“Julian.” I touched his arm; the muscle under my hand felt like a cable. “Let’s go.”
He didn’tmove. “You stay away from Denise Parker. You leave her son alone. And if Ieverhear you disrespect Ms. Carter again, we're going to have a problem that can't be solved with a conversation. Clear?”
Brooks was nodding before the sentence ended. “Yes, yes, Mr.Wade. Yes sir, Mr. Wade, absolutely. Ms. Carter, Ms. Parker, I sincerely apologize.”
“Save it,” Julian said, stepping back. “You’ve already shown who you are.”
This time when I pulled on his arm, he let me lead him out. But I could feel the anger coming off him the whole way, humming.
Outside in the parking lot, Denise was waiting by her car, tears streaming down her face. “Thank you,” she kept saying. “Oh my God, thank you both.”
We hugged and she finally drove off. Then it was just Julian and me by his car.
“You didn’t have to do that,” I said.
“Yes, I did.” Not a flicker of hesitation, and the certainty in his voice went through me.
He opened my door. “Let’s go.”
As we drove away, I realized something had shifted between us. Julian had just stood up for me, as if it was a reflex, without being asked. And I’d liked it.
That probably should have worried me more than it did.
julian
The iron hitthe rack with a satisfying clang, sweat already beading on my forehead despite being only twenty minutes into our Thursday session. Khaz was moving through his bench routine with controlled precision.
He finished his set and sat up, grabbing his towel. “Denise told me about the school visit. Had to make her repeat it twice because I couldn't believe what I was hearing.”
“Man was out of line,” I said, adjusting the weight for my next set.
“That's what's got me curious.” Khaz stood, moving in to spot me. “I been knowing you my whole life, cuz. Watched you handle business deals gone wrong, family drama, that situation with the contractors trying to shake you down last year. You staylevel, always.”
I started my set, using the movement to avoid his stare.
“Denise said you looked ready to put Brooks through a wall right there in the school office. That ain't you.”
I finished my reps and sat up. “So?”
“So, Alyssa. Are y’all a thing or…”
“We’re just friends.”
“You two seem to fit. Seeing you actually enjoy spending time with a woman? That’s rare. It’s nice to see.”
I smirked. “I enjoy plenty of time with women.”
“I'm not talking about fucking, Jules. I mean like a real relationship. With someone you actually care about.”
“Since when did you become a relationship counselor?” I asked, setting the weights down.
“Since I watched my cousin act like he doesn't want the same things everyone else does.”
“I don’t.”
We worked in silence for a few minutes before he spoke again.
“You know the family's been talking, right?”
