Chapter 3
Nia
I woke up tangled halfway underneath Cal with sunlight spilling through the sheer curtains of his bedroom and warming my bare shoulders.
For a second, I stayed still.
His arm rested heavy across my waist while his breathing remained slow and even against the back of my neck.
Sleep looked good on him.
Too good honestly.
Caleb Sinclair was already attractive enough when he was awake, but there was something about seeing him asleep that softened the sharper edges of who he was.
Without the confidence, the quick comebacks, and the constant awareness of the effect he had on people, he looked younger, more relaxed, and surprisingly vulnerable in a way that very few people ever got the chance to see.
I carefully lifted his arm and slid out from underneath him slowly, trying not to wake him.
The second my feet touched the floor, Brookie lifted her head from the corner dog bed.
“Hey pretty girl,” I whispered softly.
Her tail tapped lightly against the floor as I bent down kissing the top of her head.
I gathered my clothes scattered around the bedroom and started dressing quietly.
This part always felt strangely intimate, and not because of anything that happened the night before, but because of the quiet moments that came afterward.
There was something about the silence, the familiarity, and the way I could move through his house without thinking twice that always affected me more than it should have.
I knew where he kept the coffee mugs, where the extra blankets were stored, and which floorboard near the kitchen creaked if you stepped on it too hard, and every time I found myself navigating his space so effortlessly, it felt a little too much like something neither of us had ever been willing to call it.
The way he always left extra toothbrushes underneath the sink for me even though neither of us acknowledged it.
The routines had settled between us so naturally over the years that they felt second nature, and somewhere along the way I had stopped noticing how intimate that actually was. I glanced back toward the bed one last time before reaching for my heels, finding him exactly where I'd left him.
Good. Safer this way. Leaving before either of us had to say anything had become our unspoken rule, and at the moment, I wasn't sure I trusted myself enough to break it.
Because every single time I stayed too long, things started feeling a little too real.
And neither of us needed that.
By the time I pulled into my driveway, exhaustion was finally starting to settle into my body.
Not regret though.
Never regret with Cal.
Just confusion sometimes.
I showered quickly and stood underneath the hot water longer than I needed to, replaying little moments from the night before that I probably shouldn’t have been replaying at all.
The way he looked at me sometimes had started feeling different lately.
And I wasn’t sure what to do with that.
I pushed the thought away before it could settle too deeply and started getting ready for cake tasting with Mars.
By the time I arrived at the bakery, Mars was already standing outside near the entrance with oversized sunglasses sitting on top of her head and that glowing-in-love look all over her face.
“Hey kid,” I said as I pulled her into a hug.
She leaned back looking at me closely.
“Late night?”
I took my sunglasses off slowly.
“Hush up.”
Mars laughed immediately.
“I knew it.”
“You know nothing.”
“Mhm.”
She linked her arm through mine as we walked inside.
The bakery was beautiful.
Soft lighting.
Fresh flowers.
Glass displays filled with desserts too pretty to eat.
A private tasting table had already been set up for us toward the back.
“This is so cute,” Mars said while sitting down.
"And it smells incredible," I said as I looked around.
We got comfortable as we sat at one of the empty tables and the baker brought out the first round of samples while Mars immediately switched into wedding mode.
“This one is vanilla bean with raspberry filling,” the woman explained.
Mars took a bite first and closed her eyes dramatically.
“Oh wow.”
I laughed. "Let me try." My eyes rolled to the top of my head.
"Right!" Mars exclaimed.
"That is damn good," I said as I licked the frosting from my finger.
Over the next hour we tasted lemon elderflower, strawberry shortcake, chocolate espresso, and some ridiculous caramel pecan combination Jalen apparently loved.
“That man likes old people desserts,” I said.
Mars burst out laughing.
“He does not.”
“Caramel pecan? What is he, seventy?”
Before she could respond, her phone buzzed against the table.
Cal.
Mars answered immediately.
"Hello brother."
I rolled my eyes already knowing exactly where this was going.
“What are y’all doing?” his voice came through the speaker.
“Tasting cakes.”
There was a pause.
Then—
“So I couldn’t get an invite?”
Mars laughed.
“I didn’t think cake tasting was your thing.”
“What? A man can’t like cake?”
“Don’t be thirsty,” I cut in.
“Hush, Cinderella.”
I immediately laughed while Mars looked between us confused.
That stupid nickname.
