"Bitch you don't need to piss me off, for real." Leila put her menu down to look at her little sister, seeing how sad she looked.

"You do not miss that man that bad. He gone be home tonight girl." Miri laughed, watching Trinity heavily sigh while staring off into the distance as if she was in a movie.

"Yes I do. And I'm worried about him. So it hurts times two." She stirred her margarita around with the small black straw that it came with, thinking about Amari.

He left two days ago to drive a large amount of drugs from Chicago to Houston which was a 16 hour drive one way, and he went by himself. Crossing so many state lines with enough narcotics to get him multiple life sentences in prison along with driving nonstop there and back had her on the edge. She was so afraid he wouldn't make it back home to her.

She hadn't been able to really speak with him because he left his phone at her house and only took a disposable flip phone with him in case any mishaps ended up happening. They didn't talk on the phone for longer than a half hour or so because her voice made him comfortable enough to fall asleep no matter where he was and it was dangerous to be doing that behind the wheel.

And after leaving Houston, he dumped the phone and was driving back to Chicago with no technology besides his radio so they'd only spoke one time since he'd been away. She missed her man so much. This was the longest they'd been away from each other since their first ever break up.

She wasn't doing good at all.

It was crazy to see her own actions because she used to bully Leila and Miri for acting the same way when they were away from their boyfriends. Now, she knew exactly how they felt and it wasn't funny at all. She felt like she couldn't breathe without Amari.

The girls took her out for dinner tonight to get her out the house and out of her head, but the only thing she could think of was Amari.

"This so cute though. I remember you saying you probably wouldn't settle down with a nigga 'til you was 40 and retired. Look at you—all settled down and shit. I love to see it." Miri cut another piece of her medium rare steak, lifting it to her mouth with a few potatoes.

"Right? I was just telling him that. He thinks I turned his world around but he turned mine around too. My baby got me wrapped around his finger. I feel like I'm 'bouta cry." She rolled her eyes at her own dramatic self, sighing again.

"You probably pregnant." Leila said, and the way her head snapped up so fast made both girls laugh.

"Girl. The fuck I'm not. What's wrong with you—putting that in the air? You know he be nutting in me bitch don't jinx it, foreal." Her frown remained, only making them laugh harder.

"That birth control ain't gon' keep saving you sista. One of y'all hoes need to get off it and take one for the team 'cause it for sho' won't be me." Leila pointed to herself.

"Bitch please. I was made to be the rich auntie." Miri waved her off.

"You know..—,"

"Here she go y'all." Miri cut Trinity off by shaking her head in disappointment, and all three girls laughed again.

"Bitch shut up. For real though. If my man asked me for a baby, hey—who am I to tell him no?" She raised her hands in surrender with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Like on God?"

"On God. I'm so far gone y'all. And the way he be fucking me? It won't be long chile. He be fucking me like that's his end game; getting me pregnant." She blushed just thinking about it before laughing at herself.

"Hoe thinking 'bout how she gon' put that pussy on him when he get home tonight." Leila shook her head again, and Miri and Trinity both laughed in agreement.

"Yup. I'm finna cum all on that dick. Ouuuu y'all gon' hate to hear me coming tonight—literally." She bit her lip as she leaned back in her seat, then she laughed at the looks on their faces.

"I'm so glad the walls ain't thin 'cause I know y'all be fucking like rabbits. Me and my side nigga do too though so it's ok or whatever." Leila bit into her smokehouse brisket burger, sucking the juice off of her finger while they laughed.

"We really don't though, which is crazy now that I think about it. Maybe like every three days or something. He be eating my pussy everyday though. That boy won't let me go to sleep without getting head."

"I literally love that for you, what the fuck." Miri raised her hand to give her a high five, making her smile.

"You sucked dick yet?" Leila asked.

"No." She laughed. "He never lets me. He literally asked one time and that was way back when granny 'nem met him, so I didn't get to do it. He only be focused on me. I ain't complaining though; sucking dick scare me."

"Ion know why. Seeing yo' man get off probably make yo' pussy wetter than if he was actually fucking you. That's why Maine be up my ass the way he do, be sucking that mufucka' err' day." Miri shrugged.

"On god sista." It was Leila's turn to high five her next, making Trinity laugh.

"I'ma try it one of these da—hey, excuse me, can we get to-go boxes and the check please?" Trinity stopped their waitress that was about to walk past them, and the lady nodded with a smile.

"I'm paying." Miri took one more sip of her strawberry lemonade before reaching into her purse.

"No you not bitch you paid last time. I got it." Leila pushed her purse down just as the check was placed on the table. Trinity quickly slipped her card into the pocketbook, wrote down her tip amount and gave it back to the lady before either of them could do the same.

