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"This fits you," he murmured.

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," he nodded, stepping deeper into the room, hands tucked into his pockets. "It’s calm. Chill. Not all flashy like people might expect."

I smirked, sitting on the edge of my bed. "You still think you got me figured out, huh?"

He exhaled, standing in front of me. "I know so."

A pause.

A charged, heavy pause.

The energy in the room shifted. For the first time since he walked in, it was just us. No distractions. No interruptions, just me and him. The words we expressed to each other during our phone calls seemed to resonate around us. The air felt thick, electric, like something was pressing down on us, pulling us closer, making it impossible to ignore what had been simmering for months.

His light brown eyes flickered to my lips.

My breath hitched. And for a split second, I thought he was going to kiss me.

Hell, I wanted him to. But then—reality crashed down like cold water. I snapped out of it, clearing my throat and pushing off the bed, stepping away.

"We should probably get back before Arielle sends a search party," I said quickly, my voice almost too casual.

Creed blinked, as if coming back to himself too. He nodded slowly, licking his lips.

"Yeah. You right." We walked back to the living room, the moment passing as fast as it had come.

But the tension was still there. Lurking…Waiting.

Later that night, as we sat on the couch, bellies full of Big Wong’s Chinese food, tequila shots and snacks, talking and laughing with Brodie and Arielle. Creed leaned over, lowering his voice.

"You know we cool, right?" he murmured, his light brown eyes searching mine.

I glanced at him, nodding. "Of course."

"I mean, I know we been talking a lot, and…" he paused, then exhaled. "I just wanna make sure we straight."

I smiled, nudging him playfully. "You worried about our friendship, Langston?"

He smirked, shaking his head. "Something like that."

I tilted my head, studying him. I could feel the pull between us. Could feel how much we both wanted to blur the lines. But I wasn’t ready.

Not yet, not when my breakup with Iman was still so new and especially not when he had his girlfriend Gianna back home waiting for him.

"We’re friends Creed. You’re probably one of my best friends." I said softly, but firmly.

His smirk faltered just slightly, something unreadable flashing in his eyes before he nodded.

"Best friends," he agreed.

But the way he said it? It sounded like he wasn’t fully convinced.

And maybe… neither was I.

6

CREED