Chapter 12

Lena stood in that hallway for a solid thirty seconds, trying to catch her breath.

That man...

That damn man.

Von had her feeling shit she had no business feeling. And he didn't even do nothing.

Shaking her head, she pulled her phone out of her tiny bag and checked her reflection in the front camera. She still looked good—too good to let some fake little moment throw her off.

So she straightened up, adjusted her skirt, and walked back to the section like nothing happened.

—

Cinco noticed immediately.

Lena had barely made it back to the couch when he grabbed her wrist and pulled her down next to him.

"You good?" he asked, eyeing her face.

Lena nodded, pouring herself another shot. "Yeah, why?"

Cinco smirked. "You look like somebody just pressed you up against the wall."

Lena froze.

Cinco leaned in, his golds flashing. "That what happened?"

Lena sucked her teeth. "Boy, shut up."

He laughed, leaning back. "I knew it. That nigga Von don't play about you."

Lena rolled her eyes. "Ain't nobody worried about him."

Cinco chuckled like he didn't believe her at all.

But instead of arguing, he switched the subject. "Come dance with me."

Lena smirked. "You got two left feet."

"Girl, quit playing," Cinco said, standing up and pulling her with him. "I'm tryna see something real quick."

The DJ switched to a throwback twerk anthem, and Lena couldn't resist.

She turned around, hands on her knees, and arched her back just right.

The whole section hyped her up as she threw it back on Cinco, who caught her waist and matched her energy perfectly.

"Ayyyeee!" Ray cheered.

Even the girls from the crew were hyping her up.

Lena was in her element.

She laughed, moving to the beat, but she felt the moment she gained somebody else's attention.

Somebody with a bad attitude and a mouth full of diamonds.

Von was watching.

She could feel his eyes on her like heat.

But she didn't stop.

If he had something to say? He could say it.

But until then? She was outside.

And tonight, she was having fun.

—

Twenty minutes later, Lena was sitting on the couch, cooling down, when Von finally moved.

He walked past the section, grabbed her wrist, and kept walking.

Lena's stomach flipped.

Cinco chuckled, clearly not tripping.

"Don't let him little-boy you, Lena," Ray joked.

Lena glared at her before following behind Von, aggravated.

They ended up in the same damn hallway.

Von let her wrist go and turned around, jaw tight.

"You tryna make me mad?"

Lena crossed her arms. "You act like you my man or something."

Von stepped closer. "I ain't."

Lena raised an eyebrow. "Then why you worried?"

Von stared at her, his tongue running over his bottom grill like he was thinking.

Then he smirked.

"I'on know."

Lena's breath hitched.

Von leaned in, his fingers trailing up her arm, slow.

Then he whispered in her ear—

"I just know I don't like seeing you dance on nobody else."

Lena swallowed, her body way too hot.

She turned her head slightly, just enough for her lips to brush against his jaw when she spoke.

"That sound like a you problem."

Von exhaled, his breath warm on her neck.

Then he chuckled.

"Aight," he said, backing up.

Lena looked up at him, confused. "Aight?"

Von smirked. "Yeah."

Then he started walking away.

Lena frowned. "What does 'aight' mean?"

Von didn't turn around.

"You'll see."

Then he was gone.

And Lena had the weirdest feeling that whatever "aight" meant...

Lena tried to shake it off. Tried.

But Von's words stuck with her for the rest of the night.

You'll see.

What the hell did that even mean?

She sat back down in the section, sipping on a new drink while Cinco kept cracking jokes and keeping the vibe light. He was fun, smooth, and playful—the exact opposite of Von's moody, quiet ass.

But still...

That man had her mind locked up.

Cinco must've noticed because he leaned over, voice low.

"You thinking about him, huh?"

Lena cut her eyes at him. "Boy, shut up."

Cinco just laughed. "Aight."

That damn word.

Lena sucked her teeth, ignoring him.

The rest of the night played out smooth. They drank, laughed, and kept the vibe going until the club started clearing out. Von was nowhere to be seen, and Lena wasn't about to go looking for him.

But that weird energy? It didn't leave.

By the time she got home, she was still thinking about it.

Lena kicked off her heels, unzipping her skirt and stepping out of it before flopping on her bed in just her fitted crop top and thong. She grabbed her phone and paused.

Should she text him?

No.

She rolled her eyes and tossed her phone on the bed. Von had her messed up if he thought she was about to reach out first.

Instead, she got up, took a shower, and changed into her usual oversized tee before sliding under the covers.

Her phone vibrated.

Her heart jumped.

She snatched it off the charger and checked the screen.

Unknown Number: Aight.

Lena stared at the message.

What the—

Her phone buzzed again.

Unknown Number: Open the door.

Her stomach flipped.

She sat up fast, staring at the screen, then hesitated before walking to her front door. Peeking through the peephole, she sighed.

Von.

Mouth full of diamonds. Black tee, sweats, and slides.

Looking good as hell in the middle of the night.

Lena exhaled before unlocking the door and swinging it open.

"You don't got no damn boundaries?"

Von licked his lips, stepping inside like he paid bills.

Lena backed up, watching him. "How you even get my number?"

Von closed the door behind him, sliding his hands in his pockets.

"I got a lotta shit."

Lena squinted at him. "That's not an answer."

Von smirked. "It ain't."

Silence.

Lena crossed her arms. "So what you want?"

Von took a slow step toward her.

"I told you," he said, his deep voice sending heat through her body.

"You'll see."

Lena swallowed. Hard.

Because whatever he meant by that?

She was about to find out. Real soon.