Is This Forever?

Love Me For Me

June 2nd, 2025
Amira's pov

The way I feel about Owen runs deep. The feelings that I have for him run deep. But I don't know if he's someone who I need in my life.

I mean, I constantly asked him for three weeks if he had cheated and he constantly denied it.

All I asked was for him to give me eighty five-percent and he couldn't even do that.

When we got together my heart was his, but his was never mine. It will forever and always belong to Tommy.

I should've known when we had gone to that dinner; just a few hours before he told me that he loved me. How he looked at her and how he couldn't keep his eyes off of her that whole night.

Though he didn't say a name during his toast, I knew. I pushed him to tell me about her on our first date, which was stupid. But it was a way for him to tell me he's been unfaithful before. A way of telling me he could change.

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"Can you come over when you get off?" That was what Amira said over the phone. "Yeah. Just let me go home and change and I'll be right over."  The other woman says on the other end of the line. "Thank you, friend." Amira said then hung up.

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2 hours later

Hearing her doorbell ring, she came from her bedroom and opened the door.

The woman on the other side was about two or three inches taller than her. A shade darker, her lips were full and her eyes, a hazel color.

"Hey, girl. Did you finally dump Captain Douchebag?" The woman says pushing past her. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Wait. Why are you wearing pajamas?" She asked.

"I thought we were having a sleepover like we used to before you ditched me for Captain Strand." The woman said as she mock saluted.

"Imani, I did not ditch you for Owen." Amira retorted. "Okay." She says sarcastically.

"So what did he do this time? Cause it seems you only call me for comfort nowadays." Imani says going through Amira's cabinets.

"Imani now you know that we haven't done anything like that since before I got with him."

"But that's not what I asked." Imani says turning to look at her. "He told me that he cheated on me." She started. "Well, he said that they kissed but it didn't go any further." She sighed.

"Was it with another guy because he gives off that vibe?" She stared at her with a fake apologetic expression.

"Imani." She warned. "It was actually with the paramedic captain of his firehouse." She looked down as she said this. "That fine ass woman you cover for sometimes?"

Imani was never serious in situations where she should be and sometimes it was exactly what Amira needed but right now she needed her to be serious.

"Imani, can you be serious for one second?" She asked. "What? You want me to be sad with you?" She asked now sitting in a chair just a foot away from Amira.

"Fine. But I just don't understand why." She stopped herself. "Well, I know why. It's because he's still in love with her. But she has a fiancé and from what I can see, he loves her." She finished. "Ooh. Who is he?"

"Why does that matter?" She asked. "Because I need to put faces to the names." She said like it was obvious. "His name is Derek Smith."

Grabbing her phone and going straight to Google she searched his name and gasped.

"This woman has this man wrapped around her finger and she went back to Owen?" She asked with a disgusted look on her face. Amira shook her head.

"You. Sit. Now." The woman demanded pointing at the seat that she was facing. Once Amira sat in front of her she said, "Now I don't want you feeling sorry for yourself. You are a beautiful woman who can get who you please. You are one of the best paramedics in all of Travis County. So, break up with that man and find you someone who loves you for you." She ended.

"I love you." Amira said standing up. "I love you too friend." Imani replied.

"Wait," Imani said grabbing her arm. Then looping her arms around her waist. "You know I'm always here, right? Whatever you need I will always be there no matter how you're feeling because you know you tend to get attitudes." She said.

"Shut up." She smiled then it slowly dropped, looking her friend in her eyes. "Amira no. You haven't broken up with him yet and that's not what I came over here for." Imani said releasing Amira from her hold.

"You said I needed to find someone who loved me for me. So why not start now?" She asked lowly. Leaning in just so their lips are just centimeters apart.

"God, you're not good for me." Imani joked closing the gap between them.

Standing up so Amira now had to look up to kiss her. Moving her lips from Amira's to her neck, to her shoulder, as she walked down the hall to the master bedroom.

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Just as they got their clothes off she heard a knock on her door.

Groaning she gets up and puts her clothes back on and walks out of the room; Imani does the same.

Imani regains her spot at the island and Amira gets the door. She has a feeling about who it was but she hoped it wasn't. She wasn't ready.

But she was right. It was Owen.

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"Owen I thought I told you I needed time." She said reluctantly letting him in. "I know Amira but earlier you didn't let me explain myself." He says then he sees Imani. "Hey, Imani." He says.

"Hi, Owen." She says plainly. "Well, anyway I wanted to say that I love you and only you." He said taking a step closer to her.

Before Amira gets to reply she hears a loud obnoxious laugh from the woman on her left just a few feet away. She gives her a look.

"Sorry. Don't mind me. Continue." she was still giggling as she said this but it calmed down once Amria spoke up.

"Yeah, sure. But if you did love me you would've never cheated on me with someone I considered a friend." She started.

"I was blind before but now I see. You were just trying to shape me into another Tommy Vega and I can't and I won't have that. You know she's still getting married right? She's not leaving her fiancé for you. So please Owen get that through your head. You can love her more than you love yourself but the truth is that she moved on and you're still in the past. And as for Tommy, I feel like she will be a great role model for myself and all the other black women trying to make it in the medical world. So she and I can become really good friends but you and I are done."

"Amira I know that I hurt you but-" she cut him off, "No. You don't get to play that card. I won't continue to belittle myself to continue to love you."

She didn't yell nor scream her voice stayed even.

"Amira." He pleaded. "No." That was all she said and opened the door for him to leave.

He took himself and the rest of his dignity with him and left.

Imani finally let the laugh she was holding the whole time out then got up and walked to Amira.

"That had to of felt good." She smiled. "It did. But can we go make each other feel good now?" She said leaning back in.

"Oh? -Yeah- Okay." She said accepting the kiss.

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That night they did in fact make each other feel good and it was one of the best nights Amira has had in months.
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TBC