"You good dawg?" Chubbs asked Drake when he noticed what Drake was looking at. Chubbs hadn't wanted to come out tonight but Drake had told him what went down and he knew his brother needed a guys night out. Being a married man and a father now, he made sure he was on his best behavior. He was talking to the girls present but only to be polite. He was in no way trying to get into any kind of trouble. His only reason for being there was Drake.
"I'm good." He took a sip of the dark liquid in his glass and got up.
"Dawg, what are you doing? Don't go doing anything stupid." Chubbs said. He was still the only one that had realized what was going on.
"I'm not. I was just going to the men's room."
Chubbs gave him a look like he didn't believe him. "Alright. Let's go. You know you can't be walking around her alone and shit."
Drake rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but somehow I feel like right now you're just babysitting me. I told you I'm cool. I'm gonna chill."
"Yeah, alright." They started walking towards the men's room and Chubbs patted Drake on the back. "I'm sorry things didn't work out dawg. You gotta enjoy yourself though. You brought these shorties in here and you've been blowing them off all night."
Drake shook his head. "I thought it would be good for me, I thought it was what I needed. But those girls out there aren't even keeping my attention at all Chubbs. Don't get me wrong, they're beautiful, but I'm just not feeling it."
"I get it Aubs. We should just leave then."
Drake shook his head. "No, we're staying."
————————————
After a few more songs Klay and Adriana went back to their booth and ordered a couple more drinks. Adriana was feeling good and having a blast. It had been a minute since she'd gone out dancing. She hadn't even really seen much of Chris lately and she felt bad about that. If she wasn't working she was doing mom things. She barley had any time to herself. Which she didn't mind at all, but this was a nice little change.
"Hey Klay?"
"Yeah?" Klay asked taking her hand in his.
"Thanks for bringing me out tonight. I'm having a really good time. It's been a while since I've had a night out. I needed this."
Klay smiled at her and brought her hand up to his lips to kiss it. "Thanks for agreeing to come out with me. I needed this too."
Adriana smiled and leaned into him. "What was it that you kept calling me when we hung out the last time?"
Klay grinned. He didn't even have to think about it, he knew exactly what she was talking about. "Trouble. I said you were trouble and I was right." He brought his right hand up to cup her cheek. "What is it about you?"
Adriana looked up at him showcasing her dimples. "I don't know. What is it about me?"
Klay shook his head slightly. "I don't know. I just know you're trouble. No ones ever captured my attention like you. Especially not this fast. You're something special Adriana."
Adriana lifted her right hand up and placed it on the back of his neck, gently pulling him closer to her and kissed him. Klay kissed her back and pulled her closer to him. When they pulled apart Klay laughed and shook his head.
"What? You can't say something like that and look at me the way you were and not expect me to kiss you Klay."
"Trust me, I'm not complaining. I'd happily keep kissing you."
"Then maybe you should."
"Only if it's what you want. I told you I didn't want you to feel like I was pushing you into anything and I stand by that. Anything we do is up to you Adriana."
"You're saying all the right things Klay. How do you do that?"
"I.... I don't know. I told you, I'm far from perfect, but when I'm with you...." He smiled and shook his head again. "I don't know, something happens when I'm with you. I just want to put a smile on your face."
Adriana was about to lean in and kiss him again when she heard a familiar voice. "Wifey is that you?"
She turned away from Klay and looked in the direction she'd heard the voice. OB was walking off the dance floor with a girl that looked like the type Drake would be hanging out with. She was beautiful and thick in all the right places. OB whispered something in her ear and she walked away. "OB? Hi. What are you doing here?"
"The same thing you're doing here. Having a good time." He looked over at Klay. "Hey man, whats up?"
"What's up man?" The two exchanged a quick handshake and OB looked back at Adriana.
"Damn, you chillin with Klay now so a guy can't even get a hug anymore? I thought we were cool?"
Adriana laughed and shook her head. "Of course you can get a hug." She got up and leaned over Klay to give him a quick hug. "So you got a girlfriend now?"
OB laughed and shook his head. "Nah, you know me, I like to keep my options open."
Adriana laughed and shook her head. "Same olé OB, Don't ever change."
"Never." OB was well aware of the situation between Adriana and Drake and he decided to maybe stir the pot a little bit. "You two should come hang out over there with us." He pointed his head in the direction that Drake was sitting with the rest of the guys and the girls. "OVO is always where the party is at."
Both Adriana and Klay looked in the direction he'd motioned to and Adriana felt her heart rate increase. Drake was sitting with his arm draped over a girls shoulder and they were both all smiles. She was even more beautiful than the girl she'd seen with OB, but from what she could see, about the same body type. "Thanks OB but I think Klay and I are gonna stay over here. It was good seeing you though."
