Addicted 2 Moni

No More Silence

(This is Aisha POV for the what happened awhile back with her and Rico. Someone asked if she did talk to him like Harmony asked so here you go)

Aisha Pov

<2 weeks ago - Friday 3:48am>

I keep thinking about what Harmony said to me...

I need to talk to him.

I've been up all night—well, now morning—waiting for Rico to get home. This makes days in a row where he's disappeared like I'm not even here. Like I'm just some place for him to drop his bags when it's convenient. I walk into my apartment and it's always the same: a sink full of dirty dishes, the TV still on, maybe a jacket tossed on the couch. Traces of him. But not him.

And what I really needed was him.

I changed the locks. That was two nights ago. Because at this point, I'm done being his safety net. I close my eyes and shake my head, tears already forming. I don't even know why I keep trying. This long-distance "not really together" shit just ain't cutting it for me. He was supposed to be staying with me while him and Dewayne tracked down the nigga harassing Harmony. I thought it would bring us closer. I thought...

...maybe I could convince him to stay for me.

But I was fooling myself. I know we were never official, and it was just sex—but I got attached. Deep.

I've seen it in Rico's eyes too. I know there's something there. But he don't say it. He barely shows it. And now, he's just—gone. No texts. No calls. Not even a check-in.

I stare at the last sip of wine in my glass. Sigh. I get up and head into the kitchen for more. The bottle's almost empty now. The taste is bitter now, like the mood.

Suddenly, I hear the knob twisting hard. I freeze. My eyes roll slow. Of course.

There's a loud knock. I grab the bottle and my glass, walk to the door, and peek through the peephole. It's him. Phone to his ear. Calm. Like he didn't ghost me for a week. I take a deep breath, wipe my face quickly, and unlock the door.

"Did you change the locks?" Rico steps inside, brushing past me.

"Yes. I sure did," I say flatly, shutting the door.

"Why the hell you do that shit and not tell me?" He looks back at me like I'm crazy.

"Why the hell are you even here, Rico?" I toss back, staring at the red in my glass.

"Aisha... I really don't have time for your bullshit right now," he says, already walking toward the bedroom.

"Nigga, I never said you could just walk up in my shit like that!"

"Mannn, why are you trippin'? Damn!"

He drops onto the bed like he owns it. I just stand there. Fuming.

"Come lay with me," he says, reaching for my hand.

I yank it away. "Naah, nigga, don't fucking touch me! You act like shit is all good. You haven't responded to a single text, a single call in over a WEEK!"

"I've been hella busy. And you know I can't talk about everything. I had to burn my phone and some of my shit. I wasn't tryna ignore you. I just didn't want you sitting around worried about a nigga. You knew what type of nigga I was before you started fucking with me, man."

"Fucking with you? We barely do that. You barely my nigga and I'm over here losing sleep. I didn't know if I should be mad—thinking you was out cheating—or scared something happened to you."

My voice cracks. I don't mean for it to. But it does. Tears spill down before I can catch them. Rico looks at me. Really looks.

"Baby..."

His voice softens. He reaches out again, takes my hand gently.

And I cry harder.

I snatch it away.

"No! I'm not finished!"

He sits still. Watching.

"Yeah, I knew who you were. I knew what came with you. But I got attached. I fell for you. At first, everything was so perfect. You came out with me. I got you to see a damn play even though you hated every second. You still went. And it felt like... something. Now, I feel like a stranger in my own damn relationship."

My voice drops to a whisper.

"You don't call me baby anymore. You don't talk to me soft. You talk to me like I'm just one of your niggas. Like I ain't a princess to you no more."

His face twists like my words cut him deep.

"Then when you left to Chicago with Dewayne, you didn't even talk to me about it. You didn't even ask me how I felt about you putting yourself in danger. You just left. Like I don't matter. Like I'm just a place you stay when you in town."

He sighs, stands up, reaches for me again.

"No. I'm not fucking done!"

I shove him hard. He stumbles back onto the bed, eyes wide.

"I felt so invisible... I ended up looking somewhere else. Someone found me. Gave me attention. Made me feel... seen."

"Aish—"

"SHUT UP!" I scream.

My fists ball.

"He reminded me of you. Everything I wanted in you. He was perfect. Sweet. Safe. But he wasn't you."

"...Did you fuck him?" Rico asks, low and tight. His jaw flexes. Veins pulse.

"No. I couldn't. Because he wasn't you."

Before I can blink, I'm up against the wall. My heart slams in my chest. Rico's arms cage me in, his gaze locked on mine.

I look away, biting my lip, head turned toward my vanity.

He cups my chin, gently turning my face back to his.

He kisses the tear under my eye.

"Baby... I am so. So. Sorry."

His mouth crashes onto mine.

I resist, push weakly at his chest.

"Stop," I say through the kiss, but I don't mean it. Not fully.

He growls low in his throat. Pins my wrists above me with one hand. Deepens the kiss with the other at my cheek.

A moan slips out. His lips are too soft. Too familiar. Too missed.

"No... please... you just gonna do it again," I whisper, voice trembling.

"No. Baby, I won't. I swear. It's different now."

His hands move down, slowly untying my robe. His eyes find my lingerie. Pink lace.

He stares.

"How am I supposed to believe that?"

His eyes meet mine, deep and open for the first time.

"Now that I know how you really feel about me... No woman's ever made me feel this way. Ever. I never said it out loud because it felt too good to be true. And when shit's that good in my life, something always comes to ruin it. I figured you'd leave me eventually... so I kept distance, to keep it from hurting. But I see now—you ain't just a good thing... you my good thing."

His voice is rough. Honest.

"The life I live ain't fair to you. But you stayed. And that means everything. It makes me feel like I can finally trust someone with all of me."

He slides the robe from my shoulders.

I open my mouth, ready to respond, but he presses his finger to my lips.

"You stuck with me now. I can't ever let you go."

He takes my hand, leads me toward the bed...

And this time, I don't pull away.