the ones that are associated with that podcast…” He shook his head. “Nah.”
“Exactly my point.”
“I’m gonna be honest with you… I haven’t been to a kickback in a long time. So, I’m going off what used to happen back in the day. I can’t really speak for how they get down now. For all I know, they could be on some grown folks party shit. They could be vibing to old school music and drinking out of glasses instead of red Solo cups.”
“You’re worried and the whole time they got a charades and chardonnay type of vibe.”
His lips curled into a smile before a light snicker escaped him. “Yoooo… that would be some shit. It could be something low-key. I just wouldn’t want it to be anything like what happened a few years ago.”
“What happened a few years ago?”
He shook his head. “I wasn’t there, but the chapter almost got suspended from Hamilton. It wasn’t invite only, too many people showed up, apparently wild shit jumped off.”
My eyebrows flew up. “So, what I’m gathering is that we don’t know what we’re walking into tonight.”
“Not a clue. It could be anything.”
“Well, I’m up for anything.”
He held my gaze as if he were processing what I’d said. “Well, let me thank Ms. Llewellyn and then I’ll call a car to come get us.”
“You can just ride with me. I drove.”
His tongue ran from one corner of his mouth to the other. “Meet me at the door in five minutes.”