path of heal - j.b.

15

Elle had never been to the club Ja'Marr was currently pulling her into. Amidst the long line of waiting people, he simply nodded to the bouncer, who returned the gesture and let them through. So, Ja'Marr seemed to be known here.

As Elle had suspected, it was one of the more expensive clubs in Cincinnati. Not the kind where you spent the nights partying with college friends on weekends, but rather where girls who had just reached the legal drinking age tried to attract guys with big houses and full bank accounts.

Ja'Marr led her straight to the bar and signaled to a bartender, who greeted him immediately with a big grin. "The chosen one, back again," he greeted Ja'Marr before noticing Elle and raising an eyebrow in surprise. "And with female company already," he extended his hand to her.

"Kit, I'm your bartender for the night, so whatever you desire, I'll make it happen," he winked at her while Elle shook his hand, which he quickly snatched and kissed the back of.

"Whoa, easy there, buddy. Hands off her. Don't you know who she is?" Ja'Marr gave Kit a look. Kit scrutinized Elle extensively. "Has she been here with you before?" he asked thoughtfully.

"What? No, this is Elle Simmons," Ja'Marr shook his head. "Oh, shit, you're Burrows Girl," Kit realized, surprised. "It's an honor to meet you. Haven't seen your boyfriend here in a long time," he grinned crookedly.

Elle raised an eyebrow questioningly. Joe in a club like this? He'd rather bury himself alive. Ja'Marr shrugged. "Maybe she's the reason," he grinned at Elle.

"You promised me a long time ago that you'd bring him along again, Chase," Kit warned, wagging his finger. "Dude, I brought you something much better. I brought you his better half," Ja'Marr pointed at Elle. "And trust me, she's much better than Burrow."

Kit scrutinized Elle again before sighing and grabbing one of the mixing cups from behind the counter. "Well then, I guess I'll believe you. What can I get you guys?" Elle and Ja'Marr ordered their drinks before Ja'Marr tapped on the counter. "Oh, by the way, her drinks are on me," he explained.

After Kit mixed their drinks, Ja'Marr led Elle to one of the areas cordoned off by extra security and a rope. Only a few tables on the slight elevation were occupied, and here too, the muscular guy who could easily play for the Bengals in the O-Line let them pass with a broad grin. So, Ja'Marr seemed to be a very popular regular.

They sat down at one of the free tables on the edge, from which they could overlook the DJ and the dance floor, and clinked their drinks before taking a sip and then placing them on the table.

Relaxed, Elle leaned back and glanced at Ja'Marr from the side, whose gaze seemed to become uncomfortable after a short while, as he sighed and met her gaze. "What do you want?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing. How many girls have you brought here before me that Kit reacted like that?" she asked with a grin, taking her cocktail in hand, smiling as she sipped through the straw, while Ja'Marr ran his hand over his neck.

"Well, you're the first one I've brought. Usually, I meet the girls here," he admitted, shrugging. Elle raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Ah, and what happens to the girls you meet here?" she asked.

Ja'Marr sighed. "Elle, do you really want me to say it? I really can't bear to see the disappointment on your face when you realize that maybe I'm not as nice a guy as you might think."

Elle looked at him puzzled before shaking her head. "As long as you don't promise them to call and then never get in touch, I'll try to hide the disappointment," she said, looking at him.

"Of course not. After all, I'm a feminist. More or less," Ja'Marr mumbled. "That means?" Elle looked at him questioningly. "I bail before they can even give me their number," he admitted. Elle sighed, shaking her head.

"You do know that you don't stand much chance tonight if you have me sticking to you, right?" she asked Ja'Marr, who nodded. "That's why I brought you," he explained. "As a moral compass?" Elle asked, confused.

Ja'Marr shook his head. "As a wingman, well, wingwoman," he grinned crookedly. Surprised, Elle looked at him. "You think I'll help you pick up a girl?" she asked.

"What? No, quite the opposite. I hope you'll help me find a girl that I might keep longer than one night. One who doesn't spread her legs just because of my fame and money, but one who wants to spend time with me because she likes me," Ja'Marr nervously ran his hand over the back of his head.

Elle stared at him incredulously, waiting for him to start laughing and explain that it was all just a joke, but Ja'Marr's gaze remained fixed on the floor. She cleared her throat and still somewhat suspiciously crossed her arms over her chest. "Where's this change of heart coming from?"

Ja'Marr shrugged. "Every time I see Joe and you, how you look at each other, how comfortable you are together, how happy you are, I always think to myself, I'd like something like that for myself too."

Elle felt her heart warm as she heard Ja'Marr's words. She was touched by his honesty and the vulnerable side he was showing. "Is that why you like spending time with us?" she asked, to which Ja'Marr nodded.

"Okay," full of energy, Elle stood up and pulled Ja'Marr up by the arm. "Let's finish our drinks and hit the dance floor. We'll find you a girl now," she grinned at him as she handed him his glass.

For the next few hours, Elle felt like she was speed dating. Constantly talking to girls trying to hit on Ja'Marr, trying to figure out the motivation behind their advances, and finding out, to her disappointment, that most of them were just after Ja'Marr's name.

Just as she was picking up a new order of drinks at the bar with Kit, she noticed a girl by the side of the dance floor. As it turned out, her name was Tabia, and she was a teacher at Cincinnati's elementary school.

For over half an hour, she and Ja'Marr had been sitting together in the cordoned-off area, talking. It seemed to be going really well, at least from what Elle could tell from the bar, where she had spent the last half hour in Kit's company.

She had considered taking an Uber and leaving Ja'Marr and Tabia alone when they got up, hugged, and Tabia left the cordoned-off area. As she passed by Elle, the two girls exchanged a friendly smile before Tabia headed towards the exit.

"Ready to go home?" Ja'Marr asked Elle as he sat down next to her on the bar stool and indicated to Kit that he would like his check. "What about Tabia?" Elle asked, confused.

Ja'Marr shrugged, sighing. "This whole serious, no one-night-stand shit is harder than I thought," he explained. "She has to work tomorrow, so she didn't want to come with me."

Elle sympathetically put her arm around his shoulder. "I'm sorry," she patted his upper arm. Ja'Marr shrugged. "It's okay. I got her number, and we're planning to

meet up," he explained. "And besides, I'm still taking the best girl from the club with me," he put his arm around her shoulder and grinned at her.

WHO DEY 🧡