I side-eyed his profile in the mirror. “Of course you would say that, Geoffrey.”
He grinned, shaking his head. “Langston.”
“Langston. I like that. It gives Renaissance man.”
We laughed, but when it died down, I was left with his words, circling in my head.
Romance.
His voice drifted through my thoughts long after the words faded. The SUV slowed to a stop outside my building.
“Aight, Halo,” Langston said, eyes still forward. “Get in safe.”
“Always.” I grabbed my bag. “Thanks for the ride. I left a really nice tip.”
I stepped out, the door closing with a solid thump behind me.
Inside, I locked the door, then locked it again. Not because I was scared, I wasn’t, but because tonight had already been weird enough.
Tessa talked all that shit about drawing my little secret out; instead, I’d been harassed and disrespected. Nevertheless, I couldn’t deny that I had a good time before that. The club wasn’t my scene anymore, but that didn’t matter tonight. We shook some ass, threw our hands up, and laughed until our sides hurt.
I dropped my purse, grabbed a bottle of water, and checked my phone. A text from her popped up.
Tessa:You home?
Me:Yeah, I’m home. Girl, why every time we go out, something happens? Remember that time we went to Scott’s and got stuck inside because somebody got shot in the parking lot. It’s always some shit when I’m with you. (crying emoji)
I laughed thinking about that night. It was my going-away party, well, just us clubbing and saying goodbye. Coupeville didn’t have a big club scene. We had a few bars and lounges, so Scott's was the one spot you could go to for good vibes and the best chicken wings in the city.
Tessa:And that’s why I’m your bestie for the restie. Sorry if I dragged you out and you didn’t have a good time. I just knew DaVinci would stroll through and snatch you up.
Me:Friend, I had a good time. And you gotta chill. He’s on the road.
Tessa:Opp, not knowing your man’s schedule.
Me:Bye, Tess. I’m going to bed.
I locked my phone, tossed it on the couch, and took a long sip of water. My heels were still by the door, my hair smelled like hookah smoke, and my thighs were sore from dancing harder than I planned to. The grumbling of my stomach prompted me to head to the kitchen. When I opened the fridge, I heard my phone ringing. I frowned. It was late, too late, but with Daddy getting older, I rarely turned my ringer off.
I snatched the phone off the couch and made a face.
Unknown Number.
Of course.
My whole body went tight, sick of this same routine. I declined it and left the phone on the counter while I heated up some Chinese food. Before the microwave even beeped, it rang again. I exhaled through my nose, annoyed as hell, but I answered anyway.
“Hello?”
Again, I was met with nothing but weird ass breathing.
Same as before.
I rolled my eyes. “Whoever this is, you gotta find a new hobby. This ain’t doing what you think it’s doing.”
A pause.
More breathing.
