may 14th, 2021
10:42 pm
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA WAS UP TONIGHT.
The ever-popular Club Onyx in the middle of the city had a line almost out the door and around the corner.
Juliette peered around at everyone in line behind her and front of her before turning to her childhood best friends, Shayla and Christina, and flashing a slightly annoyed expression, "I don't know why neither of you told me that we were supposed to wear white tonight."
She gestured to the multicolored sequined dress on her body and then to the trendy white dresses on her friends.
Shayla pushed back her straightened brown hair, "I texted the group chat that the dress code was white. You must've missed it."
"I hope they still let you in, Jules," Christina said in an anxious tone.
"They better," Juliette grumbled as the trio moved forward in the line.
Her first year at Howard University had come to a close and blowing off some steam with her lifelong friends was exactly what she needed.
The girl in front of the group was adorned in a red dress and the bouncer was an older African American man with a military buzzcut who took one look at her then shook his head before looking back down at the clipboard in his hands, "You're out of the dress code. Not tonight."
Juliette and her friends stepped forward and out of the corner of her eye, she could see her friends glance at the dress nervously and then back at the bouncer.
Juliette wasn't nervous.
Men were easy and with them, she knew how to get what she wanted.
The bouncer took a short glance at her dress and then raised his eyebrows.
Juliette flashed the man a large grin as she handed him her driver's license and she could already see his eyes soften a bit.
After looking at the identification and passing it back, the man waved his hand forward for all the girls to step through.
"You didn't even speak. How did you do that?" Shayla asked in an awed tone.
"Confidence." Juliette shrugged as the trio walked through.
The DJ in the club was blasting a Megan Thee Stallion song, the lights were flashing blue, yellow, pink, and white and the dance floor was completely covered from wall to wall.
"I am not disappointed," Christina commented as she looked around at the various men in the venue.
"Y'all looked in V.I.P. yet? They have the best ones." Shayla agreed.
In the meanwhile, Juliette had her gaze fixed upon the bartender, "If I flirt with the bartender do you think he'll give us free drinks?"
Shayla and Christina passed another look and then Shayla gripped Juliette's hand as the bass of Whoopty by CJ could be felt through her heels.
"We should dance first. I have so much energy to get out." Christina said.
"Yeah, let's go." Juliette let Shayla lead her and Christina to the dance floor.
"Whoopty, bitch, I'm outside, it's a movie!" The trio yelled along to the song as they danced in a semi-circle, the lights making the highlighter on their cheeks glow a little brighter.
"Jules, some guy is staring you down." Christina nodded behind her and up on a platform to where the V.I.P section would be.
Juliette turned halfway and locked eyes with a tall, biracial boy who looked to be about her age, with dark brown ringleted hair, in an all-white suit, and wearing an iced-out watch and chains.
"Y'all don't know who that is?" Shayla nearly screeched over the loud music.
"No?" Juliette responded without removing her gaze.
The boy lifted his chin to run his eyes over her appearance and then he leaned over and whispered something to the bodyguard near him who simply nodded.
"That's LaMelo Ball." Shayla continued.
"Who?" Christina held a confused tone.
"Got drafted to the Charlotte Hornets? Number three in the NBA Draft? Nothing? Nothing? Really?" Shayla flickered her eyes between her two friends.
Juliette shrugged, "Sorry, Shay."
There was a light tap on Juliette's shoulder caused her to turn around to look up at a graying Caucasian man who leaned down to ensure that he was heard.
"Mr. Ball requests you to come into the V.I.P. section." The bodyguard said to Juliette.
Juliette glanced back at LaMelo, who shot her a smirk.
He was kinda fine in a scrawny way, Juliette thought to herself, Going over there for a couple of minutes wouldn't hurt.
She turned back to her friends, "Are you cool if I go over there for like ten minutes? I'll be coming right back. Most likely."
Shayla giggled a bit at the last phrase of her statement and it took Juliette a lot of effort not to start laughing too.
All three girls knew that no one would be seeing Juliette until the following morning.
Christina shook her head, "Just make sure your Life360 is turned on."
"Got it," Then Juliette let the security guard walk her over to the blue velvet rope sectioned-off area of couches.
As soon as she was behind the rope, LaMelo was approaching her, his walk collected and his smile confident.
He stuck out his hand and the smell of cologne, a mix of citrus, fig leaves, and something reminiscent of the ocean hit her square in the face, "I'm LaMelo."
Juliette smiled then wrapped her medium brown hand around his light-skinned one and shook, "I'm Jules."
"I like that name," He complimented her in a low tone.
At this point, Juliette was beginning to tune him out just a bit.
Most men weren't original and Juliette could bet that whatever game that LaMelo was spitting at her, she had heard similar words or the same ones once before.
So when LaMelo gestured for her to sit on the black leather couch next to him, she did so.
When he made a move to grab her hand, Juliette simply smiled at him and let him.
After all, she was the one in control, even if he didn't know it.
"So what brings you to Charlotte?" Juliette asked, feigning ignorance.
"Uh, I work here, in a sense," LaMelo responded.
Juliette turned her face to the side a little, "In a sense?"
"Long story," LaMelo moved a little closer until the two bumped knees, the music drowning his words a bit.
One...
Two...
Three...
"Why don't we..." Juliette could feel LaMelo cascade his thumb against the back of her hand, "Get out of here and find a quieter place to talk?"
It took Juliette everything she had not to burst out laughing at how quick he was to ask.
She hid her smirk with ease, "Sure. I would like that."
NOTE FROM KY
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