Duet Read online

  Duet

  A Westcliff University Romance

  By: Remy Marie

  Copyright

  Copyright © 2020

  Second Edition

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distrusted or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission

  Publisher Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales, products, and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

  Cover by: Remy Marie/ Canva

  Cover Image: DepositPhotos

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  Duet

  A Sneak Peek at Never Have I Ever: Westcliff University Romance Book 1

  About the Author

  Duet

  It’s been three years since I’ve seen her. Sure, we’d chatted via text and FaceTime, but this is the first time I’d physically seen her since high school. My nerves were all mixed up as if they were stirred together in a blender. I could hardly keep my leg from bouncing due to how nervous I was.

  What in the hell is wrong with me?

  When her bus arrived, I stood up immediately and grinned. I ran out to the station and waited as each passenger filed out of the bus. She was the last one to get out, and of course, she looked gorgeous. Long relaxed ebony hair, smooth like velvet, dark skin, a pink sweater, and a pair of hip high black yoga pants, and white fuzzy boots.

  Dear Lord!

  Who was I kidding, she was always beautiful, I just never had the courage to tell her.

  Growing up, we were always two peas in a pod. She was the first person I met when I moved to the new neighborhood. Just when I thought I lost all of my friends in Pittsburgh, I gained a new one in Raleigh, North Carolina. We were always close, attending summer camps together, playing in band, and singing in glee club. We’d always had this tight relationship, but we never truly moved past just being friends. One day I’d hope we’d move past that stage. I pray that we could move past that stage.

  When she saw me, her brown eyes opened wide.

  “TJ!” she grinned. She placed down her guitar case and bag and outstretched her arms wide for a hug.

  “Cassie!” I shouted as I hugged her. I picked her up and twirled her around. She gleefully giggled as we completed two full circles. My smile grew wider as my nose picked up her flowery perfume.

  Is it even possible to look and smell good at the same time?

  “It’s been too long,” she replied, pushing her hair behind her ear.

  “I know. It’s crazy that we’ve been cooped up on the far sides of the state, with me at Westcliff and you at Eastcliff.”

  “We can’t wait this long again to see each other.”

  I nodded and then grabbed her bags.

  “Oh, you don’t have to carry that.”

  “Don’t worry about it. You’re on vacation. You should be relaxing.”

  “Thanks,” she cheesed.

  “I’m over here.” I carried her luggage out to the parking lot to my old van. Along the way, Cassie and I caught up more. There I learned that she’s been sending out audition tapes to different music producers but hadn’t any luck. In glee club, she was always the best singer, so it took me by surprise that she was struggling to get to the big stage. We swapped stories on how our schooling was going as well. We were both seniors and each had the growing fear of what to do with our lives when we graduated.

  When she saw my old faded black van, she giggled, “I still can’t believe you still drive that junk.”

  “Hey, this piece of junk has saved our asses on more occasions than one. Remember Mike Fisher’s party?”

  “Oh course! We ran into the van and hid while the cops broke up the party. How long did we have to lay flat in our backs until the cops left?”

  “Had to be for hours,” I laughed. I looked down and smiled. That night meant even more to me than she realized. That was the first time, I felt like the mood was right to confess my love for her. For three hours straight, we’d cuddled close and talked only about our relationship. Lord, did I want to kiss her then and there. I should have, but I got cold feet.

  I wasn’t sure why. I mean, a lot of our friends had said that we were the perfect couple, but I wasn’t sure. What we had as friends was perfect. Who was I to ruin it?

  Another reason that held me back was the fact that we would’ve been an interracial couple. Even in this progressive age an interracial relationship between a black woman and white man seemed taboo. You’d see it on tv and in public, but even then, in the South being with a black woman had this stigma behind it. In high school, I’d seen the looks that the interracial couples in school got. Watching them receive the glares and the stares, I questioned was it right to even start a relationship with Cassie.

  At the time, I thought I was doing the correct thing by staying friends, but now, I think it was a dumb reason why I never took that leap that night. Letting something like race decide if you should be with the person you love is the most idiotic thing ever. I wish I would have been brave that night and took the leap, but like a coward, I kept my mouth shut. I won’t make the same mistake again.

  I gave Cassie a quick tour of the town and campus. She of course loved it. It was nothing like the grand Eastcliff University campus she attended, but the small liberal arts college had its perks. Especially the indie music scene which is why I invited her to Westcliff.

  Stopping at my apartment, I cut off the engine and grinned. “Well, here we are.”

  “It’s nice.” She claimed looking at the rundown brick townhome.

  “Don’t even. It’s horrible, the only benefit is that it’s walkable to campus and downtown.”

  “Well, I like it. It looks homey.” She grinned.

  I grabbed Cassie stuff and we walked into my apartment. As I’d stated before it wasn’t much. A two bedroom, with a shared bathroom, kitchen and living room. My roommate, Jacob, was rarely home. I placed Cassie’s stuff near the made-up sofa, that already had a bedsheet and pillow.

  “You’ll be sleeping out here if that’s okay. It’s not the Hilton, but that couch is the softest thing in this house.”

