“I’ve been watching your rise to fame. Being the baddest bitch alive and still holding pain in your eyes. I would listen to your music and your interviews and say stand up girl. Fight for yourself. Take back your respect. I didn’t just find Jahlil and Andrew. I found you too. And I understand you needed to find your own footing and identity but girl, I’ve missed you.”
Emani slowly chewed and swiped a tear from her cheek. “I missed you too.”
Aunt Violet rounded the corner and looked at her face.
“It’s not that bad. I’ve had worse,” Emani admitted, finding the shock contort to anger then to pain of her own for allowing Emani to go out into the world without her.
“He’s done this before?”
Emani swayed her head. “Nah. I actually settled for him because I knew he would do a lot of things but he wouldn’t beat me. Tyriq beat me. It started a year after my first album under his label. Started with control then morphed to a slap here and there but when I was knocked unconscious on the bathroom floor, I knew I had to leave.”
“Emani.”
She shrugged. “It’s all choices I made. I walked away. I let my hurt feelings lead me down paths and to people I should have never been in contact with. I lost myself and what little I had left, I was willing to lose because if I didn’t have what I wanted, at least I would have something. I thought I could smile for the cameras and post pictures and sell a happy life just like selling records. Turns out, I couldn’t.”
“You weren’t supposed to, Emani. You were never supposed to be out there alone like that. Yeah, you had Donnée and Carson, but you didn’t have a covering. Things happened so fast. The draft, the deals, the movement. I watched both of you lose yourselves. I’ll never forget the terror in that boy’s eyes when he realized how badly he’d fucked up. Getting the girl pregnant.
“I hated every moment of it but I knew he thought about how his mother turned out being a single mother. You and Jahlil, made to be together. It’s always been so much more than the little puppy love, and the heart flutters and being hot in the ass. You two are each other’s covering. It’s been too long for either of you without it,” Aunt Violet said with a softness of a mother Emani longed for. “I’m happy you’re home. I’m happy he woke up and came and reclaimed his space.”
“Me too. My soul has missed him so much.”
Neither woman heard Jahlil ease into the house.
“My soul has missed you too,” his baritone quaked her core, prompting her to turn around and trot into his arms. “It’s handled.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t ever thank me for protecting you. I should have done it years ago. You’re eating?”
Emani nodded.
“Good, finish. I’m going to get out of this.” Jahlil’s hike up the stairs was halted by Aunt Violet handing him two ice packs.
Back at the counter, she watched Emani eat and sip her tea.
“Emani,” she spoke, taking the empty plate.
“Hm?”
“When you get a hold of yourself again, don’t let go. Not even for him. Hear me?”
“I hear you.”
“Good girl. Go take care of your man.”
Inside the bedroom, Emani found Jahlil dropping the black hoodie into the nearby laundry basket. His motions were only paused by her arms wrapping around his waist and her lips pressed against the center of his tattooed back.
“Don’t thank me. I’d do that shit again.” Jahlil placed his hand atop hers. “I love you, Rose.”
“I love you too, Savage. What do you need?”
“Sleep. Your body on me. That’s all I ever need.”
Emani nodded. “How about another shower?”
Jahlil didn’t comment, his feet followed her. There was one thing he knew would always settle his spirit and it was her. It had always been – her. In the steam, Emani washed his back again. This time with the need to pull the stress from him. It did. The calmness in her being relaxed him enough to let his body melt into the bed.
He reached over, grabbed her leg and anchored it around him, “Goodnight, Rose.”
