Big Nick Energy (Tales from Hamilton University)

Chapter 8

Eight

“ A gain, it’s very sweet of you to want to walk with me but it’s already four-thirty,” I told Nick as I rolled to a stop. “You’re almost thirty minutes late!”

“I don’t care.” His phone rang for the eleventh time, and he looked at it and then back at me.

I pointed at it. “They do.”

He chuckled.

“Now go,” I encouraged, pushing his arm.

He hesitated and then let out a frustrated growl. “You’re right.” He leaned over the armrest to kiss me. “Hit me as soon as you get in there.”

My lips were still tingling when he hopped out of my car.

With a contented sigh, I drove off in search of a parking spot. The aftershocks of the way he put it on me rippled through my body. Every time I had to stop to let people walk in front of me, I had a flashback. And due to the tailgate party, the step show, and the football game, there were people everywhere. And while I was annoyed that I couldn’t find a place to park, I wouldn’t have changed a thing.

Nick took his time with me and made sure I was thoroughly satisfied. And after experiencing the best orgasm of my life, I unraveled myself from him. Even though we were short on time, and it looked like we were going to be late to the step show, he insisted on walking me down the hall to my room.

A gentleman through and through.

I sighed happily as I found a parking spot damn near on the other side of campus. It wasn’t ideal, but it was near an exit so it would make it easier to leave out once the game was over.

Paris Brown: Where are you? I just saw Nick.

Asha James: I had to park near the engineering building. I’m late but I’m coming.

Paris Brown: You’ve missed a couple of performances but nothing major. They got started a little late. Tuck and the others were looking for Nick earlier. I didn’t tell them I knew he was out on a date while he was supposed to be here helping.

Asha James: Well, thank you for not ratting him out. I dropped him off at the front so he could get in there as soon as possible. We lost track of time.

Paris Brown: I’m sure you did!

I laughed.

Asha James: I’m on my way.

There were people everywhere and I fell into step with a group of women who looked a few years older than me, and I walked with them. One of my favorite things about Hamilton University was that it was so welcoming. Students and alumni became like family. Even if we didn’t know each other or talk to each other, when we encountered one another, it was always all love.

Twenty minutes later, I was making my way into the crowded basketball arena. They’d set up a stage on the court and a sorority was in the middle of a routine as I followed the directions Nick had texted me. I was just about to send him a message when I saw my best friend heading in my direction and dropped my phone back into my bag.

“Paris!” I called out to her.

She turned around and then her eyes widened. “Asha!” She looked me up and down. “You look good!”

My cropped red sweater, high-waisted black leather skirt, and black, white, and red sneakers were a cute look for the homecoming festivities. Paris was wearing a sweaterdress that I let her borrow and a pair of knee-high boots.

I threw my arms around her. “ We look good!”

“I’m so glad you’re finally here. I was just about to call you!”

“Girl, at one point as I was walking, I didn’t think I’d ever get here.”

She snickered. “You’ve missed half the show.”

“For good reason.” I cocked my head to the side. “And you were on time and here when they were setting up.”

“For good reason,” she replied.

Giggling, we made our way to the SONs roped off section on the floor. When we made it to our destination, the seats she’d saved for us were occupied so we stood to the side. We looked around for Nick or Tuck and I didn’t see either of them.

“I don’t see Tuck or any of the guys who are stepping,” Paris noticed, craning her neck.

I swept my eyes around the area. “Maybe they’re next. Oh wait!”

I spotted him.

Even though I’d already seen him and what he was wearing, he was looking good in his green and gold SONs paraphernalia. All of his fraternity brothers were wearing different versions of the same thing and they all looked good. But Nick stood out. Maybe it was because he’d just dicked me down, but there was no one who looked better than him.

“There’s Nick,” I announced with a smile. “And he’s…” My sentence trailed off when I saw who he was with.

“Is that Evie?” Paris’s surprised tone matched the one in my head.

Evie Sutter was Nick’s college girlfriend, the homecoming queen to his homecoming king. She was beautiful in her twenties, but she was absolutely stunning in her thirties. Wearing heeled boots and a skintight minidress, Evie tossed her long passion twists over her shoulder before she and Nick hugged.

“Old friends hug all the time,” Paris quickly assured me.

I nodded, watching their interaction. It was a rocking hug that lasted longer than necessary. My mind was immediately transported back to that day I watched him on that stage and then saw her run to embrace him. I felt a modicum of disappointment then, but my heart lurched in the present.

“Check out Evie and Nick,” a SONs member commented to another one.

“Damnnnnnnnnnnnn!” The second SONs member reacted. “I knew once he saw her again, he’d be back up on it.”

“Well, shit, if he don’t want her no more, I definitely wouldn’t mind seeing what’s up.”

The two men chuckled and then shifted their attention, clapping with everyone else as the performance came to an end.

I tipped my head to the side. Although they were no longer hugging, their arms were around each other as they posed for a picture.

I couldn’t deny that they looked good together—not better than me and him, but good, nonetheless.