OB shrugged his shoulders. "Don't say I didn't offer. I'll see you around wifey." "He looked at Klay. "You too man. Take care of her." Without even waiting for a response he turned around and walked away with a grin. Klay may not have noticed but OB had definitely seen Adriana's reaction to Drake being there with another girl and she was definitely bothered. His mission was complete. He knew that she and Drake belonged together but they were both stubborn as hell. They needed a little push and he didn't mind giving it. He wasn't about to let his brother lose the love of his life. Klay was cool, there was no beef there. But at the end of the day, Drake was his brother and Adriana was his girl.
"Wifey?" Klay asked her when she turned her attention back to him.
Adriana laughed. "That's OB, he's pretty much called me that since I met him. I think he started doing it to get in Drake's nerves and it kind of stuck." She shrugged.
Klay nodded his head. "I see. Do you want to go?"
Adriana shook her head. "No, of course not. We're having a good time. I'm not going to let anyone ruin that."
Klay smiled. "Good, I'm not ready to give you up yet."
Adriana smiled at him. "No? You're not tired of me yet?"
"As if I could ever get tired of you." He pulled her to him and this time, he kissed her. When they pulled apart he stood up and took her hand in his. "Come on, let's get back out there on the dance floor. We came here to have a good time and that's exactly what we're gonna do."
Adriana stood with him and followed him. After a couple of up tempo songs the DJ slowed things down a little with "Sure Thing" by Miguel. She stepped closer to Klay and wrapped her arms around his neck and he placed his hands on her waist and they moved to the music in sync. Adriana had been having such a wonderful night with Klay and then OB came along and now she couldn't get her mind off of Drake. As if knowing he was in the club wasn't enough, the DJ had to play a song that took her back to a beautiful memory with Drake. She closed her eyes as the memory came crashing.
Drake had just finished helping her clean up the kitchen after she'd made them a nice romantic dinner. They walked into the living room and he turned on her radio and poured two glasses of champagne. Adriana watched him with a smile on her face as Miguel's "Sure Thing" played through the speakers. He walked over to her and handed her a glass. "You are so beautiful baby girl."
Her smiled widened showcasing the dimples he loved so much. "Thank you Aubrey. You're pretty beautiful yourself."
He smiled and took a sip of his champagne and she did too. Then he took her glass from her and set them both down. He took her hand and pulled her close. "Dance with me?"
"Of course. I love this song. If you hadn't asked soon I was going to."
Drake laughed. "It's a good song." He pulled her close and she rested her head on his chest as they moved in sync. Drake's voice sent chills down her body as he started singing the lyrics in her ear.
"Even when the sky comes falling
Even when the sun don't shine
I got faith in you and I
So put your pretty little hand in mine
Even when we're down to the wire, baby
Even when it's do or die
We can do it, baby, simple and plain
'Cause this love is a sure thing."
Adriana giggled. "I love how you know all the songs I love. I could have you listen to just about any song and you would know it. You really are a student of music aren't you Aubrey Graham?"
He pulled away from her a little but they were still moving in sync. "Guilty. Music is my passion. Then there's you." Adriana smiled at him and hugged him. He held her a little tighter and started signing again.
"You could be the lover
I'll be the fighter babe
If I'm the blunt
You could be the lighter babe
Fire it up!
Writer, baby
You could be the quote
If I'm the lyric, baby
You could be the note
Record that!
Saint, I'm a sinner
Prize, I'm a winner
And it's you
What can I do to deserve that
Paper, baby
I'll be the pen
Say that I'm the one
'Cause you are a ten
Real and not pretend!"
Adriana pulled away from him and found his lips. Drake didn't protest, he kissed her back and his hands traveled down her curves. "I love you baby girl. No matter what, I will always love you."
"I love you too Aubrey."
Drake picked her up and carried her upstairs and they spent the rest of the night making love.
Adriana opened her eyes and couldn't help but look across the room where she had last seen Drake. Their eyes met and he smiled at her. She smiled back and wondered if he was thinking about the same thing she had been thinking about. She also wondered how long he'd been watching at her. Klay's arms were the ones around her but her mind was on the beautiful man standing across the dance floor smiling at her.
After a moment Drake took a sip from his glass and pulled his gaze from her turning back to engage in conversation with his boys. Adriana closed her eyes again. She couldn't allow herself to think about Drake. She wasn't ready to take him back and she may never be. But she couldn't deny that she still loved him. His smile still made her heart melt.
