Page 57 of Set me Free

I let out a dry laugh. "Define good."

He smirked slightly. "Let me guess. Yo moms?"

"Who else?” I shuck my head. “And SB too. Shit weird as fuck right now. I don’t think she really in this Bro.”

He shook his head, pushing off the wall and stepping inside. "If there’s one thing I know, it’s that the Bradshaw women love their men hard."

I looked at him, raising a brow. "Oh, so now you the expert?"

He shrugged. "I been with Ari long enough to know it ain’t no halfway with them. When they in, they in. All the way. And you got Serenity locked in, Creed. So, stop stressin’. Everything’s gonna work out."

I sighed, dropping onto the bed, rubbing my hands over my face.

"Shit just feel… off," I admitted.

"That’s ‘cause you overthinking. Just be real with her, man."

"I been real."

"Then trust that she meant what she said when she decided to stay."

I sat there for a second, letting his words settle. Trust, I was trying. But something inside me felt uneasy. And I couldn’t figure out why.

We made it to DC in a little over three hours. We ate dinner as a team before we were assigned to rooms. As always, Brodie and I roomed together. While Brodie was out in one of the other rooms with some of our other teammates, I showered then got in bed so I could make a call.

I stared at the ceiling before I called Serenity. She picked up after a couple rings, her voice soft, tired.

"Hey, Langston."

"Hey, Beautiful."

Silence. Not comfortable silence—the kind we used to have. This was different; hesitant, uncertain even.

"You good?" I asked.

"Yeah," she murmured.

I sighed, running a hand down my face. I was frustrated and I was tired of shit feeling off without me addressing it, so I said; "Look, if you want an out, you got it, Serenity."

"Creed,” Her voice sharpened. "Why the fuck you keep saying that shit?"

I swallowed hard. "I just… I don’t wanna hold you back from somethin’ else."

She huffed, clearly irritated now. "You know what? At this point, it feels like you want me to be out."

I frowned. "What? Hell nah, Serenity, you know that ain’t true."

"Then why do you keep saying that?"

I sighed. "Because shit’s been weird between us."

"Because we’re figuring out how to navigate something complicated," she corrected. "Not because I don’t wanna be here. So, stop trying to push me away, Creed. I’m not planning on going anywhere."

I closed my eyes, her words settling something in me.

"Aight," I murmured.

"Aight?" she teased.

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