Hood Love
"MAYBE I HAD SAID SOMETHING THAT WAS WRONG. CAN I MAKE IT BETTER WITH THE LIGHTS TURNED ON? "- BIRDY
Prologue: SHELTER
Hood Love
Prologue: Shelter
Friday, October 13th, 2017
"Baby. You need to know that I wouldn't do anything to purposely hurt you. I love you. It was a mistake. I promise, I'll leave her and won't ever speak to her again. Please just don't leave me," Sean pleaded as Jasmine continued to pack her stuff. She quickly filled the bag with clothes and essential things that she needed. Tears fell from her eyes as she replayed what just happened in her head. Her tears clouded her vision making her even more irritated. She couldn't believe it, he betrayed her. "After nine years? What was it? What did he see in her? Was there something wrong with me?" questions invaded her mind as she let her mind wander. Her thoughts only made the tears fall quicker. She tried to stop them and prevent him from seeing her in her weakest state. However, she couldn't. A muffled sob escaped her lips and she wiped her face for the millionth time within the hour. She felt his eyes sticking to her like glue. She looked up and was greeted with his softened stare. He looked so distraught and heartbroken.
"It doesn't matter Sean. You've made your decision. Please just let me go. Don't make this harder than it should be. I will be back to get my things when you're not here." She pulled on her jean jacket and grabbed her stuff getting ready to leave. Sean had to think quick. He couldn't let the love of his life walk out of his life permanently.
Suddenly, she felt her bags yanked from out of her hands as she watched Sean empty her belongings onto their bed. "You're not leaving. Fuck that Jaz. I Love You! I wanna marry you. Hell! I'm gon' marry you. You're my everything. You're my best friend, my partner, my lover, and the mother of all my future children. I'll be damned if you leave me because of this bullshit. She was a mistake. Don't leave me.I fucked up but I can't lose you. You're the best part of me. I'm sorry. Please just don't leave." He screamed grabbing her by her waist. He nuzzled his head into her neck and her scent wafted into his nose. The sweet smell of the cinnamon and brown sugar scrub that she used every day reminded him of everything he was about to lose.
"Baby, I love you. I promise I want you, not her. I'm done with her. It's done. I'm not about to lose you over some bitch that doesn't mean shit to me. She doesn't mean shit to me, baby, I promise. Just don't leave, please. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have even entertained her and I regret what I did. Don't let this come between us. You're my everything. I can't function without you." He kissed her neck and inhaled her scent again. He hoped that his pleading and begging was working because he couldn't imagine a world without his girlfriend of nine years. Well, fiancee since he had proposed a year or so prior. He'd taken her for granted. No matter how hard things got, he realized that he should've never engaged in conversation with a woman who wasn't the one that he loves.
She wanted to believe him. She truly did. Who wouldn't? But she knew if she took him back without any consequences, he'd just do it again. I mean she loves him don't get me wrong. However, something has got to give. Nine years though? She thought everything was fine. But obviously, it wasn't. Shit, she knew that things weren't perfect but she'd never thought that he would do something like this to the one person who held him down for the last nine years. She shared everything with him. Her heart, her mind, her body, their love, house, and lastly her spirit. But it still wasn't enough. Was it ever? Was anything she did ever good enough? She began doubting herself. Not only as a woman, but as his significant other as well. She was never going to be good enough for him. Even though she knew that she still tried. She loved him still. Even after everything. Still, no matter what he did she could never bring herself to stop. It hurt too much.
Was he even worth it? The constant stress. Worrying whether he'd make it home some nights. She kept herself up until the wee hours of the night waiting for him to come home. Even after two years, she still wasn't used to his "new lifestyle". Lying. Cheating. Selling dope until all hours of the night. Maybe this was the last straw for her. Things weren't like this before the accident and maybe that night two years ago changed everything forever. There was a time where things were going great for them, almost perfect. She never knew that this was the man that she was going to marry soon. The past two years transformed them into people they were not able to recognize in the mirror every morning. They used to be equals but now he treated her as if she was replaceable.
Maybe he didn't deserve another chance. What exactly would another chance do? Beside make her doubt herself more and question why they were still together now. It was obvious that they weren't the same people as before. Maybe, things were better this way. Now he could get the release that he had been begging to have for two years since the night of the incident. He kept telling her that he needed space and maybe that's what they both needed now. Space. So that was what Jasmine was about to give him. They hadn't been away from each other for long since they started dating during Jasmine's sophomore year of high school and his junior.
Nine long years. She was now 24 years old and matured well. Sean was 25 years old and still acted like a child in some way, shape, or form. But he was hers. She loved that he was so peaceful and carefree about certain things. She loved his child-like mentality even more. He was so playful, yet serious. He could make her forget about how serious life was or everything else wrong in her life. When they were together, she wasn't Ms. Jasmine Serenity Davis. No, she was just Jaz. Herself. The playful side anyway. Just like he wasn't Sean Malcolm Dillard. He was Sean or Mack as she liked to call him.
Their love ran deep. Deeper than any ocean. Deeper than the center of the Earth. He was her everything; the way she lived. Breathed. Spoke. Smelled. Thought. He was her center. Just as she was his. But even the best of love stories come to an end. This might've been it for them. Their last round. Or hoorah. And what a round it was. She never regretted any moment of their crazy love story. Their love story they had no control over. The one that was left completely up to fate and decisions. Even then their love was too powerful to be determined by fates and hocus pocus bullshit. Their love was... Real. Their love was Hood Love.
Jasmines photo in the MM. Jasmine played by Ashlee Kash. I don't own any of these photos. I just wanted to give you guys a picture of what I wanted each character to look like.Sean played by Lawrence Robinson.