Page 33 of Rose

S — Scars

"Not all wounds bleed. Some burn beneath the surface, unseen but never forgotten."

“You said you don’t give a fuck about my wife’s beauty sleep?” Savior’s voice was calm—deadly calm—as it rang out from the speakerphone, slicing through the early morning silence.

Ahzii stirred beside him, eyes fluttering open, her body still draped in the sheets. She blinked in confusion, the sound of his voice and her phone pulling her into wakefulness.

“Nigga, I’ll slap yo big ass. That is not what I said,” Sarai fired back without missing a beat.

“That’s what the fuck it sounded like.” Savior’s reply was low and final, his tone laced with heat and ice all at once.

Ahzii sat up, sleep still clinging to her lashes, watching him sit at the edge of the bed—her phone in one hand like it belonged to him.

Savior sat shirtless, grey sweats hanging low on his hips, a durag tied over his waves. Ahzii blinked through her sleepy haze, her eyes trailing over his sculpted body as he were going back and forth with Sarai. She knew she shouldn’t admire him like this… but damn, she couldn’t help it.

“Where is Ahzii, and why do you have her phone? I have an appointment with her,” Sarai’s voice snapped through the speaker.

“Oh shit.” Ahzii jolted upright, realizing what she forgot. “Her tattoo appointment.”

Savior didn’t even glance her way. He kept his eyes on the phone, hand already reaching back to gently press her thigh—putting her feet in his lap, stopping her from getting up.

“Your appointment’s not for another hour, Gold. I know my baby’s schedule,” he said flatly, thumb pressing into the arch of her foot like he had all morning. “Stop calling my wife and interrupting our time.”

“Savior—give me my phone.” Ahzii tried to snatch it, but he pulled it just out of reach and switched feet like it was nothing, thumb working a new rhythm across her skin.

“How the fuck do you know—” Sarai started, then paused. “You know what? Nevermind. I called her to talk about her date with Kiyan, but clearly your crazy ass popped up and kidnapped her.”

“She wasn’t on no fucking date.” Savior’s voice was calm but that edge was back. “And I can’t kidnap something that already belongs to me. ”

Ahzii rolled her eyes, reaching again—denied again.

Sarai snorted. “Between you and Sin, y’all both need full-time therapists. Tell my girl to call me when she escapes your possessive ass. I’ll see her at the shop. Oh—and brother?”

“What, person who is uninvited to the wedding?” Savior said dryly, barely blinking.

Ahzii side-eyed him as Sarai burst out laughing. “You’re insane.”

“I love seeing this side of you,” Sarai added softly. “You really do have a heart.”

“And yet you tried to push my heart into another man’s arms,” Savior muttered. “You and your matchmaking gonna have the population declining.”

“Whatever, nigga. Love you. Tell my sister-in-law I love her too. Bye!” Sarai laughed before hanging up.

“She is unhinged too,” Ahzii muttered, shaking her head, still wiping sleep from her eyes.

“Every Carter is, baby.” He leaned back, still massaging her feet with ease. “And soon you will be too—once I change that last name.”

Ahzii chuckled, but her stomach flipped. That flutter wasn’t supposed to happen.

“We need to talk…” she said, her tone shifting.

Savior handed her the phone back and switched to using both hands, his fingers working deep into the arches of her feet like he wasn’t fazed.

“Yeah, we do. Because why you ain’t tell me you had these beautiful ass feet?” he murmured. “I’m over here fighting the urge to put these bitches in my mouth.”

That made her laugh harder than she expected. “Please don’t tell me you got a foot fetish?”

“I got a you fetish,” he said without blinking. “I crave all of you.”

She rolled her eyes, but her heart stuttered—traitorous and soft. “And that’s not a good thing,” she whispered.

He didn’t flinch. Didn’t argue. Just kept massaging like her words didn’t scratch the surface.

“What’s on your mind, Allure?” he asked quietly, letting her know he heard her—he just wasn’t taking the bait.

“It’s bad that you crave me,” she said, thinking he was still hung up on what she said before.

He didn’t correct her, just nodded slowly. “So what is it we need to talk about?” His thumb pressed into the arch of her foot. His voice was patient. Measured. Purposeful.

“I won’t fuck or talk to Kiyan anymore,” Ahzii said, her voice flat but her heart tangled. “But that just means you ’ re taking his place in my life.”

Savior didn’t flinch. Didn’t blink. He just kept massaging her foot in that steady, patient rhythm, then pressed a soft kiss to the top of it.

“I don’t do this,” she added quietly. “And I don’t want to.”

He finally looked at her, eyes still soft, still open like she hadn’t just laid a brick wall between them.

