“My job,” he whispered against her hair, “is to protect you, but I know one day I’ll have to let go. I just pray the person you hand your heart to is worth everything I tried to build inside of it.”
“I know, Daddy,” she whispered. “I know that.”
He kissed the top of her head and squeezed her in a tight hug. Then, he stood, walked around her bed, and paused at her bedroom door. She remained seated but turned her body to look at him fully.
“Get some sleep,” he said gently, then added with a smile, “and tell your little friend, that boy, that if he breaks my little Princess’ heart, I’ll break his fucking legs.”
“Jesus, Daddy!” she exclaimed.
“I’m serious,” he continued. “Don’t let the suits and the nice home we live in fool you, baby girl. I’m still from the east side. Warren and McDougall. Better ask these niggas about me.”
She stood then. “Daddy! Oh my God, I get it. I said I get it!”
Her father turned the knob, walked out the doorframe, then stood and faced her.
“I hope you know how much I love you, baby girl.”
“I love you too, Daddy.”
Her father then smiled, put his head down, and closed the door.
Princess stood in the middle of her room with her heart pounding. She hadn’t realized she shed a tear until she felt the wet stream that flowed down her cheek. She wiped the tear from her cheek, walked to her bedroom door, then pressed her ear to the door. She heard her father’s faint footsteps near the end of the hall, turn the corner, and waited for the sound of her parents’ bedroom door to shut.
The second she heard it, she clicked the lock button on her door, walked across her room, around her bed to the closet, and yanked the door open.
Zay tumbled out with his hands up. “Yo-yo. I thought he was gonna open it at first. I was about to pass out in that damn closet.”
She pulled him forward and clutched his arm. “Shut up, you’re fine.”
They laughed quietly for a moment, then stared at each other.
Zay broke the awkward glance first and grabbed his flip phone out of his coat pocket. “I gotta call the guys.”
He stepped into the corner, pacing with excitement as he dialed Marcellus first and whispered that Royce 5’9 had just commented on their video. Princess sat on the bed and watched him light up.
She admired how his joy made her feel full. After that talk with her dad, everything clicked. It wasn’t some little crush. She knew Zay was the one.
He turned around and looked at her, still grinning as he spoke to his boy, and she knew he felt something too.
Once he finished, he sat beside her. He flipped his phone closed. The room suddenly seemed dim again.
“You good?” he asked.
“Yeah,” she said softly. “I’m just proud of you.”
Zay stared at her for a moment. “I’m proud of us.”
She leaned in first and brushed her lips over his.
It wasn’t rushed like she’d imagined it would be. It wasn’t loud. It was gentle and knowing. It was the kind of kiss that came after months of trust, quiet glances, and shared dreams.
That night, Princess gave herself to him.
She believed, with all her heart, that Zay would handle her love with care.
And, he had, but only for the next few weeks.
Let the Past Be The Past
