Beyond Us.

27.

27.

Lauren.

2 Weeks Later

"So I guess I can come the week after you get back from your trip." Raqui spoke through the speaker, as we chatted on FaceTime. "That's cool. I'm so excited you never come here." I responded. "When do you guys leave?" "We're supposed to leave tomorrow morning, Ace should get home today." I said getting a little more excited. "Oh you miss your boo?" I bit my lip blushing. "Yeah, he's been gone for 3 days. I miss his bothersome ass."

Dro, and I had really been enjoying our time together, when he got called to New York for some kind of emergency. We had talked each day, but he was so busy it was only for a few minutes at a time. He promised me that he'd be back today though.

"He miss yo ass too. He came over yesterday with Chris, looking all mean, and shit until you called." A smile broke out on my lips, I did call him yesterday and he told me he was with Chris. "Aww Lo, I'm so happy for you. It's good that you're not letting Brooklyn get to you." I sighed, "I know, it's weird like I feel so unbothered by everything. I was so hurt, like beyond anything before. Then it was like when I saw him, and her together, I was numb. Is that bad?" I saw her shake her head in the screen. "Not at all, I think you were over him a while ago. This was just the closure you needed to finally realize it." I quirked my eyebrow, "what do you mean?"

"I mean Lauren, he treated you like shit. Yeah, I'm sure he loved you in his own way but he's arrogant, selfish, and demanding." I knew where this was going to lead, and let out a breath. "Don't get me wrong Brook is my brother, but you know what I'm saying is true." "I know, I just, I don't
know Raq. I feel like what we had wasn't real now. That's my biggest issue."

For the past weeks I had been thinking hard about this. I was scared, because my feelings for Ace were growing stronger every day. I didn't know what to think of my feelings for Amir, anymore. I loved him, sure, but it didn't feel the same. It was like the connection was completely broken.

"It was definitely real; there was a bond between you two at one point that was undeniable. Everyone could see it, the problem started when he broke it, and you kept trying to fix it. Some things aren't meant to be." She explained. "It's just like when did it all get so bad, you know?" "Four years ago." She replied matter of factly. I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion. "What?" "Things started getting bad four years ago. The disappearing acts." She said refreshing my memory.

A year before we broke up, I started noticing Amir wouldn't come home for days. He'd leave on a Thursday or Friday, and might not come back until the next Tuesday. We'd argue constantly, because during those times he wouldn't tell me where he was, or decline my calls.

Eventually he told me he was making trips down south with Money. I checked with Raq, and she told me Chris would be gone for the weekends too, but he'd always be back by Sunday night. I didn't know what to make of it, but I let it go thinking that maybe he had more business.

Breaking me from my daze, she continued, "Lo, I didn't want to tell you, but I think you should know." Her tone was cautious, making me nervous. "What is it?" "When Amir and Chris started making those out of town trips, he met Dominique." I bit my lip to prevent from cursing out loud. "How,
do you know that?" "He came over a couple weeks ago, and him and Chris got into a really bad argument about it, I could hear them upstairs." I shook my head
feeling a dull ache in my chest. "I'm going to call you back." I told her. "Ok, are you good?" She asked sympathetically. "I'm always good." I told her giving a tight smile, disconnecting the call, before she could even respond.

"Ahhhhh!" I screamed out loud, sinking further into my bed that I was laying in. I began to feel anger consume my entire being. I couldn't believe what she just told me. I mean it makes sense, I knew he was cheating on me, but I never imagined it would be with her. My vision blurred as tears filled my waterline.