ONNAXOFF

Chapter 22 Part 1

Jessie

I wake up with a jolt and find myself on the couch, my headset tangled into my hair and the PS3 controller digging uncomfortably into my ribs.

Last night, after apologising for jumping to conclusions, asking if Rose was okay and making me promise to come over in the evening, Abel left me to play my weekly COD match with Eli.

On the screen his last message, sent at 3.10am reads:

That’s right, hoe. Pretend to be asleep. Doesn’t change the score.

I check the results. Damn, he destroyed me.

The doorbell buzzes again. Oh yeah, that’s what woke me. I blearily wipe the sleep from my eyes and drag my bare feet to the door.

It’s already 2.45pm and I still have a few things to do today, including packing for my trip and having dinner at Gabe’s place.

Just before I open, I look down to make sure I’m decently dressed. I’d hate to open the door and then realise I was in my underwear. Although it wouldn’t be the first time.

After confirming that I’m indeed wearing both a top and bottoms, I open up to find Lamar in the doorway, grinning down at me.
"Woah. Someone had fun last night." He says, almost immediately.
Seeing my confused face, he gestures to his neck before he strolls past me, into the living room.

As I’m quickly discovering, like a vampire, Lamar only needs to be invited in once, before he can just stroll in and out of your home like a breeze. But luckily, his overly friendly demeanour makes it so it never really feels intrusive.

I close the door and glance in the mirror, instantly spotting the hickeys Abel gave me. 
“Hi to you too, Lamar.” I say sarcastically. As I quickly cover them up with my hair, he chuckles.
"Hey, I said that with no judgement. Whoever's hungry enough to do that to you is your business."

“Yup. You know, Lamar, if you’re here to pick me up, I was actually going to go to Abel’s a little bit later. I can just take the train.”

"Yeah, that’s fine. But I actually came to ask you something else."
"Okay..."
"My cousin's getting married and I was wondering if you would be my plus one." He asks pleasantly. 
"To the wedding? Me? Ummm... Why?" 
"I have to bring someone... classy."
"She told you to bring someone 'classy'? I ask sceptically.
"Her exact words: don't bring none of your hoes to my wedding." He does a high-pitched impression of his cousin as he flops down onto my couch. “So I thought, hmmm, how many girls do I know who aren't hoes..? And then, hey, I know. Jessie. She's not a hoe."
"I think that depends on who you ask." I reply playfully, remembering Eli’s message.
"So you down?" 
"Yeah, sure. I'll gate-crash your cousin's wedding." I sit down and recline on the other side of the couch. "Free food, alcohol, dancing. Why not?"

“Okay, but not too much fun. It’s also kind of a mission.”
“A wedding mission? Explain?”

"Well, there's this girl I've been wanting... no, not wanting, needing to smash since high school."
"Ahh. Say no more. It all makes sense now." I nod knowingly.
"No, this girl is special." He describes with vague hand gestures. "Not only is she hot as fuck, she's got this... aura. She just radiates positivity. Like, being around her makes me feel... happy."

“Aww, Lamar, who knew you were such a softie?” I tease. “And you need me to be your wing woman? Really? Why don’t you do what you usually do and just stroll up, say a few magic words about your job and walk away with multiple phone numbers?”

"Sadly, she's known me too long. The Weeknd thing isn't gonna fly this time." He says. "Instead it’s going to take a lot of carefully planned, precise steps. But essentially, I'm going to charm her out of her panties with a well-tailored suit and some sick dance moves."