Page 85

River Ashland

" N ot you trying to get cute for your date." Chosyn giggled through the phone.

"I'm not getting cute. I'm going to an early business dinner and Kysre is coming with me."

"Yeah, okay. Not dressed like that."

"Please. We both know the days of my going on dates are over until..."

I stopped myself, letting the words catch in my throat before the tears did.

"River, are you okay?" Chosyn stared hard through the phone. "You know you're not supposed to be stressing."

"I'm fine... I just miss him." I sighed.

"We all do."

"And you're sure Wolfe doesn't know where he is?" I asked, finding it hard to believe that Crown just left without telling anyone where he was going.

"Nope. I even asked while sucking his dick, and he still told me he didn't know."

"Why would you ask while sucking dick?" I frowned.

"That's when Wolfe's most vulnerable. Once I start sucking on the tip like a Blow Pop, the world is mine."

"You could've kept that to yourself." I laughed, shaking my head.

"Welp, you asked. I answered. Anyway, call me when you're on your way home so I know you're safe."

"Chosyn, I'm grown," I reminded her, lining my lips with brown lip liner.

"I don't care. Crown isn't here, so it's my job to make sure you're safe and that these niggas aren't on some weird shit."

"As much as I appreciate that, you have nothing to worry about. Every man who comes my way gets turned down. I don't even have to say much. I flash my ring, and they respect it."

Crown not being around, not answering my texts or calls, didn't change a thing. He wanted me to show him I wanted him, and this was my way of doing that.

"Mhm," Chosyn smacked. "All I know is, whenever Crown comes back, he'd better be on his knees begging like Jodeci for how he did you. I still can't believe you offered to cut your hair for that nigga."

I laughed hard as hell. That was one of the dumbest things I've ever said.

"Please don't remind me!"

"I'ma remind you so you don't do it again."

"Trust me, you have nothing to worry about. Now let me finish getting ready."

"Okay. Oh, wait, I meant to ask if you heard from Honey. I know we're not talking to her, but I'm worried."

I sighed, still feeling indifferent about her.

"Navy mentioned reaching out to her the last time we spoke, so maybe ask her," I suggested.

"I'll do that. Have fun tonight and tell Kysre I said to keep an eye on you."

"I will. Love you, BB."

"Love you, too."

I ended the FaceTime and finished getting ready.

I slid my glasses on, fluffed out my curls, and caught my reflection in the mirror.

And just like that, I heard Crown's voice in my head, clear as day, telling me how beautiful I looked.

What we had never really made sense, but it didn't have to because love didn't always follow logic. Sometimes it just... was.

Crown thought he was the only one who fell in love at first sight, and for a while, I thought the same.

It wasn't until he left that I thought back on our relationship and realized my soul had recognized him before I had.

That's why it didn't matter that I drove the car the day he got shot, or that Crown killed Sincere.

We weren't looking to be anyone's fairytale.

There was nothing light or soft about us.

We were heavy, tangled in grief and trauma, but somehow, we fit.

He was the wound, and I was the scar. Proof that love doesn't always heal cleanly.

My phone vibrating pulled my eyes from the mirror, forcing thoughts of Crown to the back of my mind.

Kysre

Outside when you're ready.

I gave myself one last look in the mirror. There were no signs of tears or heartache except for the ring sitting pretty on my finger. Bringing my hand to my stomach, I gently rubbed while smiling... a promise from Crown.

The lighting in the restaurant was warm and expensive. This wasn't a restaurant I would have chosen because the ambiance seemed so inauthentic. Every laugh sounded rehearsed, and every wine glass that clinked felt more like a secret than a celebration.

I looked toward Kysre and quickly stifled my laugh.

She was seated across from me, scrolling on her phone under the table, barely listening to Mitchell speak.

To be fair, I'd been tuning him in and out since we sat down.

He was on his third story about strategic expansion in urban neighborhoods.

He contacted me through my foundation, but on the phone, he seemed much more relaxed than he does now.

He talked as if he were giving the world's greatest TED talk that no one asked for.

"And so," he recited with a chuckle, "we leveraged their weakness and tripled our margins in less than four quarters. Can you believe that?"

"Wow, that's... impressive," I commented, just to make him feel heard.

He smiled as if I had purposely stroked his manhood. Still grinning, Mitchell reached across the table and placed his hand on top of mine, rubbing his thumb against my knuckles.

I looked down at our hands, then back up at him, and placed my left hand on top of his, making sure he saw my ring.

