It had been months since the last time Tasha had seen Marcus, but she hadn't forgotten him. Not that she'd been thinking about him - not exactly - but he'd stayed tucked somewhere in the back of her mind, like a song you hum without realizing.
So when her aunt called again, the invite caught her off guard.
"Baby, me and Carl are throwing a BBQ this Saturday. Marcus'll be there. You and Darnell come through."
She asked Darnell that evening, trying to keep her tone light.
"Carl's having a cookout. Wanna go?"
He barely looked up from his phone. "Nah, I already made plans with the fellas."
"We were both invited."
"Then you go." He went back to scrolling, like her words were nothing but background noise.
It was the same old story - if it wasn't about him, it wasn't important. And somewhere between the perfume on his shirt, the unanswered questions, and the outside child she tried so hard to forgive, her patience was wearing paper-thin.
Arriving Alone
She showed up with her chin high and her anger tucked behind her smile. The scent of smoked ribs and grilled chicken hit her before she even reached the porch. Music thumped from the backyard, laughter floated through the air, and the smell of sweet drinks mixed with charcoal made her stomach flutter - though she couldn't tell if it was excitement or nerves.
Marcus was there, leaning against the deck railing, talking to a woman in a short floral dress. Her aunt had mentioned that one of her friends "had her eye on him."
Fine. Let her look.
Tasha made her way inside, grabbing a cup from the kitchen. Carl handed her something bright red and strong enough to burn her throat. She downed half before the ice could melt.
The Game
Later, someone brought out a giant Jenga set, the kind where each block had a dare written in black marker. The rules were simple - pull a block, do the dare, or take a shot.
The first few rounds were harmless:
"Sing the chorus of your favorite song."
"Do ten jumping jacks."
Then the dares got bolder.
"Kiss someone in the room on the cheek."
"Tell your biggest secret."
By the time it was Tasha's turn, she'd had enough to drink that her hands weren't steady. She pulled a block and read it aloud:
"Dance with the person you think has the best smile."
The group whooped and hollered. Her eyes darted - they landed on Marcus before she could stop them.
"Aw hell, go on, girl!" someone yelled.
He looked at her with that slow, steady grin, and before she could think twice, he stepped forward. The music shifted to something low and heavy, and for thirty slow seconds, they moved together - not too close, not too far - but enough for her to feel the heat coming off him.
Unhinged
As the game went on, the drinks flowed, the dares got wilder, and Tasha's guard slipped. She wasn't flirting - not exactly - but she was alive in a way she hadn't been in years. Laughing. Teasing. Feeling the weight in her chest ease with every pull of another block.
And all the while, one thought kept sneaking in, no matter how she tried to shove it away:
If Darnell had wanted to be here, he would've been.
But he wasn't.
Marcus was.