CIARA ARMANI LOVE | CICI
"SURPRISED to see me?" Gabrielle smirked as she stalked around her daughter as if CiCi was her prey. "That lil stunt your boyfriend pulled was cute, could've worked if it wasn't for Nas. He gave me the heads up and at first, I called his bluff. My innocent sweet daughter was trying to kill me? Never. So I had to see for myself, and boy was I surprised. Who knew love made you this dumb!"
"And from the looks of it, you dumb and pregnant." A mother knew her daughter like the back of her hand. Although Gabrielle may not have been constantly present in her CiCi's life, she could smell the sex on her.
That comment left CiCi speechless. She never doubted her mother's intuition. It wasn't like she could prove Gabrielle's suspicions wrong. Her and Sage weren't having protected sex, they've never even thought of a condom since he took her virginity, and Plan B's didn't always prevent pregnancy. Especially when you and your partner were fucking like rabbits.
CiCi just couldn't wrap her head around how her mother was calling her out. She could've sworn she closed that chapter a long time ago. However, her eyes weren't playing tricks on her so it was clear a few pages were left unread. In fact, as she stood there with a lump buried in her throat, she thought about how she never got that call. She never received so much as a email to verify her mothers death. Letting something as big as that fly over her head wasn't because she was trying to ignore the situation, it was because she didn't care for it. Besides her birthday, school, cheer, graduation, prom, happened to be the main things on her mind at that moment.
"You've became friends with the devil, started working with the enemy, and practically faked your death. I know your not doing all of this for no reason. And not even that— oh, you a sheisty bitch." CiCi bitterly chuckled as she mentally put two and two together. "You had to sign your rights away in order for Ron to get custody of Candy. Meaning you let us think that you were dead. You let Candy think that you was really out of her fucking life! Do you know how many nights my sister has had to cry herself to sleep because she missed her mama? You're sick Gabrielle."
The brownskin boy on the arm of the couch clearly didn't like the tone of CiCi's voice. He sent a force punch to the side of her head, knocking her down to the floor. "Watch yo' mouth when you speak to her bitch!"
"It's okay Piles. She's just a little angry with her mama right now."
"I ain't got no mama."
"I gave you life. I'm always gone be yo' damn mama. What? You think that nigga whose put you up in that nice lil penthouse give a fuck about yo—"
"You obviously pressed he don't give a fuck about you. Mad that he opened my eyes and made me realized how much of a fucked up individual you really is." CiCi spat, finally releasing all her anger as she picked herself up from the carpet floor. As she rose to her full height, movement near the front window caught her eye. It was hard trying to contain the smile that so desperately wanted to grace her face but she had to keep her distraction going. "Or is you mad that he gave me a better life than you ever could? Mad that he's touching more racks than you've ever had? Mad that a nineteen year old is doing better than your forty one year old ass?"
"Nah, I think she mad that this nineteen year old about to put a bullet in her forty year old cranium." Sage smirked, sneaking up behind Gabrielle with an AK pressed against the back of her head.
Now, CiCi could release the smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. As her eyes scanned the room, her smile grew brighter at the sight of Trey having Nas miniature ass in a head lock with a gun pressed to his temple, Rod and Youngboy had the lightskin boy vulnerable in the corner, and Ron didn't waste any time pistol whipping the brown skin boy, a loud crack following after.
Yeah, his nose definitely broke.
"Any last words?" Sage questioned.
"You tried it once. Better make it count this time." Gabrielle shamelessly shrugged, not bothering to wipe the tears that were falling down her pie face that looked like it lost all its life. She had accepted her fate and as fucked up as it sounded, she was ready to put an end to her misery.
"I gotchu. Just make sure you do your part and say hey to the devil for me." He nodded, cocking the gun back.
"Goodnight mama." CiCi waved and less than a second later, four gun shots went off.
And just like that, CiCi felt a big weight being lifted off her shoulder. She wasted no time stepping over her moms dead body and jumping into Sage's arms. Over the past couple of days, doubt had clouded her mind but seeing him and the crew coming to her rescue showed that she wasn't living a fairytale. She had a man who was madly in love with her and out of their relationship, she gained a family.
"We missed you too lady." Trey spoke for everyone, joining in one Sage's and CiCi's sentimental bear hug.
Soon, she felt all of their bodies hovering over hers. Usually, she would hate to be in a bear hug with her being the only female but she felt safe. Even with them being in the middle of four dead bodies, she still felt safe. And that alone was a feeling she never wanted to miss out on.
__
"What it say?" Sage eagerly asked, sitting on the edge of the bed with his elbows piercing into his knees.
"The same thing it's been saying the last time you asked me.. thirty seconds ago. Nothing." CiCi sarcastically replied.
The couple were anticipating the results of the pregnancy test lying on the floor, next to Ciara. It wasn't much of shocker that Sage was more anxious than his girlfriend. She had a habit of making him nervous. And that nervousness was only amped when CiCi told Sage her mothers words. Most would think he was nervous because there was a possibility he was about to be father. However, that wasn't the case. He knew how to be a father— at least he thought he did. Going into parenthood with the mindset of not being like his father was going to stir him well.
