Page 16 of James

“Sorry,” I say, picking up my drink and stirring the ice in it with my straw.

“Where did you go?” he asks curiously.

“Was just thinking,” I say.

“About?" He takes a seat on the chair next to me that Layla had vacated for him. I throw her a look but she just smiles.

I sigh and turn to look James in the eye. “About us. What happened the night of the wedding.”

“I know you don’t regret it anymore,” he says as he leans forward to play with a lock of my hair.

“No, of course not. I love Jye more than anything,” I tell him.

“And so do I,” he says earnestly. I skull the rest of my drink, and place it down on the counter. My fingers are ice cold from the glass.

“We still have a lot to talk about, Sasha,” he continues.

“I know, but tonight is about fun. We can talk tomorrow, okay?” I tell him.

“Okay,” he agrees, kissing me gently on my forehead. “You look cute, by the way,” he adds casually. I instantly narrow my eyes at him, and he bursts out laughing. He remembers, oh, he definitely remembers.

“You’re mean,” I state.

“No, I’m not. You’re the only one in the world who thinks that cute means something other than what it does,” he says, his eyes twinkling.

“Cute means ugly but interesting!” I exclaim.

“I can’t believe you’re still on about that,” he chuckles.

“It does! It’s what people say about babies that aren’t that cute,” I whisper so no one else can hear.

James mouth gapes wide open. “All babies are cute!”

I roll my eyes. “If someone’s baby isn’t that cute, the person will say ‘Ohhhh, he’s so... cute.’ which really doesn’t mean cute!” I ramble. The drinks are definitely getting to me now.

“What does it mean then?” he asks me, trying to contain his mirth.

“Ugly but interesting,” I whisper back, looking around to make sure no one can hear me.

James is now openly laughing at me, but I tune him out when I hear the Sexual Healing remix playing. I love to dance to this song. I look around for Tee, to find her already staring at me expectantly. She loves this song, too. She makes a ‘get on the dance floor now’ motion by tilting her head and widening her eyes. I pat James on the head affectionately and then dance my way to the floor.

“Your man is yummy,” Tee announces, an evil glint in her eye.

“Yeah, he makes beautiful babies, too,” I brag.

“Yeah, I’m coming over tomorrow to see my little boy again,” she says. Tee came over last week and we spent the day at the beach with Jye.

“You gonna talk or you gonna dance?” I joke. Accepting the challenge, Tee pulls me closer and we start to grind. Tee shimmies in a sexy move, and I swerve my hips to the music. Soon everyone else joins us, except James who is still sitting by the bar watching. I can’t help but notice that his eyes are glued to me, my every move. He's literally devouring me with just his gaze. When he starts to nibble on the corner of his bottom lip, I turn away. I’m not ready to go there with James, not with so many things left unanswered.

I pull Lexi in closer and give her a warm smile, wanting her to feel included. I laugh as Nikki and Layla do a choreographed dance, knowing them, it was something from high school. Yes, they still remember some of the routines. I shake my head at them, and look over to see Simone chatting with some guy. Maybe one of us is going to get some action tonight. Well, besides Layla, of course. That woman is getting the business every night. The blush on her face every time anyone brings it up is answer enough.

I glance back at the bar to see James still sitting there, but now he’s not alone. There’s a woman standing next to him, a little too close for my liking. I narrow my eyes on the two of them, especially after she rests her hand on his arm. I’m about to walk over when I see Tee heading that way and taking a seat next to James. Oh dear, I can just imagine how this is going to play out. Sure enough, a few seconds later the woman stomps off, and James is palming his face in what looks like exasperation. I walk over, not even caring that I’m grinning devilishly.

“Sasha, control your cousin,” James says with a chuckle.

“I’m your sister-in-law,” Tee reminds him.

“How could I forget?” James asks dryly.

---