Under The Influence

Hurt The Same

Shawnie's POV

I sat in my car down the street from Chris's house. I was so nervous. I have not seen him in two months and I just was dreading what I could be walking into. I know he's mad. I've been avoiding him with the exception of a couple of very vague text messages and maybe a super brief, one-word conversation here and there just so he can see Gen on FaceTime.

My intention was not to keep him away from her for this long but I really needed my space. This last time Really hurt me mentally because I knew it was really over but I wasn't about to let two months go by without him not being able to see or talk to his daughter. I had to swallow my pride and let him do that. The majority of the time it was Mercedes that was the go-between between the both of us but at times when she wasn't around so I had to.

Mercedes decided not to come back to LA with me. She said she was sick of being around Aubrey, which he was. She said she would come visit as often as I wanted her to, but she could not put up with him any longer. She was just used to Chris and now she had to be around Aubrey, maybe it was a lot for her. All Aubrey did was be friendly, and try to make her feel comfortable but it wasn't enough. I respected her decision because it was a huge adjustment for her and it was selfish of me to drag her into my problems.

Besides that, Aubrey and I have been very good. We've been happy. He's been helping me out a lot, as much as he can, when he's not working. Overall I feel so much better. I have help and I am less stressed out about life.

I got my thoughts together and I put the car in drive. I make the left onto his street and I drive up the hill. I put his code in the gate and it opens then I drove off the driveway. I get out and I grab my purse, and a couple of other things, and get Gen out of the backseat.

I struggled my way towards his front door. I sat the car seat down to use my key to get in the front door. Once I successfully unlock the door, I push it open than I pick the car seat back up and walk in.

"Hey." I say walking in the front door, looking around. Chris was sitting on the sofa playing PS5.

I was kind of scared to see what I was about to walk into. The last time we were apart for an extended period of time, he went back on drugs and was very depressed. I definitely don't want that for him. I hope that he doesn't have to go through that again. Thankfully, I didn't see what I saw last time. I think he's good.

"What's up?" He puts the PS5 controller down, then stands up from the sofa and walks over to me. He takes the car seat from me and walks back to the sofa. "Nice of you to show up."

"Of course..... Everything okay?" I ask stop standing at the door.

"Yeah." He takes Genesis out of the carseat and holds her in his arms, looking at her intensity. "I've just been recording. Me and thugger. How is everything going with you, you good?"