"Oh, that's a gorgeous ring," he complimented, slowly moving his hand from mine.

"I know. My husband knows exactly what his wife likes." I smiled and then reached for my phone as it buzzed.

Crown

Ask that nigga for his favorite Bible scripture is.

In reading the text, my heart literally skipped a beat. I scanned the restaurant looking for him.

Crown

Stop twisting your head like that, 'fore that big shit falls off.

Me

Funny.

Crown

Nah, you're hilarious sitting next to that nigga like I won't put that nigga's brain on a platter.

Before I could process Crown's text, Mitchell's hand slid over mine. I jerked mine back, then slid out of my seat and moved to sit next to Kysre.

"Uh, Mitchell, I just need a second," I blurted.

"What's wrong, River?" Kysre asked, finally looking away from her phone.

"Look."

I showed her the text and her ass started laughing.

Crown

Ask him his favorite scripture, or the start of his funeral's gonna be something basic. That's if they even find the body to bury the nigga properly.

"Oh, girl, you're in trouble."

"Trouble?" Mitchell questioned. "Is it anything I can help with?"

"No!" I blurted.

"Mitchell, you might want to stay out of this one." Kysre snickered and then started singing. "You know your daddy's home, and it's time to play."

"Kysre, please!" I bickered while reading the next text from Crown.

Crown

Come outside. You got two minutes, or I'm coming in to make brain Bolognese.

Standing from the table, I grabbed Kysre's wrist and yanked her up.

"I'm sorry about this, Mitchell, but I have to go," I announced.

Before he could get a syllable out, Kysre and I were already moving toward the front of the restaurant.

"Where is he?" Kysre asked as we stepped outside.

"Four."

The sound of my name in that low growl sent a chill racing down my spine. I spun to the left, and there he was. I smiled hard as hell and ran straight into Crown's arms.

"I missed you," he said, locking eyes with me.

The emotions hit too fast, too hard. I couldn't speak and could barely breathe.

Missed me?

I pulled back, my hands balled into fists against his chest.

"You missed me?" I stated, voice shaking. "You left me, Crown. You just fucking disappeared!"

Tears poured out faster than I could stop them.

"You promised me forever and then left like I meant nothing!" I sobbed, hitting his chest over and over. "I needed you, and you left me! You left me!"

Crown caught my wrists gently, pulling me close again. "I know," he murmured, and that made it worse.

"You—" I felt something sharp prick the side of my neck. My hand instinctively shot up. "What the f?—"

The world started spinning before I could finish. My legs went weak, and my vision blurred, as if shadows were closing in around me.

"Wha-what did you do?" I slurred, barely able to keep my eyes open.

Crown caught me as I slumped forward, one arm locked around my waist.

His voice was soft, low, but firm enough to echo through the fog in my head. "You better still have that fucking ring on and you looking a little thicker, Four."

My eyes fluttered open to a dim, unfamiliar room that smelled faintly of eucalyptus. I couldn't tell if it was the middle of the night or the heavy curtains drawn across the windows making everything so dark.

My head throbbed as my body started to tingle. I shifted, blinking hard to focus. I looked down, realizing I was on a couch with a blanket somewhat thrown over me.

"I miss you."

Crown's voice came back to me along with everything that happened. Crown had pricked me with something, and Syn did the same to Kysre.

"Crown!" I croaked.

I looked around the room as best as I could until my eyes landed on him. He was across from me, standing stiffly with his back to me, and staring out the window.

"Crown!" I repeated, forcing the word through the scratch in my throat.

I tried sitting up, but the wave of nausea rolling through me forced me back down.

"Are you done with your past, or do I have to feed Grim and Ghost his bones?" he asked without a glance in my direction.

"You drugged me, and you have the nerve to ask me about a nigga who doesn't matter."

All the anger I felt since Sincere became a topic in our relationship came flooding back.

"That's not an answer, Four. I need you to say it. Your past doesn't matter to you anymore."

Crown's voice was low and strained, but I still heard the ache in his tone. It was the same one I'd been carrying since my birthday.

"I get it now," I mumbled.

"Four—" he started.

"Listen to me, Crown, because what I have to say, you need to hear. If you don't, there won't be an us."

Crown turned away from the window, and when he looked at me, all I saw was a storm brewing in his browns. Fear, regret, and love were swirling like an unwanted tornado.

"Go ahead, Four," he insisted, pressing his lips into a hard line.