Page 4

SERENITY

" Y ou look good as hell, Tootie."

I smirked at Arielle’s reflection in the mirror as she stood behind me, tilting her head to the side. The two of us had been in front of this mirror for at least twenty minutes, hyping each other up and adjusting our outfits before heading to the party.

"I know," I grinned, popping my hip out. "But say it again."

Arielle rolled her light brown eyes, but she was smiling.

"Girl, you heard me the first time."

I turned slightly, running my hands down my waist, smoothing out the fabric of my dress. The rich brown fabric clung to my curves, bringing out my skin tone, and the way it hugged my hips? Yeah, I was feeling myself.

My hair, thick, black, and streaked with natural brown highlights was pulled into a deep side part, long loose curls cascading down my back. I had spent too much time perfecting my edges for them not to be laid just right, and the gold hoop earrings I wore complimented my skin perfectly.

My rich brown eyes were lined with a subtle wing, and my lips were glossed to perfection.

"Okay, but why are we fine as hell, though?" I teased, laughing as I turned to Arielle.

She smirked, flipping her long, pin-straight black hair over her shoulder.

"Because it’s in our blood, duh," she said, grinning.

Arielle looked good too.

She was shorter than me—about 5’4—but she had a presence that made her seem taller. Her light brown almond-shaped eyes had a natural slant, a feature she got from Aunt Aimee who was half Filipino and black, and she had sharp cheekbones and smooth golden skin that always seemed to glow.

She wore a black fitted dress that accentuated her curves, simple but elegant, paired with strappy heels that made her just a little taller.

"We really about to step out and shut shit down," I murmured, admiring us both.

"As we should," she agreed, tossing me a shot of tequila before taking one herself. The mini bar was stacked with the small bottles. Sevyn was gone on his own little New York adventure leaving us to raid it. "Now let’s go before Brodie starts calling every five minutes."

The moment we walked into the party, I could feel the shift in energy.

The music was loud, the bass vibrating through the floor, and the air was thick with the scent of liquor, weed, and expensive cologne. The place was packed, people dancing, laughing, drinking, lost in their own worlds.

"Y’all took forever," Brodie smirked, making his way over to us.

Arielle barely had time to react before Brodie pulled her in by the waist, his lips pressing against hers in a slow, easy kiss like he’d been waiting for it all night.

I smirked, looking away to give them their moment, and was about to take in the scene when Brodie pulled back and turned his attention to me.

"Tootie you look good girl. You came to shut shit down, huh?"

I grinned tossing my hair over my shoulder. "You already know."

"Damn right. Come on, let’s get y’all some drinks."

Brodie led us toward the makeshift bar weaving through the crowd like he had the whole place on lock.

We passed groups of people in deep conversation, some stopping to give him dap, some tucked in dark corners getting a little too comfortable, others laughing loud and spilling drinks on their shoes like they didn’t care.

The music shifted to Dance (A$$) by Big Sean, and I exchanged a look with Arielle before grinning. I loved this song and so did she.

"Let’s dance."

She didn’t hesitate, grabbing my wrist and pulling me onto the floor, the two of us moving to the beat like we had been waiting for this moment all night.

The eyes were inevitable. Men watching. Trying to move in. But we were in our own world, enjoying the moment.

Until I felt it. That undeniable pressure in my bladder.

"Shit I gotta pee," I muttered in Ari’s ear.

"Ugh, already?" she groaned, rolling her eyes before nodding toward Brodie. "Ask him where to go. I’m not losing our spot, so hurry up."

I made my way over, tapping Brodie on the arm. "Where’s the bathroom?"

"Down the hall, last door on the left," he said without hesitation, already turning his attention back to Arielle.

"Got it."

Making my way through the party was an obstacle course of drunk boys with weak game.

"Yo, you from around here?"

"Damn, ma, you got a man?"

"Aye, lemme talk to you real quick."

I ignored every single one of them offering the occasional polite smile, but not stopping.

