Lauren
"Girl, you look tired. My baby boy wore you out, didn't he?" I questioned as Sky came in the living room with a look of exhaustion written all over her face.
Sky gave me the side eye before she plopped down on the couch beside me. "I be forgetting Nas not a baby no more so I don't know why my dumb ass decided it was ok to still be picking him up when I catch him."
I shook with my head with an amused look on my face. "You and me both. I leave the playing to him and Bam because Nas ain't my speed no more. Gotta settle for playing him in Mortal Kombat or something."
Sky nodded. "That's really what's about to start happening cause my back feel somebody kicked that hoe in."
I chuckled at her. "You need me to pop your back for you? It might hurt a little bit, but when it wears off it feels heavenly."
"No thank you nurse. So what's been up with you?" Sky asked me while repositioning herself for comfort on the couch. I furrowed my brows in confusion.
"Huh? What you mean?"
Sky smacked her teeth. "I've been coming over to drop Nas off after school this week for you and every time I see you it's like you're in your own head about something," she said with skepticism, adding, "so just gone ahead and spit it out boo."
She was right as she always was. I sighed and picked up my phone show her what I had been thinking heavily about for the past days. I had to take a picture of it because I couldn't believe it myself.
"Biihhhhhhh! Ain't this some shit," Sky said with a big ass grin on her face. "Your ass already on your second proposal and I can't even find a nigga that don't break out in hives when I mention commitment."
"Shut up," I said while shaking my head, trying not to laugh. "You so damn silly."
Sky shrugged me off. "Ok, but you don't seem too excited about it. Y'all folks in love, so what's the issue?" she coo'ed.
"We are. I haven't been this happy in a long ass time, but I can't help overthinking though..."
I hated how my negativity was taking over my thought process especially because Bam is an amazing man. "Overthink what? Talk to me cause you ain't saying too much of nothing right now," Sky asked with a concerned expression.
"I've been through this before and I just don't want a repeat. Believe it or not, marriage changes everything whether it's for the better or worse...changes happen. You see how my marriage ended," I admitted to her.
Skylar sucked her teeth. "Believe it or not, Brandon Micah Wallace is nothing like that scum of a ex-husband you had."
"I know that. I'm just scared of going that far right now and it not working. This time I wouldn't only be losing my man. We're best friends first and I just don't want this to ruin what we have going on."
Skylar playfully rolled her eyes at me. "First of all, I'm offended that his block head ass done took my best friend spot."
"Girl, please. You still bae forever."
"Anyway, on some real shit I don't think you ever need to worry about y'all ever not being friends first. That boy loves and adores you. You and Nas. His feelings may be hurt for a little minute, but guess what? He ain't going nowhere."
I laid my head on Sky's shoulder and sighed. "You know men and their ego. I'm not trying to bruise it. That might make him not even wanna ask me in the future."
"Soooo, you do want to marry him?" I nodded.
"Yes, in the future. Just not now."
"Oh, well just communicate that to him then," Sky advised. "How did your nosey ass find that ring anyway?"
"I was washing his clothes for him and when I was putting them up, I saw it in his underwear drawer."
"Mhm, well don't be thinking yourself to a headache because you're notorious for that," Sky scolded with a small laugh.
"I'm trying."
Just as she was about to speak, the door's lock was being unlocked. Bam was here sooner than he said that he would be. Sky gave me a look of assurance and got up from the couch to put her slides on. "Handle that," she mouthed to me with a wink.
I simply nodded.
"Hey y'all." Bam came in the living room and took his sneakers off to put them beside the couch. "How you doing?" he asked just as he kissed my cheek.
"Good. How was your day?"
"Eh, solid I guess." He shrugged and sat next to me. "You leaving already, Sky?"
She nodded. "Mhm, I gotta date and I'm running a little late."
"With who?" Bam and I asked in unison, being nosey per usual. I especially wanted to know because she didn't anything about it earlier.
Skylar popped her head back and shook her head. "Yep, y'all perfect for each other. Both of y'all just nosey as hell."
"This is the cop in me asking, so I can have Jared do a quick background check for you. Can't have you out here with a creep or convict."
"I'm a big girl..."
I shrugged her off not caring. I still needed answers about this date. "So what. I'm your best friend, so I'm already supposed to know these things anyway. Spill the tea."
She cackled. "Oh, now I'm your best friend again."
I rolled at my eyes at her with a grin as I snuggled into Bam's chest. "Whatever, so are you going to tell us orrr no?"
"Nope. Goodnight y'all."
Skylar grabbed her fanny pack and was out the door before I could grill her with another question. "She petty for that because now that's all that's going to be on my mind until I see her this weekend for the game."
Bam chuckled. "She going to watch Grey's Anatomy with Kyle..."
