Page 52

SERENITY

T he warm scent of lavender and eucalyptus filled the private spa suite as I leaned back against the plush massage table, sighing in relaxation.

This weekend was supposed to be about Ari and Brodie—celebrating their love, their union, their future together. But my mind? It wasn’t here, in this high-end Vegas spa with my girls. It was with Creed.

The soft buzz of my phone vibrated against the towel beside me, and without thinking, I reached for it, my thumb tapping across the screen as I read his latest text.

Creed: U good?

A small smile tugged at my lips.

Me: I should be asking you that.

Creed: I’m cool. Just checking on you.

I hesitated before responding. I knew exactly why he was checking in on me. Because he knew—he always knew—when something was off with me. And right now? Everything was off. I had just broken things off with Iman. And I hadn’t told Creed yet.

Me: If you miss me already, just say that Langston.

Creed: I miss you Beautiful

“You are grinning like a lovesick fool. Who the hell are you texting, Iman?” Averi’s voice cut through my thoughts as she adjusted the towel wrapped around her body. She was sitting cross-legged on one of the massage loungers, sipping from a flute of champagne.

I locked my phone, but not before Egypt snatched it out of my hands, her eyes scanning the screen before a knowing smirk played on her lips. “Mmmhmm. I knew it. You over here texting your baby daddy like y’all aren’t in two separate places right now.”

Arielle, who had been laying face down on the massage table getting her deep tissue massage, lifted her head, arching a perfectly sculpted brow. “Please tell me you are not spending your time texting Creed instead of enjoying this spa day.”

I groaned, reaching for my phone, but Egypt snatched it away, holding it out of my reach.

Averi took a slow sip of her drink, watching me with amusement. “So, are you gonna tell us what’s up or do we have to bully it out of you?”

I let out a breath before sitting up. “I ended things with Iman.”

All three of them froze before Egypt let out an exaggerated gasp. “Oh, now this is tea.”

Ari propped herself up on one elbow. “Why?”

I swallowed hard before I said the words out loud, words that had been bubbling inside me for months. “Because I’m still in love with Creed.”

We were all silent, for a solid five seconds, none of us spoke.

Then, Averi grinned. “Well, duh bitch.”

Egypt rolled her eyes dramatically. “Oh, so now you’re admitting it? Girl, we’ve been knowing.”

Ari smirked before sitting up completely. “The real question is, are you gonna tell him?”

I hesitated, playing with the edge of my towel. “No… not yet.”

Egypt groaned, throwing her head back. “Girl, why?!”

“Because he’s going through too much right now,” I admitted. “His grandfather just died. He just got injured. His season is over. I’m not about to add to his plate with feelings. He doesn’t need that right now.”

Ari stared at me for a long time before shaking her head. “Tootie… you are his peace. If you think for a second that man doesn’t already know that you love him, then you’re fooling yourself.”

Averi nodded in agreement. “You love him. He loves you. What the fuck are y’all waiting for?”

Egypt snapped her fingers. “Tell him. Tonight.”

I exhaled, shaking my head. “Y’all are crazy.”

Ari took another sip of her champagne before shrugging. “No, you are. And if you don’t tell him, I will.”

Hours later, I sat by the floor-to-ceiling window in the suite, my plate of shrimp fried rice barely touched as I watched the sun begin its slow descent over the Vegas skyline. The city looked golden, bathed in light, and yet I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling in my chest.

Across from me, Creed sat at the dining table, tearing into his meal like he hadn’t eaten in days.

His crutches were propped against the chair next to him, his injured leg stretched out carefully.

Every now and then, his jaw would clench, and I could feel the frustration rolling off of him in waves.

“You staring at me for a reason, Beautiful?” he asked without looking up, his voice teasing but still tired.

I rolled my eyes, twirling my chopsticks between my fingers. “You wish I was staring at you.”

He finally lifted his gaze, a slow smirk pulling at his lips. “Nah, I know you were.”

I shook my head, fighting back a small smile.

“You got that look.” I told him.

“What look?”

“The ‘I’m pretending I’m fine, but I’m really two seconds away from throwing something at the wall’ look,” I said, gesturing toward him with my chopsticks.

Creed exhaled, running a hand over his beard. “Shit, you ain't wrong.”

I tilted my head. “I know.”

He sighed heavily, pushing his food around his plate. “I don’t know how I’m supposed to sit still while my team is out there playing without me. You know how fucking insane that is?” He let out a humorless laugh. “I’m supposed to be leading them. Instead, I’m just watching from the sidelines.”

