This shit wasn’t just about me no more. It wasn’t about layin’ up with my wife whenever I wanted and not thinkin’ past that moment, and about what could come behind it or what it could cost us.
I almost lost my wife bringin’ my child into this world, and that reality hit me in a way nothin’ else ever had.
I knew right then I couldn’t keep movin’ the same way. I couldn’t keep treatin’ this shit like it was just that simple, ’cause Pluto’s life mattered more than anything in the world to me.
I wasn’t ever lettin’ myself forget what this day almost took from me.
Greystone International Airport
One month later…
I was on my way to Trill-Land and I had Couture by my side. Even though everything around me felt calm and put together, my mind had been runnin’ in circles ever since we booked this trip.
We was finally goin’ to celebrate My’Love’s birthday, even if it was a lil’ late, and I couldn’t help but think about why it got pushed back in the first place.
Pluto almost lost her life bringin’ her baby into this world, and that alone had changed everything for everybody.
Wasn’t nobody in they right mind worried about balloons and cake when that shit happened, so the fact that we was evenable to come together now and celebrate felt like a blessin’ in itself.
I sat at the airport with my legs crossed, scrollin’ on my phone while Couture handled the boardin’ passes. Every now and then I would glance up at him just to take him in for a second.
He was so calm, so intentional with everything he did.
Couture ain’t come in my life rushin’ me or tryina force nothin’. He came in clear about what he wanted, and from day one, he made it known that he wasn’t interested in playin’ no games. When he said he wanted me, he said it with his chest, and as soon as I finally gave in, he backed that shit up with actions that didn’t leave me guessin’.
It had been two months since we made it official, and in those two months, he had been consistent in a way that made it hard for me to second guess anything. He checked on me without me havin’ to ask. He showed up when he said he would, and he made sure I felt seen in ways I ain’t even realize I had been missin’ before.
There wasn’t no confusion with him. There wasn’t no space where I had to sit there and wonder what I was to him or where I stood. He made it clear. And after everything I had been through, that clarity meant more to me than anything.
I leaned back in my seat while he walked over and handed me my boardin’ pass, and when I looked up at him, he smiled down at me.
“You ready to see your family, baby?” he asked, his voice low and calm.
“Yeah,” I replied, smilin’ back at him while I grabbed my bag. “I been ready.”
We made our way through the airport together, and I stayed close to him, my hand brushin’ against his arm every now andthen until he finally reached for it and laced his fingers with mine.
That was another thing about Couture. He paid attention, and noticed the little shit. And he responded to it without me havin’ to spell it out.
By the time we got on the plane and settled into our seats, I felt myself relax a lil’ more, leanin’ into him while he rested his hand on my thigh and rubbed it absentmindedly.
I turned my head and looked out the window for a second, watchin’ everything move around us while my thoughts drifted somewhere I ain’t really want them to go.
I knew I was gon’ eventually have to face Renza, and I kept tellin’ myself I ain’t owe him shit. Hell, when he stayed with Reni, and was barely respondin’ to me, he was basically tellin’ me he ain’t owe me shit either.
Me and him had started off so strong that it almost felt unreal, and for a minute, I really thought that shit was gon’ turn into somethin’ solid.
The way he was on me, the way he made me feel and the way we just clicked without effort had me thinkin’ maybe I had finally found my person. But then life did what it always did.
Reni popped up pregnant, and everything changed in a way that I couldn’t ignore no matter how hard I tried to play it cool.
I watched him choose where his attention was goin’, and even though he wasn’t wrong for bein’ there for her, it showed me exactly where I stood without him ever havin’ to say it out loud.
After that, everything between us started feelin’ different. The calls slowed down, and the energy changed. What I was left with was a few texts here and there, good mornin’, good night, and nothin’ in between that made me feel like he was really tryna build somethin’ with me.
I wasn’t the type to chase no man down or beg for clarity when his actions already told me what I needed to know. So, I stepped back, and while I was steppin’ back, Couture stepped up.
I shifted in my seat and looked over at him, and when he caught me starin’, he raised his brows a lil’ with a smile.