“Are you okay?” Paris asked in a hushed tone. “You’re staring.”

Ripping my eyes from the two of them, I turned my body toward my best friend. “I’m fine. It’s fine.” I took a deep breath and smiled. “Plan B, C, and D were accomplished. Plan A was always going to take more than a weekend.”

She nodded. “Facts. To go from ‘I don’t know you’ to ‘I love you’ in forty-eight hours is a leap.”

“It is.”

“But um… did you say Plan B was accomplished?” A huge grin spread across her face. “And Plan B was…” She did a body roll and wiggled her eyebrows.

I nodded. “Yes and yes.”

“Oh my God!” she squealed. “No wonder you look so good and glowy!”

I bit my bottom lip and put my hand over my heart. “It was everything.”

“Then don’t even worry about that.” She waved her hand flippantly in the direction of Nick and Evie. “Because if the way that man was looking at you when he picked you up for the date is any indication, Plan A is in progress.”

My heart thumped at the thought of Nick being in love with me. I remembered the way he looked at me before he slid inside me, and a warm feeling washed over me.

“I mean…” I twisted my lips and lifted my shoulders. “We shall see.”

My phone was vibrating violently in my bag. Pulling it out, I realized I never sent the text to Nick to let him know I’d arrived.

Nick Williams: Is everything okay?

Nick Williams: Where are you?

Nick Williams: Let me know if you need me to come get you.

Asha James: I’m sorry, I thought I sent the message. I’m standing to the side. There’s no seats.

I turned around and looked at him after sending the text. I watched him look up from his phone and search for me. A smile pulled at my lips as he scanned the area until his eyes landed on me. The way his face lit up made my smile widen. When he flashed his pearly whites, I felt the heat creeping up my neck. He wasted no time moving through the crowd to get to where I was.

“The SONs are next,” he told us. “Follow me, I’ll get you two seats.”

We followed him to where he was just standing. He told two of his frat brothers to get up and they did. We sat in their spots.

The lights dimmed and the announcement of the SONs on stage had everyone, but especially our section, in complete chaos. Nick and his frat brothers were going wild and when I looked over at Paris to point out something, her eyes were glued to the stage with a giddy smile on her face. When I looked back up, I saw the reason why: Tuck was center stage.

The hooting and hollering, yells and cheers continued on throughout the entire performance. But when the SONs returned from the stage, it was a party in the section. We had a good time. The step show ended fifteen minutes before the game was slated to start.

“Are you ready to head to the stadium?” I asked Paris as the show came to an end. “I don’t want to miss India Davis doing the national anthem.”

“Yeah, let’s head out. I want to wait until Tuck is done but I don’t know how long it’s going to be.”

I nodded my head in his direction. “Ask him.”

She shook her head and let out a little nervous giggle. “He’s busy.”

I leaned over and whispered in her ear. “Girl, go get your man. I’m going to see if Nick is leaving now or later.”

Watching her go to Tuck, I smiled like a proud mother.

“What’s that smile about?” Nick asked as he walked up to me.

“I’m just happy. It’s been a really good day.”

He licked his lips. “Yes, it has.”

“I want to see kickoff and India. I didn’t know if you had some frat stuff you had to do or if you were going to the game but…” I trailed off as I realized he was staring at my lips. “I’m going to make my way to the stadium. I didn’t know if you wanted to come or meet later?—”

“I’m going where you’re going,” he interjected.

“I’m heading out now.”

“Aight, give me two minutes.” He called out to some of his frat brothers and when they didn’t hear him over the noise, he squeezed my hand. “Don’t move.”

As he was dapping up a few of his frat brothers, Paris rushed over to me.

“Tuck just asked me if I wanted to roll with him and?—”

“Do it.”

“I don’t want to leave you alone?—”

“Girl.” I tilted my head toward Nick. “I don’t think I’m leaving alone.”

She lifted her eyebrows. “I know that’s right!”

We giggled.

“Asha, I’d like to introduce you to Demario,” Nick said as he approached. “Demario, this is Asha.”

I shook hands with the man who was grinning at me like he knew something I didn’t know.

“And this is Asha’s best friend, Paris,” Nick continued. “Paris, this is Demario.”

“Oh, I met Paris already,” Demario said. “Tuck’s girl, right?”

Paris giggled.

“Asha wants to catch kickoff so we’re leaving.” Nick took a step back. “But we’ll see you at the party.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Man, don’t forget what time your ass needs to be there.”

We all laughed.

“It was nice meeting you,” his best friend said, shaking my hand again.

Nick touched the small of my back and escorted me out of the building. We weren’t the only people who had the idea to leave immediately. The crowd was thick so we couldn’t move fast. But it didn’t matter because we were lost in our conversation. We spoke to people on the way, but for the most part, we were laughing and talking amongst ourselves.

Our tickets to the game were on our phone so after we scanned for entry, I showed Nick the pictures I took of him at the step show. We weren’t at the bleachers yet when I heard India Davis singing. I stopped in my tracks and my eyes darted to the big screen.

