Page 2 of Rose
Once the door closed, leaving the room quiet except for the soft hum of the speakers, it was just her and Kyre again.
“You booked solid today?” Kyre asked, slipping off her white Louboutin heels and sighing in relief as they hit the floor.
Ahzii wiped down her station, rolling her eyes with a faint chuckle. “Nah. William told Tay to cancel the rest of my day. He’s been tripping lately about me working too much, and the fact that I came home late last night from the shop... yeah, that was the last straw.”
Kyre gave her a knowing look. “Well, he’s right. Youhavebeen overworking yourself like you ain’t carrying my little niecy pooh in there.”
Ahzii gave her a playful glare but still joined her on the couch. The second she sat down, Kyre’s hands found her stomach, softly rubbing the small bump peeking through the black crop top.
“Girl, quit,” Ahzii laughed, smacking her hand away. “Y’all act like I’m about to go into labor tomorrow. This girl don’t even have full lungs yet, and y’all losing it.”
Kyre burst into laughter, shaking her head at her best friend’s sarcasm.
At six months, Ahzii still barely looked pregnant. Finally a baby bump, but still subtle enough to miss unless you knew. Her body still carried the curves she was known for—thick, toned thighs, a perfect ass that sat just right, and C-cup breasts that were only now starting to swell with the pregnancy. Standing 5’7, her brown skin glowed effortlessly, and her soft golden-brown eyes carried a quiet light thatpulled people in without her even trying. But as beautiful as she was on the outside, it was her spirit that made her unforgettable.
Goofy. Lighthearted. Sweet in a way that made you want to protect her, even though she didn’t need it. She lit up any room without meaning to, drawing people in with her humor and warmth. But beneath it all, she was shy. An introvert who only let the goofball out once she felt safe.
“You gon’ stop being stubborn,” Kyre pressed, smirking. “That’s why William sat that ass down.”
Ahzii rolled her eyes again but couldn’t fight the smile pulling at her lips.
William—her husband, her best friend, her soulmate.
When she first opened The Escape Room, she hosted an art showcase and tattoo party to put her shop on the map. She didn’t expect much turnout, but the place was packed. People bought art, got tattoos, piercings, or just vibed. William was one of them. He sat in her chair for a discounted tattoo, and somewhere between laughs and ink, he noticed her security cameras weren’t working.
William worked in cybersecurity. Cameras and systems were his thing. He fixed hers that same night, and somehow fixing her cameras turned into exchanging numbers.
Ahzii almost let fear keep her from him.
William was ten years older, already walking through life with the kind of confidence that came from stability—something she’d never had. He had plans, discipline, calmness in his voice when he spoke about the future. And back then, that scared the hell out of her.
Because Ahzii had only ever known how to survive.
Trusting someone—especially a man who wasn’t her brother—to step into her world and try to love her felt foreign. Unsafe. Love didn’t come without pain. And for a girl like her, love had always been conditional. Earned. Snatched away. But William was patient. Gentle. Steady.
He didn’t try to fix her. He just stayed close. Months passed, and bit by bit, she let him in—slowly lowering the walls she’d spent years building. They laughed. Argued. Grew. And somewhere between late-night food runs, soft touches, and whispered secrets in the dark, they fell in love.
A year later, he asked her to marry him. And for the first time in her life, she didn’t hesitate. She said yes.
Now, a year into their marriage, she was glowing—married, in love, and carrying their baby girl. For once, everything in her life felt right. No pain. No survival mode.
Just love.
“And I can’t wait until my brother makes you sityourass down,” she shot back, side-eyeing Kyre with a smug grin.
Kyre’s head snapped toward her.
A’Mazi.
Ahzii’s twin brother, co-owner of The Escape Room, and one of the dopest artists in the shop. A’Mazi had been crushing on Kyre since high school, but their rough upbringing left no room for love—only survival. Back then, neither of them had the space to dream about things like relationships. But life was different now.
And A’Mazi? He was done hiding in the shadows when it came to Kyre.
He wanted her loud and proud. And Ahzii knew Kyre wanted him just as bad—she was just too stubborn, or maybe too scared, to act on it.
Yet.
“Bitch, fuck you,” Kyre shot back, both of them dissolving into laughter.
