Page 55 of Rose

Sin stood next, already shaking his head.

“Man, thirty-three. Nigga, you old,” he joked, making everyone laugh.

“But you always been old—even when you wasn’t supposed to be.

You carried the weight of this family. The blood.

The sweat. The tears. And you didn’t complain not once.

” He paused, swallowing hard, the humor falling away.

“You more than my brother.” His voice cracked.

“Like Gold said… you my hero. All them times you let me experiment on you, tear up the house, get beat for my mess and never once blamed me.” He shook his head.

“You took hits for me that I could never pay you back for. The reason I’m successful today?

Is because of you. Because of your sacrifice, your love, your protection.

I love you, big bro. And just know—the shit you do for me never gets overlooked.

” They locked hands and pulled into their signature handshake, a moment only brothers could share.

Macho followed, then Aunt Marley, then Olivia, each of them reading their own cards, offering words soaked in love, gratitude, and truth.

Each voice added another layer to the man sitting at the center of it all.

A man who had carried everyone for so long.

Ahzii watched the way his jaw clenched, how he blinked slower, eyes glassy but dry.

Tears threatened, but Savior didn’t let them fall.

When the last person sat down, silence settled briefly, thick with emotion. Savior turned to her, that crooked grin playing on his lips, eyes burning with something deep. “Thank you,” he said, leaning over to kiss her lips in front of everyone, not caring who watched.

And in that one kiss, she felt everything he couldn’t bring himself to say.

After dinner, the room shifted into easy mingling.

Laughter echoed between flashes of cameras as family and friends huddled for pictures, drinks refilled, and joy spilled from every corner.

Off to the side, Ahzii stood quietly, sipping her drink, eyes never straying too far from Savior.

He was laughing, smiling, surrounded by his people.

It was the kind of peace she never thought she’d see painted across his face.

The kind of peace she never thought she could give.

“I can’t believe it.” Kyre’s voice cut into her thoughts as she appeared at her side, sipping from a short glass.

“What?” Ahzii asked, not looking away.

“You found love again.”

Ahzii laughed, shaking her head. “You and Ma with this love thing again…”

Kyre raised her brow, waiting.

“I like Savior. I care about him. But calling it love this soon is—”

“Scary,” Kyre finished for her. Their eyes met. Ahzii didn’t have to nod. She just sipped and let the silence fill what didn’t need to be said.

“You think I’m replacing William?” she finally asked, her voice low, fragile.

“No.” Kyre’s answer came quickly. “I think you’re healing. Slowly, and probably against your own will. But you’re making room again. That’s not replacement, Zii… that’s evolving.”

Ahzii looked back at Savior, who was now cheesing in a photo with Sin and Macho, Mazi throwing up peace signs behind his head. Her chest tightened, the conversation tugging at something she tried to keep buried.

“I thought I saw William today. At the park.”

Kyre turned sharply, her expression falling. “The visions are back?”

“I haven’t had one in weeks,” Ahzii said, voice soft. “But this wasn’t a vision. It felt real. Like... too real. He was just standing there. Watching.” She swallowed hard, replaying the image again in her head. “Why today? Why now when I’m finally getting to a place where I’m healing?”

“Because that’s what healing does,” Kyre said gently. “Sometimes, it scares the parts of you that only knew survival. Your mind is catching up to your heart, and your heart’s scared as hell to admit that William is really gone… and you might’ve found love with another man.”

Ahzii didn’t respond right away. She just stared across the room, where Savior was now leaning against the bar, drink in hand, locked in conversation with A’Mazi.

“So you and my sister?” A’Mazi asked, sipping slow, his tone unreadable.

Savior chuckled. “Nigga, just ask me what you really wanna ask me.”

“I know y’all fucking,” A’Mazi said bluntly. “But this don’t look like no casual shit. You love her? ”

Savior choked on his drink, coughed, then laughed, the sound shaky. “Damn. I see how y’all twins for real.” He paused, glancing at Ahzii as she laughed with Aunt Marley and Kyre again. “Yeah,” he finally admitted, the word tasting foreign but right. “I do.”

It was the first time he’d said it out loud. He didn’t know what love felt like for most of his life, but whatever he felt for Ahzii—this pull, this need, this deep, unshakable peace—it had to be it.

“I already knew you did. Just had to hear you say it. All I ask is don’t break her. She already been shattered once. She gave everything to a man who died and left her drowning in the pieces. I can’t let her go through that shit again.”

Savior looked him in the eyes, not blinking. “I can’t speak for her past. But I promise you this… I’ll give her a better future. I’ll kill myself before I ever hurt Allure.”

A’Mazi studied him for a moment. Then nodded. “Aight. I approve.”

Savior exhaled, but before he could speak, his phone buzzed. A text lit up the screen.

Allure: My boundary, Sav. I need you.

His reply was instant.

Sav: Let’s go.

Their eyes met across the room, like they always found each other even when the world was spinning.

“I’m about to get out of here,” Savior said, finishing his drink.

“Go head,” A’Mazi smirked, watching his sister hug everyone goodbye.

Savior made his rounds, thanking everyone who came, embracing the love that surrounded him for the first time in his life. But the moment he stepped outside beside her, hand gently grazing the small of her back, he knew—this night, this woman, this love—was changing everything.

???