  “Thanks…” Cassie replied, staring at the couch. It looked like she was disappointed in the sleeping arrangements, causing me to correct myself.

  “If you don’t want to sleep there, we can swap, and you can take my bed and I’ll sleep out here.”

  “Oh…” she looked away and twisted her hair around her finger. “Uh…no…this is fine.”

  There was an awkward pause between us. A rarity. Normally, we could talk for hours, but for those three seconds, I felt a strange feeling between us. I couldn’t describe it, but it was there.

  She cleared her throat and asked, “Dinner?”

  “Of course. There’s this great gastropub that I wanted to take you to. It’s open mic night there. I figured we could get something to eat and listen to some indie music.”

  “Sounds like a date to me.”

  “Ha-ha, yeah.” I rubbed the back of my head, wondering if she knew if my plans to confess my love.

  “Well, do you mind giving me a few minutes to get ready? I obviously don’t want to eat dinner in my yoga pants.”

  “Of course, bathroom is down the hall.”

  Cassie nodded and grabbed her bag. She walked down the hall and disappeared into the bathroom. Once the door closed, I took a deep breath and combed my fingers though my hair.

  Our initial meeting at the bus stop was amazing, but since I’d shown her the couch, it seemed like the energy from our meetup was depleted. Shaking my
head, I attempted to not dwell on the subject and to get ready for the night myself. Walking into my bedroom, I exchanged my T-shirt for a buttoned up navy blue shirt and switched my shorts for a pair of white jeans, ripped at the knees, and completed the look with some high top black and blue sneakers. After gelling my hair to puff up, I sprayed some cologne on my neck and arms, and then headed back out to the living room. Surprisingly, Cassie wasn’t ready yet, so I walked to my guitar stand, picked up my acoustic and began plucking at the strings and humming a soft song.

  A few minutes later, Cassie walked out. God did she look amazing. I played off chord the moment I saw her. The lump in my throat grew, staring at her beauty. Who knew that a pink knee-high dress and brown gladiator sandals would take my breath away?

  We both stared at each other. Each taking each other in as another silence over came us. However, this silence wasn’t like before. There was something else there. Something that I couldn’t explain.

  Finding my voice, I grinned, “You look amazing.”

  A smile broke on her face as she replied, “so do you.” She pointed to my guitar. “I heard you playing. You sound good.”

  I shook my head. “Nah, it’s just been a while since you’ve heard me sing. I’m no where near your level.” I placed my guitar back on the stand and stood up. “Are you ready to head out?”

  “Yes, I’m starved.”

  ***

  The fifteen-minute walk from my apartment to the pub went by quick. I guess that’s what it was like to hang out with Cassie. You lose all sense of time with her. Not that I mind losing time with her. Any time spent with her was amazing. We got to the restaurant and it was packed. Dozens of people crowded the stage and bar. Cassie and I managed to get the last open table in the corner. Sitting down, a waiter came by and we both ordered drinks, I got a beer, Cassie ordered wine.

  As we peered through the menu, she asked me, “so, what’s good here?”

  “Everything. It’s all homemade. However, you have to try the meatloaf sandwich. It’s like heaven in between two slices of bread.”

  “Ohh that sounds good.”

  After ordering, we both sat back and watched the act on stage sing. She had a decent voice, as she sung a popular country song.

  “I really like this restaurant.” Cassie said, admiring the simple wooden décor, with multiple indie albums on its walls.

  “It’s one of the most popular places on campus. I like how quaint the place is. I’ve heard some amazing singers here.”

  “I thought I was the best singer you’ve heard.”

  “Well, uhh…”

  She laughed and touched my hand. “I’m kidding.” Her hand stayed on top of mine longer than I’d expected. Her smooth hand felt like silk on top of mine. If I died at that exact moment, I’ve would die with a smile of my face feeling her touch. We both glanced at each other not speaking a word until she pulled her hand away. At the same time, we cleared our throats, each taking a sip of our drinks.

  Why am I so nervous around her, I thought. We’d hung out with each other since we’re eight, but this is the first time I’d lost the ability to say anything to her.

  Out of nowhere, Cassie laughed and took a sip of her wine.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Oh, I was just thinking of Kenny and Ashely. Do you remember them from glee club?”

  “Yeah, those two were always together.”

  “Did you know that he proposed to her yesterday?”

  “Seriously?”

  She nodded.

  “Wow, who would’ve thought that those two would have gotten together.”

  “I know right.” She leaned forward and arched an eyebrow. “You know people say the same thing about us.”

  “About how we should be together?” I gulped.

  She nodded. “What do you think? Do you think we’d work good together?” She asked with a smile.

  “I Ugh…”

  Say Yes. Say Yes! My head screamed, but nothing came out of my lips. I was frozen. Out of the thousands of feelings that I felt for her, I couldn’t say one. My one chance to prove how I felt, I froze. Damn.

  That second of me not saying anything was the worse decision of my life. Cassie’s smile disappeared as she looked down at her lap, defeated.

  “Cassie…I…” before I could say another word, the waitress came back with our food.

