Chapter 4
The stroll to the parking garage after my conversation with Ava was quick. I tossed my backpack into the back seat. Then I climbed into the driver’s seat. Nay’s eyes locked on me like a fly on shit. She had a goofy ass grin on her face as she gave me her undivided attention.
“So, what was all that?” she asked.
“What was what?” I played clueless.
“Stop playing, Marcus. What happened with you and Ava?”
I wanted to make her mad for being in my business. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, girl.”
“Marcus, when I bat you in your damn head, I don’t want to hear shit. Always playing games. Please, be so for real. I ain’t seen you flirt with a girl in ages. Why all of a sudden are you asking my teammate out on dates?”
“How did you know I asked her on a date?”
“I didn’t until just now.”
We shared a laugh.
“Look, I ain’t gonna tell you what to do with your life, but please be careful with Ava. She’s my girl, and I enjoy the chemistry we have together. I don’t want you to put that in jeopardy by dating her.”
“I would never intentionally hurt her or put y’all’s bond in jeopardy.”
“Good. If anything were to happen, I’d hate to have to beat your ass.”
“You’d take her side over mine?”
She nodded confidently. “Absolutely, big brother.”
“You can walk home then.” I unlocked the doors.
She tossed her head back with a loud and obnoxious laugh. She slapped my arm and sat back with a grin. “You wouldn’t dare make me walk. I’d call my daddy, and you know he don’t play about his baby girl.”
“If I told him you’d disgrace the family, he might change his mind.”
She waved me off. “Anyway, if y’all get married, I better be your best man.”
“I don’t think?—”
“You heard me.”
I shook my head. “We’ll see what happens when it happens.”
She didn’t say another word as I pulled out of the garage and sped down the feeder street. My mind ran a mile a minute. I had asked the Ava Starr to go out with me, and she said yes. Was it fate?
I had to consider a lot of things as I headed to Nay’s house to drop her off.
A few weeks later
I watched her tug on the light pink dress as she got out of her car. I’d pulled up about thirty minutes prior to her and waited for her to arrive. I parked on the street while she’d pulled up to the valet. When she got out, I watched the shock on the guy’s face.
“Oh my gosh! You’re Ava Starr. I’m a huge fan. I can’t wait to see what you do for the Vipers this season. We’re all rooting for you.” The guy spoke to her with pure joy in his actions.
She smiled politely. “Thank you.” She held the keys out for him, but he continued to talk to her unprofessionally.
“Do you think you’ll be able to take us to the championship again this year? The last three years have been so stressful, but I know this current roster with a healthy Hastings will give us the juice we need to get the ring.” He continued to babble about basketball.
I saw the smile fade from her face for only a moment before her media training kicked in. I decided to relieve her from the conversation and hopped out. My strides were calculated and powerful. I slid beside her and played my role.
“Baby, our reservation was at eight. Why are you still out here?”
Both of them looked toward me as I grinned. My attire for the evening was something slight. I wore a vintage anime graphic tee, black jeans, and designer sneakers that cost more than some people’s rent.
“Sorry, I lost track of the time. I had a great conversation with…” She looked at the valet guy.
“Calvin.” He filled in the silence.
“No worries. Thank you, Calvin. Make sure my lady’s car gets parked securely.”
“Will do.”
I held my hand out for her to take, and she happily slid her fingers between mine. We entered the elegant anime bar. I could tell from the excitement in her eyes she’d never been here before.
“The decor is breathtaking,” she commented as we were escorted to our table near the waterfall wall.
There was a gold and black theme with cherry blossoms decorating the tables. There was a bar and grill in the center. There were classic anime scenes adorning the walls as well. It was a nice vibe.
Once we were seated, our orders were taken, and our first round of drinks were distributed.
We ordered grape Soju, strawberry Ramune, and iced water.
For our appetizers, we ordered crab puffs and fried calamari.
For the main course, we both opted for a spicy miso ramen.
I opted for two extra eggs, an extra fish cake, and no seaweed.
She’d gotten almost the same thing but added extra seaweed and requested no bamboo shoots.
While we waited for our ramen bowls, I started up a conversation.
“You don’t fuck with calamari?” I asked as I popped one of the circular fried pieces into my mouth.
“Nope. I’m big on textures, and it’s like eating a rubber band. I can’t do it.”
I laughed. “I can understand that. How are the crab puffs?”
“They are delicious. Here.” She lifted one of the crab puffs up for me to bite. I happily sunk my teeth into the warm crab and cream cheese blend. The outer dough was crispy.
“You’re right. It’s really good.”
“Told you.”
