He saw Serenity. Lifted his chin.
“I’ll be back,” she said.
“Serenity—”
But she was already walking toward him. I watched her disappear into his section. Watched him pull her onto his lap. Watched his hands settle on her hips like they belonged there.
“She good.”
I turned. Thad was holding two glasses.
“Mega’s crazy,” he said, handing me one. “But he protects what’s his. That’s his thing.”
I took the drink. Hennessy. Smooth.
“You just gonna stand there all night?” he asked. “Or you gonna let me show you a good time?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Depends on what that looks like.”
He grinned and took my hand. Led me to the railing overlooking the dance floor. The DJ was going crazy—transitioning from Megan to GloRilla to Sexxy Red. The crowd below was moving like one body.
“You dance?” he asked.
“Maybe.”
“That’s not a no.”
He pulled me closer. Not pushy. Just… confident. Like he knew I wasn’t going to say no.
And I didn’t.
It took a while over the last year to feel comfortable moving in my body. Growing up, everything was haram. I didn’t listen to hiphop nor r&b. It wasn’t until Serenity and I started going out, that I finally found my groove and learned how to move my body.
We stayed at the railing for a while, watching the floor, sipping our drinks, talking over the music. He pointed out people he knew. Told me stories about opening the club. Made me laugh more than I expected to.
Then the DJ switched to something slower. Something with bass that vibrated through my whole body.
Thad set down his glass. “Come on.”
He led me to a small space in VIP where a few other couples were dancing. Pulled me close. His hands found my waist.
“Relax,” he said into my ear. “I got you.”
I let myself move with him. Let myself feel the music. Let myself forget, just for a minute, that my sister was in a jail cell and my life was a mess.
His body was warm against mine. His hands stayed respectful—waist, hips, lower back. Nothing too aggressive. Just enough to let me know he was there.
Song after song. Drink after drink. The night blurred into something easy. Something I hadn’t felt in a long time.
At some point I looked over at Mega’s section. Serenity was still on his lap, laughing at something one of his boys said. She looked happy. Reckless, but happy.
“You check on her a lot,” Thad said.
“She’s my girl. I worry.”
“She’s grown.”
“I know. But she’s going through some things. I just want to make sure she’s okay.”