Savior stood blindfolded outside the door of the hotel room, his hands loosely tucked into his pockets, smirking at the mystery Ahzii had been dragging out all day.

It was the final surprise of his birthday, and he had no idea what to expect.

The door creaked open, and her fingers laced with his as she guided him in.

“Stand right here,” she said, positioning him just inside the suite.

He chuckled, leaning closer. “You smell good.”

She pushed his head away, laughing. “Move, boy.”

He grinned as she kissed him, low and slow, making him groan into her mouth. “Another one,” he murmured against her lips.

She laughed, gave him another.

“One more,” he whispered.

With every kiss, she untied the blindfold, but his eyes stayed shut, caught in the moment.

When they finally opened, his breath hitched.

Rose petals coated the floor and bed, gifts scattered everywhere, but none of it mattered.

Not when she stood in front of him in a soft pink lingerie set that hugged every curve like it was made just for her.

She was glowing, her eyes soft, her body artfully wrapped in lace that left nothing to the imagination.

“You like it?” she asked, her voice a bit unsure.

He could only nod, his throat too tight for words.

“I wanted to make this day special for you,” she said as she stepped closer. “When Sarai told me you never celebrated a birthday, it broke my heart.”

His hands found her waist, pulling her flush against him.

“I love you, Allure,” he blurted. No hesitation, no second thought. Just truth.

Her eyes widened at the words, but he saw it, the way her heart cracked open right then. “You don’t have to say it back,” he added quickly. “I know you’re still—”

She cut him off with a kiss, slow and deep, full of everything she hadn’t said yet.

“I didn’t get to read my card to you at dinner. Can I?”

She held up the white card. He smiled and nodded, letting her lead. She pushed him gently to sit on the edge of the bed, straddling his lap as the petals crunched beneath their weight. His hands gripped her waist, grounding her while she held the card like it was more sacred than scripture.

“Savior Carter,” she began, her tone playful. “How can someone name you such a name when you’re completely unhinged?”

He laughed, the sound deep and full of something he hadn’t felt in years.

“But the more I get to know you, I found out why your name is Savior,” she said, her voice growing softer. “I have been burned. Physically. Emotionally. Mentally. I knew what it felt like to be loved, and when that was taken from me, I didn’t think I would ever feel it again.”

His laughter faded, and his eyes locked onto hers, seeing the weight behind every word.

“Then you came. Scary. A lunatic. But sweet. Tall. Handsome. A big-ass giant who forced me to feel things I thought were long gone. You lit fires—literally. You threatened people, killed for me, scared the hell out of me… and somewhere in all that chaos, you started mending pieces of me I didn’t think could ever be touched again. ”

Her eyes glistened, but the tears didn’t fall.

“Loving again is terrifying. But you never pressured me to. These two rings around my neck…” she paused, reaching up to the thin chain that hung between her collarbones, “they’ve been a reminder of a love I thought I’d never experience again. A perfect love. A once-in-a-lifetime kind of love.”

“But since meeting you—this Savior, this chaos—I realized that love can come again. It can look different. It can be louder, messier, but just as real.”

“So, Savior Khaos Carter… I love you too. And I want to show you that by taking off this necklace… and giving my heart to you fully.”

Her fingers unclipped the necklace, her hands steady even as her heart raced.

She reached for the small velvet box on the nightstand, placed the rings inside, and closed the lid. It clicked shut like a chapter finally finding its end.

The room was quiet, the only sound the thrum of both their heartbeats.

Savior reached up and touched her face, thumb grazing the curve of her cheek.

He didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to.

The way he kissed her said everything. This wasn’t just the end of a long day.

It was the beginning of a love neither of them thought they’d live to feel again .

Savior was lost for words as he flipped her over, making her gasp with a breathy laugh. “No more fuck buddy?” he asked, voice low, teasing.

She laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck. “No. I cracked. That dick gon’ have me smiling in mugshots, Sav.”

He barked a laugh, shaking his head. “Unhinged… and I ain’t even changed the last name yet.”

She giggled beneath him, her skin warm, her heart full. Savior swept the gifts off the bed with one arm, because the only gift he cared to unwrap tonight was her. His lips found her neck, slow and reverent.

“I love you, Allure,” he murmured between kisses that made her breath hitch.

“I love you too, Savior,” she whispered, her voice soft, her moan softer.

He looked into her eyes. “As good as you look right now, I just want to lay naked with you.”

“Like… intimacy?” she asked, her voice quiet, almost unsure.

“Yes,” he said, his hand caressing her cheek. “Just for tonight. Because in the morning… I’m tearing this ass up.”

She burst into laughter, burying her face in his chest as he grinned.

“Did you enjoy your birthday?” she asked once her laughter faded, brushing her fingers across his jaw.

“It was the best birthday ever,” he said, no hesitation, just truth.

Her heart swelled at the sincerity in his eyes. “Even if you don’t always feel it… or people don’t say it enough, you are loved and appreciated.”

She leaned in and kissed him, deep and slow, sealing the words with something that went beyond language.

Savior stripped out of his clothes until he was bare, and so did Ahzii, both sliding beneath the sheets until there was nothing between them but skin and breath, warmth and rhythm.

They didn’t make love. Not tonight. They just existed—in each other’s arms, heart to heart, soul to soul—finally feeling and finally admitting the one thing they’d long believed was out of reach.

Love.