"Bitch why the fuck would you do that?" Leila frowned at her.

"Girl shut up and say thank you."

"Y'all know, we really such a good friend group. We don't even know what splitting a tab means. Ain't no way we just fought over the check and I know that shit was at least two hundred dollars." Miri laughed at Leila's genuine attitude while packing up her food.

"Seriously. And we ain't never posted each other panties or nothin'. And we always make it back from every trip." Trinity agreed.

"Speaking of, we overdue for one, ain't we? And since we all got a nigga now, we can do a baecation and you won't feel left out this time." Leila gestured to her little sister.

"Plan it Mir. Immediately. I gotta be the first bitch to take my man out the country." She grabbed her card and the receipt, and both Leila and Miri put a twenty dollar bill on the table to leave a $40 cash tip on top of the $50 that Trinity already paid for with her card.

They always tipped heavily whenever they went out to eat because they knew they were a handful as a group. They never just ordered one meal; they each ordered anything they wanted to try on the menu plus a round of alcoholic drinks on top of their normal beverages, so a tip was the least they could do.

Anyway, once they made it back home, Trinity came out of her heels to give her pinky toes a breather and carried them back to her bedroom with her to-go box and purse in tote. She couldn't leave her food in the kitchen because Terrance loved eating everybody's leftovers and she actually wanted to finish her food this time.

In the midst of her undressing, her bedroom door opened and she turned around expecting to see one of the girls. When she saw that it was Amari, she squealed in excitement and literally jumped into his arms for him to pick her up.

"I missed the fuck out you girl." He shifted her up against his body, kissing her face while her fingers ran through his dreads.

"I missed you soooo much! You look so tired love." She pouted at his red eyes, leaning forward to give him a kiss once his lips puckered out for her.

"I'm good. How you been? You aight?" He sat down on the tufted upholstered bed ottoman, keeping her in his lap.

"No I been stressed without you. I missed you so much."

"I missed you more baby. I brought you some money. That make up for it?" He tilted her head back for another kiss, then kissed the corner of her mouth.

"No. You make up for it. I just wanna lay with you and smell you and kiss you and hug you." She chuckled, rubbing over his arms and his neck, just enjoying the feeling of his skin.

"Will you have to do that again? Can I go with you next time." She groaned in annoyance at the thought without even waiting on his answer.

"Ion know mama. That was good money. Ion think I could pass it up if he asked me again." He chuckled, still kissing all over her.

"How much you make?"

"Well he paid for gas there and back and I still made it home on a full tank—and the actual payout was $13,000. Nigga in Houston gave me another two for getting it there without no issues. So fifteen bands." He told her, and her eyes widened in shock.

"Y'all hiring?" She asked, and a smile graced her face when he laughed.

"That's so good baby. I mean, money wise. I don't like the job but I'm glad you got paid good. For only two days of work, too. It takes me three months to make that." She smiled, picking a piece of fabric out of his hair.

"I brought it back home for you. How much you want?" His arms slid all the way around her waist and his eyes found hers.

"None. You earned it. I'm fine. I'm just glad you made it back home to me. I was worried." She told him, watching him reach down into his left pocket.

He pulled out three fresh stacks that looked straight out of the bank, each of them having a brown tag on them with the label of $5,000. He counted out a little over half of one stack and held it out for her to grab, meeting her eyes again when she tucked her arms between the two of them.

"I don't want it love."

"It ain't dirty money. I just withdrew this." He told her.

"I believe you. I still don't want it. I want you to invest in something. Use it for that." She gently pushed his hand away from her, watching a small frown take over his face.

"Take it. I'ma invest the rest. Pay yo' mortgage for this month."

"You paid this month's and next month's bills last week Amari. I don't want it." She said again, chuckling at how he refused to take no for an answer.

"I'ma Zelle it to you and block you on the app so you can't send it back." He continued frowning at her, making her laugh. She took it from him and wrapped her arms back around him for a hug, kissing the side of his face.

"Thank you love. You such a provider. I love that about you. I don't want for nothing, literally." She tucked the money into her bra for now, holding a smile on her face.

She was seriously teaching herself to watch what she said out loud around him in regard to things she wanted to buy because he would pop up with it for her the next day. It was to the point where she was receiving deliveries every single day—on top of the packages she ordered for herself. She knew the mailman hated to see their house coming.

Trinity didn't want him spending so much money on her just because he had it to give. Every single dollar he'd given her over the last few weeks went into a savings account that she made for him, but didn't tell him about it because he gave her way too much.

The girls rarely had to pay their own bills because Jermaine and Terrance usually went half on them, and last week, Amari paid it up for the next two months. He paid her car note and insurance for this month as well, and still ordered her lunch for work every day.

