Page 152 of I See You

The words slipped out before Sevyn could stop them.

Dorian froze in place, then slowly turned, a wide-ass grin creeping across her face. “Fuck this wine! We need something stronger!” she said, damn near sprinting to the kitchen.

Sevyn sighed and rolled her eyes, but truth be told, saying it out loud made her feel a little lighter.

Dorian returned with a bottle of 1800 and two glasses, practically dancingwithexcitement.Shepouredthembothaheavyshotand handed one to Sevyn. Sevyn gave her a look, but she didn’t hesitate— she downed the shot without a second thought.

Dorian watched her closely, amused as hell. “Oh yeah… that nigga left his mark on you. Got your body still feenin’. You got flashbacks like war trauma.”

“Stop,” Sevyn groaned. “He’s my client, Dorian! That shit was not supposed to happen.” She reached for the bottle and poured herself another.

Dorian laughed, sipping her own shot slow. “And what exactly happened?” she asked, leaning in with a smirk. “And don’t you leave out a damn detail.”

Sevyn exhaled long and slow, already regretting this conversation. But there was no escaping it. Now. Not when every part of her still remembered the way he made her feel.

“After that bullshit-ass brunch, I went to one of my client’s soccer games,” Sevyn started, her voice low but steady.

“Well, Hassan called, and I guess he picked up on the emotion in my voice... so he pulled up to the game.” Her lips curved into a small smile, the memory tugging at her chest like a soft ache. “What started as just a soccer game turned into an entire day. We had lunch, went go-kart racing… then somehow, we ended up back at my place.”

Sevyn reached for the bottle and poured herself another shot, the flashes of Hassan’s lips on her skin, the way he cradled her like she was fragile and precious, flooding her thoughts.

“Bitch, you blushing,” Dorian teased. “Hurry up and get to the part that matters!”

Sevyn rolled her eyes but couldn’t help the smile that pushed through. “I ended up blurting out that Ariel was pregnant with Braxton’s baby… and he just held me. He didn’t say much at first— he just pulled me in and made me feel so fucking safe.” Her voice softened.

“Then he started saying some real sweet shit... like shit that touched a part of me I didn’t even know was still open.”

“Hassan? Ice?” Dorian said, eyebrows raised in disbelief. “Sweet?”

“Yes,” Sevyn laughed, shaking her head. “And then I kissed him.”

Dorian’s mouth dropped open in full dramatic fashion. “You kissed him?!”

“I don’t know what I was thinking,” Sevyn groaned, burying her face in her hands. “But I did it.”

“Girl, you was thinking about getting that dick,” Dorian hyped, pouring them both another shot.

Sevyn shook her head, her laughter laced with a little guilt, a little yearning. Even with all the confusion, the way he left, and the silence afterward… she didn’t regret a single second of that night.

Not one.

Sevynsighed,pouringherselfanothershotbeforeslammingit back like it was water. “It wasn’t supposed to happen,” she repeated, quieter this time, as the heat of the liquor started settling in her chest.

“Butitdid,”Doriansaidmatter-of-factly,raisinganeyebrow as she lounged back into the couch. “And judging by how you just inhaledthatshot,itwasn’tjustafuck.Thatmanfuckedyou,capital F. So continue.”

Sevyn groaned and sank deeper into the couch, burying her face in her hands before peeking through her fingers. “Dorian, it was… different. He wasn’t the cold, unreadable Hassan. He was soft, and vulnerable,and—God—it’slikehecouldfeelwhatIneededbefore I even asked. He took his time, touched me like I was glass and he wanted to memorize every crack.”

Dorian’s smirk turned to a slow grin. “You love that man.”

“I do not,” Sevyn snapped, her cheeks flushing as she looked away. “It was just... intense. And emotional. And, okay, yeah, it felt like more than just sex. But then he left. No note. No text. No ‘thanks for the fun day and the pussy.’ Nothing. Just ghosted me like I was disposable.”

Dorian blinked, her smirk slowly softening into something damn near reverent. “Damn.”

She didn’t even acknowledge the last part Sevyn said, the heartbreak, the doubt, the silence that followed. Her mind wasstuck somewhere between those sheets, tangled up in the way Sevyn described how Hassan touched her.

“So…” she leaned forward, eyes locked in, “you mean to tell me this man fucked you senseless and made love to you at the same time?”

Sevyn dropped her head into her hands with a groan. “Dorian, please—”

---