Page 89 of Certified Pressure 3
That set me off.Man, miss me with that dumb shit,I typed.You act like I wanted all this. Like I asked for it. You don’t know what I go through behind the scenes. You don’t know half of it.
You right,she sent back.I don’t, and I don’t care to anymore. Go play husband, Pressure.
I stared at her message, feelin’ my heart beat faster. The music and the lights around me felt like they was spinnin’. I could hear my cousins laughin’, women laughin’ and money fallin’, but none of that shit mattered.
I typed,You got me fucked up if you think I’m just gon’ leave it like that.
Then what?she said.You gon’ pull up? You must be drunk, Pressure. Go sleep it off.
That made me laugh, but it wasn’t a real laugh. It came from that place between anger and pain. I looked at her text for asecond, finished my drink, and slid my phone in my pocket. I was done talkin’ through a screen.
Without sayin’ a word, I stood up. Renza was laughin’ with a dancer in his lap, Kay’Lo was talkin’ to Blaqson about somethin’, and the DJ was shoutin’ my name again, tellin’ everybody to throw more money. Nobody even noticed when I started walkin’ off. I just moved through the crowd, feelin’ my pulse pound while the liquor and the emotion mixed inside me.
I pushed through the door and stepped out into the night. I ain’t give a fuck about the party no more, didn’t even give a fuck about tomorrow. I ain’t give a fuck about nothin’ but seein’ Pluto.
I walked to my car, pullin’ my keys from my pocket, and slid into the driver’s seat. I started the engine, and stared out at the road. My mind was a fuckin’ mess, but I knew one thing for sure. I was done textin’.
Pluto was gon’ see me tonight.
Royal Oaks Subdivision in Trill-Land
As soon as I pulled up to Pluto’s crib, I parked crooked in the driveway and hopped out. My head was still spinnin’ from all that liquor, and my heart felt heavy as hell. I wasn’t even supposed to be here. I had just left my bachelor party, half drunk, half pissed, and all the way done with pretendin’ like I ain’t miss Pluto. I kept tellin’ myself I was just gon’ pull up to talk, but I already knew what that meant.
I could still see them texts between us flashin’ in my mind, all that back and forth and all them smart-ass replies she sent. I should’ve left her alone and turned around the moment I hit that corner, but somethin’ in me wouldn’t let me. I walked up thedriveway slow, starin’ at the door like it was the one thing in the world that could calm me down.
I rang the bell once, then knocked a few times. The sound felt loud against the silence. I waited for a lil’ minute bit ain’t hear nothin’ on the other end. I rubbed a hand over my face and shook my head, thinkin’ maybe she fell asleep. Then I heard the soft click of the lock and her voice on the other side.
“Who is it?”
Her voice always did somethin’ to me, even when she said it like she was annoyed, tired and over my shit.
“You know who it is,” I said. “Open the door.”
It took a few seconds, but then it swung open.
She had on this lavender silk gown that hung off her shoulders and brushed against her legs. Her belly was round and beautiful, pokin’ out just enough to remind me of everything we had made together. She looked tired, but she still looked good enough to make my heart drop. I stared at her for a second, and she just stared back like she ain’t know whether to hug me or cuss me out.
“What are you doing here, Pressure?” she asked with a lil’ attitude, her eyes narrowin’.
“The fuck you mean why I’m here? All the shit you texted me…. I’m here now, so what’s up?”
She rolled her eyes and started to close the door, but I caught it before she could. I ain’t grab her hard, just firm enough to stop it from shuttin’ it in my damn face.
“Move, Pressure. It’s late,” she said.
“I said I’m here. So talk.”
“I don’t got nothing to say.”
I pushed the door enough to walk inside, and she sighed, steppin’ back but not sayin’ I could come in either. I locked the door behind me and leaned on it for a second, tryna calm the way my heart was beatin’.
“Zurie’s sleep,” she said, her voice softer now. “You need to leave before you wake her up.”
“Man, Zurie good,” I said. “Ain’t nobody wakin’ her up.”
We stood there starin’ at each other. All that arguin’ from earlier, all that hurt we threw back and forth through text, it was still sittin’ between us. I could see it in her eyes. The anger, the love, confusion—All that.
“You drunk?” she asked, her voice low.
