"Baby. Baby. Babe!?"
Nova clapped her hands in front of Jamie's face. "You okay?"
Pinching the bridge of her nose, she sighed.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine," she lied. "Just kind of spaced out is all. Is Devin asleep?"
"Yeah, he's out like a light."
Nova laid across the sectional, her head resting in Jamie's lap. Anticipating the feel of Jamie's long digits combing through her loose curls, she closed her eye but the feeling never came. Peeling open her eyes she studied her partners face. Her eyes sealed shut with a pained expression, her lips in a hard line as she clinched her jaw.
"Baby," Nova called. Jamie barely opened her eyes to see the concern etched upon her partner's face. "What's wrong?"
It was tender, unhurried, reminiscent of where they'd been before. Yet it was so wrong. Breaking their union in protest, she got lost in his almond pools the moment she stared back at him.
"You don't how long I've been wanting to do that?"
She couldn't keep the warmth she felt inside from appear across her face. The corner of her lips rising ever so slowly.
"Me too," she confessed.
He stood and took hold of her hand, pulling her out of her chair.
"Let's sit over here."
"It's nothing."
Jamie buried her fingers in Nova's locks. "Just tired."
Nova let it go as the head massage ensued. "How was everything with Prince?"
"Good. We just vibed. He played some tunes for me. Some unreleased stuff."
"Sounds fun."
"You and Andy?"
"We got our asses whooped by Devin," she laughed. "I swear he needs to start competing. I'm sure he'd bring in some big bucks."
Settling into the softness of the purple cushions he removed the band that held her wild mane in a low bun.
"There."
Cupping the left side of her cheek his thumb ran across her bottom lip before slowly kissing her.
"I think—" she spoke against his lips. "I think I'm too high for this right now?" Jamie's eyes hung low in a haze. "And you've been drinking..."
She could taste the alcohol on his lips.
"I had one right before you got here," he replied. "But I ain't drunk. Are you really high?"
"No," she whispered.
Her high had worn off then they'd entered the studio. Prince leaned in for another kiss, this time pushing her to lay back. She pushed back.
"Prince," she mumbled. "I can't."
He pulled away from her, settling himself as far as possible on the opposite end.
"You really want to be with her?"
"It's not like you're not attached either—"
"I asked you a question, Jamie?" His head tilted just enough to meet her gaze.
"Yeah," she confessed.
