Main Thing

5.

V O T E + C O M M E M T

He couldn't be serious..." I've had my fun, with you being gone so much for the past year, it put a lot into perspective for me." just like that, all of my current liquor consumption for the evening left my body. I was shocked, maybe more so than I should have been. Was this the first time that Aubrey has proposed to me out of fear that he might lose me? Of course, it wasn't. Though, this was the first and only time that he's ever given me a ring.

I sighed, closing my view of the glamorous engagement ring in my hands. I couldn't accept this, "That you're facing a mid-life crisis?" I light-heartedly joked, hearing him chuckle deeply.

"Shut up," he said, reaching for my hand, holding it against his chest. "Seriously though, we've been knowing each other over fifteen years, T. It wasn't hard for me to realises that you've been the only consistent thing in my life and now my sons. I can't imagine my life without you, baby," he was always so persuasive. Too persuading. Being with Rome made me realise this. Aubrey was right about one thing, we have always been the one constant thing in each others lives for years. Though that never meant something to him, and I'm starting to believe that this was yet another test from God himself to see if I was ready to move on from him.

I finally looked into his eyes, pulling my hand from his chest. "You always know what to say, Aubrey. So is this you or drunk drake talking?" I had to ask,

"Stop trying to play me; you know who you're talking to." he huffed as if he could be offended by my honesty. Aubrey—or should I say, Drake, would do and say the craziest things at the moment when it was time. So I knew when to differentiate the two. And I especially knew which one to take seriously. "it's me," he softly said.

"Aubrey," I sighed, seeing his brow furrow in anger as he averted his eyes away from me. "We've tried this before, and it ended badly," I reminded him and more so myself.

"I know finding out about —"

"Yeah nigga, how was I supposed to feel when you're telling me all of this shit and then outta nowhere, Donnie?!" I snapped,

"I know," he sighed, closing his eye for a moment. As if he was thinking back to and feeling all of the pain that we all went through because of this.

"Do you? because before my baby Donnie you didn't give a fuck about anything, including what you said to me." I continued,

Aubrey then raised his body on the bed, hunching over as he stressfully rubbed at his face. "This isn't going as I planned," he solemnly said.

"Yeah, I bet," I scoffed, tossing the box from my hand and onto the bed. "But you know what? You have fun like you always do, and I'm taking my ass back home." I wasted no time getting up from the bed and walking over to the fireplace where I laid my shoes.

I couldn't even put them on with how badly I needed to get away from him. I needed to remember what was vital, and it wasn't giving Aubrey his millionth chance in being the man I always knew he wanted to be. It was the fact of me finally finding someone who only needed one shot to do everything right the first time. I was done...

Before I could storm out, Aubrey rose from his spot on the mattress, barricading me from fleeing. His strong hands gripped against my arms, keeping me in front of him. Aubrey then slowly slid his hands from my arms to cup my cheeks. Tilting my head up so that our eyes met. "Stop playing with me, T, because my feelings for you were never something I doubted." He then lowly said to me as my eyes began to water from his words.