I sat in the living room with Cori, Alex sitting on his lap as he hugged him happily. I saw Rhett on the top of the stairs awkwardly, looking over at me and I wish I could show him I was fine...but he'd just have to know by what we say.
Cori ended up looking, scoffing aa he faced me again.
"Did you forget it was your birthday, again, this year?" Cori questions me.
"Yeah, I did; but Rhett reminded me. He surprised with me with this nice cake-."
"So that's why you're both dressed up so nicely. You went on a date, it's obvious." He glared at me hard as Alex still laid against him. I could tell he by the way he held Alex that he was probably going to try something...
To use Alex against me.
I can't live without my son...
"Cori if we are going to talk about this now, let Alex play with Rhett's dogs. Not right now in front of him." I suggest almost pleadingly and I saw him glare at me.
"You want me to give you that decency, yet you go and do this to me? I don't owe you any of that." He sneers harshly and I became nervous.
Until I saw Rhett rushing down as best he could, and his hand rested on the sofa.
"Alex, wanna play with me outside? My dogs are hungry and you can help me feed them, by hand even! It feels funny." He gushed, causing Alex to light up as he rushed off of Cori fast.
"Yes! Yes please!" Alex squeals, grabbing Rhett's hand as he rushed away with him outside. Once they were gone I faced Cori and saw that look of rage.
He looked so angry...all because of what? Because Rhett tried to help? No...I know the real reason.
"You...cheated."
"No I didn't." I say simply.
"Yes...you did! I have been saying all this time that you were cheating, and here you go, cheating on me! With...with that weirdo! There's something off about him and you chose him?! It's because he's rich, there's nothing else! You even got Alex close to him-!"
"Cori we were never together like that anymore. We were just coparenting. I can't...be with someone who tears me down and tries to make me out to be this horrible person. When all I am trying to do is help us all live. Alex is the reason I am still living in that apartment, because I don't want to be that kind of father who isn't there for his son. That's not me, I wanted us all to be together. I tried, but...I'm not happy." I confessed to him, shaking my head as he looked shocked.
I saw him look away from me momentarily before he snorts, folding his arms now.
"What?"
"You...want to stay for Alex, a boy who's not even your son?" He sneers at me.
I felt my heart tighten immediately as I just look at him. Cori's demeanor didn't falter and I shook my head.
"I know he's my son, you can't hurt me with your lies-."
"He's not your son, get that through your damn skull. I know exactly who's it is, but I didn't tell him because I knew he wouldn't be involved. You were a perfect choice. Want to know who it was?" Cori hisses and I tried not to feel sick.
I felt like I was going to collapse into this couch. My vision began to become glassy and I look away, swallowing the lump in my throat.
"I don't...it doesn't matter. He's my son. He doesn't need to be biologically mine to be my son. I love him...biological or not." I choke, and I saw Cori flinch.
Only to sneer as he covers his face.
I saw him shaking some and I waited for him to say something. Except he looked back up and he was crying.
"Alex is your fucking son you idiot! You didn't even try to fight against the possibility of me cheating. Which I never did-."
"It doesn't matter. This is even more reason! You can't do that kind of stuff to a person Cori! That can hurt people!" I found myself raising my voice. "You want to spout nonsense...about Alex not being mine because you're mad? What's wrong with you?! I can't be with someone who'd try to tear me down in such a way and break my heart, all because I want to save all of us. I tried, but I was reminded what it's like to like someone again and to not force it. I just don't want to force anything anymore..."
I see Cori looking at me with tears still going down his cheeks, and I sigh as I look away.
"With Rhett...nothing's forced. With you, it just hurts. It's confusing, and I shouldn't have to dread seeing you sometimes... We were happy before, but we can't go back to that. I tried...but I can't try anymore." I tell him honestly.
I see him wipe his eyes as his hands slammed down on the cushion. He looked at the glass doors Alex and Rhett went out of, looking back at me.
"So...you're just going to leave me...for someone who can't even see you?"
I flinch, and I see Cori snort.
"I knew it. Rhett is blind...it's just so obvious!" Cori exclaims angrily. "You would rather leave me for some guy who can't fucking see you?! Are you kidding me right now?!"
I glared at him as he stood off the couch and pointed out the door.
"Rhett will never be able to be enough. How can you really do anything? He's always going to be handicapped to you, your basically his service dog-!"
"Don't be rude." I snap at him.
"Don't be rude...? He's rude for pursuing you knowing damn well what we have going on-!"
"There's nothing going on! If you're going to be mad at anyone, be mad at me. Don't try to tear someone down who's just falling for me, for the real me. Not because of my looks, unlike someone who fell for my face first." I mock Cori who glared at me.
I remember how in high school he told me he only liked me for my face for a bit. Until the longer we were together. Not me, yeah he was attractive, but I thought he was cute and passionate about his dreams. It drew me towards him...all of that, is gone.
"He can't see you, do you realize that it's going to affect everything?! What if you two want to have kids out of nowhere? He will never see the child! That will definitely cause an issue. It will never be just normal between you two and you'll never be just his 'boyfriend'. You'll be of service to him too, like some babysitter. It'll never be normal-."
