Yours Truly

A Familiar Feeling

After Jen's birthday celebration, I ended up crashing at Alicia's house—specifically, her couch. I had one too many shots, trying to drown out the feelings that crept in after coming face to face with Jay.

(Alarm buzzing)

I rolled over, groaning, and smacked my phone to silence the alarm. The moment I cracked my eyes open, pain shot through my head and behind my eyes. I immediately shut them again and dropped my phone back onto the armrest.

Me: "Aliciiiiiiaaaaa!"

I winced. Even my voice hurt.

Within seconds, I heard her feet on the stairs. I peeked through one eye to see her holding a water bottle and an ibuprofen 800 like the angel she was.

Alicia: "Girl, I know that call too well. Been there, done that."

Me: "Thank you. Why are you not hungover?"

Alicia: "Because I do this. You, on the other hand—"

Me: "Hush. I know I'm a lightweight. No need to rub it in."

Alicia: "I mean, if the shot fits..."

Me: "Saying a whole lotta nothing. Ouuuuch—I can't laugh, don't make me laugh."

Alicia: "Take that pill, get something in your stomach, then spill the tea from last night. You know I'm not letting that slide."

I downed the pill and waited about 20 minutes before pulling myself together. I had a serious craving for pancakes, cheesy eggs, grits, and sausage. Fluffy Pancakes was the only place that could fix that. Yummy was an understatement.

Alicia had tutoring sessions all day, so I'd be going solo. Thankfully, I kept a few outfits at her house for nights just like this.

In the shower, I went full lavender mode—lavender body wash, lavender scrub, and my favorite in-shower gel that turns me into a moisturized goddess in 60 seconds flat. Whoever invented that? I owe them everything.

After drying off, I found my orange sundress in the guest closet. Paired it with white sandals, threw my locs into a high bun, skipped the makeup, and glossed up my lips. Simple. Soft. Summer.

I grabbed my phone—and of course, I hadn't checked it all morning. I had a feeling there'd be something from Jay. I was right.

Jay:
Hey, did you make it home? (12:30 AM)
Good morning ☀️ (8:30 AM)

His messages pulled last night's entire encounter right back to the front of my mind. I debated waiting to respond... but I didn't want to play games.

Me: Well good morning to you 😁

He replied immediately. Like... he was holding his phone.

Jay:
There you are. I was hoping you made it home safe.

Me:
Aww, how sweet. I actually ended up staying at Alicia's.

Jay:
Smart move. You've always been the safe type.

Me:
How would you know that? It's not like we ever really talked growing up. We just went to the same church.

Jay:
I had my eye on you. I observed a lot. I didn't want to scare you or hurt you.

Me:
Wow. I had no idea. I honestly thought you didn't even notice me. You said you didn't want to hurt me—how so?

Jay:
Back then, my lifestyle was fast. Not what you needed. I didn't want to bring my baggage to your doorstep or taint your light.

Me:
I respect that. Honestly, thank you for even thinking that way.

Jay:
Even if things had gone somewhere back then, I knew I wasn't ready to love you right.

Before I could reply, my cousin called—asking for money again. Her child's father took hers, again. I love her, but sometimes I wonder if she chooses chaos on purpose.

When I hung up, I realized I'd been "warming my car up" for 30 minutes.

I texted Jay before pulling off.

Me:
Again, I really appreciate the honesty. That was mature of you. As much as I'd love to keep this convo going, I gotta go feed this growling stomach lol.

Jay:
Oh, my bad. What's on the breakfast menu?

Me:
Fluffy Pancakes. Ever heard of it?

Jay:
You cappin' 😂

Me:
What?! lol

Jay:
Because that's where I am right now. It's my spot. I'm a regular.

I blinked at the screen, wide-eyed. Okay, Sarasota was small, but this small?

Me:
Woooow. That's wild. Well, let me start driving. Maybe I'll see you there 👀

Jay:
Maybe. Drive safe.

On the drive, I couldn't stop replaying our conversation. It flowed so easily. Naturally. But I reminded myself—my heart was on lockdown.

Once I got to the restaurant, the nerves kicked in. I've always been anxious like that, but this felt different... heavier. Warmer. Louder.

The host led me to a small booth, and I started scanning the menu. My hands were shaky. I knocked my keys onto the floor. When I reached down to grab them, another hand brushed mine. I shot back up in my seat, heart racing.

Jay.

A part of me was relieved to see him. Another part? Not so much. Last night's electricity was still buzzing inside me. This was the second time we'd physically touched—and somehow it felt intentional, though neither of us planned it.

His energy was bold. Loud. But... it matched mine. That's what I was feeling, wasn't it? That charge, that mirror? Was it just energy? Was I catching feelings—or trying to convince myself I wasn't?

And most importantly...
Was I ready to feel again?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excuse all typos.

See, I didn't make you guys wait tooooo long for part 7..lol

I hope you enjoyed it..

Be sure to hit that star..

Part 8 is on the way...my wheels are turning..