Page 138 of I See You

As they watched her go, Sevyn glanced at Hassan, heart still full from watching him be something she wasn’t used to seeing.

Present. Gentle. Real.

Sevyn had a smile tugging at her lips. “That was sweet of you,” she said softly, her voice full of warmth. He didn’t respond, just looked at her—slowly, from head to toe—admiring without a word.

“You ready?” he asked, his tone smooth, effortless. She chuckled. “Are you inviting me to lunch, friend?”

He looked away like he was fighting a smile. “Mane, come on.”

Sevyn laughed, nudging him as they headed toward her car. “I don’t know why you keep playing hard to get. You know you wanna be my friend.”

He didn’t respond, but the silence said everything. As they reached her car, Hassan opened her door like it was second nature. She stepped in, and when he closed it behind her, she realized she'd been holding her breath the entire time. Only when the door shut did she finally exhale.

There was something about him—his energy, his presence. It always did something to her. Watching him earlier, so at ease during the game, the softness he showed Jada without even trying, his quiet generosity— it warmed her in ways she didn’t want to name. The more time she spent around Hassan, the more she peeled him back. And what she found underneath all that cold, hard exterior? It wasn’t scary. It was real.

She followed behind him as he sped through traffic, his black Bentley flying down the street like the man driving it had nothing but muscle and instinct guiding him. They arrived quicker than expected. Sevyn parked, stepping out just as Jada and her teammates filed into the restaurant ahead of them, buzzing with energy.

Moments later, Hassan’s Bentley pulled up with that deep rumble she could feel in her chest. He parked beside her, stepped out—and her breath caught, like it always did.He was just… too damn fine.

They walked inside and got a table close to Jada’s group. Sevyn noticed how Hassan’s eyes kept shifting toward Jada’s table, casually scanning,makingsureshewasokay.Hedidn’tsayanything.Didn’t try to be obvious. But he was watching her—protecting her without needing praise.

And that quiet protectiveness?

That made Sevyn smile without even realizing it.

The waiter came and took their food and drink orders, leaving them alone again.

“So you gon’ tell me what was wrong with you earlier?” Hassan asked, his eyes locked on her, unblinking.

Sevyn looked at him like he was speaking another language. “There was nothing wrong with me.”

She said it too fast, too tight. She tried to play it cool, but the way his jaw flexed and his eyes stayed fixed on her like a lie detector told her it didn’t land. He knew.

The waiter returned, placing their drinks and food in front of them, offering a brief interruption. Sevyn grabbed her glass like it was a lifeline, silently hoping that would be enough to steer Hassan off the trail.

But the moment the waiter left, his eyes shifted right back to her. “Ihateliars,Sevyn,”hesaid,calmbutfirm,poppingafryinhis mouth like he didn’t just gut her with the truth.

She shifted in her seat, uncomfortable under the weight of his gaze. Took a slow sip of her margarita and braced herself.

“Umm… I had brunch with my family earlier today,” she started. Her voice didn’t crack, but her body betrayed her—hands trembling just enough to show the wound was still fresh.

Hassan didn’t say anything, just kept eating, his eyes never leaving her. Listening.

“Ithoughtitwasgonnabeournormalbrunch,likewedoonce a month. But they blindsided me. Invited my ex-best friend and her parents.”

The name Ariel never left her lips, but the tension creeping into her voice filled in the blank.

“Why she your ex-best friend?” Hassan asked, voice low, like he already knew it was about to get dark.

Sevyn exhaled slowly, her gaze fixed on the untouched plate in front of her. “Well… remember when I said Braxton cheated on me?” Her voice was calm, but tight. Fragile.

She paused, then looked up—just enough. “It was her he cheated with.”

Hassan’sjawclenched,hishandpausingmid-reachforanother fry.

Sheswallowed.“Myfamilydoesbusinesswithhers,soIguess theythoughtit'dbebestifwetalkeditout.Trytokeepthings… smooth between the families.”

She toyed with her fork, appetite gone now. Her stomach tightened just thinking about Ariel’s face, that moment at brunch, the words she still couldn’t repeat.

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