Brent noticed, but he didn’t push. Instead, he nudged her foot under the table with his own, light enough to keep it playful. “You ordering dessert or what?” he asked. “I’m tryna stay out long enough to make this outfit worth it.”
Meadow laughed and shook her head. “You are ridiculous.”
“Thank you,” he said, leaning back with a satisfied grin. “Takes effort.”
She scanned the dessert menu even though she already knew she wouldn’t finish anything she ordered. “What you want?”
“You,” he said, in a deadpan tone.
Meadow’s eyes snapped up, and Brent barked out a laugh. “I’m just playin’. Look at you ready to walk out on me.”
“I wasn’t,” she protested, though her lips betrayed her with a smile. “That caught me off guard.”
“Good,” Brent said. “You a little too smooth tonight. Needed to shake you up… This ain’t the witty Meadow I’m used to.”
“You don’t shake me,” she glinted through slitted eyes with a playful tease on her lips.
“Yeah,” he said, holding her gaze. “I do.”
The moment lingered, not electric, not overwhelming - just warm, easy, and much needed. It felt good to sit across from someone who wasn’t asking for anything, who didn’t expect her to lift the world for them. Brent wasn’t trying to dig into her soul; he was just trying to enjoy her presence. She appreciated that.
Meadow exhaled slowly, easing back into her chair as the server placed the dessert on the table. For the first time in a long while, she allowed herself to feel the softness of a night out without guilt weighing down her spine.
“You know,” she hummed as she picked up her fork, “this wasn’t a bad idea.”
Brent clutched his chest dramatically. “High praise. Wow!”
She rolled her eyes again. “Relax.”
“I can’t.” Brent wagged his brows. “I’m sensitive.”
“You are not.”
“I’m delicate,” he insisted.
“You’re a menace.”
“Same thing, Meadow.”
She laughed, genuinely this time, letting the moment stretch between them. It was warm and uncomplicated, even if her thoughts drifted every now and then.
After dinner, Brent walked her back to the car, his hand grazing her lower back. He didn’t touch her without permission like Zaire did— didn’t understand how overworked women liked to be claimed without permission. He didn’t know her body wasn’t as fragile as he’d like to believe.
When they stopped by the passenger door, he took a breath like he’d been waiting all night to decide whether or not to go for it, and Meadow didn’t do anything to stop him.
Brent leaned in, eye to eye because of course her short ass had heels on. When his lips pressed into hers, she didn’t swoon or close her eyes desperate to savor the moment.
The kiss was soft at first. Brent tasted like good wine and mint, and for a moment, Meadow let herself sink into the familiarity of it…let herself enjoy a man wanting her without complication. His hands framed her waist, pulling her in, and she let him. She kissed him back.
Except…
Her body responded in a way her heart didn’t. Every spark she felt came from a place Brent didn’t reach. And the truth hit her like a ton of bricks, deep in the fucking gut - this wasn’t a Brent reaction. This was a Zaire reaction her body kept trying to give to the wrong man.
Brent felt the shift. They broke apart slowly, breathing the same air, but not saying a word. He didn’t address it though. He only smiled before making sure she got into the car. There was no need to ask silly questions with answers he already knew. He’d put it all into perspective when he showed up at the range and saw Zaire staring holes into him. Regardless, he liked her so until she told him to back off, he was going to keep pressing forward.
Meadow pushedher bedroom door open and didn’t even have time to relax before she noticed the shape sitting on her bed. It wasn’t threatening. It wasn’t even surprising once her brain caught up. The lamp wasn’t on, but she didn’t need the light to know exactly who that was.
Zaire sat there in the dark, elbows resting on his knees the way men do when they’ve been sitting too long with their thoughts. His hoodie shadowed most of his face, but she felt his attention break across the room like heat. There was a long, stretched pause before he reached for the lamp and flicked it on at the lowest setting. Warm, soft light filled the space.
