five
Aaliyah's POV
The Uber barely slows before Zaria and I hop out like we escaped captivity.
The party is already thumping.
Bass shaking the porch.
LED lights leaking out the windows.
A crowd spilling into the yard - people laughing, smoking, making questionable life choices.
It's a whole vibe.
That messy, chaotic, college-house-party vibe.
Caleb steps out behind us like he's preparing for war.
Zaria straightens his shirt. "Relax, Papa. We're fine."
"I'm calm," Caleb says.
He is not calm.
Inside, the house is humid, loud, and smells like cheap tequila mixed with fruity vape clouds. People dance in the living room, drinks sloshing. A couple makes out aggressively in the hallway like they're auditioning for something.
Zaria grabs my hand and screams over the music,
"LET'S FIND THE DRINKS!"
Caleb follows us like a stressed chaperone.
We push through the swarm toward the kitchen.
Someone hands us shots.
Zaria clinks hers with mine.
"To new semesters, bad decisions, and pretending we'll be productive!"
We take them.
They burn.
Beautifully.
"Another?" Zaria asks.
"Yes," I say.
"No," Caleb says.
We take another anyway.
Already, the night feels warm and loose and good.
Zaria throws her arm around me. "You look HOT tonight."
I laugh. "You picked the outfit, babe."
"You filled it out," she grins.
Caleb coughs immediately. "Okay-NOPE-boundaries!"
Zaria kisses his cheek. "Love you, baby."
"I love you too," he mutters, flushing, pulling her in by her waist.
They're so disgustingly cute I have to look away.
I wander into the living room where the music is louder and the lights are flashing soft purple. People are dancing - some on beat, most not.
Someone brushes past me and whistles low.
Someone else tries to get my attention with a "hey, what's your name?"
I ignore them both.
Not in a rude way.
In a I am too fine and too sober to entertain you way.
Zaria joins me, already swaying to the music.
She grabs my hands. "DANCE WITH ME!"
"I can't dance," I shout.
"You're built like a goddess," she says. "You don't need rhythm."
She pulls me closer, swinging our hips stupidly off-beat.
We laugh, we spin, we scream when someone spills a drink too close.
I feel good.
I feel warm.
I feel alive.
Then Zaria freezes.
Her eyes widen.
She grabs my wrist so tight I choke.
"OH. MY. GOD."
"What?" I ask, heart jumping.
Caleb appears behind us with two cups. "Why did she stop dancing? What happened?"
Zaria doesn't answer.
Instead, she leans into my ear, voice hushed, urgent:
"He's here."
Everything inside me stutters.
I don't have to ask who she means.
Because I feel it before I see him.
A shift in the air.
A ripple through the room.
People glancing toward the hallway like something just arrived.
I turn.
And there he is.
Leo.
Standing in the doorway like the embodiment of a slow bass drop.
Black jeans.
Black shirt stretched over his chest.
Hands in pockets.
Jaw sharp.
Hair messy in the way men do on purpose.
Tattooed forearms exposed.
Expression unreadable.
He looks like a problem.
He looks like a warning.
He looks like he owns the night without trying.
He scans the room-
And stops when he sees me.
His posture changes.
Barely.
But it changes.
His eyes drag over me slowly.
My hair.
My glossed lips.
My cropped shirt.
My thighs.
My skirt.
My everything.
And I swear - his jaw clenches once, twice, three times.
Zaria whispers, "Oh he's DOWN bad."
Caleb follows his gaze and nearly drops the cups. "WHY is he looking at you like that??"
Because he is.
He's staring like he forgot everyone else exists.
Like the room faded and I'm all that's left.
I swallow hard.
My skin feels hot.
My pulse jumps.
Zaria bumps my hip. "Go talk to him."
"No," I whisper.
"Yes," she insists.
Caleb: "ABSOLUTELY NOT."
Leo starts walking.
Oh god.
Oh god.
He moves through the crowd without bumping a single person. The crowd parts naturally, like they sense he's not someone you block.
He gets closer.
And closer.
I force myself to stay still.
Act normal.
Breathe.
He stops when he reaches me.
He's tall.
Warm.
Smells like cedar and danger.
His eyes stay on mine for three full seconds.
Then he speaks.
"You made it."
I blink. "You're... here?"
Smooth.
His lips twitch. "Looks like it."
He's doing the soft-voice thing again.
The voice that melts my bones.
Zaria elbows Caleb. "SEE? He only talks like that to her."
Caleb mutters, "I'm gonna throw up."
Leo's eyes drop to my lips.
To my top.
To my thighs.
Back up to my eyes.
"You look..."
He pauses.
Swallows.
Tries again.
"You look good."
I nearly combust.
"Thanks," I whisper. "So do you."
He looks at me like he didn't expect that.
Then he takes a half-step closer - not touching, but close enough that my heart does backflips.
"Stay near your friends tonight," he murmurs.
"Why?" I ask.
His eyes flick to a guy staring at me from across the room.
Then back to me.
His voice drops lower.
"Because guys here don't know how to act."
My breath catches.
Zaria kicks Caleb excitedly.
Caleb winces.
Leo's jaw tightens again as he looks at me.
Like he wants to say something else.
Something worse.
Something better.
Something dangerous.
But instead, he just says:
"I'll... see you around."
He steps back.
And my body instantly misses the warmth.
He turns slightly - but pauses.
Looks over his shoulder.
At me.
One last time.
And it's not a casual look.
It's a look that says:
I noticed you.
I want you.
I'm trying not to do anything stupid.
And then he disappears into the crowd.
Leaving me standing there with my pulse in my throat.
Zaria grabs me. "GIRL."
Caleb shakes his head. "This is the beginning of the end."
And me?
I can't stop staring at the spot he vanished into.
Oh yeah.
I'm done for.