I loosened from his grasp and looked at him like he was crazy. "The same Kyle that had a meltdown about his wife not too long ago. Not here for it at all."
"Calm down. They definitely not getting back together because Sky not with the shits and Kyle still going through it. They working on being cool again. She was just fucking with you."
I furrowed my brows at him as he licked his lips. "Why you looking at me like that, Laurie? You trying to do something..."
"I was trying to figure out how you know more than me. I feel a way about that."
"You forgot that Kyle runs his mouth unintentionally? You know I don't even ask questions that don't pertain to me too often. And I love how you ignored what I said."
"No, I heard you," I chuckled. "Work got me exhausted and you trying to kill me."
He smiled. "I'll do all the work for you baby."
I shook my head and pecked his lips. "I wouldn't even do that to you, especially after you told me I'm the only woman that ever made your toes curl. I gotta continuously live up to my hype. What I will do is put this mouth to work for you."
"You really are a national treasure," he said with low eyes.
"I do what I can."
Brandon
"Calm your nerves B, chill out..." I mumbled to myself.
"Babe, why are you pacing?" Lauren questioned me as she fixed her dress.
Today I had to speak to group of recovering addicts in the 90-day program that I was once in. They wanted me to come give encouragement and show what the end of the tunnel could like for this new batch of patients. I was more than willing to help out.
"My nerves bad," I told her.
Not only was today about this speech I was giving, but I had plans tonight of proposing. I'm not even sure which part of my day is the most nerve wracking, but my heart is racing like a little bitch.
"You'll do fine," a familiar voice said from behind us. We both turned around and I smiled when seeing Mikayla walking toward us.
"Aye, what's up superstar?" I said, greeting her with a hug.
"I'm free finally, so I feel amazing."
I nodded in reply as we separated from one another. I knew better then anybody that she hated being in rehab, but she needed it.
"Well, you made it and that's all that matters," I said as I grabbed Lauren's hand. "Mikayla, this is my lady Lauren. Lauren, this is Mikayla."
A grin grew on Mikayla's face. "Nice to finally meet you. Cute dress girl."
Lauren let out a small chuckle and smiled. "Thank you. Nice to meet you as well. Big fan of your work. I grew up on In The Gray Area. It was like the black Amanda show."
I bust out laughing because I already knew what Mikayla's reaction was going to be. Lauren furrowed her brows at me.
"Shut up fool. It ain't that funny..."
"Did I miss something?" Lauren questioned me.
"She hates that damn show and, yet, it was her claim to fame. Her ass can't go nowhere without somebody mentioning it," I said.
Lauren nodded in understanding. "Oh, my fault. I like your movies too."
Mikayla cackled. "I'm not even tripping boo," she said, turning to me, "you ready to speak to the people?"
"Barely," Lauren and I said in unison.
"Aww, y'all cute."
"Nah, that's all her," I responded to Mikayla's comment. "You speaking after me, right?"
She shrugged before glancing down at her phone. "Hell no. I'm only back here because folks were surrounding me when I got in here. They wanna keep that to a minimum, so they got me back here."
"Brandon, they're ready for you," a white man whose name I failed to get said.
It was time. I didn't have anything written because I wanted to speak from the heart and make it as genuine as possible. Lauren kissed my cheek.
"Good luck big baby."
Mikayla smacked my arm. "You got this fool. Talk to them like you used to lecture me," she joked.
"Thanks y'all." I jogged toward the man and took a few deep breaths before walking on the small staircase up to the stage.
Once I got up to the podium, I put on my game face. In the audience there had to have 50 people. People that sat in the seats I once sat in. People that were addicted. People that are in dark places. People that needed help.
"Good afternoon. My name is Brandon Wallace and I am a recovering addict. As someone who has been where you're all sitting, I assure you it gets easier. Whether you chose to be here or had to admitted by family take this as your chance to be a better version of yourself. Why? Because you're worth it. Many of us suffer from low self-esteem, disappointments in life, and demons within ourselves, which, in turn, perpetuates the cycle of addiction." I found myself choked up as I spoke, so I gathered my thoughts before continuing to speak.
"But struggling with an addiction doesn't mean we're incapable, weak, or unworthy. And it certainly doesn't mean we can't change our lives around and move past the disease that has been holding us back. We are all worthy of being happy and of living our lives to the fullest. Embrace your worth as a human being and never settle for anything less than the healthy, happy, and sober life you deserve. I promise it'll all be worth it and I promise you're not alone. Godspeed."
I took a deep breath and stepped back from the podium. I guess I was received well based on the hand claps that followed as I walked off of the stage.
"Baby, that was—you're amazing. You know that?" Lauren greeted me with a tight embrace. The sniffling I heard as I was holding her let know that she had to be crying or tearing up. I let her go to step back and see her face.
