For Better Or For Worse | Rihanna

XXIII; November, 2017

Robyn Fenty

The last three weeks were perfectly smooth sailing. It's as if Eden and I were riding on a high.

We'd been enjoying a lot of quality time because I knew that was her love language. We did everything from shopping to date nights every other night and a crazy amount of sightseeing. I knew she had only ever been in Los Angeles on official modelling business, so she never saw past the inner city.

Personally, I loved the city. I was a Bajan at heart, yes, and New York was the city I had been living in for 14 years, yes. But Lost Angeles was warm, open and constantly changing. I knew the original plan was only for two months, which would bring us right before the holiday season, but I was hoping we could stay longer. I was tired and jaded with New York City.

Plus, Eden wasn't the only one working on herself. While Eden was in all kinds of therapy learning how to function without the influence of anything, I was learning how to pause and slow down. I had spent so much of the last months on a jet, at a conference or on a work call, I hadn't really been able to just breathe.

And I knew 2018 was going to be just as crazy. DJ Khaled was trying to convince me to perform at the Grammys, I was going to turn 30, and there were already whispers that Anna Wintour wanted me to co-chair the MET Ball. That was just the beginning, more things would definitely pile up as we approached January. Therefore, this was the last time in the foreseeable future that I could just be. I was still working remotely, but I had taken a step back for now and let Jen handle the heavy work.

For now, I was enjoying the warm sun in my backyard with Mel, who was making a ruckus with all that splashing around.

"Honey, I'm home!" My love's voice bellowed from behind me. Okay, I guess I wasn't going to find peace.

The patio door slid open to reveal Eden, drenched in sweat, her brand-new hiking backpack still on.

"Hello, Melly Mel!" She waved. Mel stopped swimming to laugh at my girlfriend.

Yeah, Eden was changing... weirdly. She was morphing into some kind of nature freak, always wanting to be outside. She discovered we lived minutes away from a state park, and had taken up nature walks and hiking. Don't get me wrong, it was cute, but also really random. That and her contagious positivity. There was a new pep in her step, a new fire under her ass.

"How was your hike?" I lifted my sun hat to get a better look at her. Did I mention she had been hitting the gym like crazy?

Eden told me she was working on some kind of second coming. Sometimes I didn't even recognize the person I was living with. Eden was taking care of her body inside and out; her usual routine had been overtaken by green shakes, morning hikes, solo therapy, gym sessions and group therapy. Up until now, 3 weeks sounded like a pretty short amount of time, but I guess when you do all that pretty much every day, a lot can happen.

"It was fantastic," Eden dropped the bag, came over and plopped herself down next to me. "I thought of you actually, while I was meditating on top of the mountain."

"You're sweaty," I protested while she tried to kiss me. All I could see was the beads of sweat rolling over her top lip.

"Oh, sorry," Eden grinned before removing her shirt and using it to wipe her face. It was a wholly unnecessary gesture, but she knew what she was doing.

"I love you," Eden whispered before pressing a kiss to my temple.

"Why y'all always getting nasty?" Melissa huffed before getting out of the pool. "I'm gonna go get myself a drink, and you better be done when I'm back." She pointed an accusatory finger at us, her face scrunched up while she passed us.