Page 9 of Certified Pressure 2
Something in me shifted at those words. It was like the ground I’d been standing on cracked open, and suddenly I wasn’t sure if I could keep convincing myself to walk away. My chest rose and fell, heavy with confusion, fear, and something deeper that scared me even more than leaving did.
For a moment I stood frozen, but then I nodded. “Yeah…take me home.”
He slipped my phone into my hand at last, his fingers lingering against mine, and for the first time all day, I felt the smallest bit of calm. Not because everything was okay, but because I knew I wouldn’t be facing this pain and fear alone.
While waiting for Pressure to come outside, I sat in the backseat of the SUV feeling like my nerves were pulling me in a thousand different directions at once. My hands stayed balled in my lap, my fingers twisting against each other even though I kept telling myself to stop. I had no business letting Pressure come with me, not into this part of my life and into the mess that existed outside of the mansion. But at the same time, there was no denying how much I wanted him there. I had been carrying too much for too long, fighting battles alone, swallowing pain until it burned me from the inside out. For once, it felt like maybe I didn’t have to do it by myself, and the thought of Pressure, of all people sittingbeside me gave me a strange kind of comfort that I wasn’t sure I deserved.
The driver glanced at me in the rearview mirror once or twice, probably noticing how restless I looked, but I kept my eyes fixed on the door of the mansion. Every second felt longer than it should, stretching out like he was never going to come. I told myself that I could still call this off. I could tell him I changed my mind, that I didn’t need him riding into my personal life, seeing things I tried so hard to keep buried. But then I thought about Zurie, and how fragile everything felt, and I knew I couldn’t turn him away.
Finally, the heavy doors opened, and there he was. Pressure stepped out carrying a small black bag, and just the sight of him hit me harder than I expected. His walk had that same calm arrogance, like nothing in the world could move him unless he wanted it to. He didn’t rush toward the SUV; he moved like he owned every step, and my chest tightened at how sure of himself he was.
The driver jumped out to open the door for him, but Pressure waved him off and pulled it open himself. When he slid inside beside me, the first thing that hit me was the warmth of his cologne. It was sharp but smooth, expensive but not loud, and it wrapped around me before I could even breathe. Something about it made my body relax against the seat without me realizing it, and the more I tried to fight the urge, the more I found myself leaning into him.
Pressure glanced at me, and I caught the corner of his mouth twitch like he noticed, but he didn’t say a word. He just scooted closer until his leg brushed mine, and then his arm came around my shoulder. It wasn’t even forceful. It was natural, like that space was always meant for him to take up. The weight of his arm alone settled me in a way nothing else could, and I letmyself sink against him even though my mind screamed that I shouldn’t.
We didn’t talk. There were no promises whispered, no questions asked, and no explanations demanded. The silence inside the SUV was filled with everything we weren’t saying, all the tension and all the comfort rolled into one. The driver pulled off, and the mansion disappeared behind us as the city lights began to rise in front of us. I wanted to ask him why he even cared, why he was really coming with me, but I couldn’t bring myself to ruin the quiet moment. It was enough that he was here, sitting with me, holding me like I mattered more than the women back at that mansion.
As the SUV rolled through the streets, I watched the buildings change from luxury storefronts to older brick shops, from bright lights to the dim glow of neighborhoods. I was so close to home that my stomach turned over, but Pressure’s hand on my shoulder kept me calm. Every time the driver slowed at a light, I could feel Pressure’s thumb rubbing over the side of my arm without him even realizing it, and the small motion was grounding in a way I couldn’t explain.
When we reached the private strip where his jet was waiting, my heart jumped. I wasn’t used to this kind of life—the kind where someone could just pack a small bag and take to the skies whenever they felt like it. But with Pressure, it didn’t even feel like showing off. It felt like he wanted to make sure I had the quickest way back to my sister.
The SUV rolled to a stop beside the steps leading up to the jet, and the driver came around to open the door. Pressure didn’t move until I did, and when I slid out first, he was right behind me, his hand at the small of my back guiding me forward. I didn’t say anything about it, but that small gesture made my chest feel heavy in a different way, like he wasn’t just here to watch me fall apart but to hold me together while I did it.
Inside the jet, the leather seats stretched in perfect rows, soft lighting glowing above them. I expected him to take a seat across from me, give me space, maybe let me keep my thoughts to myself for the ride. But when I sat down near the window, Pressure slid in right beside me like there was never another option. His arm draped across the top of the seat until it came down around me again, and I didn’t fight it.
I turned my face toward the window, needing something else to focus on, but then I felt him lower his lips to the top of my head. The kiss wasn’t long or dramatic; it was light, almost careless, but it left a warmth behind that spread down my spine.
