Chapter 8
“You know what’s crazy?”
Wolf leaned back against the balcony railing blowing smoke into the afternoon air. “You still got women talking about you from freshman year.”
I groaned immediately and took another pull from the joint before passing it back toward him.
“Please shut up.”
“I’m serious.” He laughed. “Nigga you was legendary at Kingstead before you even crossed.”
Kingstead University sat right in the center of HighVille like old money and Black excellence had a baby together.
It was a private university. A historic campus that had been founded in 1920.
Brick buildings were covered in ivy.
We had Legacy students, athletes, and trust fund babies pretending they struggled.
And Greek life there? Serious…Too serious if you ask me. Especially The House of Onyx Phi Psi.
The fraternity Wolf had dragged me into freshman year after claiming I “needed personality development.”
Which was ironic because now every Homecoming I got harassed by women in red lipstick and alumni who still acted twenty-two.
“I still don’t understand how you convinced me to join,” I muttered.
Wolf almost choked laughing. “Nigga you needed friends.”
“I had friends.”
“You had classmates.”
I rolled my eyes and leaned back deeper into the patio chair outside his townhouse.
Music played low from inside while the smell of barbecue drifted through the neighborhood. Homecoming weekend had HighVille overloaded already. Tailgates everywhere. Parties starting before sunset. Sororities posting coordinated outfits like military operations and tonight would be worse.
“Remember that girl from Delta Rho who tried to sneak into your dorm sophomore year?” Wolf asked.
“I actively try not to.”
“Nigga she climbed through your bathroom window.”
“Which is insane behavior.”
“She was fine though.”
“She was unstable.”
Wolf laughed harder.
He wasn’t wrong, though. Women had been weird about me for years in ways I genuinely didn’t understand. Especially after college once money got involved.
Bottle girls.
Influencers.
Women from networking events.
Even random clients sometimes and every single time I kept my distance. Not because I thought I was better than anybody. I just… never felt connected enough to cross that line.
Meanwhile apparently half of Kingstead University thought I was some mysterious fine ass tech billionaire monk.
“You still untouched after all these years really crazy though,” Wolf said shaking his head.
“I hate when you phrase it like that.”
“I’m just saying.” He handed the joint back. “You know how many women tried to fuck on you during Homecoming alone?”
“Unfortunately yes.”
One literally cornered me in a hotel hallway junior year talking about how she “liked quiet men.”
Another tried climbing into my lap at a probate after-party while I was eating wings and don’t even get me started on the alumni brunch disaster of 2022.
“I still think you traumatized from that girl grabbing your chain freshman year,” Wolf added.
“She bit me.”
“That’s passion.”
“That’s rabies.”
Wolf damn near fell out laughing.
I checked my phone while shaking my head and immediately saw a new message notification from Sevyn and just like that…My entire mood softened.
The picture loaded slowly.
Sevyn was standing in Studio 7 holding the pink roses I’d sent earlier.
Her curls fell around her shoulders while she smiled softly into the camera wearing a fitted black workout set.
One of the roses rested against her cheek and the sunlight pouring through the studio windows made her skin glow warm gold.
Fuck.
My chest tightened instantly.
Sevyn:
These kinda pretty Batman
I stared at the picture longer than necessary.
Wolf noticed immediately too because unfortunately he noticed everything.
“There go that look.”
I ignored him.
“You smiling at your phone like somebody auntie.”
“She likes the flowers.”
“Awwww.”
I ignored him and typed back anyway.
Kinda?
Three dots appeared instantly.
Don’t get cocky now
A smile pulled at my mouth before I could stop it.
Wolf pointed dramatically. “THERE IT IS.”
“Relax.”
“Nah you gone marry that woman.”
I looked back down at the picture again.
At her smile.
At the roses in her hands.
And the thought honestly didn’t sound terrifying.
The entire Kingstead campus looked alive.
Music shook the ground from every direction while lights flashed across packed tailgates and crowds flooded the walkways dressed in school colors.
Vendors lined the streets selling food, old alumni smoked cigars near luxury cars, and Greek organizations moved through the chaos like celebrities.
I stood near the back of the Omega courtyard adjusting the cuff of my watch while Wolf hyped everybody up for the stroll lineup.
“Where the energy at?!” he yelled.
The crowd around us roared instantly.
I exhaled slowly and rolled my shoulders once.
This part I still hated.
Women were already crowded the barricades watching us before we even stepped out.
Their phones were up and locked in.
This was exactly why I usually kept my ass at work.
“Boy stop looking miserable,” Wolf muttered beside me while fixing his jacket.