"I'm fine with that. The sense of normalcy you think of...I don't want it. I like what I'm doing with Rhett now, servicing him or not. What's so wrong about that? Why are you trying to make it a negative thing? Doesn't it just show how much I truly like him? If I was a jerk and thought like you, I wouldn't be helping and let him do things on his own. I want to help him because it makes me happy. There's nothing more to it." I tell him calmly.
Cori looked more angry now that I said that.
"It's a good thing we aren't married," Cori hisses, and I sigh, "Because that apartment is mine and Alex is staying with me! You'll never see him again!"
"You can't do that. You can have that apartment, I don't care; but you can't keep Alex from me. We can still coparent, let's just not force ourselves to pretend we're something we are not. We can still be cordial and kind, for him-."
"No! You will never see Alex again!" He shrieks now, and when he does the back door opens.
Rhett and Alex were walking back in and I saw Alex smiling happily as he was about to run to me. I saw Cori quick to try and get him until Rhett stepped in his line of grab. I know Rhett probably followed the motion of wind that came off of Cori's body.
Alex was able to get to me as he pointed out.
"Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!"
"Alex, Alex, Alex?"
"Those doggies are so cute! They ate off my hand, so sticky!" He showed me his hand and I saw they were wiped off. I look over at Cori who looked irritated still.
When Alex looked he frowned immediately.
"Mommy what's wrong?"
I saw Cori's expression soften, and his anger ceased just from his voice. His eyes lowered as he shoved Rhett away from him.
"Nothing...where do you want to stay for tonight?" He just asks him.
Alex gasps, nodding here excitedly.
"You want to stay here?"
"Yeah! It was fun sleepover, I do not want it to end yet. I am happy to see you, I just not want the sleepover over ." He confesses fast, looking at Rhett. "And Prince Rhett-."
"He's makes you call him that?" Cori interrupts him angrily, and Alex frowns. He nods and I could see the confusion on Rhett's face.
Now Cori smirks at him, looking at Rhett.
"Did you see what Denzel and my son did?" He mocks him.
Rhett's face flushed, and he looked in Cori's direction by the sound of his voice. I saw Alex look at Cori in confusion because I believed he thought he knew he was blind.
"Mommy, Prince Rhett can't see. Why you ask that?" Alex ends up saying.
Rhett's lips tightened together in what looked like was shame. He didn't need to be ashamed, there was nothing wrong with him.
"Oh! I just wanted to be sure. Those contacts don't really serve any point because he still doesn't look directly at you. It just makes him look weird, doesn't it?" Cori asks Alex who looks at Rhett.
I was glaring at Cori now because of how he was trying to embarrass Rhett. He didn't do anything.
"No...?" Alex whimpers, and I could tell he was becoming upset. "His eyes are prettier without them!"
"Are they now? I seriously doubt that, I bet they're filled with cataracts." Cori mocks him again and Alex was confused by that word.
Only for Rhett's eyes to become watery and I shake my head.
"Cori that's enough." I say firmly, stepping in front of Rhett. "Don't be this way, don't be nasty to the person who has done nothing to you. If you want to be nasty to anyone, be nasty to me-."
"I don't wanna, 'Prince Rhett' is who I choose." He mocks once again.
Now he smirks, nodding at me as I shook my head.
"Happy Birthday, Denzel." Cori says once again, only to leave the house now. I look over at Rhett, seeing him not even there anymore.
Alex looked confused too and I grin at him.
"Can you...be a good boy and-."
"Yes!" He nods surely, and I smile.
"I didn't get to say what you needed to be a good boy for."
"I...I just want to be a good boy. Prince Rhett is sad because of mommy...you are going to...Prince Rhett to make him happy... To do that, I must be good boy...right?"
I nod proudly, and he smiles. I set him down and he ends up sitting on the couch and I turn the TV on. Handing him a remote, I let him do what he wants.
Now I had to look for Rhett.
As I rush around, I wasn't able to find him initially. I didn't even know where he could've possibly gone until I remembered about the attic.
I rush to that spot, and I instantly could tell he was here as I went up. I could hear him sniffing...he was crying...
My eyes set on him as I peer over, and I could see him crying by himself. His eyes were lowered and I rush to him, wrapping my arms around him. I rest my hand on the back of his head, letting it rest on my shoulder. It broke my heart to see him this way...
Because of Cori's words.
"I'm sorry..." I apologize to him.
"You didn't say anything...but what he said was-."
"Not true, don't listen to him." I plead with him, but it seemed like my pleas fell on deaf ears. I didn't like seeing him hurt because I told Cori the truth. He didn't attack me because he knew nothing he said would get to me.
He felt like Rhett was an easy target...and he was. It breaks my heart because I didn't want him to be hurt this way... It's kind of my fault because I broke it to Cori then.
Because he was hurting, he hurt the one I am coming to...
Love?
Is it...love?
"I'm still...sorry." I say anyway, running my fingers through his hair. "Really. Don't believe anything he says, please."
"It's hard...not to. I know it's not true...but yet it is. That's why it hurts." Rhett whimpers, and I grin solemnly.
How much my heart hurts seeing him this way told me enough.
...but did it?
Do I love him?
Can this be classified as love when we met not too long ago?
___________________🫠
i think so, my sweet. 🥹
I think it's lOve. 🥴
- yolo 🫶