no longer quiet when Friday arrived. It was full of semi-drunk girls dressed in as little clothes as possible, blaring music over the speakers. I knew it would only be a matter of time before our upstairs neighbors stomped on the ceiling.

We were going to the bars with the baseball guys.

While it was any other Friday night to them, it was show-time for me.

"Do I wear these jeans?" I asked, holding up a pair of light-wash torn jeans. Reva lent a lacy red bodysuit which magically elevated my breasts, and now I was looking for a pair of jeans to mellow out my top half.

"Light wash, high wasted. They make you look taller," Lucy said.

"You don't think the bodysuit and jeans combo is weird?"

"No, babe. You look hot as hell."

I smiled and shimmied into my pants. Iya was strewn across my bed, already down bad from the mixed drinks we made earlier. Lucy was checking herself out in the mirror, fixing tiny strands of hair and perfecting her lipstick line.

Reva and Penelope were across the hall in her room, picking out outfits.

"I'm so happy for Reva," Iya cooed.

"Me too. It's about time she found her happiness."

"What about you guys?"

"Me?" Lucy paused and straightened her back. She grinned at herself in the mirror, her black, pin-straight hair grazed her shoulders. "I am thrilled being single."

She appeared behind me in my full-length mirror and hung her arms over my shoulders. She pressed the front of her body into my back and asked, "What about you, Miss Garner?" I could smell the sweet perfume on her body.

Iya propped herself up onto her elbows in the reflection, waiting to hear my answer.

I laughed. "I wish I had your confidence, that's what."

She spun me around. "Confidence is a game you play with yourself, and there are many types. I know you're confident when it comes to school and art, so why not manifest that confidence in social situations, too? Pretend to be the version of yourself you wish you were, and you'll eventually trick your mind into thinking that is really you."

I blinked.

"Its works," Iya mouthed from the bed and Lucy continued.

"You think this is how I came out of the womb?" She motioned to herself and I nodded, chuckling.

"No, I made this. I worked hard on myself."

"I don't think I can lie to myself, though." My shoulders slumped, but she pulled them upright.

"It's not lying. It's training your brain to know your worth. If you carry yourself with your head hanging low, people can sense that. Even your brain believes that. So, why not carry yourself with your head high? Confidence is sexy and we're very intelligent, intuitive creatures when we want to be." She winked and grabbed the red tube of lipstick from the dresser.

"Now put this on. It's time to be our best, most confident self."

I took Lucy's advice as we entered the bar, keeping my head high. The alcohol coursing through my body helped too, but I needed the extra support.

All I could think about was Elijah, Elijah, Elijah. I didn't anticipate dodging Lucy's question about happiness would lead to a pep talk, yet here I was. It helped because I felt hot in this outfit, even if it wasn't my typical attire.

"The girls are here!" Brant screamed.

Elijah and I locked eyes. The colorful bar lights highlighted his face in different shades of blue, pink, and red. I immediately noticed his hair was no longer tightly coiled loose curls, he had flawless cornrows and the ends of his braids were pulled into a tiny bun in the back. I saw his brown eyes more clear than ever.

Whatever he was smiling about prior faded as he drank me in. Heat bloomed in my navel from the way he started at my feet and made his way up the length of my body to my face. Then that wicked smile reappeared.

Shit. Everyone was going to discover whatever we were tonight if we couldn't keep ourselves under control.

We all greeted one another. Brant, Aiden, and Jayce were excited to see me and my friends. Tasha and Rocco stood, and I pulled her into a big hug, happy to see her here too. I did not know they were joining us. I reintroduced her to all my friends, and I looked around at all the girls, realizing I had a great group of friends, and that tonight would be good.

For more reasons than one.

Jayce ordered us a round of shots. Squeezing my fists, I blew out a shaky breath through my red lips and walked to Elijah.

His grey long sleeve clung to every muscle on his torso and was rolled up to reveal his forearms. All of the sudden, I felt incredibly meek as I whispered, "Hi, you look nice." So only he could hear. "I like your hair."