I didn’t want some random nigga pressing up on me tonight besides, although things had been a little tense with us lately, I had a man.

Finally I made it to the bathroom locking the door behind me and exhaling deeply.

A moment of peace.

After handling my business, I washed my hands and checked my reflection in the mirror. My curls were still flawless, my lip gloss still popping, my dress still sitting right.

Perfect.

I took a deep breath before stepping out, ready to return to the dance floor.

I didn’t see him.

Not until I walked straight into his chest, my body bouncing off his in a way that should’ve sent me stumbling.

But his hands caught me first. Firm. Strong. Holding me steady.

"Damn," a deep, slightly annoyed voice muttered.

I looked up, my eyes locking with a pair of light brown ones that held way too much intensity.

He was tall, towering over me, broad shoulders filling out his all black fit effortlessly.

His skin was a warm caramel, his jawline sharp, his lips full and pink, slightly parted like he was about to say something else but thought better of it.

And for a second, I couldn’t speak. Because what the hell?

I had heard of Creed Langston before. Ari had mentioned him a time or two and I knew he was Brodie’s boy, one of the biggest names on campus, the dude everybody was always talking about.

But I had never really looked at him before.

And now? Now, I was looking.

And so was he.

"Shit, my bad," I finally managed stepping back, smoothing my dress like that would help.

He licked his lips, his expression unreadable. "You good."

His voice was deep. Calm. Controlled.

But his eyes? They were searching, lingering on mine like he was trying to place me.

I opened my mouth to apologize again, but before I could, he tilted his head slightly.

"What’s your name?"

"Serenity," I yelled over the loud music; SupaFreak by Jeezy was now rumbling through the speakers.

His lips curved slightly, like he had heard it before.

"Brodie’s Serenity?"

I raised an eyebrow. "I ain’t nobody’s Serenity, definitely not Brodie’s." I wanted there to be no mistake, it was never like that with Brodie and I. He was the love of Arielle’s life, and everyone knew it.

He chuckled at that, shaking his head. "I meant, Ari’s cousin. I’ve heard your name before."

"Oh," I said surprised.

I wasn’t sure why, but the thought of him knowing who I was made my stomach do something weird.

"And you’re Creed," I added.

"That I am."

For a moment, we just stood there, the noise of the party fading into the background.

Neither of us moved. Neither of us looked away.

I don’t know what it was.

Maybe it was the way he carried himself; calm, unbothered, like he wasn’t easily impressed but still looked at me like I had his full attention.

Maybe it was the way I felt standing this close to him, like I was suddenly too aware of myself.

Maybe it was something else. Something I didn’t have words for yet.

"You tryna get back to your people?" he asked finally, breaking the silence.

I nodded.

"Come on, I’ll walk you."

I had planned to find Arielle and Brodie and keep it moving.

But somehow, I spent the rest of the night talking to Creed.

We found a spot near the back of the house, slightly quieter but still within the party’s energy, and we just talked.

No forced flirting. No corny lines. No pressure.

Just an easy conversation that flowed like we had done this before.

We talked about school, the March Madness tournament they were apparently leaving for tomorrow afternoon, music, growing up in completely different worlds, me from LA, him from Dallas.

We talked about his love for basketball, my love for dance and how both of us were trying to prove something to our families, to ourselves.

And it was weird, because I barely knew him, but somehow, I felt like I did; felt like I’d known him all my life. The conversation felt effortless and honestly it was a little scary.

By the end of the night, he pulled out his phone handing it to me without saying a word.

I smirked, typing my number in then calling myself. I felt my phone vibrate from my purse.

"I don’t know if Imma text you," I teased handing it back.

He chuckled sliding his phone in his pocket.

"You will." His cockiness was sexy as fuck, and I couldn’t help the way my front teeth grazed my bottom lip.

I rolled my eyes before turning to walk away. But even as I found Arielle and Brodie, even as we left the party, even as I crawled into bed later that night—I was still thinking about him.

And I hated that he was probably right.