Something about you (Norminah)

Chapter Thirty One

A/n: this took a little longer because I struggle to write smut 😪

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"Can we do this again?" I asked Normani as we packed up our stuff. "I like this whole outdoor movie vibe."

"Of course babe. I think next Friday they're showing Psycho."

I laughed, "babe I'm still recovering from watching The Nun with Lauren."

"Then I'll check what else is playing some other time."

"Where to now?"

"It's time for our last stop," she answered as we walked down the street.

"I don't think you could possibly top the whole night. I mean karaoke, sea food, an outdoor movie and your company is pretty fucking perfect Normani Hamilton."

She smiled, "I'm glad you're enjoying it babe."

It wasn't until we got to her apartment building that I realized that everything we had done was within walking distance. Normani checked the time as we walked through the lobby, towards the elevator.

"Perfect," she murmured to herself.

"Our last stop for the night is your apartment?"

She nodded, "come on."

Instead of getting out on her floor, we continued up to the top and walked up one flight of steps before walking out onto the roof. I had never been to the rooftop of Normani's building, but as soon as we got there, I knew it would be a place that I would frequent more often.

The chairs had been moved around to make space for a makeshift bed with way more blankets than anyone needed to have for a summer night. There was also a picnic basket, a bag next to it and dimly lit lights lining the railing. Normani shut the door behind us.

"You've never slept under the stars before," she began. "So we're going to do that, and if we get cold we can just head back to my apartment."

"You did all this for me?"

She nodded as we sat on our bed, "I figured since you're going to be out tomorrow night and it's going to be a whole thing, that we could spend tonight enjoying simpler things and each other's company. I know tonight hasn't been much—"

"–it's been perfect Mani."

"I'm sorry I've been absent lately. I mean I've been here, but I haven't you know? You didn't do anything, I just needed to process some stuff."

"And you're done? Processing I mean."

She smiled, and I couldn't help but plant a kiss just at the corner of her mouth. "Don't distract me yet babe."

"Sorry, it's just, I've missed that smile."

"I uh, I talked to Eli, twice now."

Dread blossomed within me, creeping down my spine and leaving in it's wake an icy chill, a web that wrapped it's self around everything, numbing me. My face remained passive, as though she had mentioned some mundane task in passing.

"And?"

"Our first conversation was that Saturday that I was late for the house warming thing. We were in a therapist's office, I guess because he thought it would be more productive, but we ended up just screaming at each other. I didn't tell you because I wasn't sure whether I was going to speak to him again or not and I didn't want to say one thing then do another and confuse you."

She took my hands in hers, "the night that you went to the concert, I spoke to him again. And after that conversation, I came up here and burned these letters that I wrote to him a long time ago, letters that I guess I had been holding on to, probably because they were filled with questions that I needed him to answer. And he did. We said everything that we needed to say and when I left, I was happy. I mean there's still shit that I have to deal with, but the stuff specifically involving Eli and I, I finally put that to bed for good. I know I lied to you, and I'm sorry for not telling you. I understand if you're mad at me because of it, but I didn't want to keep this a secret anymore."