“Do what, Allure?” he asked, like he genuinely wanted to understand.

“The emotional attachment,” she said, voice cracking just slightly.

“The intimate gestures. The slow kisses. The goddamn beach talks. I get that you want to heal me, feel me—whatever the fuck you were saying last night—but I can’t be healed, Savior.

I’m not ready to give you what you want, and I don’t want to lead you on.

I’m too far gone, and if this is more than just sex with no strings, then this needs to be the last time we see each other. ”

Her tone was cold, controlled—but her insides were wild. Fear. Grief. Desire. Hope. All fighting for air in the same drowning chest.

Savior paused… then simply said, “Okay.”

Just like that.

No fight. No argument. No ‘fuck that, you’re mine.’ Just one word.

And it wrecked her.

She blinked, confused and lowkey pissed he didn’t say more. That he didn’t chase her words with that same fierce energy he usually gave. She was relieved , yeah, but also… aching.

“That’s it?” she asked, brows furrowed. “No boundaries? No terms?”

He didn’t answer right away. Just reached forward and pulled her into his lap. She straddled him instinctively, his hands anchoring her hips like he knew she wouldn’t run far.

“Now you ready to hear mine?” he asked.

Ahzii nodded, unsure why her chest suddenly felt like it couldn’t hold all the air it needed.

Savior lifted her chin, made her look him dead in the eyes.

“I’m not stopping shit when it comes to you,” he said, voice low and firm. “You want the dick? You got it—whenever you ask. But I’m still gonna court you. Protect you. Provide for you. And one day, love you like a husband should.”

Her breath caught.

“You can fight it. Be cold. Push me away. Tell me you’re too broken.

I don’t care. I’m not leaving,” he continued.

“You ain’t gotta give me all of you right now.

I’ll be patient while you heal, while you grieve, while you fight your own demons.

But I’m still gonna be there—holding your hand while you do it.

Every scar? I’m standing right beside you while you patch it.

And I’m kissing that shit when you’re done. ”

Her throat tightened, and for the first time, she had no words.

“When you break down, I’ll be your storm shelter. When your past tries to bury you, I’ll be the motherfucker digging you out,” Savior whispered. “So yeah… you can call it just sex. Give me attitude. Tell me you don’t believe in love. That’s fine. I’m still not stopping shit when it comes to you.”

Ahzii sat frozen in his lap, her heart damn near clawing through her chest.

This man wasn’t chasing her.

He was rooted for her.

“Say all that now…” she muttered, trying to keep her composure. “Wait till you see how deep these scars go. You’ll stop trying eventually.”

Savior smirked darkly, then brought his hand down hard on her ass with a smack that made her jolt.

“I’m not trying to save you, Allure,” he said with that deadly softness only he could pull off. “ You ’ ll do that on your own.”

“In other news, chaos erupted outside Dolores Rooftop Restaurant last night when a Ferrari belonging to NBA MVP and Miami Legends star point guard Kiyan Harris suddenly caught fire and exploded. Witnesses say the luxury vehicle was parked just feet from the restaurant entrance when flames engulfed it, triggering a loud blast that sent patrons scrambling. Fortunately, no one was injured, and Kiyan Harris was not in the vehicle at the time. Investigators have yet to determine what caused the fire, but for now, everyone is just grateful no lives were lost in the frightening incident.”

The anchor’s voice droned from the flat screen, slicing straight through their moment. Ahzii’s heart skipped.

The footage replayed on loop. The blast. The fire. The screams.

She wasn’t in the frame, but she didn’t need to be. The flames were still etched in her skin. The heat. The smoke. The screams in her mind . She didn’t just watch it—she relived it.

Ahzii snatched the remote and clicked off the TV, her chest tightening.

Her hand trembled as she dropped it to her side. “I should check on Kiyan,” she muttered. “Make sure he’s alright. I left him there... even though I didn’t have a choice, I still feel—”

“You just had to blow the nigga car up?” she cut herself off, snapping at Savior, heat in her voice now. “Now it’s all over the news, and for what ? Over a damn date?!”

She tried to shift off his lap, but Savior held her in place, calm as hell. Too calm.

“And I’ll do that shit again,” he said, voice low, almost bored . “No hesitation. I gave you a warning. You ignored it.”

“That didn’t mean you had to blow up his fucking car , Savior. He loved that car.”

He raised an eyebrow like he gave a fuck. “His knees still attached to his body?”

Ahzii blinked. “What?”

“His knees, Allure. Are they intact?”

“Yes?” she answered slowly, confused as hell.

“Can he still run up and down the court and play ball?”

Ahzii narrowed her eyes. “Yes.”

“Then I didn’t do enough.”

She stared at him like he lost his mind—again.