Page 43 of Follow Me to Your Heart
“If it’s only temporary, then why are you doing it?”
“Because what my dad said that day was right, Cage. You need time to figure things out for yourself. I know you’re not intentionally hurting me by dragging me along, but this shit hurts. How many times must I tell you before you make a change?”
“Making the change isn’t as easy as you think it is. There’s a lot behind the scenes you don’t know about. A lot you don’t see. I keep you protected from it because if you knew . . .” He ran his tongue over his top row of teeth and thumbed his nose. “You’re not being patient with me anymore, huh?”
“Patience can run thin.”
Cage walked up on me, standing in between my legs. I could hear how hard his heart thumped in his chest. The warmth coming from his body wasn’t because of the sweatsuit he wore. I slid my hand up his torso, stopping to feel his heart. He closed his eyes, and more tears poured from them. We were both weak, but I prayed what Taylor said was true: The situation at hand would only make us stronger.
Eyes open, Cage gazed into mine and asked, “You really want to do this, huh?”
“Want? No. Need? Yes.”
Slowly, he bobbed his head before softly pressing his lips against mine. The saltiness from his tears lingered on my mouth when he pulled away and cupped my face.
“I love the fuck out of you, Korren. This shit is killing me, but you’re right. It’s not fair of me to drag you along while I figure shit out. You do know this changes nothing, right?”
“What do you mean?”
“This break doesn’t change the fact you’re mine, and I’m yours. This break doesn’t change the fact I’ll lose my mind behind you. This break doesn’t change the fact we’re together. You can call it a breakup or whatever you want, but it doesn’t apply to me. All I’m doing is respecting the fact you need space and time to think while I get my shit together. You’re opening my eyes to some things I’ve been too blind to see and too scared to step on, but you better believe I’m not going anywhere.”
I’d always known Cage was a little on the crazy side, but the kiss he placed on my forehead before he walked away sent a chill down my spine. With each step he took, a piece of me went with him. Deep down, I knew our breakup wasn’t final, but it didn’t stop the agony residing in the place he was supposed to be.
A week had passed,but I swore it felt like an eternity.
I sat outside of Korren’s school, watching as she got in the car with Taylor to head home. Call me crazy, but I’d been keeping check on her. If I wasn’t at the same location as her, I was checking it from my phone. I hadn’t been right since she called herself taking a break, and in my soul, I felt she hadn’t been either.
I trailed behind Taylor until we arrived at Korren’s apartment. She parked, and they got out. Immediately, Korren turned around and waved at me. It wasn’t a surprise that she’d noticed me. She did every time because it wasn’t like I was trying to hide. I wanted her to see me, for her to know I meant what I said. I wasn’t going anywhere.
After they made it safely inside, I pulled off to go meet with Keith at the house we’d bought. He pulled the trigger without consulting me any further after I walked out of the last meeting, but he also made sure to include me. Keith was a real one, and I owed him.
The house was located on the corner of 5thStreet. It was around the way from the house I grew up in. The layout was three bedrooms with one and a half bathrooms. It was an open space floorplan where the kitchen and living room connected. I thought it was perfect for a single mother who needed her own. Or even a small family who couldn’t quite afford the dreamhouse they desired. Either way, it was my goal to do for them.
Keith was there waiting for me. I spoke to the people outside before going inside to find Keith in the kitchen. He was on the phone, so I dapped him up and let him finish his conversation. I explored the house, envisioning exactly how I desired for each room to be. The shit was scary, to be honest, but I could no longer allow fear to hinder me.
“What you think, man?” Keith asked as I rejoined him in the bare, gutted kitchen.
I whistled. “It needs some work, but I’m ready to see our vision come to life.”
“Yeah, me too. The best thing we can do is put our minds together and get to it. I know we’re going to kill this, Cage. The reason behind it is the reason we’re going to thrive.”
“To be real, Keith, if we don’t make a dime off this, I’m set for years. To know we’re going to help the people like us, the people who raised us, is enough for me. I appreciate you, for real. I know I’ve apologized for my actions, but I feel I can’t say it enough. Regardless, you had my back, and that shows how real you are. I’ve said it before, but I’m ten toes down on this shit this time. I’m ready.”
Keith dapped me up, pulling me in for a brotherly hug. “It’s because I’ve always seen what you didn’t. I hate Korren had to be the one to pull it out of you the way she did, but things happen for a reason.”
“You’re right. She gave me the wake-up call I needed. After my talk with O’Shea later, I should officially be done with the streets. I already told Red to expect to take my spot.”
“What was his response?”
“You know he was cool with it. He wasn’t too happy about me leaving, saying how I shouldn’t let a woman dictate my life choices. I didn’t even try to explain myself. I let him rant.”
Red and I were no longer on the same path, and I was cool with it. He would always be my boy because we got it out the mud together. We’d been friends for years, and he’d never done me wrong, but my mindset had changed. My life had changed. Until his did, he wouldn’t understand where I was going. I’d always have love for him, but our friendship wouldn’t be the same.
“I figured.” Keith chuckled with a shake of his head. “I like Red. He’s a good dude, but it’s okay to outgrow people and situations. That’s what’s going on with you now. You can still have love for people without being in the same predicament.”
“My thoughts exactly. When I started running the streets, I knew I didn’t want to do it forever. It was quick and easy money for me to turn my mama’s life around. I was able to do that plus more. It’s time for me to do something different. I’m still young. I don’t want to lose my life at an early age because I was too afraid to do what my heart was calling me to do. Like I said, I owe it to you and Korren for helping me.”
“Nah. You owe it to yourself. You’re the one who came up with it and felt moved to act on it. We just gave you the push you needed. Now, let’s talk business. What you got in mind for our first project?”
