Say You Won't Let Go *EDITING*

Relax ✅

"So how do I act around them? Are they germaphobes? Do that have some type of way they act that I should adapt to?"

"Oliva, relax". There he went again giving me his captivating smile. His smile was so interesting and attractive that every time he smiled at me it just took all my attention.

"Okay, okay I'm relaxed". I took fake deep breaths and just nervously smiled at him.

"You not relaxed". He chuckled he pulled over on the side of the street and turned his full attention on me. "Breath for me, it's fine. They aren't uptight people, they are very friendly".

His voice was just reassuring for me and I took his word for it. Hopefully, his words weren't an understatement and his friends really were as cool and laid back as he claims.

He drove back towards the city, the lights being a dead giveaway that we were closing in on our location.

Again not knowing where we were going I was in the dead blank. With Lucas I didn't mind, I still had plenty of time before I had to meet with Bakari and I haven't thought about any ideas or this bash he wants to throw. Probably to attract more clients.

I didn't have a clue to what we going to talk about, I guess he expected me to have been at home for the hours he gave me, thinking about some ideas for a bash.

But what do I know about running a party, I have no clue what I'd be doing or if I'd be throwing a good enough party. This was all too much to think about. Especially right now when I have a nice distraction from all this misery and suffering, away from this complicated situation that I can only blame myself for being in.

I didn't have to go along with what I did, even if I didn't know what I had agreed to the power of the word, no, would have gone a long way that night. I don't know what it was, I don't know if it was the attraction to Bakari himself. Or even if I just wanted to try something new, maybe it would have been a better decision to have tried to do something like that with someone who wasn't my boss.

My choice was made in the heat of the moment.

Lucas pulled up right in front of some apartment building that I haven't recognized, but that was only because I haven't been in the city long enough to see anything.

"Oh your friends live here, I'm really new to this city".

"Yeah, they live normal lives, no posh". He chuckled referring to where I lived.

"Shut up". I punched his arm and exited the car.

He walked slightly behind me and directed me inside. I took notice of the way he was looking around me, New York is a dangerous place, especially at night. His hand rested gently on the small of my back and he lightly pushed me to tell me where I was going.

We went straight to the elevators and didn't stop to look at anything else. Not like there was much to look at, the place around here was nice. Nothing like the apartments I live at but not too shabby.

He took us up to floor 6, medium but high for a 10-floor apartment complex.

He took a few steps forward jogging up to a door number that I'm pretty sure contains his friends. He seemed way excited for me to meet them as he was practically grinning from ear to ear while standing in front of their door looking at me.

I walked up towards him and stopped leaving 1 foot between us.

A woody rattle of a knock on the door, and it opened leaving his knuckles hitting air.

"Hey, Trish". He smiled while a bigger, older looking woman came and wrapped up Lucas in a huge hug.

"Hey, baby, nice to finally see you around these parts again". She sounded like an old soulful gospel mother. She hugged Lucas as if she was his mother, but she didn't look anything close to him, she was of lighter skin complexion.