Chapter Seven
1215 Words
Colt pov…
It was already late by the time I finally made it to the party.
Jacob had called me more times than I could count, asking where the hell I was. But the moment I spotted him, I understood why he'd finally stopped blowing up my phone.
He was glued to a blonde, barely paying attention to anything else.
So, that must've been the girl he'd been talking about. It took him a while to notice me.
"Bro!" he called, finally looking my way before making his way over to me. "I thought you were going to ditch your own party."
"Yo, Zap!"
We greeted each other with our signature dap before bumping shoulders, each of us giving the other a firm pat on the back—the same greeting we'd been doing since high school.
"Why would I?" I smirked. "I was only a few steps away. What, did you miss me that much?"
"That's your last one, man," he warned with a smirk. "Anyway, c'mere. I want you to meet Janice."
"Oh, the blonde girl?" I smirked. "Interesting. Since when do we introduce our hoes?"
"Hey, she's not a ho." He shook his head. "She's different, bro."
I raised a brow. "So, you finally got yourself a girlfriend, huh?" I chuckled. "First time. Relationship virgin."
"Not yet, bro." He laughed. "And speaking of our no-attachments rule, you're just like me, man. I'm just getting to know her."
"Damn... who the hell are you? 'I'm just getting to know her?' Man, that's some new shit."
He snorted. "Damn, bro. If I didn't know you, I'd think you were my overdramatic, jealous boyfriend."
I snorted back. "Relax, princess. I'm just checking to see if you've been body-snatched. You're acting way too different."
Jacob laughed. "You need a drink, boyfriend. You're hallucinating."
We both burst out laughing at our own nonsense.
"Yeah..." I chuckled, shaking my head. "Maybe I do."
The laughter faded, and Jacob's smile softened. Maybe he'd caught the change in my voice.
"What happened, man?" he asked, his tone turning serious.
I let out a quiet sigh. "My mom. Same old shit."
He nodded slowly. "Yeah... I figured. I think you could use that drink after all."
We headed over to the bar and ordered a couple of drinks. We sat there for a while, talking about all the crap my mom had been giving me over the past few months.
Jacob threw in a few pieces of useless advice here and there, the kind only a best friend could get away with.
But even while we were talking, his attention kept drifting to the dance floor. Every few minutes, his eyes would find the blonde again. He kept bringing her up, too—the girl he claimed he was "just getting to know."
He never got the chance to introduce us. The second he spotted some random guy walking up to her, he was already on his feet.
"I'll be back," he muttered, barely waiting for my response before making a beeline toward her.
I watched him weave through the crowd, planting himself beside her like he'd been standing there the whole time.
I couldn't help but smirk. "Since when was Jacob the jealous type?"
That was definitely new. Damn. My boy was cooked.
And the i***t never came back.
I wasn't even surprised. I bet he'd already forgotten. He told me he'd be back, but apparently, that lasted all of five minutes.
I didn't mind either way.
A few teammates and close friends stopped by to greet me, hanging around for a few minutes before disappearing back into the crowd.
Every now and then, I'd catch a few girls stealing glances my way. A couple of them were bold enough to come over and start a conversation.
I brushed them off. "Not tonight."
A few minutes later, Blade—one of my closest friends and a teammate—walked over with a drink in hand. Unlike everyone else, he didn't leave after a quick greeting.
He pulled up a stool beside me, and we spent the next few minutes talking about football, school, and whatever nonsense came to mind.
Halfway through the conversation, he shot me a knowing look. "Something's off," he said. "You've been zoning out all night."
I let out a quiet scoff. "Am I that obvious?"
"To everyone? Probably not." He shrugged. "To me? Yeah."
He nudged my shoulder. "C'mon. Quit sulking at the bar. The guys are running an EA Sports FC tournament. Get your ass over there and show 'em why you're captain."
That wasn't a bad idea.
Blade flashed me a satisfied grin when I finally got to my feet. I followed him through the crowd, exchanging the usual daps with a few teammates and friends along the way. A couple of people called my name, but I only acknowledged them with a nod before following Blade upstairs.
The moment he pushed open the entertainment room, a wave of laughter and trash talk greeted us. A handful of my teammates were spread across the couches, while others stood behind them with drinks in hand, completely invested in the match playing on the massive TV.
"There he is!" someone shouted.
"'Bout damn time, Captain."
I chuckled and picked up a controller from the coffee table as someone paused the game to make room for me. The familiar EA Sports FC menu filled the screen.
"Alright," I said, dropping onto the couch. "Who's taking the first loss?"
The room erupted with laughter as everyone immediately started arguing over who'd play me first.
Honestly...
It was probably exactly what I needed. My mood had already been ruined before I even got here.
Mom and I had another argument—this time about the same woman she'd been trying to set me up with for months. According to her, the girl was perfect. Beautiful, well-educated, from a respectable family, and the daughter of one of our family's closest friends.
As if that was enough to make me fall in love with her.
What made it worse was how often she seemed to show up wherever I was—family dinners, charity events, business gatherings. At this point, I couldn't tell if it was coincidence or Mom's doing.
The funny part?
I couldn't even remember her name.
Marriage wasn't even on my list of priorities.
I had a company to expand, goals I had yet to achieve, and ambitions that demanded every ounce of my attention. I wanted to build something that was entirely my own—something my parents couldn't control, claim, or use to dictate my future.
I'd never had a problem being around women. They came and went. I never made promises, and I never gave anyone a reason to expect more. They always knew exactly where they stood.
But this woman was different.
She'd started telling people we were getting married after I graduated. The rumor spread fast. Suddenly, women became even more persistent, either treating me like husband material or trying to prove they could win me over.
It got exhausting.
So I kept my distance. I was tired of the assumptions, the expectations, and all the unnecessary complications.
Which was exactly why I never imagined I'd end up kissing a complete stranger tonight.
- Writer