The main reason his leg was bouncing at a thousand miles per hour though was because he didn't know what they were doing to CiCi while she was in there, possibly pregnant with his baby. He didn't know if they put their hands on her, abused her in any way, or put his unborn child at risk. He didn't know. And that alone had him feeling like the worst boyfriend in the world.
"I missed you. Like it was crazy how bad I was loosin' my mind when you weren't here. I was moving so irrationally and I came to a realization that I'm in deeper than I thought. I love you way more than I thought." Sage expressed with his fingers tugging at his chin hairs and his eyes staring at the wall behind CiCi. "The thought of them even touching a hair on yo' head bothers me. And that nigga Nas lucky all he got was a fuckin' bullet. I had plans of chopping his liver out and feeding that shit to the gators."
Ciara didn't reply. It was clear Sage wanted the floor right now and she was going to give it to him. He was hurting and needed the space to vent. Luckily, CiCi was his safe space and being a judgmental person wasn't in her character.
"And then yo' mama on some zombie shit. Coming back from the dead. That's what really fucking with my mental and my ego, if I'm being real. I was supposed to protect you and Candy. You wanted her gone. She should've been gone. But I let a broken ass friendship get in the way of your peace. Lettin' that fuck nigga in on the plan was stupid on my part and I'm sorry for that bae."
"Don't do that Sage. I know how much you love me and you know how much I love you. You made a mistake. We're humans, that's going to happen. Don't beat yourself up for it." She reassured him as she crawled to sit between his legs.
"They ain't touch you, did they?" She knew it was a deeper meaning to his question. The way his eyes were staring so deeply into hers said it all.
"No." She replied, prompting Sage to let out a sigh of relief. "They did give me time to think though."
"Let me hear it."
"It's just— I don't really know how to put my thoughts into words."
"Just throw words out there. I'll catch 'em."
"You and the streets. If I am pregnant, I don't want this lifestyle for my baby. Walking around with a target on my back isn't something I'm going for Sage,"
"And?" He followed her tone of voice, knowing she still had more to things to get off her chest.
"And if you don't take my words into consideration then we're done." She deadpanned.
"Just like that?" He scoffed, pinching the bridge of his nose. The thought of her leaving him again had him ready to paint the town red.
"Just like that. I'm not negotiating witchu either. I'm telling you the two options you have. Either get out of the streets or kiss me goodbye."
"You sayin' that shit like it's so easy. You know the type of nigga I am. You seen that shit with yo' own two eyes. Getting out the streets ain't gone be a piece of cake ma."
"And I'm not asking you to make it happen overnight. I know it's not going to be a walk in the park but I know the type of man you are. You're ambitious. Therefore, you can make this happen in the next six months."
"Man, what the test say?" He waved her off, lightly pushing her arm with his forearm.
"Don't put me off like that." She roughly pushed his arm away as a deep frown etched her lips.
"Whatever Ciara. Just let me see the test."
"So now your mad? You're in your feelings because I want better for you? You serious right now?"
"Who's mad?"
"You are! I can see it all on your face. If the streets is that important to you—"
"They ain't!"
"I can't tell! You putting off my feelings and trying to snatch things from me don't match with what your telling me. So what's the problem? Why are you getting so riled up over this?"
"I get out the streets and then what? We move to LA and live like the fuckin' Kardashians? No! This street shit don't work like that! It's two ways out and neither of them is a happy ending."
"That's not the real reason. You know you can make it work. You're just scared. You don't know nothing but the streets so you feel like that's all you worth. And once you step out of the streets, you think you're destined to fail. Stop. Stop thinkin' like that. I won't let you fail. You may trip a couple of times but that's normal. As long as I'm by your side, you won't fail."
There was a long silence, fulled with tension. It was clear as day that Ciara had just read her boyfriend like a book, his hard expression told it all. Which is why he couldn't be mad at her for too much long.
"You read a nigga so well." Releasing an deep chuckle, Sage tucked his hands under CiCi's armpits to pull her onto his lap. "I apologize for spazzin' out on you like that. I was just in my feels' because you was tellin' me off."
"Yeah, I know. You ready to see these results?"
"What if it's positive? You not gone be mad?"
"Mad about what?"
"College. School finna end but don't you wanna get your degree in interior design."
Her heart whelmed. Ciara had told Sage about her plans of entering the housing buisness months ago, when they first met. And that was only one time.
"Bae," She laughs. "I'm not going straight into college. I had plans on taking a year off to get my money in order then I would enroll in school."
"I'm glad I still make you smile." He ignores her previous statement as he takes in her beauty.
"What make you think you couldn't?" She furrows her eyebrows.
"Being kidnap can change a person. I ain't know if you was gone come back with a vendetta against a nigga or what."
"I'd admit, I was having second thoughts about us while I was there but that's neither here nor there. We're here now and I couldn't be more happier. Now.." She trailed off, flipping the pregnancy test over to view the results.
"What it say?" Sage eagerly peaked over her shoulder.
"I'm pregnant."
—
Andddd we're backkkk 🥴🥴
How was everyone first day of school?? I ain't even go yet ..
AND IT'S ALSO A WRAP
the ending to this book is strictly up to you and your imagination 😌 thank you guys for love, see you soon !!