Page 12 of Krash & Bern

He smirked. “I know. I’m the best cuddle buddy.”

“You’re also a headache, but I love you.”

“I love you, Bern. You’re the only family I have. I don’t ever want to lose you.”

I didn’t want to lose him either. I’d never want to ruin the bond we worked so hard to build. If we ever broke up, I prayed we’d remain friends because I wasn’t sure how life would treat him on his own.

“What time is your first class? Do you want me to drop you off on campus on my way to the gym?” he offered as we stood from the bed together.

“You can. I wanted to stop by the coffee shop and get a caramel Frappuccino, though.”

“Just coffee? You don’t want to eat a meal?”

“I can survive off a large Frappuccino until lunch,” I explained.

He shook his head and smacked his lips, an obvious sign of his dislike for my plan. “Man, we gon’ get you at least a McMuffin or something.”

“Fine, but I don’t want to be late, so we better get up early.”

“I don’t know why you chose such early ass classes anyway. A nigga like me be on campus from ten to two, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays only. You supposed to finesse the system.”

“I didn’t have much of a choice. The best professors don’t have many openings in their schedule. Unfortunately, I’m on campus Monday through Thursday from eight o’clock in the morning until three. Then, I do my extracurriculars with the computer nerds.”

“It’s crazy to me how I fell in love with a geek,” Krash commented. “You really nerd out on me all the time, but for some reason, the shit be sexy as hell.”

I rolled my eyes. “On everything I love, I’ll beat your ass. I don’t care how powerful of a punch you pack, you finna catch these hands.”

“I love it when you get violent, baby.” He picked me up as if I were weightless.

“Put me down, Keyshawn.”

“Bernice, I’m not trying to argue with your grumpy ass. We’re finna get in the shower and enjoy our first night in our apartment together.”

I didn’t object because he’d already walked with me in his arms to the bathroom. He placed me on my feet and turned on the shower while I grabbed fresh towels.

Life with Krash had always been about support, love, and patience. We were each other’s safe spaces. He brought me solace and comfort when I put too much on my plate. He was my breath of fun air, and I kept him in line as best as I could. It was a beautiful partnership that I felt would lead to a happily ever after.

We’d seen each other at our worst. When we were both flourishing in our careers, we’d be able to start a family, pop out some babies, and live happily ever after.

Right. Left.

Right. Right.

Left. Duck.

I went through the training with my coach, Larry Jackson, and his son, Gary. I’d been feeling some type of way all week, so the training would be the release I needed to let go of the weight on my shoulders.

My feet were as light as feathers as I bounced around the ring, going through defensive workouts as well as offensive combinations to try in my next match in a few weeks. I’d gotten lost in my thoughts as my mind traveled back to the last couple of days.

Moving in with Bern was cool in theory, but now… with college taking us on different courses, I was afraid of what would come of our relationship. I’d hardly spoken more than a dozen words to her since classes started. The first morning, we woke up, ate breakfast together, and parted ways when we got to campus. She didn’t come home until well after eight o’clock at night. A nigga had come home hoping to be greeted by a home-cooked meal and the warmth of his girl, but she’d been out with her nerdy ass friends and didn’t make time for her man. Every evening I’d come home and was greeted with a cold, empty apartment. Shit was getting old fast.

My anger wasn’t with the fact Bern had a life outside of our relationship. I loved that she found a group of people who liked the same things she liked and could nerd out with her. However, we made a promise to always come home and have dinner together and go to bed together. For the last four days, I’d been in bed alone, while she tiptoed into the apartment late or spent several hours in her office.

She had me feeling like a bitch. She was nineteen years old, experiencing college shit, so I should have accepted the facts as they were and gave her grace, butfuck.

My gloved hand swung and contacted the pads Coach LJ was holding.

“Krash, what the hell is your problem?” he asked with a deep frown on his aged face.

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