"Why you crying? What's wrong?" I questioned her as I used my thumbs to wipe the tears from down her face. She shook her head. "You too fine to be ugly crying..."
"Shut up," she told me. "I'm just super proud of how far you've come. You've lived like 3 different lives already, but you're an amazing man now as a result of it. I'm lucky that I get to witness it firsthand."
I cracked a smile and pecked her lips. "Stop gassing me cause I'm not all that. You ready to head out?"
Lauren nodded before pulling out a napkin from her purse. I shook my head and chuckled watching her wipe her face. "Such a crybaby, I swear..."
"Leave me be," she whined. I put my hands up and left her live.
"Come on, let's go."
Omniscient
As the couple made their way to the car to go home, Brandon's heart was racing. This was the night that he planned to make Lauren his forever. On the other hand, Lauren was contemplating on when to bring up the ring she found and how to keep their relationship intact in the process.
Ella Mai's 10,000 hours did all the talking for the two as they rode in a comfortable silence in their thoughts. Brandon briefly looked over at Lauren with a smirk before placing his hand on her upper thigh. Without a second thought, she put her left hand on top of his, gently rubbing it.
When Brandon purposely drove past the turn they were supposed to make to get to Travis's house, Lauren signaled to him. "Babe, you missed the turn."
Brandon shooke his head and continue on their way to Lauren's place. "Trav said Nas wanted to stay over tonight over there with the other kids."
Lauren nodded not thinking anything of it because Nas loves being other kids whenever he gets the chance. "Oh, alright. That's cool."
Upon arrival to the apartment, Brandon felt his phone vibrating. It was the signal that he had been waiting for. Travis was finally finished setting up the apartment for them and the moment was really about to happen.
"Bam, you straight?" Lauren asked. "You look like you saw a ghost all of a sudden," she joked with him. Brandon quickly snapped out of it and shook his head.
"Nah, just tired."
Brandon got out of the car and went to the other side to open Lauren's door. "Thank you my love," she said as he closed the car door behind her.
When the pair got to Lauren's apartment door, Brandon made sure that he stood behind he so that she could walk straight in to the set up.
"Babe, are you hungry because I can make some—" Lauren stopped talking in the middle of her sentence when opening the apartment door. Brandon smiled at her being speechless.
So many thoughts were running through he head, but most importantly was how beautiful this was. Her first proposal was literally her waking up with a ring on her finger, so for Brandon to go all out...she was lost for words. She followed the rose petals to the coffee table where frames with pictures of them sat. In the middle of the table, she spotted her favorite candy, M&Ms, spelling out "Marry Me?"
Lauren quickly turned around see Brandon on his knee with the ring that she spotted a while back. A nervous smile took over her face and unbeknownst to each other, they shared the same sentiment.
Brandon took a deep breath before speaking in an attempt to stop his heart from stomping his chest. "Um, if you can't tell I kinda like you," he joked. Lauren chuckled softly as her eyes started to water.
"You came back in my life and changed it for the better. You opened my heart to love for the first time. You—" Lauren fixed her outfit and kneeled down in front of him. "Babe, what you doing? Stand back up," Brandon told her.
"Listen to me," Lauren started just as she held his cheeks. Brandon's eyes settle on her as he prepared to hear her out.
"I love you and I want to be with you, but—"
"But you ain't trying to marry me." Brandon's head jerked back from her grasp and he sighed, closing the box.
Lauren took her finger to move his head to. "Baby I never said that," she sighed, getting more nervous that he wasn't going to hear her out. "I just can't d-do that right now. Like everything is going sooo good."
Tears started to flow down her cheeks and that made Brandon's stomach drop. He never took well to seeing her cry.
"You're my best friend and I can't see life without you, but I n-need time," she stuttered. Brandon quietly wiped her tears with his thumbs. "I'm sorry..."
He cracked a empty smile trying to hide the fact that his ego had been shot, but he understood her. "Laurie, it's alright. I'm not going nowhere. I promise you that."
"Promise?"
"I've waited 14 years to get you. I'm not letting you go, so if I gotta wait another 14 years to marry you...I'll do that."
Her eyes lit up. That told her now more than ever that he was the man for her. "Can I get a hug?" she asked lowly.
Brandon nodded and welcoming her in his arms. "Just know once you come over here, I'm never letting you go, ol' crybaby ass."
Laurie decked him in the chest before embracing him tightly. "Good, I'm holding you to that."
Issa Ending
Vote, Comment, and whatever else.
I know it's a super long ending, but I had to wrap it up. Also, don't be mad she ain't accept the proposal. My boo still scarred and need to fully recover.
No epilogue will be written soooo y'all can come up with y'all own conclusions.
Also, go read "4Play"😊