Page 44 of River & Crown
"Nigga, I'll kill you and keep driving with yo' cranium smeared on the window."
"Cortez!" Four shrieked.
"Nah, it's cool, River. This nigga knows they didn't stop making crazy niggas when they made his ass," Rize shot back.
I chuckled. "Yeah, ight. Nigga, close your ears like I said."
"Fuck you! I already said I'm not on what you and Four are on."
"Oh, and what are we on?" she smacked.
"Love," Rize answered shortly.
I kept quiet, waiting to see how Four planned to play it. The car was quiet, but my heart pounding against my ribs echoed in my ears. It was crazy how Four's opinion on something as simple as the notion of love caused my chest to tighten.
"What's wrong with love?" she quizzed.
"Nothing if that's what you're looking for. I'm twenty-three. I don't see much outside of millions in my future, and I'm not talking about measly seven figures either."
"That's understandable, but what's the point in making all that money, putting your life on the line for it, and having no one to share it with? The joys you experience as a single man become more profound when you find your missing piece. Laughter feels richer, moments are more meaningful, and your purpose shifts because finally filling in that missing piece awakens something new and exciting in yourself. Love doesn't add to your happiness. It multiplies it, turning an ordinary day into something special."
Hearing Four speak so eloquently about love and how having someone special can shift your world off its axis left me wondering.Was I the missing piece she spoke of? If I were, why was it so hard for her to love me?
"I hear you, Four, and all that sounds good. I'm just not there yet. I see how Wolfe is about Chosyn and how Honor is about Navy, but I'm not ready for none of that shit, and their relationships are subtle compared to how Crown is with you. All y'all are some crash-outs. Being a crash dummy isn't appealing to me. Aside from that, there's no point in me dragging a perfectly good girl through the mud. That's foul, and I don't play with hearts like that."
"Oh." Her voice fell flat as if what Rize said resonated with her more than she was expecting it to.
"Ight, stop talkin' to my girl, nigga," I joked to lighten the mood.
Rize sucked his teeth and continued smoking as I disconnected my phone from the dash and brought it to my ear.
"Aye, you good?" I asked. Four was quiet, but her silence echoed loudly.
"Uh yeah... um, I'm fine."
"You ready for your race?"
"I mean, yeah, but I'm thinking about not going." She sighed, still missing the light in her voice.
"Why not?"
"I don't know. I found out some things about the twins that are throwing me off. Plus, I have this feeling I can't shake."
"Nah, you not about to give in to some bitch ass feeling. You're muthafuckin' Four. Ms. Flow with the speed of the streets."
"Crown, please." She giggled softly. Her voice was playful, and without seeing her face, I knew a smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
"Nah, don't downplay your greatness. Why do they call you River?" I asked, needing to remind her that she was everything she thought she was.
"Crown, I am not?—"
"Why do they call you River?" I growled, letting her know this wasn't the time for her to be defiant.
"They call me River 'cause just like water, I'm fucking unstoppable. I drive as smoothly as the curve of a stream, and my reflexes are sharp like the rapids."
"Right." I smirked. "In the chaos of the streets, you have one rule. Stay ahead, keep the flow, and never let the current catch up. Stop fuckin' playing like you're not her. You're the greatest woman to grace this earth, Four. Never let that truth escape your heart."
"Thank you, Cortez," she simpered.
