Page 5 of Pills and Potions: Kase
Here we go.
Jace stepped into my space without sayin’ a word and just stood there, arms crossed. Tuesday was behind him, lookin’ equally pissed, and yeah, I already knew what this was about.
“You serious right now?” Jace finally asked, his voice low.
I looked up at him from my seat, unbothered. “About what?”
“Blyss,” he snapped. “You let her get embarrassed like that. You pulled her onto the dance floor, clowned her in front of everybody, then stood there while your little date tripped her like it was funny.”
I raised an eyebrow, sippin’ from my glass. “She ain’t built for this. That’s not my fault.”
Jace leaned in closer. “She came here ‘cause she trusted you. ‘Cause I told her you wasn’t a dickhead like every other dude out here.”
Tuesday finally spoke. “That’s my cousin, Kase. She ain’t used to this kind of crowd, and y’all treated her like she was a fuckin’ joke.”
I looked at Tuesday, then at Jace, and gave the same half-smirk I always do.
“She came in here doin’ crossword puzzles like we at a fuckin’ book club,” I said, calm. “I tried to show her somethin’ different. That’s it. She fell. Shit happens.”
Jace shook his head in disbelief. “You need to grow the fuck up.”
I chuckled, poured another drink. “Nah. I just know what lane people belong in. And shawty? She ain't in mine.”
Jace stared at me like he didn’t know me for a second. Tuesday looked hurt. Neither said another word. They both walked off asI stayed seated, glass in hand, crowd movin’ around me like I was still the king of the night…………. Because I was that nigga.
Chapter 2
Blyss Monroe
The sun was shining through my window as I laid in my canopy bed, trying to block out the memories from last night, Kase Maddox’s grand opening of his second club. From the moment I agreed to attend, Iknewit was a terrible idea. I had never even been to a club before. Not once. And the first time I finally decided to go? I get called out for being horny… just for dancing. And not by some random stranger, no, bymy crush.I should’ve never gone, especially since that wasn’t even my kind of good time. I didn’t drink. I didn’t dance. I barely liked loud music. Yet there I was, standing in that velvet-rope chaos for one reason only,Kase.
Since high school, I’ve had a crush on him.Back then, he never gave me the time of day. And now? At twenty-six, that man still had me in a chokehold every time he walked into a room. And why wouldn’t he? He had that smooth, honey-toned skin, those muscles that stayed flexed because he practically lived in the gym, and that cocky little smirk that made me want to risk all my common sense. I let myself believe for one second that maybe, justmaybe,he’d see me differently. Instead, I ended up humiliated.
I climbed out of bed and shuffled to the bathroom, still half-glaring at the sunlight like it personally invited me to that club. A hot shower helped, barely. The steam cleared my skin, but not the embarrassment that clung to me like glitter on a carpet. Once I was done, I towel-dried my curls and slipped into my outfit for the day: a pleated plaid skirt in deep maroon that hit right below the knee, paired with a cream-colored blouse with little pearl buttons and a Peter Pan collar. I tucked it in neatly and threw on my favorite cardigan, the mustard yellow one with embroidered bees near the cuff.
To finish it off, I grabbed my round glasses, pulled on some maroon tights, and laced up my vintage oxfords. The look screamedhonor roll librarian meets cottagecore nerd,but it was me. Safe and familiar. The complete opposite of anything Kase Maddox would ever be into.
Stepping into the kitchen, I was greeted by the smell of cinnamon and coffee. Tuesday stood at the stove, flipping pancakes like she belonged on a brunch cooking show. Not only were we cousins, but we were also roommates; her half of the apartment always smelled like body butter and ambition.
“Good morning, Sunshine,” she teased without looking up.
I smiled and headed toward the fridge to grab my smoothie ingredients: frozen mango, spinach, oat milk, and a scoop of matcha protein powder. But before I could even start, Tuesday slid a glass across the counter toward me.
“I already made it,” she said with a smirk, one eyebrow raised like she kneweverything.
I looked down at the green smoothie, then back up at her. “You love me,” I mumbled, taking a sip.
She smirked. “Mmhm. And I know you probably been up since dawn overthinking everything that happened last night.”
I tried not to roll my eyes.
“I was so embarrassed, Tuesday,” I said, dropping my head onto the counter. “I can never face Kase again.”
“Why?” she asked, turning off the stove. “He’sthe cocky fool who called you out.”
“I know, but…” I groaned. “Now he knows that I get, you know… when I dance.”
Tuesday raised a brow. “And? You’re a woman. You have needs. I mean, you’ve never even had sex, so that’s natural.”
