“Why do you spend so much time at my house when you have this view?” She sipped from the teacup in her hand and looked back at me.
“’Cause it just be me in here.”
“When you bought it, it was just you, right? Out here damn near in the woods with a whole driveway.” She turned and moved toward me.
“Yeah and I was cool with that. Ain’t know no other vibe.”
“What changed?”
“Family. You… Adonis. I used to fuck with the silence, waking up to just myself out here. Then I spent a night at my brother’s house. The twins and their sounds didn’t annoy me, itfelt necessary. Their spot felt lived in, like memories resonated there. Then I stayed at your spot, and something so simple as hearing you snore like a pig created a need in me. Even that morning when I was up making breakfast with Lil G did something for me. When I came back here, it felt inhumane, like I was isolated, like this wasn’t a home but instead a place I used to put up walls and keep myself in.”
“Do you think you put walls up because of your mother?” she asked, climbing on the couch and maneuvering to find her comfort while trying not to hurt me.
“Ion know. I never thought about it that way. Lowkey I probably do. Growing up there was so much chaos unless we went to our grandmother’s spot.”
My head found her lap while she massaged my neck and head. “I feel that.”
A comfortable silence filled the space.
“So am I to assume you want kids?”
“Didn’t at first, but yeah I’ll go for a three piece including the one I already got.”
“The hell you mean the one you already got? Rennix, don’t play with me.” Her hand stopped massaging my head and neck because she was ready to spaz.
“I got you, which means I got him. So calm your hostile ass down before you fuck up the moment,” I warned, squeezing her thigh and closing my eyes.
“Oh.”
“How many more you want?” I questioned.
“How do you know I want more?”
“’Cause I want more, and you ain’t going nowhere.”
I felt her eyes, so I opened mine, and sure as hell she was staring down at me. “How do you know any of that, Rennix?”
“Because I do. You do too, you just gotta stop fighting progress and let yourself fall with me, baby. I ain’t gonna hurt you.”
“How do you know that? How do we know anything when nothing in this life is promised?”
“Probably ain’t, but I’m promising you that I ain’t gonna hurt you. I ain’t never gave you a reason to doubt me, but every reason to carry my words with the highest trust. Let me fulfill you, baby. Just like you do for me.”
She was smiling so hard I had to chuckle. Of course she had me spewing this corny shit. “I guess I can do that. Now don’t make me all these promises and fuck up. I’m holding you to every promise you make.”
I nodded, finding myself more comfortable and in less pain, clutching her thigh like it was a pillow. I didn’t know when I fell asleep, but we were dead asleep when I felt my phone ringing under me.
I found it and saw Reminisce was calling and it was four in the morning. I answered, looking up at her before answering.
“Yo.”
“I’m on my way in, bitch. You up?” he asked, voice filled with the type of concern I knew filled him. He was about to be on that hovering shit, I could feel it.
I moved slowly, feeling like I’d been hit by a fucking car rather than a bullet. Once I was on my feet, I leaned down and shook Caya. She stirred in her sleep, speaking gibberish.
“Get up and go to bed, baby.”
“Fifteen more minutes,” she groaned, not studdin’ shit I said.
