Page 105 of Falling Into Gravity

This was her zone, her temple, and even though she didn’t spend much time in it because stylists were always on set…she made sure it felt like her when she stepped off the elevator.

“Did you eat today?” Niah called from across the room, flipping through garment bags. “And don’t lie ‘cause I watched you inhale that protein bar and call it lunch.”

Aku looked up from her laptop, legs tucked under her on the tufted pink couch, her oversized Balenciaga shades sliding down her nose. “Girl, that protein bar had chocolate in it. Don’t discredit the nutrients.”

“Girl bye.” Niah tossed her a water, hitting her thigh. “Hydrate or die-drate.”

They’d slowly crawled into the friendzone when Aku walked in with wet eyes and a sad smile. Niah wasn’t mad at it either, ‘cause it felt organic - especially since Aku was starting to give her more range within the business.

“Okay, TikTok generation,” Aku laughed, sitting up and stretching. She had on a white button-down shirt half open, dress pant style shorts, gold bangles, and her signature designer bracelet stack. Of course, her hair was effortlessly styled in a loose wave pattern, like she hadn’t just been crying over Malik less than forty-eight hours ago.

The front door buzzed.

“Somebody let a legend in the makin’ in?” Noodle’s voice crooned before she even appeared.

She stepped inside in a green two-piece set with her natural curls down to her butt, iced out from wrist to ankle. Her energy filled the space like a live concert. “What’s up, ladies?!”

“Act famous one more time and I’m taking your name off the schedule,” Aku warned, standing and hugging her tight.

“Girl, please. You can’t afford to lose me,” Noodle grinned, laying her purse across Aku’s desk.

“Facts,” Niah agreed, sipping a green smoothie. “Noodle is your walking billboard, or should I say Jacory?”

“And a billboard I shall be, ‘cause I was a mess before my bestie started stylin’ me,” Noodle said, fluffing her curls. She was in a great mood. After touching down last night, Bu broke her back in so she could walk lighter today. “Now, tell me why you look so fine but sad.”

“Malik,” Niah and Aku said in unison, laughing.

Noodle let out a dramatic sigh and plopped down in one of the velvet chairs. “If it ain’t always them fine hood boys with too much trauma and too many reasons to pretend they’re unlovable…”

Aku dropped back down onto the couch, pressing her hands to her face. “I ain’t even mad at him. I just…I’m tired of watching somebody I care about bleed when they don’t have to.”

“He’s scared,” Noodle said plainly. “And I say that as a wife to a man who used to think ‘I love you’ meant he had to die forme. Bu was willing to go out behind pride before he ever even learned how to stay for love.”

Her journey to love wasn’t hard but it was different for the both of them. Noodle was probably the more broken one and Bu came in like her hood knight in shining armor to make everything go away—even her own self-doubt.

Aku looked up, expression open but heavy. “So what’d you do?”

“I met him where he was,” Noodle said. “Not where I wished he’d be. And then I stayed long enough to show him he deserved softness. And now? That man washes my hair and prays over our food.” You could see the love all over Noodle.

Niah snorted. “I love y’all so much.”

Aku stared at the floor, twisting her bangle. “I just don’t wanna lose myself tryin’ to prove I’m worth loving.”

“You won’t,” Noodle said, reaching over and squeezing her hand. “That’s the beauty of the love we choose. If it’s real, it fills you up…doesn’t drain you. Just don’t try to be his savior… be his safe space.”

Aku nodded. “That’s what Iwant,but I also want to slap the Crescent out of him sometimes.”

“Then do it, with love,” Noodle shrugged. “You been a wild child, what’s stopping you now?”

Laughter bounced off the high ceilings as Niah brought over a tray of accessories and started laying out looks for Noodle’s upcoming press run. They moved like clockwork. Aku adjusting a jacket here, Niah re-pinning a hem there, Noodle posing mid-mirror selfie for the next campaign drop.

“Okay now, we’re doin’ four looks - casual bad bitch, Grammy interview realness, press conference femme flex, and ‘my man just dropped an album’ cozy.”

“You meanAhvi’sman?” Aku raised a brow, teasing.

Noodle gave a smirk. “Little Lunar’s mine in spirit.”

“Does Bu know that?” Aku asked with her hand on her hip. “Cause I love me some Bu but I will take him out aboutMyLunar.”

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