Chapter 26
Cal
The evening finally drew to a close, and it was a night to remember.
The atmosphere had been vibrant, the food excellent, and the energy on the dance floor even better.
But that dance with Nia—it stayed with me long after the music stopped.
I had been watching her move through the crowd with Becky and Mars when Jalen approached me, leaning in with a knowing look.
“Hey man, friend to friend,” he started, gesturing toward the floor.
“David is executing a perfect game plan down there, and you’re just sitting on the sidelines watching.”
A protective instinct flared hot in my chest.
Before Jalen could even finish the thought, I set my glass aside and made a direct path toward her.
There was no way I was letting anyone else occupy her space tonight.
As I approached, the crowd seemed to part.
Becky caught my eye and, sensing the intensity of the moment, gracefully slipped away just after Jalen stole Mars.
I moved in behind Nia.
The familiar, intoxicating scent of her perfume and the warmth of her presence instantly grounded me.
As we moved together, the connection was electric.
Being that close to her made me feel truly alive for the first time in months.
I opened my mouth to tell her—to finally admit how deeply I cared—but Mars’s voice suddenly boomed over the speakers, announcing the final wrap-up of the event.
The moment was lost.
After the room cleared and the final goodbyes were exchanged, I checked in with Mars to ensure everything was handled before heading upstairs.
“No, brother, I’ve got it from here,” Mars said with a tired smile.
“Get some rest.
I’ll see you tomorrow.”
The elevator climbed in complete silence, each floor pulling me farther away from the noise downstairs and deeper into my own head.
I leaned against the mirrored wall, loosening the knot of my tie as the night replayed itself in fragments.
Nia’s laugh.
The way she’d rolled her eyes when I teased her.
The fire in her voice whenever we argued about basketball.
The softness that slipped through whenever she forgot to guard herself.
I exhaled slowly, dragging a hand over the back of my neck.
She shouldn't have been occupying this much space in my mind.
We were friends.
That’s all we’d ever been.
I’d spent years convincing myself that was enough—that wanting more wasn’t worth risking what we already had.
Tonight had made that lie a hell of a lot harder to believe.
The elevator chimed.
I stepped onto the top floor, the thick carpet muffling my footsteps as I walked down the quiet hallway.
The silence felt almost eerie after the laughter and music of the party, broken only by the distant, rhythmic hum of an ice machine around the corner.
My room was only a few doors away, but I found myself walking slower than usual, my thoughts refusing to leave her alone.
The way she’d looked tonight... that dress.
The confidence she wore like a second skin.
The smile she’d flashed across the ballroom that I still couldn’t shake.
I reached into my pocket for my keycard, finally forcing myself to focus.
Then, the door beside mine clicked open.
My heart betrayed me before my eyes even found her.
Nia stepped into the hallway, still wearing the silver dress that had stolen my attention hours earlier.
Her heels dangled from one hand while the other swept a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her makeup softened just enough to hint at the long night behind her.
Barefoot against the plush carpet, she froze the exact second she saw me.
The hallway seemed to fall away, leaving only the two of us standing beneath the soft sconce lights.
The silence wasn’t awkward.
It was alive.
Heavy.
Thick with every almost, every lingering glance, and every conversation we’d cut short before it wandered somewhere dangerous.
My fingers tightened around my keycard.
Nia still held her heels loosely at her side.
She was looking at me the way she had all night, only now there were no cameras, no teammates, no friends, and no crowded ballroom giving either of us a place to hide.
Just us.
Her eyes searched mine, revealing a chaotic mixture of questions, fear, and hope.
The same war I’d been fighting for months was written all over her face.
My heart pounded so hard I was sure she could hear it in the quiet corridor.
I should’ve said something.
Asked how she enjoyed the party.
Made another joke.
Wished her goodnight.
Anything.
But I didn’t.
The last thread of my restraint snapped completely.
“Cal…”
My name barely left her lips before I was moving.
I crossed the distance between us in an instant, my hand settling firmly at the small of her back as I drew her into me.
My mouth found hers with a desperation born from months of denying myself the one thing I’d wanted all along.
She met me without hesitation, rising onto her toes as if she’d been waiting for this exact second.
I gently guided her backward, pushing into the quiet sanctuary of her room until the soft click of the door sealed us away from the rest of the world.
We simply stood there in the dim entryway, searching each other’s faces as if trying to memorize every detail we’d been forced to miss.
My hand slid up to her waist, drawing her closer until our foreheads rested together, our breaths coming in shallow, uneven gasps.
A quiet, breathless laugh escaped between us, the pure relief of it unraveling every ounce of control I had left.
I kissed her again, slower this time, pouring every missed day, every lonely night, and every unspoken feeling into the press of my lips.
She answered without hesitation, her fingers sliding deep into my beard as she melted against me.
For the first time in months, the chaos in my chest went completely quiet.
Everything felt right.
My fingertips traced the line of her jaw before slipping to her cheek, turning her gently until her back was flush against my chest.
My hands lingered at her waist as I drew a slow, steady breath, burying my face into the curve of her neck.
“You have no idea what you’ve been doing to me all night,” I murmured, my voice low with awe.
She glanced back over her shoulder, the corner of her mouth lifting into a knowing smile that stole whatever composure I had left.
I could only shake my head, completely undone by her.
Reaching down, I slipped an arm beneath her legs and lifted her effortlessly into my arms.
She smiled into another quick kiss, wrapping her arms securely around my neck as I carried her over to the bed.
I lowered her carefully onto the mattress, never breaking our connection.
There was no rush anymore.
We’d already spent a month apart; now, I wanted to remember everything.
The way her eyes searched mine under the soft, amber glow of the bedside lamp.
The sound of her shallow breath.
The warmth of her hands pulling me down.
The way she looked at me as though she’d finally stopped fighting what had always been there.
I hovered above her, tangled in each other's embrace, unable to look anywhere but into her eyes.
The room had gone completely still.
She looked up at me with those impossibly beautiful eyes, full of trust, hope, and a love I’d been trying so hard to outrun.
I brushed a loose strand of hair away from her face, letting my fingertips linger against her warm skin.
Before I could stop the words from coming out of my mouth, I whispered, “I love you.”