Page 11 of Set me Free

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.

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