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With his breakfast in hand, she excused herself from the kitchen and navigated to the backyard. She made her way over to where he was seated just as he was finalizing his phone conversation. She sat the breakfast down before him, and he thanked her. His eyes trailed from the plate up to Britain's face. She was looking down at him with a scolding look etched on her face, which prompted him to exhale in frustration.

"Listen, don't even give me that look,Gioia. I didn't start that shit back there." He shook his head, unwilling to take accountability for the start of the argument that he and J'Ru just had.

"Priest, I thought you said you were going to come down with good energy?" Britain sighed.

In return, he smacked his lips. "I ain't say nothing like that. I told you I'd see what I can do," he corrected her while shrugging his broad shoulders. Since he failed to make her laugh with his light-heartedness, he let out a deep sigh.

He extended his hand to her, and she took it after rolling her eyes. With her hand cupped in his, Britain was whisked down to his lap. He gently grabbed her chin, steering her head so her sight was fixed on him. "I appreciate your kind gesture,Gioia, but it's too soon. Ru's not ready to admit that he's in the wrong."

Britain pursed her lips as her eyes strayed away from Priest. She opted out of rendering him a response, but the look on her face was enough for Priest question her. "What's up with that look?" He raised a brow at her.

Britain’s orbs slowly trailed back over to him and were met with his hard stare. "I mean," she began as she shrugged her shoulders. "He isn't wrong about everything.”

Priest continued to eye her. Most of the time, whenever he wasn't speaking, his face would tell Britain all she needed to know. This time, she couldn't read his face even if she wanted to. She had just opened a can of worms for herself. "Word?" His deep, raspy voice sounded through her ears. "What is he right about?" he questioned her.

In the spirit of being honest and transparent, Britain didn't hesitate to tell Priest what she thought. "I agree with him. You can't do both, at least I don't think so," she stated as if it were a clear concept he was having issues grasping.

"Why you say that?" He raised his brow. Truthfully, Priest felt another pain in his heart upon hearing his woman agree with J'Ru. He felt like if anyone would’ve backed him up in this mess, it would’ve been Britain.

"Priest," she let out in a deep breath. "What you're trying to do is impossible, especially when it requires two different versions of yourself.”

Priest pursed his lips as his orbs strayed away from her. Her words piled on top of him like a ton of bricks. "Heard'ju," he mumbled with a nod of his head.

"Do you really, though?" Britain tilted her head to the side. "Because it seems like every time we have this conversation, we stop at a set of crossroads." She folded her arms across her chest.

Priest ran his hand down his face. Just when he thought he was in the clear of any other heavy conversations, Britain managed to dump one onto him. He was beginning to feel like he couldn't do right by anyone. "Is this you gearing up to give me an ultimatum again?" he mumbled as he massaged his temples.

A light scoff aired out of Britain as she was taken aback by his sly remark. She rose from his lap, a scowl surfacing on herface as her orbs peered at him. "I don't know if it's because you have a lot going on or what, but don't get any of this twisted," she motioned her hand between them, referring to their current issue within their relationship. "I never gave you an ultimatum, Priest," she denied with a shake of her head.

"Then what was you leaving for New York? C'mon, Britain. That was an ultimatum," he rebutted as he slouched down in his seat. It was evident that he was ready for this conversation to be over, but she wanted otherwise.

Priest kept his sight off Britain. Instead, he fixed it on the landscape of the beautiful backyard. He felt her grab his face, steering his head in her direction so he was looking at her while they had their conversation.

"That was not an ultimatum," she remained firm in her stance of the conversation. "That was us at odds about something we couldn’t compromise on. If it was an ultimatum, it's evident you wouldn't have been able to make your decision."

Her response prompted Priest to stand up, towering over her with clenched jaws. "I can't believe you even fixing your mouth to say some shit like that to me. The choice will always be you. Haven't I been clear about that?"

"Then why'd you lie to me?" Britain questioned while looking at him.

Priest's face screwed up in confusion, unsure what Britain was even referring to. "What are you even talking about, Britain? Lying to you is something I never did and will never do."

"You told me you had everything handled, yet here we are, having a conversation about the same thing." Britain cut her eyes at him in deep frustration.

Completely depleted and ready to put an end to all the bickering, Priest ran his hand down his face and attempted to unwind his shoulders that had become tense. He and Britain rarely had shouting matches, but the conversations they hadwithout raising their voices were always the most intense. "Hear me out, Britain. What exactly did I tell you when I asked you to move to Italy?"

"You swore you would give me the life you promised me. You said you needed peace, something you couldn't get from the city," Britain reminded not only him, but herself as well.

Priest nodded his head, confirming that was exactly what he told her. "In no part of that did I say I would be going legit. I've always been very clear with you, Britain. I never lied, did anything behind your back, or deceived you. You want me to change, Britain, and I get that. I've been putting in the work with Havani and myself to grow into the man I need to be for you and our future. What I do for work isn't holding me back from that," he clearly and concisely declared. "Nobody from the city even knows I'm out here, Britain. Nothing is interfering with my growth besides the fact that you can't wrap your head aroundmynew normal."

Britain pursed her lips as she nodded her head, taking in everything he said. "Right, it's onlyyournew normal. Not like I changed my whole life for this," she chuckled dryly. "We can revisit this conversation when we're both in a better headspace," she concluded before turning around to head back inside.

With his shoulders slouched, Priest let out a deep breath of defeat. "That's not what I meant, Brit," he shouted after her. She offered him no response as she continued to make her way back into the home.

Priest just couldn't win for losing.

Following the same path she had taken, he re-entered the home hot on her trail. "Britain!" his baritone bellowed as he called for Britain to stop, which earned stares of concern from J'Ru, Kaymen, and Jazzlyn.

Britain completely ignored his calls, bypassing everyone in the kitchen and continuing to walk away from him. Priest didn'tlet the stares from his sister and friends deter him. He continued after her, which led them to her study that she often used as an escape to occupy herself with work for her magazine.