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“You’ve been avoiding me since the club night,” Naomi said, eyeing me over the top of her magazine.

I shifted in my seat, glancing at my toes. “No, I haven’t. It’s just that now that Jonas has retired you, we don’t see each other every day and it just feels that way.” Jonas had told Naomi he wanted to start a family, which included her being a stay-at-home wife and mother. I could never, but she seemed so ready.

Naomi smirked, her eyes flashing with amusement. “Nah, you’re lying. You didn’t want me to ask you about what happened with you and Cassius after he snatched your ass..”

She was right. I was embarrassed by how he had dragged me out of the club. The kiss had my nerves on edge too. He’d called me the next day and acted like nothing had happened.

Speaking of the devil. My phone buzzed with a text notification. It was Cassius, asking what I was up to. I replied, telling him I was getting my toes done with Naomi. He asked where.

Naomi snapped her fingers in front of my face. “That’s him, ain’t it? Y’all get on my nerves. He texts you, and you instantly start ignoring me. Y’all are going to do something reckless, and I’m going to end up in the middle.”

I shook my head. “That won’t happen. We’re just friends.” I lowered my voice. “But… he kissed me.”

Naomi gasped. “Oh, this is serious. Cassius does not kiss on the mouth. Oh my gosh, you’re in trouble.” She exaggerated, way too loudly.

“Girl, shut up. People are looking at us. I told him we couldn’t be more than friends, and he called me the very next day, acting normal, like he hadn’t acted a whole fool in public. We’re fine now.”

Naomi opened her mouth to say something, but my eyes went wide. She followed my gaze, and we both watched Cassius walk into the nail salon, a bag in hand. He wore a white T-shirt and white basketball shorts, his fresh haircut and trimmed beard making him look as sinful as the devil himself. Nearly every woman in the place turned to watch him. I myself, wanted to sigh at the sight. This man had me waiting to exhale.

He stopped in front of me, and for a moment, I felt seen in a way that wasn’t just about being looked at. He handed me a bag with food, gave the lady working on my toes a hundred-dollar bill.

Then he leaned in. Close enough that I could smell the soap on his skin. He pressed a kiss to my forehead, and I felt it like an echo, rippling outward through my skin.

“I just came by to say hi before I meet Jonas and them at the court. I’ll talk to you later tonight.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Naomi shaking her head, her face scrunched up like she smelled something bad.

“Okay,” I said softly as he walked away.

Naomi called out after him. “Where’s my food?”

“I ain’t messing with you until you apologize, sea witch,” Cassius shot back, making a few women giggle.

Naomi turned to stare at me as I opened the container of fresh sushi rolls he’d brought from my favorite Japanese restaurant.

“That man is going to break you, and you’re going to willingly participate and enjoy it. But I guess we all gotta be stupid over a man at one point in our lives.” She snatched the sushi platter from my hand. “Give me these.”

I laughed, but she was right, and that worried me.

As we settled back into our chairs, Naomi sighed. “So, what are you going to do?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s... different. He makes me feel different.”

Naomi shook her head. “Just be careful. I’ve been his friend a lot longer than you, and we ain’t never kissed like you described.”

“I’ll be fine,” I said, trying to convince both of us. “We are just friends.”

Naomi arched an eyebrow. “sure.”

I stayed silent as she ate my food. Naomi was right, but I didn’t want to admit it. The lines between friendship and something more were already blurring, and I was scared of where it might lead.

As the pedicure wrapped up, I couldn’t help but replay the moment Cassius walked in. The way he looked at me, the way he kissed my forehead—it all felt so intimate.

Naomi nudged me. “You ready to go?”

“Yeah,” I said, standing up. “Let’s get out of here.”

We walked out of the salon, the sun setting in the distance. As we headed to our cars, Naomi gave me a serious look. “Just promise me you’ll be careful, Angel. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

I nodded, giving her a small smile. “I promise.”

As soon as I got in my car, I called Cassius. The phone barely rang before he picked up.

“Hey, Angel,” he said, his voice warm.

“Thanks for the sushi. It was really sweet of you. Naomi ate it though,” I replied, my heart racing.

He laughed. “She’s evil. And no problem,” I could hear the smile in his voice.

“You busy?” I asked.

“No. Give me a second.” I heard him say, “Jonas, I’m about to leave.”

Jonas responded, “You just got here.”

He mumbled something, then spoke to me. “I’m back. What’s up?”

In that second, I forgot everything Naomi had said. I was too caught up in the whirlwind of emotions that Cassius stirred in me.