Page 8 of Unexpected Pass

I finally returned to the booth, only to see that it had been occupied by someone else. There was no sign of Carson. Pulling out my phone, I texted him before finally deciding to search the room for him. I must have wandered the venue thirty minutes with no sign of Carson or the gentleman he’d walked away with. I guess that meant I was going to be taking an Uber home. Pulling out my phone, I pulled up the ride share app just as I felt a tap on my shoulder. Thinking it was Carson, I turned around. It wasn’t Carson but a lady in a security badge.

“Excuse me, miss. I was sent to tell you your ride awaits you outside,” she said.

I rolled my eyes. I was irritated that Carson hadn’t summoned me himself.

“He could have come inside to get me.”

“If you’ll follow me, miss.”

Reluctantly, I followed the woman through the venue, out into a hallway, and through a series of doors leading to the parking lot.

“Just this way.” She led me to a sleek black car. My eyes immediately bulged. This wasn’t right. Carson had driven us here in a red Mustang.

“This isn’t his car.” I halted my feet just as the back door of the car flew open, and a familiar figure came into view.

“Kellon Barnes?” My jaw dropped in shock.

“Oh, so you do know who a nigga is,” he said. “Come on. Get in.”

“What?” I was still taken aback. What was going on?

“We made a promise that we would look out for each other, remember? You need a ride home, so here I am.” Kellon grinned.

“But… but... that was just small talk. I didn’t think you meant it!”

“Get in the car, Phileigh. We have more to talk about.” Confidence dripped from his words as he held his hand out for me to join him in the back seat.

My heart was racing. Kellon Barnes was offering to take me home. This was crazy. I should have declined, called a ride share, or continued looking for my date, but something inside me told me to get in the car.

“My date…”

“He left a while ago with his boyfriend.” Kellon cut me off.

My eyebrows narrowed because I knew Carson hadn’t left me alone, and what did he mean by boyfriend?

“Boyfriend?”

“Yeah, that nigga Carson on the DL. Everybody know… That nigga still in denial though.”

My mouth dropped open. My mother had set me up with a down low man, who had left me at a party alone. I couldn’t wait to call and go off on her when I got home.

“It’s just a fully secured ride home,” Kellon said, shaking me from my thoughts.

I narrowed my eyes at him, and he nodded to the big, beige, black man who had just gotten into the front seat of the SUV. I shook my head. Star quarterback or not, I didn’t know this man.

“Um, no thank you. I’ll call an Uber.”

I attempted to back away, but Kellon caught my hand. His touch wasn’t creepy but soft, gentle, and protective.

“I wouldn’t be able to live with myself not knowing if you got home safely.” He was staring at me with nothing but sincerity in his eyes. “Let me give you a ride home. You’re safe with me.”

I looked between him and the building. I didn’t even know if I could get back in without Carson. I glanced down at my phone. I could at least let Lo know I was getting in the car with a stranger. My black screen and red battery icon told me my phone had died. I stared back up at Kellon. He was my only way home right now. Saying a little prayer that I didn’t end up in a ditch somewhere, I approached the SUV.

“It’s just a ride home,” I repeated to myself as I climbed inside.

She was beautiful.In the least subtle, slap you in the face kind of way. From the moment I saw her sitting on the staircase alone, I was drawn to her. There was something about shawty that gave fish out of water, and I was intrigued. I was so intrigued that I had to say something to her. I was so intrigued that I had Doug, my security guard, figure out who she was and who she was with while I watched her from the stage. I was celebrating the most significant moment of my life, and all I could think about was this strange woman who, despite wearing my jersey, didn’t know who the hell I was.

Call it taboo but finding a beautiful woman who wasn’t trying to use me for some reason or another was rare. She didn’t even want to let me give her a ride home. Most women would let metake them to my house without a second thought, but shawty was sitting a mile away from me, twiddling her thumbs like she was scared. It was cute and made me want to get to know her.

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