A/N: The Book is FINISHED! Read the entirety of it on my Patreon along with other exclusive content if you want to check those out!
Marc's POV:
"Mind if I join?" Jasmine asks, her voice a little too casual to be casual.
She just got back from her interrogation with Jaylin. I haven't been home long—maybe ten minutes tops—before I crashed on the couch, scrolling through thoughts more than my phone.
"I've been waiting for you," I say, patting the space next to me.
The aftermath of my conversation with Nya has me feeling a weird mix of excitement and curiosity. I scoot over to give Jasmine space. She curls up in front of me, back to my chest, and I immediately wrap my arms around her.
She fits there—like she belongs.
"So apparently, you stalked me before you moved in and had a crush on me?" I ask, teasing.
She freezes for a second. Then...
"I'm going to kill her," she mutters.
I burst out laughing.
"So it is true! And you sat there and pretended like you didn't know me?!" I say between laughs.
"I just didn't want you to think I was some fanned-out groupie trying to get at you!" she yells, wriggling in my arms, trying to escape.
I hold her tighter. "Too late for that now," I whisper against her neck, still grinning.
She turns just enough to glare up at me. "And what about you? Huh? You were obsessed with me from the jump and didn't say anything. You were just lurking."
I laugh. "That's different. I was trying to figure you out. You were like this mystery box roommate. Quiet. Gorgeous. Always gone. It was driving me crazy."
"You thought I was gorgeous?" she says, raising an eyebrow.
"Still do," I reply, without missing a beat.
She rolls her eyes, but I feel the way her body melts a little more into mine.
There's a pause, the playful energy between us quieting. Settling.
"Jaylin told me about Maria," she says softly.
My breath catches, just slightly.
"I'm going to kill him," I mutter.
"He said it was love at first sight," she continues. "But that it didn't change you. Not really. Not like this. Not like us."
I rest my chin lightly on her shoulder.
"I wouldn't say love at first sight, maybe," I admit. "But it was the kind of love that... everything just felt so easy and so right—it almost felt like the universe had planned it out. I thought because I never experienced something so amazing, so fast, and so effortless it had to be destiny."
She doesn't say anything, but I can feel her listening.
"With you... it wasn't just a feeling. It was a mirror. The way you loved Kendrick. The way you put it all on the line, even if it wasn't reciprocated. I saw all the parts of myself I hadn't faced yet. Seeing all of you—the good, the bad, and the ugly—it was a slow and gradual build-up. And before I knew it, I wanted all of you."
She turns in my arms slowly, face inches from mine.
"You want all of me?" she asks, slowly leaning in.
"I want all of you," I reply.
"I love you," she whispers.
I feel the words settle somewhere deep inside me. It's wild how fast this happened. How deeply it hit. It should feel too early to miss her when she's not around, to ache for her when we're not touching. But I don't care. Because the truth is—I do. I miss her before she's even gone. I ache for her even when she's right here.
"I love you," I whisper back, leaning into her until our lips meet.
The kiss starts slow—gentle, exploratory. Her lips are soft and warm against mine, moving in sync like they've done this a hundred times in another life. I tilt her chin slightly, deepening it, and she sighs into my mouth like she's been holding her breath for hours.
Her hands cup my face as my hands grip her waist, pulling her closer. Her body curves into mine like she was made to fit there. The kiss grows more urgent, more desperate—like we're trying to memorize each other. Tongues begin to tangle, slow at first, like we're testing the waters, then deeper—more possessive, more consuming. Our mouths crash and open wider, breaths mingling, every kiss a push and pull of need. My tongue slides against hers and she moans into me, hands grabbing my face with a hunger that mirrors my own. I'm just as desperate—gripping tighter, kissing deeper, needing her like I've needed air.
I pause, resting my forehead against hers, breathing her in. There's a shift. Not just lust—need. Connection. Her eyes flicker, wide and wanting.
I lift her up, putting her on her back, never breaking contact. She gasps softly as I hover over her, but she doesn't pull away. Instead, she arches up into me, her nails grazing down my back. My mouth trails from her lips to her jaw, down her neck. She shivers.
"Marc," she breathes, like a prayer.
I pause just long enough to look her in the eyes. "I don't know if this is a good idea. We still—" I murmur, my voice thick with want but laced with hesitation.
She traces her hand down my abs into my sweatpants.
"Your dick thinks it's a good idea," she whispers, one hand teasing my length while the other wraps around the back of my neck and pulls my mouth back to hers.
The way she's looking at me—how she whispers—it's seduction and urgency and want all tangled into one. Even though my head knows better, my body answers for me. I'm already hard. Like my body missed hers and remembered her before I even realized it.
Her legs wrap around me, and I brace myself over her with one arm while gently cupping her face with the other.
She grabs my hand—the one on her face—and guides it to her throat.
"Stop being gentle and choke me," she demands, locking eyes with me. Her gaze makes the words feel like scripture.
Something in me switches. It's like a different energy takes over—dominant, focused, primal. Not careless, but controlled. The kind of headspace where every move I make is intentional. And right now? I want her to follow my lead.
"When it's too much and you want me to stop, say red. If it's too much but you don't want me to stop, say yellow," I explain.
She grins like I just handed her the keys to a kingdom. "Cute you think I'll need a safe word," she mocks.
And just like that, the switch flips.
"Shut the fuck up and keep stroking my dick," I demand, tightening my grip on her throat just enough to make her breath hitch.
Her eyes light up—lust and thrill igniting all at once. She nods, eager, hungry, and completely mine in this moment.
YOU ARE READING
Friends
RomanceMarc'Qwuan Reid is a 23 year hopeless romantic with a crush on his roommate, a woman named Jasmine. Their friendship was perfect until she took her first steps into getting over her ex. Now they notice new things about each other that puts their fri...
