“WHEN, Micah?! How long was he here?!” I asked again desperately.
“Um… he knocked when I asked for a snack.”
I damn near imploded. “Why didn’t you tell me he was here, Micah!”
“I had to pee.”
“What?”
“I had to pee. I said hi and then I had to go really bad. Was I not supposed to?”
That had to have been five minutes. Five minutes meant he had been standing in my foyer, right by my office, duringclimb him like a tree. My damn sisters and their big damn mouths.
Oh. My. God. Julian Wade had heard everything. I just knew it.
I was never leaving my house again.
later that weekend
It was Zaria’s birthday and Simone’s house was loud the second I stepped in. Kids everywhere, balloons, the smell of fried chicken, grown folks yelling directions over each other.
I stood there for a second, taking it all in. Zhaire was laughing, Micah already chasing after him.
Julian was posted up in the living room with Zion and Tre, arms crossed, looking all calm and collected. He saw me. And I panicked. I ducked behind a group of parents near the gift table, nodding fake-enthusiastically about what a beautiful day it was, like I actually cared about the weather.
When they moved, I made a beeline for the hallway, telling myself I’d just check on Micah, except Micah was outside, screaming happily about a water balloon fight. So then I retreated to the dining room, grabbing a stack of paper plates, pretending I was helping.
Simone caught me, side-eyeing me. “Girl, what are you doing?”
I pasted on my best fake smile. “Just...keeping busy.”
Simone smirked. “Uh-huh. Everything’s handled. Go mingle.”
Everywhere I turned, there was Julian, never far from me. I felt like a high school girl dodging her crush. I dipped into the bathroom for no reason except to catch my breath.
Pull it together, Alyssa. He’s just a man. It’s fine.
When I came out, Julian was waiting right there in the hallway, leaning against the wall like he’d known exactly where I’d run off to.
“Hi,” he said.
My stomach did a full flip. “Hey.”
I tried to step around him, but he shifted slightly, making it clear he wasn’t moving. He tilted his head, a hint of amusement in his eyes.
“You ever think about volunteering to coach defense next season? You move faster than half the team.”
Despite myself, I laughed, rolling my eyes. “Funny.”
His face softened. “Come take a walk with me?”
I hesitated, but he nodded toward the sliding patiodoors. “Please?”
I decided to stop calculating escape routes and sighed. “Fine.”
We stepped through the sliding doors to Simone and Raschad’s backyard. The late afternoon was cooling off, kids’ voices carried from the side yard where a water balloon fight was still in full swing. The yard ran deep, and at the back of it, past the swing and fire pit, there was a little white gazebo, where the grass ran out into the tree line and the noise of the party shrank to something far off.
I stepped up into it after him. It was small, and standing inside it put us close enough I had to lift my chin to meet his eyes.
