JAZZY
The atmosphere was electric, impossible to ignore. I adjusted in my seat, smoothing my dress and fluffing my curls with a quick flick of my fingers.
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WES
Hushed murmurs weaved throughout the packed house. There wasn’t an empty red velvet seat in sight. Shit, even I couldn’t get one and had to opt for standing left of stage… mostly to be close to the action.
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JAZZY
My phone buzzed again—I didn’t need to check to know who it was.
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WES
The clatter of my house keys as I dropped them on my kitchen counter echoed throughout the space. I didn’t bother turning on the lights when I walked through my townhouse’s front door. The day and night had been long as hell. And I couldn’t decide if the gravity of it was because we were so close to the event or because I hadn’t seen or spoken to Jazzy since that day at Kings Theatre.
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JAZZY
“What the fuck did I just do?”
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JAZZY
The second I stepped through BBMC Diner, my eyes moved to Whit and our usual booth. I knew she’d be here. She often took her breaks around this time.
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WES
She’s not coming back.
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JAZZY
Things were surprisingly… good.
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WES
My attention volleyed between my phone and the walkway ahead of me. I was typing up a reply to a potential sponsor — a local sneaker shop in Brooklyn — that I’d emailed earlier.
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JAZZY
I yanked open the diner’s glass door, my eyes moving knowingly to the corner booth.
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WES
“Pardon me,” I said as I weaved my way around the lounge’s patrons, eyes focused ahead at the tall men standing at the far end of the room.
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JAZZY
“Mmm,” I moaned the second I walked through the front door and made my way down the long corridor to the kitchen. “Now Mama Bishop, you know you don’t have any business cooking food that smells this good.”
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Jazzy
I twisted my steering wheel to the right, guiding my car to the curb. My head bobbed in time to the beat of the song streaming from my phone’s speaker. The song was rough, the beat raw and very unpolished, and I loved that the most about it.
Last month on Brookelynite Daily, we wrapped our third serialized romance. This month, we’re starting a new one. The heat is up. So is the tension.
I Hate That I Love You is the fourth story coming to my premium newsletter. It’s an enemies-to-lovers romance about two A&Rs with beef who are being forced to work together for a good cause. They’ve got history. And yes, there’s the baby sister’s best friend trope in the mix too.
