𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐆𝐄𝐒 | KV

10 | I Hate You

"You drunk as hell. Get back. That wasn't even funny foreal." She stood up after smacking her lips, ignoring his steady laughter.

"I ain't no fucking drunk. This floor comfortable as hell though. Remember you used to make me sleep down here every time you got mad?"

"What?! I did not." She smirked, clearly remembering exactly what he was talking about.

"Yes you did. And yo' clingy ass ah' sneak down on the floor with me in the middle of the night talkin' 'bout some, 'baby hold me'." He changed his voice to mock hers, and now it was her turn to laugh.

"I'm just a girl." She shrugged, putting herself underneath the blankets while he finally stood up to lay down next to her. Just before he could get in the bed, there was a small knock on the door.

Both of them recognized the tiny knock all too well, so Dayvon headed towards the door to open it. He saw August on the other side, holding his iPad in his left hand while the right one rubbed at his eye.

"Hi daddy." His right arm then wrapped around Dayvon's neck after being picked up.

"Wassup baby? What you doing up so early?" He closed Autumn's door before turning around to walk back to the bed.

"I don't know. I'm still tired." He said in the midst of a yawn, cuddling up to Autumn's side once Dayvon laid him down.

"Hi mommy." He draped his arm over her torso, no longer interested in his iPad.

"Hey stinky. You just wanted to lay with me huh?" She chuckled, seeing how he almost instantly began to doze back off. He nodded his head slowly, and within seconds his bottom lip separated from his top one and he blew out a slow breath, now asleep again.

Autumn felt Dayvon lay behind her, putting his arm around her body as well. He pulled the both of them closer in his direction, then laid his head down on Autumn's back.

"Dayvon?" She called a few minutes later, catching him right before he could doze off.

"Mhm,"

"Are you asleep?"

"Nah ma. Wassup, you good?" His voice rasped; he was definitely half asleep but if she wanted to talk some more, he wouldn't mind.

"I think I'm drunk 'cause I wanna cry so bad right now." Her tone softened, causing his eyes to flutter open.

"Wassup mama?" He intertwined their fingers to let her know he was there to listen.

"I just look at him and get so emotional. I know everybody forgave me-but I just can't forgive myself. The way he's always so calm with me-you know, he just fell asleep just from touching me. How does he love me so much? After what I did?" Her bottom lip quivered as she stared down at her son.

"It's the past Autumn. You here now; you here everyday. He get to wake up and see you, he see you before he go to sleep. You making up for what you missed. Why you so hard on yourself?"

"Because it's doesn't feel that simple. I can't just make up four whole years."

"I don't think he'll even remember it. I made sure he knew about you-every milestone, every birthday, Christmas, all that shit. He been knowing his mama his whole life Princess. Let it go and focus on being here for the next four years. And the four after that. And the four after that." He turned her body around to face him, cradling her head to his chest as she quietly cried.

"I still don't know why you did that for me." She sniffled, reaching up to wipe her face.

"'Cause I knew who you was, even if you forgot for a lil' bit. And I always prayed for you. I prayed that you could one day look in the mirror and see Autumn again; not the version of you that coped with drugs and shit. The real you. The you that I've known my whole life."