"Hey, thank you. You look nice, too." He leaned closer, his lips grazed my ear. "But I can't tell you what I think of you with everyone around."

My eyes scanned the room for people watching, and I thought of Lucy's words, 'confidence is sexy' and stood taller.

"Not even a whisper?" I batted my lashes.

He shifted his weight, his eyes glancing toward my breasts that spilled from my top. His throat bobbed and desire burned over my skin like wildfire. I felt wrong when other men looked at me that way, yet I silently wished he would look again.

"It's going to be hard keeping my hands and eyes off of you tonight."

Fuck. I took his beer from his hand and sipped, leaving lipstick residue on the rim. "Is that so?"

"A shot for you, and a shot for you!" Jayce said and handed out shots of vodka. Jayce watched Elijah and me for a second longer before shifting his attention elsewhere. The floor throbbed from the music and dancing, and I could barely hear as the blond counted back from three.

The alcohol burned, but Elijah's stare burned more.

I handed him my empty glass, grinning, and joined my friends a couple of seats down.

Our group had formed a semi-circle so we could all talk to each other, with Elijah on the clear opposite end. Part of me wished I hadn't asked him to keep whatever relationship we had a secret, because right now I was struggling.

From the way, he adjusted his pants through his pocket—as if I wouldn't notice—told me he was struggling too. Suddenly, the grin on my face grew wider.

"You all need to order a drink. We're headed to the pool table room," Brant commanded and herded the guys to the recreation room in the back of the bar.

"What are you drinking?" I asked Tasha, peeking into her cup.

"It's one of their specials. It tastes like coconut. Want to try?" She pointed to the chalkboard. "It's super fucking strong, but I also asked for a double shot."

Lucy and Iya ordered Margaritas like usual. Reva and Penelope settled on seltzers, but I ordered what Tasha had with only one shot. I'd rather not get plastered and embarrass myself tonight. Lord knows I've embarrassed myself enough in front of the tight-pants posse.

We joined the guys with our drinks.

"We've already split everyone up by teams," Aiden said and rattled off pairs. "Elijah and Sadie are starting against Jayce and Lucy. Winner plays Rocco and Tasha."

"Elijah and Sadie," Reva purred in my ear. I pushed her away while she laughed and approached Elijah.

He nodded. "Teammate."

"Does someone know our secret?" I joked.

Grabbing the chalk cube, he coated the end of his cue. "They may after tonight."

I stared, waiting for him to elaborate. Instead, he placed his hand on the small of my back and guided me to the pool table where Jayce and Lucy were racking pool balls. Lucy winked at me.

The game started, and our friends on the sidelines picked teams like we were watching a Trembullen baseball game. I witnessed firsthand how competitive the guys could get and my own friends. It shocked me to see Reva screaming over a pool game, but I think it was from the extra round of shots she and Penelope downed.

"You're not doing the best."

I gaped. "That's quite rude."

"Maybe you should play better."

"Maybe you should be nicer," I snapped, and his lips twitched up. His biceps flexed under his tight long sleeve as gripped the cue.

He slowly approached me from behind. His right hand gripped my hip, and I looked around at everyone, worried that they'd see. None of their attention was on us as he said, "Try shooting from a different angle. Here, I'll show you."

"I've got it." I stepped away, looking him up and down.

He was trying to rile me up, which meant I would not play fair either. Carefully, I bent over the felt table, sticking my ass out and wiggling it just enough for him to see.

"Is this okay?"

"Yeah, just like that."

His words made my stomach tighten.

I hit the ball and missed, instantly setting us back in the game, and now Lucy and Jayce were going to win. They high-fived, and now it was Elijah's turn. He leaned over and aimed; the balls clinked together and completely missed the basket.

My mouth fell ajar as Lucy and Jayce took their turn and won the game. Mr. he-hits-where-he-hits did not just miss that shot...