I placed my chopsticks down, watching him carefully. “I know it’s hard, Creed. But you gotta give yourself time to heal. You keep pushing yourself, and you’ll only make it worse.”

He leaned back, rubbing at his temple. “I know, I know… but fuck.” I reached across the table and covered his hand with mine. He went still.

“You’ll bounce back,” I told him, my voice soft but firm. “You always do.”

His eyes met mine, something vulnerable flickering there for a split second before he nodded. “Yeah?”

I squeezed his hand. “Yeah.”

For a moment, we just stared at each other, the silence between us thick. Creed cleared his throat, pulling his hand away and grabbing his water. “So…what about you? How’s filming been?”

I hesitated for a second before answering. “It’s been good. We just wrapped another season, so now I actually have some free time.”

His brows lifted slightly. “Yeah? You planning on doing anything with it?”

I exhaled. “I think… I might get back into dance. I still want to open my dance studio. I think I’m at a place where I can dedicate to both.”

His face lit up in a way I hadn’t seen in a while. “For real?”

I nodded. “Yeah. I miss it.”

Creed grinned. “You should. You’re too good not to.”

A warmth spread through my chest, but I just nodded, looking down at my plate. “Thanks.”

He took a sip of water, then leaned forward. “So…you and ol’ boy. Iman.”

I lifted a brow. “What about him?”

“You still talking to him? I know he ain’t been cool with you staying at my house, unless you didn’t tell him.”

I hesitated before sighing. “No, I didn’t tell him, because we ended things.”

His expression didn’t change. No gloating, no smirk. Just a slow nod. “That’s probably for the best.”

I scoffed. “Oh? And why is that?”

Creed shrugged. “You don’t really like that nigga like that.”

I laughed sharply. “Wow. Okay, mind reader.”

“I’m not wrong, though.”

I shook my head. “You love assuming shit, don’t you?”

He smirked. “I just know you.” My heart stuttered in my chest. Yeah. He did. That was the problem.

Later on at dinner, we were all dressed to the nines. Looking around at the group of people at the table, it was a good assumption that the table was worth millions. We looked good, smelled good and we feasted good.

Still, the tension in Tao’s private dining room was palpable, and I was exhausted before the night even fully started.

Egypt sat across from Naseem, daggers in her gaze, her perfectly manicured fingers gripping her wine glass like she was debating on launching it at his big-ass head.

Meanwhile, Naseem sat back in his chair, his usual cocky-ass smirk painted across his face like he was enjoying this. Because he was, he always seemed to get a kick out of fuckin with my friend. I hated it for Egypt, but the joy in Naseem’s face each time he did it, always made me chuckle.

“Oh, you worried about me getting hit? That’s real sweet of you, Egypt,” Naseem mused, voice lazy but taunting. “Didn’t know you cared.”

Egypt let out a sharp laugh, rolling her eyes so hard I thought they might get stuck in the back of her head. “Care?” she repeated with mock horror. “Nigga, please. The only thing I care about is how much fun it’s gonna be when somebody finally humbles that big-ass ego of yours.”

Chuckles rumbled around the table, but Naseem’s smirk didn’t waver. He leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the table. “Ain’t gonna happen, baby.”

Egypt’s jaw clenched. “Call me baby one more time?—”

“What? You gonna write me a diss track?”

The table erupted in laughter, and even I couldn’t fight back my chuckle. Egypt, however, was not amused. “I swear to God, Naseem?—”

Arielle rubbed my temples. “Egypt. Sit down.”

“Oh, she can’t help herself,” Naseem said lazily, sipping his drink. “She’s obsessed with me.”

Egypt’s entire body stiffened. “Nigga what? You’re fuckin delusional as usual.”

“Oh yeah,” Naseem nodded, grinning like the devil himself. “Everywhere we go, every event, every dinner—you find a reason to argue with me.” He tilted his head. “You sure you don’t wanna just skip all this tension and admit you want to fuck me?”

The entire table howled, except for Egypt. Her eyes narrowed, her jaw tight as hell, her hand curling into a fist on the table. She stood up so fast, her chair nearly toppled over. “You are the most arrogant, insufferable, annoying?—”

“Sexy and rich…” Naseem supplied, grinning wider. Egypt’s eye twitched and I knew one of us should step in. Naseem was in danger.

Arielle sighed dramatically. “Y’all been at this for years. When are y’all gonna grow up?”

“When he stops breathing near me,” Egypt muttered.

Naseem chuckled, deep and amused. “That’s crazy. I was just thinking the same thing about you.”

Averi leaned over to me, whispering, “They’re definitely gonna fuck.”

I took a slow sip of my cocktail, smirking. “Oh, absolutely.”