Soft.

t h i r t e e n

9:33 p.m.

Houston, Texas

———————————

Naomi was at a bar and grill downtown meeting with some of her friends that still lived there. Amira, Yazmine, Qasir, and Damien were all high school classmates of hers. For the most part, they remained in touch. However, it wasn't often that they could all see one another.

"Wow, so have you been girl? It's been a long time since we've seen you and now you're on Wall Street." Yazmine joked before taking a sip of her martini. Yazmine Lotus was Remy's older sister, and they looked like twins. The only difference was that Yazmine didn't do the bald fade. Her hair was naturally long, and she didn't mess with its length.

          "I've been well. I'm just so damn tired. I needed a night like this." Naomi responded, sipping on her own martini.

"How's Nia?" Qasir asked.

         Naomi looked over at him, and smiled. "She's great. She keeps me on my toes and right now, I'm a little grateful for that. I'm sure she wants you and Damien to visit again."

"Nah, shorty aggressive." Damien shook his head causing everyone at the table to laugh.

          Qasir eyed Naomi while she laughed, admiring her beauty. The two dated for a little while in high school before eventually deciding to just be friends. But, he wanted to explore that again with her. Naomi looked over at him, catching him in the act and she smirked.

Clearing his throat, he downed the rest of his drink and rubbed his hands together. Qasir was a handsome man to most. He stood about 5'10" with a skinny physique. However, Naomi could tell that he'd been in the gym because he was toning up. His caramel complexion looked too delicate to touch. There was no blemish in sight. He had a clean cut, but didn't need it to look youthful.

     This was one of the reasons why Naomi hated coming back home. Old feelings were resurfacing. She was nudged by Amira who was wiggling her eyebrows. "You okay?" She smirked.

Naomi rolled her eyes, and nodded her head. Amira had grown up quite well. She'd been the quiet one out of the group, the less outgoing one. She was extremely observant and that got under Naomi's skin sometimes. Amira was considered slim fit mostly because she was a gym rat. Standing around 5'5", she wore hair that stopped at her shoulders. She was a light bright with light brown eyes.

Much to Naomi's surprise, she was married considering the fact that she really didn't enjoy people. It was even more shocking that her husband was Damien. Damien wasn't an one woman man before, but obviously things can change. He was the tallest one, standing 6'2". He was the reason why Amira stayed in the gym. He owned most of them in Houston and was a personal trainer.

"Met anyone?" Qasir asked Naomi while the others busied themselves with another conversation.

"Are you asking me am I dating or am I in a relationship?" Naomi looked at him.

"I'm asking are you in a relationship." He clarified.

Naomi shook her head no. "I really don't have time for a relationship these days. All I know is work, Nia, food, and sleep. I rarely even have time for dates."

"I bet you'll make time for who you want to make time for."

Shrugging her shoulders, she grinned. "Maybe, maybe not." Qasir chuckled, leaning on the table. Naomi took in his casual appearance. His dark denim jeans were fitted, and his red collar shirt exposed his biceps. "What about you?" She cleared her throat.