Page 47 of Certified Pressure 2

Trill-Land, Jungle Estate

A day had passed, and I had no clue where the hell Pressure stood with me.

My bags was still packed and sitting downstairs in the foyer like I had already been sent home, but nobody had told me to leave yet, and that almost made it worse.

It was like living in a question mark, every hour passing by slow, every sound in the house making me wonder if somebody was about to knock on my door and tell me it was time to go.

I had been sitting in my room with my knees pulled up, staring at the wall, thinking about everything that had gone down.

Yesterday had been chaos. Pluto popped back up, and just like that, everything I thought I had started building with Pressure started falling apart.

Me and Pluto had almost swung on each other, and the look in her eyes told me we wasn’t just play-arguing or throwing shade anymore.

That was my day-one, my sister for real, and now we was on opposite sides of the same man.

I hated that it came to this, and I hated even more that it felt like there was no way back to the bond we used to have.

We had been keeping our distance since then.

I didn’t even know where she was right now, and I didn’t care.

I was hurt and angry, and all I could think about was Pressure.

I hated that she was still even in the picture, but I couldn’t control that.

All I could do was try to hold my own, and right now, I didn’t even know if that was enough.

I was lost in my thoughts when the door opened.

There was no knock or warning, just Pressure walking in like he had that right.

And he did, so I couldn’t even be mad, but my heart dropped into my stomach when I saw the way he moved.

He was walking tall, his chest out, and face set like he was coming in here with a purpose, and I had no clue what was about to come out his mouth.

He didn’t say anything right away. He just closed the door, sat down in the chair across from me, and stared.

It was the type of stare that burned straight through me.

I wanted to look away, to drop my head, but something in me wouldn’t let me fold.

I sat up a little straighter and forced myself to look back at him even though my chest felt like it was being squeezed tight.

After what felt like forever, he finally spoke.

“Why the fuck you ain’t tell me you and Pluto was closer than what y’all let on?” His voice was calm but sharp, and the weight of it made me swallow hard.

I took a breath and told myself not to lie. That would only make shit worse. “I ain’t tell you because I didn’t want that to be the reason you chose me or didn’t choose me. I didn’t want it to matter.”

Pressure leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, shaking his head slow. “You don’t get to decide what the fuck matters to me. You don’t get to hold shit back just ‘cause you think you know how I’ll move. That’s my call, not yours.”

My chest tightened because he was right, and I knew he was right. He had every reason to be pissed.

He started pressing more, asking about me and Pluto, what the history was, how deep it really went. I told him the truth, that we had been best friends since we were kids, that she knew me better than anybody and I knew her the same way.

He leaned back in the chair and let out a sigh, putting his head down for a second. I could tell by the drop of his shoulders and the way he exhaled that he was irritated, and I felt sick thinking that I had made him feel like he was being played.

I jumped in before he could go off. “Pressure, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to blind you like this. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I swear I didn’t know it was gonna go this far. I thought I was protecting myself, but I see now that I was wrong. You don’t deserve that.”

He didn’t move, and that scared me, so I kept going. My voice shook, but I pushed through it.

“I love you. I really do. And if you wanna send me home because of this, I get it. I can’t take another crack in my heart, though.

I swear I can’t. If you throw me away right now, I don’t know how I’mma recover from it.

I ain’t perfect, and I know I messed up, but I never meant to play with you.

I only wanted a chance with you, and I really didn’t know how to balance that with everything I felt for Pluto.

I feel like I ruined everything, and I don’t know how to fix it except by being honest right now. ”

The words poured out of me before I could stop them. I told him I was sorry again. I told him I knew I pulled him into something messy without meaning to. I told him I had been selfish because I wanted him so bad that I tried to keep certain things out the way, and I admitted that it was wrong.

He finally looked up at me, and even though his face was still hard, there was something softer in his eyes. It wasn’t forgiveness, but it wasn’t straight anger either.

“You got me lookin’ crazy as fuck,” he said, his voice low. “You and Pluto both. I don’t like feelin’ like I’m bein’ played. I don’t like not knowin’ the whole picture. And I don’t know how to move with you right now, Kash. That’s just real.”

“I know,” I whispered. “And I’m not asking you to move with me a certain way right now. I just want you to know that I love you. That’s all I got. I love you, and I’m sorry.”

We sat there in silence for a moment. My chest was heavy, but at least it was out. At least he knew where I stood.

Then, out of nowhere, he stood up. He looked down at me, and for a second I thought he was about to tell me to grab my bags and go. My stomach turned, waiting for it.

But instead, he said, “We need to get away for a day.”

I blinked at him, confused. “What?”

“Don’t think I’m lettin’ shit slide. I’m not. But I need space from all this other shit to see where my head really at. I can’t figure that out with Pluto still in my face and all this tension in the house. You comin’ with me. Pack light, one bag. We gone for a day, maybe two.”

I stared at him, trying to process what he was saying. He wasn’t excusing me, and he wasn’t telling me he forgave me. He was telling me he needed to see what I was really about, and the only way to do that was to strip all the noise away.

“Okay,” I said softly. “I’ll pack.”

He gave me one last look, something unreadable in his eyes, then turned and walked out the room.

As soon as the door closed, I let out a long breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. My heart was racing, but for the first time all day, I felt a little flicker of hope. Maybe this was my second chance. Maybe I could show him that even though I fucked up, my love for him was real.

I wiped my face, stood up, and started thinking about what to pack.

I wasn’t about to waste this opportunity.

Pressure was still upset, and I could feel that, but the fact that he wanted me close even after we’d been through…

that meant something. It meant there was still a chance to make things right, and I was going to take it.

The Trill Escape

When we reached what looked like a resort I turned to Pressure, trying to read his expression as the driver pulled us through the tall iron gates.

A black and gold sign stood at the entrance with glowing letters that read The Trill Escape .

It was tucked away behind palm trees and stone walls, and was the kind of place you would never notice if you wasn’t supposed to.

Everything about it felt private and untouched, like it was meant for just us.

The driveway was paved in marble stone and led to a wide villa-style house with glass windows that reflected the sun.

A fountain sat out front, water spilling down from carved lions’ mouths into a round pool.

It didn’t feel like the mansion, crowded with people and tension.

This was different. This felt like something cut off from the world, a space meant for peace, food, liquor, and whatever we decided to make of the day.

Pressure didn’t say much, but he didn’t have to.

He just nodded his head for me to get out and walked ahead of me, his shoulders squared, giving off that same authority he always carried.

A worker came out right away to grab our bags, and inside smelled like fresh flowers and faint vanilla.

The floors were polished white stone, and the furniture was sleek black leather with gold accents.

The place wasn’t too big, but it was big enough for comfort.

There was a dining room off to the side, a kitchen set up like a chef’s dream, and hallways that led to a bedroom with a wide balcony overlooking a pool.

Pressure handled everything without breaking his stride.

He ordered food and liquor, and within an hour the delivery started rolling in.

It wasn’t just takeout boxes either. This was same-day catering, trays of salmon, lamb chops, pasta dishes, fresh vegetables, breads, and desserts.

It looked like enough to last us two days if we wanted it to, and I could already tell the flavors were going to hit different.

There was bottles of brown liquor, chilled champagne, and wine lined on the counter, ice already waiting.

I watched him move, calm but sharp, like he was still carrying pieces of the conversation we had earlier about me and Pluto.

I knew he wasn’t just brushing it off, and I didn’t want it to feel like the moment disappeared.

But I also didn’t want us stuck in it forever.

The way he placed the food on the table and poured two glasses of liquor showed me enough—he wasn’t holding on, but he wasn’t pretending either.