Page 52 of Love's Free Will

I nodded, eyes scanning the sea of bodies vibin’ to a track I made outta pain. “That’s wild.”

But inside? I was torn. I was happy as fuck that Westlake Ave had been doing good since it dropped a week ago. I didn’t even know it was dropping until I heard it play on the radio. Logan hadn’t told me shit, but when I called him, he told me Lux had heard it and told him we needed to drop it ASAP. And he was right, it had been doing numbers ever since.

The other half of me though, the one so deeply connected to the woman that stood in front of me smiling was fucked up. She had one week left. Back to life without me. And maybe I was frontin’, actin’ like that didn’t fuck me up. But it did.

I ain’t even wanna think about that flight yet, that trip to get her to the airport with all her shit. I kept tellin’ myself I’d cross that bridge later. Hell, maybe I’d fly out there. Post up in LA for a while. Stay at her spot. Be on some real…relationshipshit. The thought alone made my chest tighten. I’d never done that with no woman before. But Averi wasn’t just any woman.

I felt someone wrap their arms around my waist—Averi. She stood on her tiptoes but even that only got her to the top of mychest, so I bent down to her level causing her to goofy ass to giggle, lips brushin’ against my ear.

“I’m ready,” she whispered.

Fuck. My favorite two words that came from her pretty ass pouty lips besides when she was moaning my name. I looked over to King, who was surrounded by a pack of IG baddies, his arm slung around two of ‘em like he was already halfway home.

“I’m out,” I told him.

He raised an eyebrow. “Already?”

I nodded. “You know why.” I tipped my chin toward Averi.

He smiled and stood up, dapping me hard. “I get it, lil bro. Do your thing. You did that shit tonight, man. Whole album’s pressure. I'm proud of you.”

I nodded, emotions lowkey swellin’ up behind my shades. “Appreciate you. Couldn’t have done it without you.”

“We been doin’ this shit together since day one,” he said, squeezing my shoulder. “Just remember that. I got you always.”

I nodded again; throat thick.

“Ayo, Zay,stay with him. I’mma take the ladies back.” Zay gave me a quick nod, already positioning himself near King as a buffer between him and the growing crowd.

I grabbed Averi’s hand, Egypt right behind us. We slid out the back through the artist’s exit, away from the cameras and chaos. The night air was thick, humid, smellin’ like sweat and spilled Henny, but it felt good against my skin.

We piled into the black Escalade. Averi curled into my side, head on my chest, legs tossed across mine. Egypt was already half-asleep next to us.

As the car pulled off, I exhaled deeply, lookin’ out the tinted window at the blurred neon lights and fast cars. I should’ve felt nothing but joy. The album was done. The club went crazy. I had the baddest woman in the room ridin’ home with me. But this strange heaviness sat in my chest.

One week left.One week until everything changed again.

When we got to our building, we all piled into the elevator. Egypt was barely holding up, stumbling in and then holding on tight in the corner, Averi was so busy laughing at Egypt that she herself started to stumble until I pulled her against my chest, wrapping my arm around her waist holding her steady.

When we got to the 15thfloor, Egypt stumbled out of the elevator and was already halfway to Averi’s apartment by the time I stepped off the elevator to make sure she got there okay. I had Averi’s goofy ass hold the elevator until I made sure she got inside safe before jogging back and then she and I took it to the 17thfloor.

After I unlocked the door and opened it, shit was on and poppin. We ain’t even make it to the bedroom. Clothes came off at the door. Lips on lips. Hands all over. Her skin tasted like cocoa and champagne. I needed all of her. And she gave it. Loud and soft at the same time.

By the time we made it to the bed, we were tangled in sheets, breathless, high off lust, sativa and tequila. As she rode my dick, my hand went around her neck before I pulled her down so I could taste her lips.

“Fuck.” I groaned once her feet sat flat on either side of me as she bounced up and down, pussy walls squeezing the fuck out of my dick. “Just like that baby, ride this dick.” I sat up and kissed her again, sucking and biting her bottom lip. “That’s it baby, give me all that shit.”

“Oh God.” She moaned her head falling back. She stared at the ceiling, still bouncing, still riding, pulling my nut out of me until we both erupted; her guts full of my seeds and my stomach wet with her juices.

Thank God for birth control, which we established she had implanted in her arm after the first time I ran up inside of her raw. That shit was reckless as hell for both of us, but afterconfirming the birth control and sharing test results on MyChart with each other shit was on and poppin from there.

Averi collapsed on top of me, and I rubbed her hair out of her face before kissing her. My heart was racing, a sheen of sweat enveloping both of us, dick still inside of her. I grabbed the blanket and pulled it over our bodies wrappin my arms around her. It wasn’t long after that, that my baby was snoring, fast asleep.

Before my own eyes closed I couldn’t help but think how good this felt. How good it felt to have her in my arms, in my bed and deep in my heart. I had never felt a love like this before.

I was dead asleep.

Averi laid across my chest, soft and warm, her legs tangled with mine under the covers. Her steady breathing was soothing me deeper into sleep, and for the first time in a long time, I felt at peace.

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