Page 77 of Rose
“Shugga, I’m high not deaf. Watch that language,” Bianca scolded, stabbing a piece of pancake with her fork.
“Sorry, Ma,” Ahzii said through a laugh.
Everyone went back to eating and talking, but something in the air had shifted. The joy lingered. The grief hadn’t disappeared—it was still tucked deep in her chest—but today didn’t feel as heavy. No, she wasn’t spending her birthday with her husband or her daughter. But shewassurrounded by people who loved her, who showed up for her, who carried her when she couldn’t stand on her own.
And for now, that was enough.
After breakfast, Sarai and Kyre took Ahzii to get her nails and feet done, followed by a little shopping. When they returned home, the smell of Bianca’s lunch was already filling the air. A’Mazi and Sincere had disappeared earlier to do whatever "guy stuff" consisted of and were back in time to eat. Since A’Mazi had closed the shop for the day, Ahzii didn’t have an excuse to turn down Kiyan’s invitation for her birthday dinner.
Truthfully, if it wasn’t for thetwocookies she ate earlier that had her high and loose-limbed, and the chorus of women in her life—including her own mama—encouraging her to go, she would’ve declined without hesitation. Everyone else was going to the club later, and partying wasn’t in her spirit this year. So dinner with Kiyan felt like the lesser of two evils compared to sitting in her thoughts alone at home.
The black dress she slipped into hugged her frame just right, ending just above her knee and draping over her curves like it was made for her. Her black YSL heels elevated her tall frame, and she kept her boho bun from earlier, just tightened and retouched for polish. As she adjusted her necklace in the mirror, Sarai stood behind her, eyeing her with a grin.
“Bitch, you bad,” Sarai gassed her up. “I see why my brother want every inch of this ass.”
Ahzii cut her a look in the mirror. “Wassup with your brother for real?” she asked, dead serious. “I keep telling his crazy ass to leave me alone and he refuses. He doesn’t know me, but acts obsessed.”
Sarai shrugged, walking over to sit on the edge of the bed. “I’d be lying if I said Savior acts like this with every woman he meets. Truth is, I’veneverseen my brother act like this overanywoman.”
She paused, and Ahzii turned from the mirror, listening as she clipped on her bracelet.
“He grew up different than us. Where me and Sin had freedom to live, love, and mess up, Savior was raised on survival. Our dad didn’t raise him—he trained him.Turned him into a weapon instead of a person. My mom just followed behind my dad’s lead.”
Ahzii felt her chest tighten, her fingers slowing as she absorbed that.
“Savior didn’t get to choose not to love,” Sarai continued. “He wasneverallowed to. No vulnerability, no softness, no feelings. Any woman he dealt with was just a warm body, something temporary. It was all he knew. He was taught to protect, kill, andnever feel.”
Ahzii stood quiet, the jewelry in her hand forgotten as her mind spun. That kind of upbringing… it explained the guardedness, the intensity. It explainedhim.
“I chose not to love because of my family,” Sarai said, softer now. “But Savior? He never even had the option. So when I watch him go out of his mind for you—doing shit that don’t make no logical sense—it trips me out too. But it also shows me my brother has a heart.”
Sarai smiled faintly. “Even if it’s buried under ten layers of crazy. You make him feel something he never got to experience. I know it’s overwhelming... and maybe even dangerous sometimes. But it’s real.”
Ahzii didn’t respond right away. She just stood there in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection but not really seeing it. Her mind drifted to Savior’s kiss, his voice in her ear, the way his hands gripped her like she was the only thing tethering him to earth.
And then back to William.
She didn’t know what to do with all of this. But what shedidknow was that no one had ever looked at her the way Savior did—except one man.
And he was gone.
“He know he could justexpressthat with words instead of stalking, killing, and doing all this other crazy shit, right?” Ahzii asked, side-eyeing Sarai as she slid on a bracelet.
Sarai and Kyre both chuckled.
“My brother was born unhinged, so that’s not shocking. But as wild as it is, that’s his version of expressing feelings. The stalking, the killing, the obsession—it’s all he’s ever known,” Sarai said with a shrug. “But don’t get it twisted, hedoeshave a heart. He just expresses it in real ‘Netflix doc’ ways.”
“Girl, what?” Ahzii blinked at her likesheneeded evaluation now.
“I’m serious! You saw it at my restaurant, and again during breakfast. Don’t count him out just because he’d rather kill to show you how he feels instead of sliding in the DMs like a normal man.”
“Yeah, causethat’sthe bar now,” Kyre muttered.
Sarai just grinned. “Look, I usually don’t co-sign my brothers talking to my friends, but technically he met you first. So I don’t even get a vote. Plus…” she smiled mischievously. “I’m kinda rooting for y’all. I’ve never seen my brother in love before, and I’m dying to see what that even looks like.”
Kyre and Ahzii stared at her likeshewas now the one off her rocker.
“Youliterallyjust convinced her to go out with Kiyan, and now you’re hyping up your brother being in love with her?” Kyre said, sitting up on the bed. “I don’t think she should go anymore. That’s a suicide mission.”