Dramatically, Elijah handed his cue to Rocco and said he was going to the bar to get another beer.

The girls were barely coherent when I rejoined them on the couch, wondering what Elijah's dramatics were for. "Let's dance!" Penelope said. "I need to get up and move."

Iya, Reva, and Penelope stood, dragging me to the dance floor. Iya, who smelled like tequila, pulled me against her body and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. I wanted to let loose, but all I thought about was where Elijah had gone.

Spinning around, I swayed my hips to the beat of the music, and then I locked eyes with those beautiful brown eyes. He stood at the bar, his elbow resting on the countertop, and it looked like he found me before I had found him.

He fisted a fresh beer and watched me like the night in his basement. But his lips weren't on another girl, his focus was solely on me, and it felt good.

I swayed my hips harder, blood surging through my body at an extreme rate. He brought the bottle to his mouth and sipped with ease, licking the residue off his bottom lip. It did something to me and I threw my arms around Iya.

He drove me insane. The secrecy drove me insane. My feelings for Elijah were boiling over, even though my fear of relationships still gnawed at my insides. Despite the fear, I couldn't fight the want.

He nodded his head and then slunk through the crowd.

My heart pounded as I turned to the girls. "I'm going to the bathroom!"

Before they could reply, my legs carried me directly for Elijah. I weaved through the crowd until I walked at a steady pace behind him, past the recreation room, and into the back hallway. The red exit sign above the back door glowed brightly and everything around me seemed to slow.

He pushed outside.

"You—" was all I said before his mouth crashed onto mine.

His hand gripped the back of my head to protect me as my body collided with the brick wall. The force from the impact of the building and his body made me moan into his mouth, which only made him kiss me harder.

Holy shit.

His free hand cupped my face, and his thumb stroked my cheekbone. So many feelings coursed through my body at once. I had to lean against him to prevent my knees from buckling.

"I'm sorry," he said between kisses. "You've been driving me fucking wild all night. I couldn't take it anymore."

There were remnants of my lipstick on his face, and I laughed, trying to wipe it away, but he only kissed me again. It felt like a weight lifted off my shoulders being with him alone.

"Don't apologize."

"Are you okay with this? I didn't even ask I—"

I placed my hand on his chest. "You don't have to tiptoe around me."

"You were so hesitant before. I don't know what happened, but I don't want to overstep."

"Elijah."

He stopped talking and searched my eyes, his chest rising and falling under my palm. That was when I noticed his hand which made its way to my hips, his thumb now brushing soothing circles over my skin.

"You can kiss me all you want."

His worry faded. "That's a dangerous request."

"How dangerous?"

This time, he lowered his mouth onto mine with ease. His tongue slowly made its way into my mouth. I opened wider to let him in. He pressed himself into my body, and I instantly knew how he was feeling from the hardness between his thighs. He felt that way for me...

It took everything in me not to lose it.

His hand moved from my hip to my back and I tilted my head to the side, then let go.

He stepped away.

"Why'd you stop?" I breathed.

He pinched my chin. "I want you to know how I feel when you walk around looking like that."

My lips fell open, and a scoff slipped out. What an ass! "You tease."

"I want you to think about me tonight."

"I can't promise anything." I stood straight, smoothing out my hair, then running my hands over my breast to fix my shirt. "By the way, you are only cock blocking yourself, Eli."

I emphasized the nickname and made it evident to look down at his jeans, which had become increasingly tighter, and smiled, turned on my heel, and walked inside. I hurried into the bathroom, wiping the messy lipstick off my face.

Gripping the counter, I stared at my reflection, wishing I appreciated my body as he did.

Is this what our relationship was going to be? Us sneaking around and giving each other blue balls? I pulled out the tube of lipstick and reapplied, then met everyone back in the recreation room.

Elijah was already there, with no hint of lipstick on his face.

The girls squealed when they saw me and Elijah tipped his beer as if saying game on.

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