Forbidden Secrets (Completed ✅)

One

The party raged on around Steph as she stood on the stairs. She wasn't quite sure if it was the music or her heart that was pounding deafeningly in her ears. The two women in front of her chatted animatedly as they waited. She didn't know how they could be so relaxed she thought as she began fussily straightening her shirt. What in the hell am I doing here? She thought as others joined the line. A thickly muscled and tall African american man  walked up beside them on the stairs. He was dressed in an expensive suit and handed them each a glossy photo.
"Here you go" he said as he passed Steph one.
"Uh thanks," she said with a forced grin as the bile rose in her throat. Oh god was she going to puke? She instinctively put a hand over her mouth.
"You ok," The big guy asked her as laid one of his massive hands on her arm.
"Yeah, I'm fine" she said weakly as her stomach churned again. She thought of just turning around and walking out. She didn't have to do this. She would just embarrass herself. Her friends would be disappointed yes but they didn't have to know she coped out. She could just tell them she didn't get a chance to meet him that's all. She had actually turned to go back down stairs when the big guy taped her shoulder.
"Let's go, its time" he said with a reassuring smile.
She felt her knees go weak and her feet wouldn't respond to her commands. Oh god that is all I need is to fall she thought as she struggled to put one foot in front of the other. They seemed to weigh a ton.
When she reached the top of the steps, she had entered a room that looked very much just like a normal bar. There were round tables scattered about and a bar over against one wall. The lights were turned up bright, for the pictures she thought absently. As she waited her turn the guy in the suit walked over to her.
"You will be fine" he said with that reassuring smile again has he lightly patted her shoulder.
"I don't know about that" she said forcing another weak smile. What in the hell was she doing? She was thirty five not thirteen and she was out of her mind for doing this.
The woman that had been in front of her smiled big for her picture as she sat beside probably the most beautiful guy in the entire known universe. She hugged him smiling as she got up.
"Hey I'm Chad" The guy with the other woman's camera said to her as she stepped up. "You got your camera ready?"
"Uh yeah," she juggled her stuff nervously trying not to drop everything. She handed him the camera. "All you have to do is push the red button at the top" she said pointing to it.
"Ok great," he gave her a toothy smile as she went to sit down on shaky legs.
"Hi" her dream guy said with a shy smile.
"Hey" she said back looking down at the table top. She passed over the standard picture to him.
"So what's your name?" he asked without looking up
"Stephi," she said to the table "with a ph." she added hastily not looking at his face.
He began to write in his unique left handed scroll.
He paused at the end of her name. "Y or I?" Jordan  asked his marker perched to finish the name.
"I" she almost stammered and somewhere a flash went off.
"Huh?" he said leaning closer to hear her better over the loud music.
"I" Steph  clarified for him "Sorry, Philly accent" she added with a weak laugh.
He laughed with her and polished off the inscription. There you go Jordan replied handing her back the glossy pic. She looked at it lovingly.
"Smile, you two" Chad said from across the table.
They smiled as the camera flashed then she got up from the table. She didn't even look back at him.
She retrieved her camera from Chad and walked away.
My god she was such a fucking dork.
This was definitely not how she picture meeting the guy she had always really......well......loved. There was just no other way to put it, freakish or not, she had loved him since she was twelve. She walked over to a quiet spot in the corner and put her hands over her face. Oh god she had blown it. Her one chance to meet him.
Way to go dopey , the girls will be so proud, Steph
thought in disgust.

"Is it that bad?" she heard from somewhere around her.