Page 126 of The Love of Priest

Britain’s brows raised at him. "P, it's like six in the morning. Where we going?" she asked him.

"Trust me." He smiled confidently. "Go get dressed."

"Priest, where are we going?" She reiterated her question in laughter as he lifted her from his lap and sat her down beside him.

Priest smacked his lips. "Just go put something on. Nothing too fancy, though," he advised her.

Britain got out of bed, side-eying him. "Since you're requesting, you should just go pick something out for me," she said, evoking a laugh from him.

"Britain, could you just go get dressed before I change my mind?" he warned her.

Hearing the mild bass in his voice, Britain eyed him momentarily. Seeing that she was initiating one of her silly staring contests, he shook his head. "So fucking childish,"he laughed.

As always, Britain dragged out the process of getting dressed. She was being indecisive about which pair of sneakers she wanted to wear until Priest made the decision for her. He got dressed rather quickly alongside her, and hand in hand, they exited the apartment together with Britain locking up."Where we going?" she asked once more as he aided her into the car.

Priest chuckled at her persistence in trying to figure out where he was taking her. Remaining vague and short, he replied to her question. "For a ride,"was all he said, earning a roll of her eyes.

It was just like Priest to keep her wondering. He got off on how nosy she was and his own ability to keep his mouth shut. He got into the car, revving the smooth engine before pulling out of the parking space.

"I'm drained," Priest let out spontaneously in the middle of their drive.

Britain furrowed her brows as she turned her head to face him. "What?" she asked after his statement came from left field.

Priest kept his eyes on the road, his left hand gripping the top of the steering wheel. "You asked how I've been," he reminded her, recalling the attempt she had made to have the conversation prior to leaving her apartment.

Britain took her bottom lip between her teeth. She didn't really know how to assess the situation. Priest hated to be smothered, but hearing that only made her want to coddle him. Priest went through so many things in a day, all he ever did was suppress his feelings, thoughts, and sometimes his actions just to please everyone around him, which even included Britain sometimes.

Britain couldn't help but feel guilty about not asking about his well-being more often. She was just so wrapped up in the fact that he cared and loved her so much that she basked in it. "What's been going on?" she asked him, reaching over the console to caress the side of his face with her soft hand.

Priest shrugged. "Just dealing with a lot. Right now, I feel like it's crunch time for me, but everyone still moving like I have all the time in the world," he vented. He kept his eyes glued to the road, not even glancing at Britain to peep her reaction to what he was saying.

"Priest, why are you talking like you’re dying?" Britain asked him with a look of confusion still etched on her face.

Priest let out a sigh as he stopped the car at a red light. He leaned back in his seat, still not bothering to look in her direction. "Britain, you gotta accept the fact that I may not be here a few months down the line," he urged her. He had no intentions of sounding harsh, but that was how Britain took it.

"I thought we had this conversation already," Britain reminded him.

Priest nodded his head. "We did, but I led you to think it was okay not to accept me not being here with you, and I don't wanna ever leave you thinking like that. Your life shouldn't end with me, Britain. I'm going away for life. The quicker you and everyone else come to terms with that, the better," he shrugged.

"Oh, so you've already come to terms with everything?" Britain weaved her perfectly arched brows together in question. She was quickly overcome with agitation as she spoke to him on the matter.

"Pretty much," he stated passively with a nod of his head.

Britain retracted her hand while shaking her head. "Wow," she breathed as she turned herself around to face the opposite direction.

A tension-filled silence thickened the air between them. Priest had never really dealt with an upset Britain. Their time spent together was always joyous and relaxing. He knew he had angered her, but this was his reality, and he needed everyone to start living and accepting it, starting with her. "What does ‘wow’ mean, Britain?" Priest asked with a sigh.

Britain rested her head on her fist as she gazed out the window. The sun was beginning to rise, and the skies were a mixture of pigmented pink and yellow hues, holding her attention and preventing her from glancing back in Priest’s direction."Exactly what it sounds like, Priest," she eased out in a monotonous voice.

"So, this what we doing now? I thought we had an open line of communication?" Priest asked her. He didn't mean to cause her to shut down, but these types of things were so hard to talk about without crushing feelings. Priest was so used to just ripping the Band-Aid off when it came to conversations like these, but he failed to realize that things were different with Britain. She needed situations and her feelings to be handled with care.

Britain finally snapped her head back in his direction. He had touched a nerve. "I thought so too, Priest. When we had that conversation in the Hamptons, we agreed there was no longer a concern about me accepting you being away because that wouldn't be our reality," she fumed in frustration.

"I'm sorry, Britain, but this is our reality," he clarified for her. "The quicker you come to terms with that, the easier it’ll be for you."

"I've never thought I would feel this way about you, but you're adisappointment," Britain spat without regard. She was so angry that her emotions and heart got the best of her.

Priest's nostrils flared in fury as his grip on the steering wheel tightened. His cheeks were chiseled inward in anger as he glanced at Britain with a glare webbed in his orbs. "Yo, what the fuck you just say to me?!" he shrilled at her aggressively. Priest had his fair share of people speaking down on him and others belittling his worth, but he never imagined Britain would be one of those people. Yeah, she was blinded by anger, but that didn't take the pain away from her blow.

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