Grim

2

A/N: Giving two chapters today 🎀✨

"No," Azias answered. "I'm here because I was following a hunch. Thought these two were meeting up with someone else."

"But things must be better than how they were before, right?" Mother asked with hope in her eyes. Through it all, she had been the most optimistic. Rose was angry and hurt, and I...I had lost all hope in Azias being alive.

"I wish that was right," he shook his head. "Y'all gotta get going though."

I frowned, "You're not coming with?"

"No," he answered, and although everyone awaited an explanation, none came.

"Why?" I asked. He didn't even seem interested in spending the night with us. He was distant, like how he was when we first met, and that scared me a lot. I didn't know if there existed a future for us in his mind. He had probably gotten over me...

Rose rolled her eyes, "Fuck whatever this nigga has to say. We're as good as dead regardless!"

"You gone be dead right now if you don't watch ya mouth," Azias threatened.

"Whatever," Rose said before leaving the room, and my mother left with her to get settled in the car.

"How are you traveling?" Azias questioned.

I answered, "Bought a car from a regular person. We paid in cash and he asked no questions."

"The two guys that were taken down could've reported the car to someone else. You'll have to abandon it," Azias reasoned.

"Well, we're just gonna have to take that risk until we get to a bus or train. We can't walk in the cold with Pharaoh."

"Okay."

I took a moment to let his features sink in. His beard and Afro were untamed, and I could see fatigue in his eyes. He was still very handsome, and he looked more mature as well. However, because I knew his unkempt hair was an abnormal touch to his features, I could tell that he hadn't taken time to take care of himself. He didn't look a mess, but he did look tired.

"You never told me how to meet up with Ace..." I reminded, and his eyes grew colder.

"I don't know where he is," Azias informed while looking away. "The alarm for his house never went off."

Trying to be hopeful, I reasoned, "He could still be out there."

"I doubt it. He knows what to do in cases like these, yet nothing that we established has been done on his side. If he isn't dead, he's probably wishing that he was," Azias replied. I placed my hand on his shoulder, and he closed his eyes before announcing, "I gotta go."

"I'm coming with," I announced.

Azias immediately turned my request down with a solid, "No."

"Wasn't asking," I shrugged. "You'll help us get to another safe house or whatever, and then I'll accompany you in getting rid of the threat."

"Like I said," he stated while looking in my eyes. There was a look in them that felt familiar, but even that familiarity felt very distant. "No."

I stared into his eyes and repeated, "I wasn't asking, Azias."

He reinforced, "The answer is no, Sapphire."

I shrugged, "Well, don't answer because I wasn't asking!"

"So fucking stubborn!"

"Touché, babe," I replied, and we both froze when I called him babe. It wasn't like how we'd say it a year ago. It didn't hold affection. It was just a mockery, but I couldn't help thinking about the good old days. I looked him into his eyes and hoped that my charms still had the ability to sway his decisions. I batted my eyelashes as I looked beyond his eyes, and he sighed and looked away. "I can be of help! I can maybe identify people that work for the Boss, and I can help you make decisions. Plus, you'll have someone watching your back!"

"Fine," he gave in, and I gave myself an imaginary pat on the back for making him give into me. "We'll drop them off at a safe house, and then I'll teach you how to fire a proper shot."

"Whatever," I rolled my eyes. "Let's go."

Six hours later
It was late at night when we arrived at the next safe house. Everyone had been exhausted from the long drive. We had only stopped once, and that was to get something to eat and to take a quick pee break.

"Three rooms," Azias briefly noted before walking off, so I followed behind him.

"How long will the food here last them?" I questioned as he opened a room door.

He answered, "This house has more food than the other did. Should last about 8 or 9 months."

We entered the room, and I took off my backpack and placed it by the foot of the bed. I then began stripping out of my clothes.

Even though I was really tired, I wanted to take a long shower before heading off to bed. I figured that he had taken the master bedroom because he was simply Azias Wolfe.

Azias turned around while saying "We'll," but the minute his eyes landed on me in my undergarments, it was as if he forgot what he was saying.

"We'll...?" I asked as I took those off as well, his eyes following my every movement. It wasn't my intention to tease him. I just thought we could shower together, but I was find that he was still attracted to me.

I walked to the bathroom and stepped inside the shower. I began running warm water, which I was hoping would also help him relax. Azias hadn't taken long before following his intuition and joining me in the steamy shower.

He continued, "We'll start practice tomorrow morning. I need to teach you how to fight too."

"Okay," I nodded as I turned my back to him to lather my wash cloth with soap. I turned around to hand him the soap but then bumped into him because he was planning to reach for it himself.

Instinctively, his arm wrapped around my waist to keep me from falling backwards, and my hands gripped his shoulders to prevent my fall.

We stared into each other's eyes, both of our breathing coming to a slow match, and his eyes flickered to my lips. In an instant, I found myself longing for his lips to be on mine. I had forgotten how it felt...what he tasted like. I just remembered feeling happy and safe when we'd kiss, two emotions I hadn't felt since we departed.

"We..." he breathed.

"Shouldn't," we said in unison.

But it appeared that our faces were only getting closer to one another. We knew kissing in the state that we both were in would be no good, but it was as if our bodies didn't care.

I reasoned, "You're going through something."

"And you gave up on me."

Our eyes met as a low gasp escaped my lips. "How did you know?"

I truly had thought Azias died or that he simply failed and had to go into hiding. I would have liked to blame me giving up on him on the three months that my mom, Rose, Pharaoh, and I had been switching from motels to motels, but I knew that part of me had lost hope since the day everything popped off. I didn't think that he won the ambush.

"Your face when you saw me. It was the same face I had when I saw my father a month ago," he informed while releasing my waist. "Like seeing a ghost."

I cupped his cheek while saying, "I can't imagine how difficult that must've been for you. Did you reconnect?"

He shook his head before saying, "My first reaction was utter surprise. Didn't take long for my second reaction to shoot him in the face kicked in. Fucker didn't even recognize me, so I just left."

"I'm sorry to hear that," I sadly replied as I stared into his eyes, and he nodded before closing his eyes and holding my hands.

He placed a kiss to them before connecting eyes with me and sighing, "I missed you."

"I missed you too," I admitted. "I shouldn't have given up on you."

"I don't blame you. Somewhere along the lines, I gave up on myself."