Page 7 of Big Nick Energy

“What was that?” I wondered.

“My elbow.” He shook his head. “I was holding the phone to my ear and when the elevator opened, I just turned.” He exhaled. “What’s your name?”

“Asha,” I answered quietly.

“Let me get you some ice, Asha.” He looked around and then ushered me to a nearby bench. “Sit right here. Give me a couple minutes. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay,” I murmured as he rushed toward the front desk.

Oh. My. God.

I pulled out my phone to text Paris, but I caught a glimpse of myself on my phone.

“Oh my God,” I gasped aloud as I saw a red mark on my forehead with elevated puffy skin.

No wonder he ran off to get ice, I thought, touching the spot gingerly.

Asha James: Guess who I LITERALLY just ran into in the lobby

“Hi, Miss,” a middle-aged woman with a friendly smile greeted me. “Your friend tells me there’s been an accident.”

I clicked the side of my phone to blacken the screen. Looking between the woman and Nick, I dropped it back into my bag. “Uh, yeah.”

“I’m sorry,” Nick apologized. He looked like he was about to say something else when his phone rang again.

She handed me an instant cold compress and some paper towels. “Do you need us to call an ambulance?”

I held the compress against my head. “No, I’m fine. But thank you for this.”

“If you’ll allow me to take a quick look, please,” the woman requested, pulling my attention and my head away from Nick.

“I’m running late. I got sidetracked but I’m about to change and meet you at the spot now,” Nick said into the phone.

She had me follow her finger with my eyes. When she was done, my eyes drifted from the woman examining my head to Nick’s fine ass as he concluded his call. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a card.

“I’m sorry, but I have to go,” he told me, pointing toward the elevator.

“Yeah, of course, go.” My lips curled up into a smile. “I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?”

Pulling the compress from my head, I nodded. “Yeah,” I murmured.

He handed me his business card. “If you need anything?—”

“You look okay,” the woman stated as he said goodbye.

The elevator dinged and he jogged to the newly opened car. I didn’t get a chance to respond to him because he was gone so fast.

“There’s only a slight mark on your forehead,” she continued, taking a step back. “But you don’t want to play around with a concussion. Are you sure you don’t want me to call an ambulance for you? As a precaution?”

“I’m sure.”

“Okay.” She nodded. “Well, if you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Thank you.”

She walked toward the front desk, and I pulled out my phone. Paris hadn’t responded so I knew she was still asleep. My mind was racing, and my head had what looked like a developing lump above my eyebrow. I wasn’t sure if it was from seeing Nick or from the collision with his elbow, but I didn’t remember where I was supposed to be going on my walk.

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