Chapter 2 #2
Jalen surprised me there too. His humor wasn’t loud or forced. It rolled off him easily, dry and well timed, the kind that didn’t ask for attention but always landed. I caught myself laughing more than I expected to.
Cal started telling stories from college. Sneaking girls into the dorms. Getting caught. Almost getting kicked out more than once.
“Allegedly,” Jalen added calmly, taking another bite.
“Very allegedly,” Cal said. “There were no witnesses.”
We were halfway into eating when the door opened and Nia walked in.
Tall, slim, curls piled high like she hadn’t bothered taming them today. She clocked the bar, the booths, the table, and then her eyes landed on me.
She walked over and leaned down, arms wrapping around my shoulders in a quick, tight hug that felt like home more than greeting.
"Hey knucklehead," she said to Cal as she pushed his head playfully. "Leave some food for me greedy." She sat down between me and Cal who pulled her in sideways for a hug and planted a big greasy kiss on her forehead.
"Ew," she said wiping her head while reaching for a saucer to stack her plate with food. Noticing Jalen, she reached her hand out, "Nia."
"Jalen."
She realized it was football player Jalen and said, "I like how you recovered last quarter at the game last week." she was a huge sports fan considering she grew up playing basketball and almost going pro.
She started stacking her plate without hesitation, clearly comfortable.
Jalen blinked, surprised, then smiled. "Thanks."
Nia was used to being around rich and powerful men. Working as a performance rehab specialist for athletes had a way of normalizing that kind of presence. Athletes, executives, egos. It all blurred together after a while.
She lanced down at the beers lining the table and rolled her eyes. “I know this was you,” she said, nudging her chin toward me.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, lifting my bottle.
She looked at Cal. “You really let her control the drinks.”
Cal grinned and shrugged.“That’s dangerous,” Nia said. Then she turned back to the table and clapped her hands once. “Alright, but if we’re doing beer, we’re doing shots too.”
I shook my head immediately. “No, we’re not.”
“Yes, we are,” she said.
Cal leaned back in his stool, suddenly very interested. “What we thinking."
“Tequila,” Nia said without hesitation, knowing damn well I loved tequila too.
Jalen laughed quietly. “I can do a couple,” he said. “It’s a cheat day. No work tomorrow.”
“That’s how it starts,” I said. “That sentence has never ended well.”
He glanced at me, amused. “You judging.”
“Not at all,” I said, smiling, already feeling the low buzz from the two beers I’d had.
Nia’s eyes flicked between us, a slow smirk spreading across her mouth. “Come on, Mars,” she said, already sliding off her stool. “Let’s go grab some shots.”
I knew what that meant. Less about the alcohol. More about getting me alone.
We made our way to the bar, the music a little louder over here, the air warmer. She pulled me into a quick hug like she always did, casual to anyone watching.
Then she leaned in, lips brushing my ear.
“You fucking slut,” she whispered.
I laughed into her shoulder, she pulled back just enough to look at me. “I told you to get out and have fun,” she said. “I didn’t expect this.”
Shaking my head.
“Relax.”
While we waited, I leaned in and filled her in quickly. Elevator. Studio. Surprise guest. The parts that mattered.
Her smile grew slow and knowing. “Yeah,” she said. “I can tell he likes you.”
“He doesn’t even know me,” I said.
She rolled her eyes. “Mars. Please. Anyone with eyes can see it. He’s been looking at you since I got here."
“You’re dramatic.”
I brushed her off with a wave of my hand.
She laughed and grabbed the tray of shots as they were set down, balancing it easily. “Come on. Before you talk yourself out of having a good time with that fine ass man."
We headed back to the table, the noise rising again as we stepped out of the bar’s shadow, the moment dissolving just enough to keep things light.
I slid back into my seat like nothing had happened.
Nia set the tray down, still smiling.
And when I glanced up, Jalen was already watching us.
At some point, the music shifted.
The old soul faded out and something newer slid in, bass heavier, rhythm sharper. The energy in the room changed with it. Subtle at first. Then not so subtle.
We were laughing louder.
Shots disappeared faster than they should have. Tequila burned, then warmed, then stopped feeling like anything at all. Fries kept getting passed around. Burgers half eaten and forgotten.
Cal was telling a story I’d heard a dozen times, but somehow it was funnier now. Jalen laughed hard at it, the kind of laugh that made other people turn and look, and that only made it worse. Nia doubled over, wiping tears from her eyes.
I remember music. I remember movement. I remember feeling light, unguarded, like the night had opened up in a way I hadn’t planned for but didn’t want to shut down either.
I remember standing.
Then swaying.
Then laughing again.
The last clear thing I remember was Cal and Nia leaving together, arms slung around each other, arguing about something that didn’t matter. Nia blowing me a kiss over her shoulder. Cal pointing at me and saying something I couldn’t quite hear.
After that, the edges went soft.
Sound blurred. Lights smeared. Time stopped making sense.
And then everything went dark.
I woke up with a headache that felt personal.
Light poured in from somewhere too close, too bright, slicing straight through my eyelids. I groaned softly and rolled onto my side, immediately regretting it as the room tilted just enough to remind me I’d made questionable choices.
My mouth was dry. My head was heavy.
I squinted my eyes open.
And froze.
This was not my ceiling.
The room was too big. Too high. Clean in a way that didn’t feel lived in yet. Floor to ceiling windows filtered in morning light through sheer curtains, and the bed I was in was… ridiculous. Thick white bedding. Pillows stacked like decoration instead of necessity. Hotel nice.
“Where am I,” I whispered to myself.
I shifted under the covers and felt fabric that wasn’t mine. I looked down slowly.
A small white T shirt. Soft. Thin. Cotton shorts riding higher on my thighs than I remembered owning, or choosing, or putting on myself.
My legs were bare. Smooth. Familiar.
My memory was not.
The last thing I could clearly recall was tequila. Music. Laughing too hard. Nia pulling me up. Cal disappearing. Another shot I definitely didn’t need.
After that, everything was static.
I pushed myself up on my elbows, the room spinning just enough to make me pause and breathe through it.
Okay. You’re alive. That’s a start.
The sound of running water stopped somewhere nearby.
My heart skipped.
A door opened.
I turned my head just as a man stepped into view, a towel wrapped low around his waist, toothbrush in his mouth, body damp like he’d just stepped out of the shower.
Jalen.
He looked up and met my eyes.
And that’s where everything stopped.