Because I always left before morning.
Mars narrowed her eyes slightly.
“What does that even mean?”
“Nothing,” me and Cal said at the exact same time.
She knew something was going on between us.
Just not the extent of it.
And honestly?
I preferred it that way.
Because if things between me and Cal ever got messy, Mars would be caught in the middle.
And she was my family before anything else“You guys want to hang tonight?” Cal asked casually through the phone.
Mars looked over at me immediately.
“Nia?”
“I can’t,” I replied while reaching for another fork. “I’m meeting up with some of the old teammates after we leave here.”
I heard Cal suck his teeth dramatically through the speaker.
“Whatever.”
That made both me and Mars laugh.
“You are so irritating,” I said shaking my head.
“And you love me deeply,” he shot back smoothly.
“Goodbye, Caleb.”
“Love you too, Cinderella.”
I rolled my eyes while Mars burst out laughing beside me.
“Bye Cal,” she said before finally hanging up.
The second the call ended, she looked at me knowingly.
"Okay, so which one do you think is the perfect flavor?" Mars asked as she stepped back into bride mode.
We looked at each other for a second before speaking in unison.
“Vanilla raspberry.”
That made us both laugh.
“It’s timeless,” Mars said dramatically while pressing her hand against her chest. “Simple and delicious. Just like our love.”
I gagged theatrically and gestured my finger down my throat like I was about to throw up.
“Oh brother.”
Mars shoved me playfully while laughing.
After Mars wrapped up a few final details with the baker and boxed up samples to take back to Jalen, we finally headed outside together.
The warm Houston air wrapped around us instantly while traffic hummed through downtown nearby.
Mars hugged me tightly before walking backward toward her car.
“Text me when you get home.”
“Yes mother.”
“I’m serious.”
“I know.”
I smiled watching her climb into her car.
I made my way to Luccis Rooftop and immediately felt the energy before I even made it upstairs.
The place was crowded but upscale in that effortless kind of way.
Houston had a certain energy to it at night that I’d always loved.
Warm air.
Music carrying through the city.
People outside looking for a good time.
It felt alive.
As I reached the top of the steps, I spotted my girls sitting at a large table near the edge of the rooftop overlooking downtown.
The second they saw me, yelling broke out immediately.
“Shot!”
Shot had been my nickname for as long as I could remember. I earned it because I never hesitated to take the big shot, and more often than not, I made it. Whether the game was on the line or the clock was winding down, my teammates knew exactly where the ball was going. Right into my hands.
“Took your fine ass long enough!”
I burst out laughing while making my way toward them.
God I loved these women.
We balled hard together in college.
Sweated together.
Cried together.
Won together.
And no matter where life took us afterward, they’d always feel like home to me.
“What we drinking ladies?” I asked while sliding into the booth.
“You know we got your tequila already girl,” Hannah said while pointing toward a glass of Clase Azul Reposado on the rocks waiting for me.
“See this is why I keep y’all around.”
They laughed while I picked up the glass, finally settling in.
I felt good tonight.
Cool.
Sexy.
Comfortable in my skin.
My ankle-length bodycon dress hugged every curve perfectly while the slit climbed just high enough up my thigh to make men stare a little longer than they probably should’ve.
My curls blew around softly in the night air while gold hoops brushed against my neck every time I moved.
“You look expensive,” Eva said.
“I am expensive,” I joked calmly before taking another sip.
That made the entire table laugh.
“I’ll be back,” I announced after another song started playing. “I’m going to convince the DJ to play anything but this.”
The old school mix wasn’t bad, but it definitely wasn’t the vibe.
I slipped through the crowd toward the DJ booth, weaving around people dancing and laughing when suddenly somebody stepped directly into my path.
Tall.
Dark.
Beautiful.
My eyes lifted slowly and immediately locked with his.
Now this is my type.
A smirk tugged at my lips because I already knew exactly what was happening the second I saw him change direction. He wasn't headed toward the bar, the dance floor, or anybody else in the room. He was walking directly toward me.
“You need to be on somebody's runway,” he said as he approached, his voice rich and smooth enough to make me look at him twice.
A crisp polo stretched comfortably across his broad shoulders, tailored slacks fit him perfectly, and a clean watch rested against his wrist beneath a fresh haircut that somehow made him look even better than he had any right to.
The man looked polished, confident, and entirely too attractive for someone who spent most of his free time getting on my nerves.