  After placing our plates down, she said, “ketchup is on the tray. Do, you need anything else?”

  “No, I think were fine. Thanks.” I replied.

  She gave us a small smile and disappeared. Once she was gone, I turned my attention back to Cassie.

  “Listen about before…”

  She shook her head. “It’s okay, TJ. You don’t need to explain anything. I need to go the bathroom.”

  She got up quickly before I could even tell her where to go. Watching her leave, my throat felt dry. Even drinking half my beer couldn’t quench the bad taste left in my mouth. I felt like banging my head against the wall screaming. I knew I blew my chance with her. She wasn’t in the bathroom to use it; she was in there to release every emotion she built up. How dumb was I?

  All I had to do was utter one phrase and our relationship would’ve taken off. Instead, I froze. I froze like a dumbass. I wanted to make up for my horrible mistake, but I couldn’t think of anything. As I racked up an apology, I heard the open mic host tell the crowd, “we have space for another act. Anyone who wants to sing can do it now.”

  Just like that, the idea hit me. My body moved quicker than my mind as I walked towards the stage. I signed both Cassie and I up for the next event and prayed to God the song choice would dig me out of the hole I made. By the time I got back to my chair, Cassie was already walking back. I could tell that she had cried, making me feel even more like an asshole.

  “Are you okay?” I whispered.

  She laughed and smiled back at me. “Of course. I just had to use the little girl’s room. This wine is going through me like water. Let’s eat. This sandwich looks delicious.” She cut half of the sandwich and began eating.

  “Okay…” I replied, unsure where her thoughts were. We were halfway done with our meal when the last act finished. The host walked back up on stage and spoke into the mic. “What a great song! Next on the stage we have a duet, featuring TJ Lee and Cassie Smith.”

  Cassie’s mouth opened wide as she stared at me.

  “TJ…no…”

  “Oh, come on. It will be fun.” I grinned.

  “I’m not ready to sing. Not to mention, I got meatloaf all over my face.”

  I grabbed her hand and stared deeply into her eyes. I made sure it was the type of stare that would light a fire in your heart. From my look alone, I could tell I captured her attention.

  “Please... Just trust me.”

  She sighed and nodded. “Okay. You win.” She grabbed her glass of Pinot and finished the glass. “After you.”

  I nodded and took her hand. As we walked, several people clapped as we made our way to the stage. On top of the two foot stage was a grand piano and several mics. I took a seat near the piano and stretched my fingers, while Cassie stood at the lead microphone.

  Leaning close to me, she asked, “what are we singing?”

  “Endless love.”

  She looked at me, eyes open wide as if I took her breath away. “Do you know the words to your favorite song?”

  She smiled and nodded.

  “Alright, here we go.” I looked at the crowd and said, “Hello everyone. We’re going to do something normally not done here and sing an older cover song. It’s an oldie but a goodie. My friend Cassie and I will be singing Endless Love, I hope y’all enjoy.”

  I took a deep breath and looked at the keys in front of me. Getting my fingers in the right position, I looked up at Cassie and began playing and singing the first verse. She replied, signing the second verse, matching Diana Ross’s tone perfectly. I grinned as we harmonized. As we continued to sing the song, the c
rowd in front of us evaporated, to the point where it felt like only Cassie and I were in the room.

  As we stared at each other, the lover’s gaze that we shared was undeniable. She wanted me, just as I wanted her. I’d never sung out my heart before. It felt amazing and exhausting at the same time. The emotion in my voice carried, bringing near tears to my eyes.

  I could tell that Cassie shared the same feeling. During the song, Cassie walked away from the microphone stand, and sat next to me. We shared one microphone, singing the lyrics together. Our lips were millimeters apart as we sung. Our eyes were captured by each other. As we sung, all I wanted to do was kiss her. At the end, we smiled at each other and chorused, “my endless love…”

  At the end, I stopped playing, and for the first time, I finally heard the crowd. Looking away from Cassie, the entire pub stood on their feet applauding us. Many shouted for an encore. Cassie and I smiled once more at each other and looked towards the host who nodded giving us approval to sing another song.

  “Ugh…thank you. I guess we’re going to sing another. Cassie, I choose the last song. What did you want to sing?”

  “Let’s do something modern. Shallow?”

  “Perfect.”

  I took a deep breath and began playing the first part sung by Bradley Cooper, while Cassie stood back up smiling at me while I sung. When Lady Gaga’s part began, Cassie took over, showing her amazing range. We were both caught up in the song, as the powerful emotions flowed through us. As we both stared at each other, the lover’s gaze in between our eyes was unquestionable. When we finished the song, once more our lips were close. This time I didn’t waste the opportunity.

  Leaning forward, I kissed her. When our lips meet, the crowd erupted. The feeling of her soft warm lips felt like the finest silk on my body. The way her mouth glided over my own was indescribable. Thirteen years of feelings poured into that one kiss. It was magical, breathtaking and passionate. When we broke apart, all I wanted was more. I would’ve killed for another kiss.

  Cassie had a mile long grin, as she pushed her hair back behind her ear. We were both caught in each other’s company when the host walked back on stage.