I looked at ‘Nelle again before I moved any closer. She was still sittin’ up with her shoulders tense, and tears still fallin’ down her face while she tried to pull herself together.
I climbed in behind her, and moved careful so I ain’t brush against her shoulder wrong, then I reached around her and pulled her back into me, lettin’ her settle where she needed to instead of me tryna force it.
Her body eased into mine like she had been holdin’ all that in just waitin’ for somewhere to put it, and the way her hand cameup and grabbed my shirt told me she wasn’t fightin’ it… she was leanin’ into it.
I kept my arm around her, holdin’ her close while she cried it out, not sayin’ too much ’cause I already knew words wasn’t what she needed from a nigga right now.
“You gon’ be straight, ‘Nelle,” I said low after a minute, my voice close to her ear. “Ain’t nobody gon’ do shit else to you while I’m out here.”
She tightened her grip on my shirt a lil’ more when I said it, and I felt that shift in her. I felt how she started to come down from that panic and ease into somethin’ calmer. Her breathin’ slowed, her body relaxed against mine, and she stopped fightin’ whatever was runnin’ through her head.
I stayed right here with her. I ain’t move or loosen my hold on her. I just kept her tucked into me until she wore herself out and drifted off like that.
With her laid up against me, my arm around her and my gun sittin’ on the dresser, I already knew one thing for sure.
Sha’Nelle wasn’t layin’ here scared no more.
When I woke up, Sha’Nelle was still in my arms snorin’ like she lost her damn mind, and I ain’t even gon’ lie, my arm felt dead as hell under her, but I let her have it anyway.
I stayed here for a minute, lookin’ down at her while she slept, payin’ attention to how calm she looked compared to how she had been the last night. She had cried herself out in my chest until she knocked out, and at some point, her whole body just settled into me like she finally felt safe enough to let go. Myarm was numb, my shoulder tight and my fingers barely feelin’ anything, but I ain’t move right away ’cause I already knew what this sleep meant for her.
After a while, I carefully slid my arm from under her, takin’ my time so I wouldn’t wake her up, and when she shifted, I paused just long enough to make sure she ain’t fully come up out her sleep.
When she didn’t, I sat up on the edge of the bed and rolled my shoulder, tryna get the feelin’ back while I glanced around the room.
She woke up not too long after, movin’ slow and careful even though she tried to make it seem like she wasn’t. I caught that quick wince she tried to hide when she sat up, but I ain’t press it. I just looked at her for a second before speakin’.
“You straight?” I asked.
“I’m good,” she said, already slidin’ her legs off the bed.
She made her way to the bathroom, and I leaned back against the headboard, pickin’ up my phone for a second before I heard hers goin’ off from the dresser.
That shit ain’t stop either. It kept buzzin’ back to back, like whoever was callin’ wasn’t about to let it go. I glanced over at it, watchin’ the screen light up again and again while the sound echoed off the walls, and by the time the water cut off in the bathroom, I was already tuned in.
A few seconds later, ‘Nelle came back out, dryin’ her hands on the side of her robe while her phone was still goin’ off on the dresser. She looked at it for a second before pickin’ it up.
“Hello?” she answered m, her voice still a lil’ rough.
I watched her face while she listened, and it ain’t take long before I saw somethin’ change in her expression. Her brows pulled together, her mouth parted and whatever she was hearin’, it had her attention locked in.
“What?” she asked, her tone changin’ quick.
She looked over at me, and without sayin’ it, I already knew she wanted me to hear it too. She tapped the screen and put the call on speaker, settin’ the phone down on the bed.
“Say that again,” she said.
Her friend started talkin’, her voice fast, like she had been sittin’ on some information too long.
“I ain’t even wanna call you with this,” she said, “but I heard somethin’ last night, and I can’t just sit on it.”
Sha’Nelle’s fingers tightened around the edge of the bed.
“What you heard?” she asked, and I could hear that tension creepin’ into her voice.
“I heard Kwest talkin’,” the girl said. “He was talkin’ to my baby daddy, and at first I wasn’t payin’ attention, but then he started sayin’ yo’ name.”
Sha’Nelle froze.
