Page 14 of Tension

Vel could be stoic and blunt, but he was also playful and fun. I loved that duality in him. He was serious but never took himself too seriously.

On our way back from the bathroom, I heard someone call my name.

“Chris?”

I recognized the voice, and I wanted to keep walking, but I stopped with Nia a few steps in front of me. I turned to face him.

“Hey, Ty,” I said plainly with false sweetness.

His smile widened as he walked closer to me, and I took a step back to keep some space between us. He had always been bad about getting too close.

“It’s been a while.”

He tried to hug me, and I turned to give him a little side pat instead.

Ty wasn’t ugly at all, just not my type. At five foot nine inches, he was maybe an inch taller than me, and I couldn’t even fit my thigh in one of his T-shirts.

I wasn’t downplaying skinny niggas, but it just wasn’t for me.

“Damn girl, it’s been a minute. You been avoiding coming to my hospital?” He smirked, looking me up and down.

The way his eyes traveled over me irritated the hell out of me.

“Just taking a break. I'll probably start back rotating through the hospitals soon.”

“Well, until then, you gone let me take you out?”

Ty worked at one of the many hospitals in the city where I would help out as needed. And this wasn’t his first time asking me out.

I shifted from one foot to the other, thinking of how I was going to turn him down this time. He knew I had a man but didn’t care.

“I—”

“She good.”

A strong hand grabbed me around the waist and pulled me into him.

I looked up at Vel and couldn’t help but smile.

“Oh shit, my bad. I was just saying hey to a friend,” Ty said with an attitude.

“Say it,” Vel told him flatly.

Ty looked confused.

“Say ‘hey’ nigga. Then go on about yo’ business.”

Vel was still calm and flat, but in a way you didn’t want to challenge.

Ty blinked and took a step back.

“I didn’t mean no disrespect, my guy. Chris, I'll see you at work.”

I nodded, and he turned and walked away a little too quickly.

I looked up at Vel. “You know I can handle myself, right?”

He nodded as his hand slid down my waist to my hip, turning me around and guiding me back toward the table.