“I’m not miserable.”
“You look like you got drafted against your will.”
I ignored him and glanced down at my phone one last time before sliding it back into my pocket.
Then—“Batman.”
Every muscle in my body froze instantly.
I turned around automatically and forgot how breathing worked for a second.
Sevyn walked through the crowd toward me in a cream long-sleeve jersey dress that stopped high against her thighs with matching boots hugging her legs. Her curls flowed down her back in soft waves while gold jewelry glowed against her skin beneath the campus lights.
Beautiful wasn’t even the right word. She looked…stunning.
Especially when her eyes locked onto mine and slowly dragged downward. Because unlike usual? Tonight I wasn’t dressed like somebody’s emotionally unavailable IT manager.
I had on an open Kingstead baseball jersey with no shirt underneath. White cargos and my wheat timbs with gold chains resting against my chest and the grill.
Her lips parted slightly.
Then slowly— She bit her bottom lip.
Fuck.
Heat climbed straight up my spine instantly.
“You ain’t tell me all THIS was under the hoodies,” she said when she finally reached me.
Wolf immediately started choking laughing beside me. “Oh he FINISHED.”
I shot him a look before focusing back on Sevyn and unfortunately that made things worse because now she was standing too close smelling like vanilla and expensive perfume again.
Her eyes dropped toward my mouth.
Then widened slightly. “…Wait.”
I already knew.
“You got a grill?”
“Yes.”
“Oh my God.”
I rubbed the back of my neck slightly. “It’s strictly for this.”
Her smile spread. “Lemme find out Batman got a little ghetto in him.”
Wolf barked out laughing again while several of my frat brothers nearby started reacting too.
“REED GOT MOTION?”
“Who brought this fine ass woman over here?”
“Nah Kasen hiding civilians from us is crazy.”
I ignored everybody. Mostly because Sevyn still hadn’t stopped looking at me and the way she was staring was making it very difficult to think clearly.
“You look good,” she said softer this time.
My jaw tightened immediately because compliments from her always made my heart skip a beat.
“So do you,” I replied.
Her smile deepened.
Then one of the older frat brothers yelled from across the courtyard—“ONYX PHI PSI LET’S MOVE!”
The crowd erupted instantly.
Wolf slapped my shoulder. “Showtime.”
I exhaled once and looked back at Sevyn.
“You staying over here?”
“Mhm.” She crossed her arms beneath her chest smiling. “Go shake ass with your frat brothers.”
“That’s not what strolling is.”
“That’s exactly what it look like.”
I shook my head trying not to smile.
Then right before I turned away, her fingers hooked lightly around my chain pulling me down just enough for her lips to brush near my ear.
“You look really good, Batman.”
The second the music dropped, the entire courtyard lost its mind. Crowds screamed from every direction while Onyx Phi Psi flooded the center of the pavement in perfect sync. Boots hitting concrete. Chains swinging. Energy rolling through the line like electricity.
And unfortunately? I still remembered every step. Wolf grinned beside me once the chants started while alumni hyped us up from the sidelines. Cameras flashed everywhere. Women yelling. Phones recording.
Pure chaos.
Usually I mentally checked out during stuff like this. Tonight my focus kept drifting because every few seconds my eyes found Sevyn standing near the barricade watching me.
Not casually either.
Men around her kept looking too and every single time it happened, irritation climbed higher in my chest.
Which was ridiculous because she wasn’t mine, but when the beat switched and we stepped into the next sequence, my eyes locked with hers again automatically and this time she smiled.
My body reacted and I licked my lips staring directly at her.
The second I realized I did it, heat shot straight up my neck. But Sevyn? Oh she caught it. Her eyes widened slightly before she bit her lip again looking entirely too satisfied with herself.
Wolf noticed immediately too.
“This nigga flirting during the stroll,” he muttered laughing under his breath.
I ignored him and kept moving while the crowd lost their minds around us.
By the time we finished, my social battery was completely fried.
Sweat clung lightly to my skin beneath the jersey while people kept stopping me every three feet trying to talk.
I escaped toward the side of the courtyard the second I spotted Sevyn making her way toward me.
“There go my celebrity,” she teased once she reached me.
“I’m not a celebrity.”
“Mhm.” She looked around dramatically. “Tell that to the women foaming at the mouth.”
I frowned immediately. “Nobody was foaming.”
“Kasen one girl literally grabbed your arm while you was strolling.”
“I moved.”
“You looked irritated too.” Her smile widened. “I liked that.”
Jesus Christ.
“You having fun?” I asked.