India Davis had an iconic voice.

We found seats and as bad as I wanted to talk to him throughout the game, I could see how into it he was. He was a football fan while I was a casual observer. I knew the mechanics of the game, but I didn’t watch regularly. As bad as I wanted to talk to him, I kept the conversation at a minimum during plays. And usually most of us attended homecoming for the halftime show and the band, but because HU was doing so well, so many people attended for the game.

“Did you see this article on the ESPN website?” I asked. “By Tatiana Green?”

He glanced at the article and then at me. “What does it say?”

“That this isn’t just a vanity game, and the winner of this match will likely win the conference.”

The way his smile stretched across his face made my insides jittery.

“What?” I wondered softly.

“Do you know what any of that means?”

“Yes!”

“What?”

“It means both teams are good and whoever wins the game is the best in the conference.”

He pushed my braids over my shoulder and then leaned in against my ear. “It’s sexy listening to you explain shit.”

I let out a giggle and leaned into him.

The game was as good as Tatiana Green predicted. The halftime show was amazing, and the HU band killed it. I took a lot of pictures. I ate nachos and he had a cold burger. I screamed loud for every point we earned. I threw my hands up in confusion for flags I didn’t understand. I high fived everyone around me. I kissed the man of my dreams after big plays. And during the fourth quarter, Paris and Tuck joined us and we cheered the Hamilton Hounds to victory.

I was living my homecoming dream.

“What are you doing after the party tonight?” Nick asked as we walked to my car.

“You.”

He draped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into him. “I like that.”

Gripping the back of his SONs t-shirt, I grinned up at him. “What are your plans?”

“For the rest of the night?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

“I’m taking you to this party. I’m bringing you back upstairs to my room. And then I’m going to figure out a way to get you to Austin next weekend so we can do it all over again.”

My eyebrows flew up. “You’re inviting me to Austin?”

“Before I leave, I’d show you around and?—”

“Nick!” Evie called out, interrupting what he was going to say.

We both looked in the direction of the voice and slowed.

“What’s up, Evie?” Nick greeted her. When she fell into step with us, he introduced, “Evie, this is Asha. Asha, this is Evie.”

She flashed me a smile. “Hi.”

I smiled back. “Hey.”

Turning her attention back to Nick, she turned on the charm. “You’re going to the party tonight, right?”

“Yeah, we’re hosting.”

“Yeah, but I hear you’re not as social as you used to be.”

He chuckled. “Fair enough.”

“Oh my God, if it isn’t the homecoming king and queen!” a woman with long, curly hair squealed. She pointed at Evie and Nick. “You two still look so good together!”

Even though Nick had his arm draped around my shoulders, it was like I didn’t exist. The woman did not see me or if she did, she did not register that Nick was there with me.

“Michelle!” Evie screeched before throwing her arms around the woman. “It’s been so long!” She looked back at Nick. “See you tonight!”

The two women took off in the opposite direction before either of us had a chance to react.

“That was your college girlfriend, right?” I asked even though I already knew.

“Yeah, Evie.”

“It looks like you two ended on good terms.”

“Yeah, we did. There’s no bad blood.”

“That’s good.” As we approached my SUV, I let him go to dig my keys from my bag. “I’m glad there’s no bad blood.”

“Are there any issues with any of your exes?”

“I wouldn’t say there are issues. But there’s one that I wouldn’t acknowledge if I saw him in the streets. Other than that, everyone else is cool.”

“What did he do?” He opened the driver’s side door for me.

“It’s a long story,” I told him as I got in.

“We have time.” He leaned in the car to kiss me. “I’m not going anywhere.”

A chill ran down my spine.

I watched him walk to the other side of the car and when he climbed in, I told him a shortened version of the story. “So the ex I told you about, the one who lied and cheated. He wasn’t just a horrible boyfriend; he was a horrible person. After I broke up with him for being a liar and a cheater, this dude stole from me.”

“Stole money?”

I shook my head. “I rarely keep cash on me. He stole jewelry. I had a few items in this small antique jewelry box. Just a few special pieces. And he stole it.”

“What?” His face twisted in disbelief. “No, the fuck he didn’t.”

I pulled out of the parking spot as I nodded. “He did. And I had a few rings and a bracelet I liked. But I had a necklace made to look kinda like the one my grandma has. It was a 14K white gold necklace with a double bar. One bar said blessed with two diamonds on each end and the other bar was encrusted with diamonds all the way across. It was gorgeous. I didn’t wear it often, but I loved it.”

“Did you ever get it back?”

I frowned. “He said he’d give the jewelry box back to me when I agreed to talk to him and if I’d at least consider taking him back. I told him we wouldn’t be getting back together, and he said take a week to think about it.” I exhaled. “He claimed his car was broken into and I never saw my shit again.”

“Now that’s fucked up.”

“Yeah.” I glanced over at him. “Anything like that ever happen to you?”

“Nah.” He shook his head. “The worst that’s ever happened to me was when an ex stole my peace…”