The jet lifted, and I stayed quiet, staring out as the ground slipped away and the clouds swallowed us whole. My nerves were still there, twisting and pressing against my chest, but the more I leaned into Pressure, the safer I felt. It was strange to feel so protected in the middle of my world falling apart, but that was what Pressure brought with him. He was masculine in a way that wasn’t forced, protective without saying a word, and smooth enough to make me forget for a moment how scared I was.
He didn’t push me to talk, and he didn’t ask me how I was holding up. He just held me, his presence heavy and warm beside me, his cologne mixing with the faint scent of smoke that clung to him. The hum of the jet filled the silence, and for once, silence didn’t feel like loneliness. It felt like peace.
As I looked out at the endless sky, I realized that no matter what waited for me at home, I wasn’t walking into it by myself anymore. Pressure was right there, close enough that I could feel his chest rise and fall, close enough that the fear I carried didn’t feel unbearable. I had no idea what it meant for us, or if letting him this close would end up breaking me in the end. But in this moment, with the clouds stretching wide outside the window and his arm wrapped around me, I didn’t care. For the first time in a long time, I let myself believe that everything would be fine.
Moss Point
Once the jet landed, I looked over at Pluto and removed my arm from around her shoulder. She’d been leanin’ into me the whole flight, quiet as hell, damn near shakin’ on and off, and I knew her nerves was eatin’ her alive. I wasn’t the type to sit there askin’ a million questions, but I kept my arm on her the whole time ‘cause I knew she needed it. That’s why I ain’t let her carry nothin’ soon as we stepped off. I grabbed her hand, gripped her luggage in the other, and led her down the steps like she was mine to protect.
My rental was already waitin’ on the strip, a pearl-white Mercedes S580, black interior with the soft-close doors and the big screens in the back. I popped the trunk, set her bags in, then opened the passenger door for her. She slid in without a word. Icame around and got in the driver’s seat and hit the start button. My phone lit up right away with a wall of missed calls. Ka’mari had been blowin’ me up and I had a text from Renza, but I wasn’t answerin’ nobody. Right now, it was Pluto and Zurie, nothin’ else.
I looked over at Pluto, her nails diggin’ into her leggings like she was tryna hold herself together. “Where we slidin’ to?” I asked, my voice low, and eyes still on her.
“St. Mercy General Hospital,” she said, real soft.
I hated hospitals and I had my reasons, but for Pluto, I was gon’ walk in that bitch unbothered. I typed the address into the GPS with one hand, but my other reached for hers without me thinkin’. Her fingers slid into mine quick, like she’d been waitin’ on it. I squeezed her hand and kept it there on the console, my thumb brushin’ over her skin. I ain’t even realize how deep I’d gotten with this girl until I caught myself doin’ shit like this. I had feelings for a few of the Diamonds, sure, but Pluto hit different. It wasn’t just lust or the chase. With her, it felt natural, like she was carved out to fit in my life without tryin’. She made a nigga feel safe in a way I couldn’t even explain. Not physically ‘cause nobody on this planet made me feel unsafe—but emotionally. Like all the shit I bottled up could actually breathe around her.
We drove through the city in silence but still connected. Every few minutes she’d look out the window, swallow hard, then glance at me like she was groundin’ herself. I ain’t say much. I just held her hand tighter and let her feel my presence. That’s what she needed more than words.
When we pulled up to the hospital, the glow from the emergency sign bounced off her skin, and I could see the panic settle heavier in her eyes. I parked, got out, and walked around before she even touched the handle. She ain’t argue when Iopened her door. She let me help her out, and we walked in together, her hand still locked in mine.
The front desk worker ran through the motions, and asked for IDs. Pluto’s voice shook when she gave ‘em her info. I slid mine across right after. I ain’t give a fuck who stared at me—tattoos, jewelry, all that shit. I wanted everybody in that hospital to see one thing: I was standin’ next to Pluto through whatever came.
With visitor passes on, we moved through the bright-ass hallways. The smell of bleach and medicine was loud, with machines beepin’ faint in the background. Pluto walked faster the closer we got.
Walkin’ the hospital halls had me feelin’ that shit. Hospitals always did somethin’ to me. The white walls, the echo of wheels hittin’ tile, that sharp mix of bleach and sickness—it all pulled at somethin’ I never talked about ‘cause it was somethin’ I buried a long time ago. It was fucked up memories, I ain’t even like lettin’ creep back in. For a second, my mind started slippin’ there, twistin’ me up, but I shook it off. This wasn’t about me. Pluto needed me solid, so that’s what I was gon’ be.
She pushed through the door first, and soon as I stepped in behind her, I clocked it.
Her mom and pops was here…
