Chapter 6
I should’ve never brought Sevyn here. That became clear the second she yelled—“BEAT HIS ASS BATMAN!” across a room full of grown men.
My entire body locked up for half a second while people around us burst out laughing.
“Oh nah,” Wolf barked. “You never beating the Batman allegations now.”
I adjusted my glasses slowly while trying very hard not to look at Sevyn. Because if I looked directly at her right then? I was probably done for. She was extra pretty tonight and even with her as far as she was I could still smell her perfume.
She stood near the barricade smiling hard as hell in that tiny skirt and boots while completely unashamed of herself.
And the worst part? The shit worked. Every time I heard her voice in the crowd, my heart would thump. She made me want to BTA more then what I already do.
By finals, the entire venue had turned loud as hell. Money being thrown around. People crowding shoulder-to-shoulder around the projector screens. Commentators talking fast over speakers while the championship match loaded up.
“Y’all already know what time it is!” the announcer yelled. “HighVille’s undefeated monster versus Chicago’s own Reaper!”
The crowd lost it.
I rolled my shoulders once and settled back into the chair while adjusting my controller grip.
The match started and after that everything blurred.
My opponent was good too but I was better.
Every time the crowd erupted behind me, every time I heard Sevyn yelling something reckless, adrenaline hit harder.
Round after round.
Win after win.
Until finally—“FINISH HIM.”
The crowd stood up before I even completed the combo.
Then the screen flashed.
brUTALITY.
The entire building exploded.
“THAT’S GAME!”
“REED DID IT AGAIN!”
“THAT NIGGA DIFFERENT!”
I leaned back slowly while noise crashed around me from every direction.
Flashing cameras.
People yelling.
Hands grabbing my shoulders.
But through all of it? My eyes went straight to Sevyn. She looked happier than I did.
A few hours later, after pictures and interviews and Wolf forcing me to socialize longer than necessary, Sevyn and I finally escaped downtown.
We grabbed food at a late-night spot near the water first and she talked the entire time too. Making fun of how serious gamers looked during tournaments and I just listened like always.
Now we were back at my apartment sitting on the couch with the city lights glowing through the windows while smoke curled lazily through the room.
Hunter x Hunter played across the television while Sevyn sat tucked into the corner of my sectional wearing one of my hoodies over her outfit.
My hoodie.
That alone was distracting enough.
“You really never watched this before?” I asked.
“Nope.”
“You’ve been missing out.”
“Mhm.” She passed the blunt back toward me. “This still don’t explain why everybody in anime either screaming or fighting they daddy.”
I snorted softly taking the blunt from her fingers. “They’re emotionally layered stories.”
“They yelling.”
“They’re passionate.”
“They need therapy.” She exhaled a slow spiral of smoke.
I leaned back. The TV’s colors danced over her profile: the curve of her cheek, the soft gloss of her lips. Her perfume mingled with smoke in the low light. I tried looking away and failed.
Then suddenly— “If you keep staring at my lips Batman,” Sevyn said casually without looking away from the TV, “I’ma assume you wanna kiss me.”
Every muscle in my body went tight.
The blunt paused halfway to my mouth while heat crawled up the back of my neck.
She slowly turned her head toward me then and smiled.
Fuck.
“I—” My voice came out rougher than expected. I cleared my throat. “I wasn’t staring.”
“You absolutely were.”
I looked away toward the television instantly.
Coward behavior.
“I wasn’t.”
“Kasen.”
Silence.
Her voice was soft but insistent. Lying felt pointless. The couch creaked, and suddenly she was closer—so close I could smell vanilla mingled with weed and amber perfume. Her warmth pressed into my side.
My pulse started pounding so hard it was actually irritating.
“You nervous?” she asked softly.
“No.”
“Your ears red.”
“Damn.”
Her smile widened slowly at that.
“There it is again,” she murmured.
I swallowed hard and forced myself to look at literally anything else besides her mouth. Worst decision possible.
Because now I noticed the oversized hoodie slipping off one shoulder, the tattoos against her thighs, the way her curls framed her face beneath the dim apartment lighting.
My brain was overheating.
“Kasen,” she said softly.
“Hm?”
“You overthink everything.”
I frowned slightly. “That’s not true.”
“It absolutely is.” She shifted closer again until her knee brushed mine. “You think so hard you miss moments while they happening.”
“I’m not missing this one.”
Her eyes flicked between mine for a second. Then down to my mouth. Then back up again. The room suddenly felt too warm.
The anime still played quietly in the background but I couldn’t focus on none of it now. Not when Sevyn was this close smelling like vanilla, smoke, and temptation.
“You know…” she said slowly, “for somebody that look this intimidating, your real shy.”
My jaw tightened slightly because she wasn’t wrong.
“I’m trying to respect you,” I said honestly.
Her expression softened instantly at that then she reached up slowly and touched my beard enough to make my entire body tense.
“Kasen,” she whispered again, “I promise you don’t gotta be scared of me.”
I wasn’t scared of her…I was scared of myself around her.
Big difference.
Before I could say that though, she leaned in the rest of the way and kissed me slowly. The kiss was soft and warm.
My brain completely blanked.
Every thought disappeared the second her lips pressed against mine. Her lips tasted sweet and soft.
My hand tightened instinctively against my thigh while she kissed me carefully at first like she was giving me room to pull away.
I didn’t.
The second she shifted closer into my lap slightly, my hand came up automatically to her waist while I kissed her back deeper this time.
I knew how to kiss. Just because I hadn’t had sex didn’t mean I hadn’t learned things.
The soft sound she made against my mouth almost knocked the air clean out my chest.