He literally would not take no for an answer; she loved and hated it at the same time.

"I be giving you money 'cause I hate that you gotta work for so long and ion like how much they pay you. And you always put all yo' money up into yo' savings so I be wanting you to have some to spend.."

"Bae I get almost three thousand a check. I know you not calling me broke?" She tilted her head to the side, and he smiled at the way she pointed at herself.

"You work 80 hours a pay period and that's too much. The pain you be in after yo' shifts don't be worth $35 an hour. And I been wanting you to quit low key but I know you ain't gon' listen anyway."

"And what? Live off drug money?" She tilted her head the other way.

"C'mon ma, don't start wit' me. I just got back."

"I'm just saying. You're right, I wouldn't quit. And I'm not shaming how you make your money either, but don't be calling me broke hunty." She spoke jokingly so that neither of them would feel a way, but it seemed a bit too late for that.

"Amari I was kidding. Don't get upset." She grabbed his face to make him look at her when his expression dropped into his resting mug.

"That shit weird ma. I ain't get the guidance to live right like you did and it's like you keep tryna secretly force me to quit selling but I'm letting you know now that it won't ever be that. I ain't gon' stop 'til I'm set for life." He told her, and now, her expression fell, too.

"I'm secretly forcing you? I barely talk about it."

"But when you do I can feel the animosity. You knew what it was when you got wit' m—,"

"And I literally haven't said anything about that shit. You making it seem like that's all I talk about and I've mentioned it maybe three times since I've been with you. The fuck, you mad 'cause I don't wanna live off no drug money compared to my legal, good paying nine to five?" She stood up from his lap, and all he did was shrug in response, standing up as well.

"Forget I said anything. I ain't mean to make you mad." He tried to put a stop to the argument but she was already mad now.

"No, get up off me. Talkin' 'bout animosity. Boy ain't nobody fuckin' scared of you to hide how I feel about anything. The fuc—,"

"Quit fuckin' cussing at me like shit sweet Trinity. I ain't cussing at you and you steady jumping out the mouth. I said forget about it. Watch yo' fuckin' mouth wit' me." He cursed back at her on purpose, now holding her neck tightly in his left hand.

"I don't give a fuck. I'm not scared of y—," she was cut off yet again as her breathing went out, and his head tilted to the side as she scratched at his hands, trying to get him to let her go.

"Amari I'm n—I don—baby let me go please." She managed to get out in between gasps, only for his grip to tighten.

"Nah. You ain't scared so do somethin'." His gaze darkened as he stared at her, watching her eyes begin to daze towards the back of her head, and the fight to get him to let her go slowed down.

"Watch yo' mouth. I ain't gon' tell you again." He let her go just before she could pass out, catching her with his other arm so that she didn't fall. He kissed the bottom of her chin as she struggled to breathe correctly, placing her hand over her chests as her coughs became painful.

Amari kept his arms around her while she fought to escape his grip again, now crying. He said nothing and only watched her with his red eyes, trying to wait on her to calm down.

"Get off of me! Amari I'm not playing!" She cried, pushing down on his arms that were locked around her torso.

"Trin? You okay?" Miri knocked hesitantly on the door, unsure of what was happening on the other side. She could hear the commotion all the way from the living room.

"Tell her you good ma. We good." Amari brought her head up to force her to look at him, and for the first time, she was afraid.

"Sista?" Miri called again.

"Tell her we good." He repeated, practically daring her with his eyes to say anything other than that.

"I—I'm fine Miri..we're fine." She sniffed afterwards, and Amari lowered his head to her height to give her a kiss, holding the bottom of her face.

"Please let me go." She quietly sobbed once Miri's footsteps receded down the hallway, and Amari did as told.

They both just stood there for a moment, and his body was so still that it almost looked sinister. It matched the dark look in his eyes, too. She was afraid to even talk to him.

"You d—you haven't t—took your medicine?" She asked after wiping her face, trying to get her tears to stop.

"What medicine?" He didn't move and his facial expression remained still, sending chills up her spine.

"Under the cabinet. You didn't take any with you?"

"I don't know what you talkin' 'bout." He continued to stare demonically at her, and genuinely in fear, she backed up towards her room door.

"What you doing? Nah—c'mon. We finna take a shower and go to bed. Watch out." He grabbed her wrist before she could grab the doorknob, walking her towards the bathroom.

"Amari I don't w—,"

"I didn't ask. Quit talking back and do what the fuck I said 'for I beat the shit out you Amari." He said his own name, and she stared at him through the bathroom mirror in both confusion and terror.








*drops mic*