Page 7 of Juke
I shrugged, suddenly needing a distraction from their interrogation. “He’s just… he looks out for me. That’s it. Like a big-ass security guard who’s just doing his friends a favor.”
“Security guard who texts you at random ass hours?” Nic raised a brow.
“Girl, he’s not checking on us,” Kasha co-signed.
“We’re just friends,” I insisted, waving them off. “He doesn’t act like he wants me.”
Mel smirked. “Sometimes it ain’t about what a man says, Soph. It’s how he moves.”
“Exactly,” Kasha added. “And Juke moves like if anybody sneezes wrong in your direction, it’s gone be a closed casket.”
“I’m serious,” I said, but my voice came out too soft to sound convincing.
“You like him though, don’t you?” Nic asked as she leaned back in her seat.
I froze for half a second, then forced a chuckle. “No.”
They didn’t believe me. Hell, I didn’t even believe me.
I looked down at my phone again, rereading his message.
Rashad: You good?
Simple and direct. But it hit different coming from him. The way he said my name… in that deep voice that sounded like my favorite melody. The way he didn’t ask for anything, just showed up when I needed someone without ever making me feel like I owed him. I never said it out loud. Not to them… not even to myself. But yeah… I liked him. Probably more than I should, but I damn sure wasn’t ready for what that meant.
***
I left Mel’s feeling a little lighter, but that weight… never really left. It just shifted deeper in my chest instead of on my shoulders. By the time I got home, the sun had gone down. I punched in the code to my condo and waited for the lock to click. I pushed the door open, ready to get out of these clothes and get comfortable before Rashad arrived. I didn’t have to wait long, because when I walked further inside, I saw him posted on my couch like he belonged there. Legs stretched out, one arm resting on the back of the couch. The TV was low, playing some movie I didn’t recognize. He said nothing at first. Just looked up like he was scanning me to make sure I was good.
“You scared the shit outta me,” I breathed, hand still on the doorknob. “You couldn’t say something?”
“I was here before you,” he said, calm as ever. “Didn’t think I needed to announce myself.”
I blinked slowly closing the door behind me. “You been here long?”
“Nah, not really.” He shook his head.
“You just make yourself comfortable, huh?”
“Ain’t that what you told me to do last time I was over here?” He smirked.
I kicked off my shoes and dropped my bag on the coffee table. I made my way to the couch and eased down next to him, pulling the throw blanket into my lap. Rashad didn’t move, just angled himself a little, so we weren’t shoulder to shoulder, but close enough for his energy to wrap around me, anyway.
“You ate today?” I asked after a beat.
“Yeah. Granny cooked. You know we have dinner with her every Sunday. She cursed everybody out as usual.”
I sniggered.
The silence returned, but it wasn’t heavy this time… just quiet.
“Deion found something.” His tone shifted.
I looked over at him, heartbeat already picking up speed.
“They moved up Rio’s parole hearing. From what Deion said, it could be happening real soon. That’s all I have right now, but I have him on top of it. I wanted to tell you first before I took it to your cousins.”
My whole body tensed, and the air changed. My breath hitched, and I felt like I was suffocating.