We ate and sipped our drinks for a while. It was a cool vibe. When the ramen bowls arrived, we hardly said a word as we dug into our meals. She was a professional with the chopsticks, which was cool as hell. I was decent with them myself.
“This is some of the best ramen I’ve ever had. I usually stick to the little mom-and-pop shop by my apartment, but this… this might be my go-to from now on. The broth was so flavorful, and they seasoned the meat to perfection… Whew.”
I smiled. “I’m glad I picked a spot you’ve never tried before and enjoyed. I was nervous as hell about how tonight would go.”
“I’ve had a blast. This is the best date I’ve been on… probably ever.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Yeah? I’m honored.”
“Believe it or not, I actually stopped dating. Most guys who take me out never get a second date because they always end up making shit about my dad.”
“No one wants to talk about parents on the first date. Niggas got to learn how to read the room.”
“Exactly. It’s so annoying because I’m my own person.”
“You definitely are. You worked really hard to build your name in the league. People should respect that.”
“Hello! That’s literally what I be preaching. Like, yes, my daddy is a legend, but y’all asked me out on a date, not him.”
“I guess because of who my sister is and the jobs my parents had, I don’t really fan out like most niggas. I know what it’s like to be around celebrities. They ain’t nobody special.”
“Sir, you do know you’re not just some regular degular man either, right?”
“What do you mean? I’m nobody compared to you and my sister.”
“Boy, bye. You thought I wasn’t hip to what you be out here doing in the streaming world? I’ve seen several of your clips on social media. You’ve gone viral more times than me.”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “You’ve seen me play?”
She nodded. “Duh. You are one of the top-rated streamers out there right now. Your 2k clips are hilarious. Plus, your sister always drops your streams in our group chat to support.”
“That’s cool. I never would have guessed you knew about my streams.”
“I don’t live under a rock. A lot of y’all streamers be making similar checks, if not more than some of us athletes. The esports world is insane.”
“I’ll have to have you on a stream one day.”
She grinned. “Hell nah. Chat won’t drag me. Your fans are assholes.”
“They’re not that bad. They be cool when fine women join the stream.”
She shook her head. “I bet, but I’ll consider it.”
We talked for a while longer. It was nice to find out all the things we had in common. She said she’d tried to play 2k online, but once she’d spoken into the mic, dudes started getting disrespectful. Online gaming had some of the most toxic people in the world. It got bad.
“You want to come over for a night cap?” she asked after I’d paid the bill.
“Yes.”
“Great. I’ll send you the address. Pack your spend the night bag too.”
I raised a brow as I stood up. “Are you trying to slut me out, ma’am?”
“Precisely.”
I smirked. “Say no more. I’m down for whatever you got planned. I’ll text you when I’m headed your way.”
We walked hand in hand out of the anime bar and were bombarded with paparazzi. The flash of the camera was annoying as hell, as I shielded her the best I could.
“Ava! Is this your new boo?” one of them asked.
“What happened between you and CCG Jay? Rumor has it that the two of you had an altercation a few weeks ago,” another questioned.
The valet guy must have tipped them off because he had a guilty expression on his face as he held out the keys for her to take.
I pushed them out the way to give Ava the space to get in her car.
She had a nice ass Mercedes Benz. She started the car and closed the door.
I waited until she pulled off before I got in my car.
I was used to the paparazzi looking for their next viral pop culture headline, so it didn’t faze me as much as it probably did Ava. Tonight had been perfect until this moment.
My phone dinged as I pulled out onto the main street and merged into the lane that would get me onto the highway toward my home. I didn’t respond until I got home, but when I pulled into the parking garage, I opened the text thread.
AVA:
Tonight was great. Sorry you had to deal with those stupid ass paparazzi assholes. If you don’t want to come back to my place, I completely understand.
I shook my head at her concern for me. It was cute.
Me:
You think I’m scared of a couple nosey ass photo taking mothafuckas? Baby, I’ll be headed your way as soon as you say you’re ready for me.
AVA:
Oop, say no more. Here’s my location.
A notification with her pinned location popped up in the thread. I hearted it and put it in my maps app. Once the route was picked, I got out of my car and headed inside to shower and pack my bag. It took me about forty minutes to get everything together and head back out.
Me:
I’m twenty away. See you soon, beautiful.
She hearted the message. That was all I needed to see before I zoned out to the music and allowed the lyrical genius of J.
Cole to fuel my vibes to her place. My addiction to Ava had begun the moment I stood beside her in the club weeks ago.
Her scent intoxicated me, and when she gave me a taste, I had jumped off the deep end.
I wanted her to be mine. She will be mine.