When the song ended Adriana told Klay she was going go to to the ladies room. He went back to their booth and she made her way there. She needed a moment to gather herself, to breath and to clear her mind. But life had other plans for her because running into Drake seemed to be a habit in her life. As she rushed to get away she bumped into him and almost fell. He caught her and helped her steady herself. "You seem to have a habit of running into me." He grinned.
His smiled was beautiful but she could see the sadness in his eyes. "I'm sorry. Thank you for not letting me fall."
"You look beautiful. I always loved seeing you in a red dress."
"Thank you. I should go." She moved to walk past him but he grabbed her hand to stop her.
"Dri wait."
She turned back to him. "Yeah?"
"I just want to say, it's good to see you smiling. Even if it isn't me that's making you smile. You deserve all the happiness in the world baby girl."
Baby girl. Those two damn words that made her so weak in the knees when they came from him.
"Thank you. I appreciate that." She pulled her hand away from him and he released it.
"Have a good night Dri."
"You too."
She turned and walked away and when she made it to the bathroom she stood in front of the mirror looking at her reflection releasing a heavy sigh. "Breathe Adriana, breathe." After a moment she washed her hands for no reason at all and made her way back out. When she glanced in the direction Drake had been with his crew, they were gone. She didn't know whether she was relieved or disappointed. She made her way back over to Klay who's head was in his phone and sat down.
He slipped his phone back in his pocket and looked over at her. "You okay?"
She looked up at him and smiled. "Yeah. I think I'm just getting tired now."
Klay looked at his watch. "It is getting pretty late. I should probably take you home."
She nodded her head. "Okay."
Klay stood up and reached for her hand to help her up. Once they were in his car she turned on some music and tried to push all thoughts of Drake out of her mind. It took her a minute but she managed it. She reached over and took Klay's hand in hers. He smiled and held onto it. "Hey Klay?"
"Yeah?" He asked keeping his eyes on the road.
"All that dancing made and drinking made me hungry and I don't think I'm ready to end our night. Would you be opposed to some late night breakfast? I'll cook."
Klay laughed and glanced over at her. "You're offering to make me a late night breakfast and you think I'm going to decline? We ate hours ago and we worked all of that off and then some on the dance floor tonight. I could definitely eat again. Besides, I'm not turning down more time with you."
Adriana smiled. "Good. How do you feel about pancakes and turkey bacon."
"Love them." Klay said.
They pulled up to her house and after Klay helped her out of the car they walked inside. Maybe inviting Klay into her home wasn't the best idea but she'd been alone with him in her hotel room the last time they hung out and he never tried to take advantage of that. So she was confident that it would be fine. Once they were inside she excused herself and left him downstairs so she could go slip into something more comfortable. She returned in sweats and a tank top and led Klay into the kitchen.
"Wow this kitchen is really nice."
Adriana smiled and looked around. "I know. I love to cook. It's another passion of mine." She turned to walk over to her cabinet to get all the ingredients she needed.
"I think I heard Ayesha mention something like that." Klay said.
"Well I'm no Ayesha Curry but I know my way around the kitchen." Adriana said with a smile.
Soon they were both at her table eating pancakes and bacon and drinking milk laughing about a story Klay was telling her about him, his big brother Mychel, and his little brother Trayce.
"You and your brothers sound very competitive."
"Boys will be boys is what my mom always says" Klay told her with a grin.
"I love that you're so close with your family." Adriana said. Then a yawn escaped her.
"You need to be getting some sleep. It's really late now. I'll help you clean this up and then I'll go."
Adriana shook her head. "You don't have to do that." She stood up and went over to hug him. "Thank you for such a good time tonight Klay."
Klay hugged her back. "Thank you." He stood up and carried her with him.
She squealed and started laughing. "Oh my gosh put me down. Geezus you're so tall!"
Klay laughed and set her down. "Maybe you're just short."
"I think it's both." Adriana said and laughed again.
"Agreed." Klay said. "Thank you for allowing me to take some of your time today. I hope I'll get to see you again."
"I'd like that."
Klay took her hand and led her to the front door. She stepped outside with him and gave him another hug. "Good night Klay."
"Good night Adriana." He dipped his head down and kissed her lips. "I'll see you again soon."
She smiled and nodded her head then he left. She went back inside and cleaned up the kitchen then went upstairs to brush her teeth and wash her face. The sound of her doorbell startled her. Who would be knocking on her door at this hour? Then she thought Klay probably forgot something. She jogged downstairs and opened the door with smile on her face. It was soon replaced with a shocked expression. "What are you doing here?"
Author's Note: 🤔🤔🤔 Who do you think is at the door? Are you glad Drake didn't act fool? What do you think is going on in Adriana's head? Think maybe she's using Klay to try to move on from Drake?