Her fingers slid into the locs near the back of my neck while our mouths moved slower now.
I felt high all over again and we already smoked.
“Mm,” she breathed softly against my lips.
That little sound almost had me losing composure entirely.
I tightened my grip on her waist carefully and tilted my head deeper into the kiss.
Everything about Sevyn felt warm.
Her body.
Her mouth.
Her hands in my hair.
And the crazy part? Even kissing her felt dangerous emotionally. This wasn’t casual for me at all.
Eventually we pulled apart just enough to breathe.
Barely.
Her forehead rested lightly against mine while both of us stayed quiet for a second.
Then— “…Oh,” she whispered.
“What.”
“You can kiss kiss.”
Heat immediately crawled up my neck again.
She smiled against my mouth. “There go the ears.”
An hour later, the apartment had gone quiet. The anime still played softly across the television while rain tapped gently against the windows again.
Sevyn was asleep.
Curled up sideways in the oversized bean bag near the couch wearing my hoodie with one arm tucked beneath her cheek. Her curls spilled everywhere, lips slightly parted while she slept hard enough to not notice the blanket half slipping off her legs.
I stared at her longer than I should have. Then rubbed a hand down my face and walked toward the kitchen island grabbing my phone.
Wolf answered on the second ring.
“You finally hit?”
I closed my eyes immediately. “…Can you be serious for once.”
“Aight my fault.” He paused. “What’s up?”
I looked back toward Sevyn again.
“She kissed me tonight.”
Silence.
“Well damn.”
“I think I’m in trouble.” I sighed.
“That bad?”
“Yes.”
Nothing about this felt casual anymore and the fact I was already thinking ten steps ahead terrified I’d disappoint her somehow.
“She deserves somebody more experienced than me,” I admitted quietly.
Wolf got silent immediately after that.
Real silent.
“Kasen—”
“I’m serious.” I leaned against the counter and lowered my voice. “She’s confident. Experienced. Comfortable with herself.” I shook my head slightly. “That’s not fair to her.”
“You assuming she care.”
“Why wouldn’t she?”
“Because maybe she like YOU.”
I laughed dryly under my breath.
“That ain’t enough.”
“According to who?”
According to me.
According to every expectation men were supposed to meet by this age.
According to the fact I was twenty-eight years old and still felt inexperienced in the one area everybody else seemed naturally comfortable in.
“I just…” I rubbed my beard slowly. “I don’t wanna make her feel like she gotta teach me shit.”
Wolf sighed heavily through the phone.
“You know most women would kill for a man that actually care if they comfortable right?”
“That’s not the same.”
“Have you at least done anything?”
I hesitated.
“…Some.”
“Kasen.”
“I ate pussy twice.”
Dead silence.
Then— “TWICE?”
“I was younger.”
“What happened the second time?”
I grimaced instantly at the memory.
“She moved my head.”
Wolf went quiet for two full seconds then exploded laughing.
“NIGGA.”
“I’m serious.”
“You got traumatized because a woman redirected you?!”
“She pushed my head.”
“THAT’S NORMAL.”
“It felt aggressive.”
Wolf was damn near wheezing now.
“I never did it again,” I muttered.
“Oh my GOD.”
“I’m hanging up.”
“No wait wait wait?—”
“So my Batman is a virgin.”
Every muscle in my body locked instantly.
I turned around slowly and Sevyn stood near the bean bag rubbing sleep from her eyes while staring at me with pure disbelief all over her face.
Fuck.
Wolf immediately yelled through the speaker, “OH THIS NIGGA FINISHED?—”
I hung up so fast the phone damn near flew out my hand.
Silence filled the apartment afterward.
I couldn’t even look directly at her at first. Embarrassment crawled hot up my neck while I stared down at the counter.
Then softly— “Kasen.”
I exhaled slowly. “You weren’t supposed to hear that.”
“Well…” She walked closer carefully. “I definitely did.”
I nodded once.
I still couldn’t look at her and that honestly irritated me because I wasn’t insecure about much in life, but this always felt different.
“You think less of me now?” I asked quietly before I could stop myself.
Her face softened.
“What?” She stepped closer. “No.”
I finally looked up then. “I know it’s weird.”
“It’s not weird.”
“It is at my age.”
“No,” she said firmly, “it’s uncommon. That’s different.”
I stayed quiet.
Sevyn leaned against the kitchen island across from me, studying my face the same way she always did when she wanted the truth underneath whatever I was saying.
“Why you acting like this is something shameful?” she asked softly.
“Because men aren’t really…” I searched for the words. “Expected to be inexperienced.”
She frowned slightly.
“And?”
“And you deserve somebody that knows what they doing.”
A small smile touched her mouth then.
“Kasen.”
“What.”
“You think I care about that more than who you are as a person?”
I didn’t answer because I genuinely didn’t know.
She moved closer again until her hands rested lightly against my chest.
“You’re kind to me,” she said quietly. “You’re patient. You listen. You make me feel safe.” Her eyes held mine steadily. “Do you know how rare that is?”
My chest tightened painfully.
“And for the record,” she added, “you kiss good as hell so I’m not exactly worried.”
Heat instantly climbed back into my face.
That made her laugh softly. “There go the ears again.”
I shook my head slightly while she smiled up at me.
“This changes nothing for me,” she continued gently. “Nothing.”
“You saying that now.”
“I’m saying it because I mean it.” She squeezed my shirt lightly. “And if things ever go further, we go at whatever pace YOU need.”
Nobody had ever said something like that to me before, not with sincerity anyway.
Sevyn reached up then and kissed me once softly and quickly.
“You still my Batman,” she whispered against my mouth.