Aubrey caught Jaliyah's gaze, a storm of emotions brewing in his eyes. "Jaliyah, I know it's complicated, but I can't shake this feeling! We belong together," he confessed, his voice low and earnest. "
Jaliyah met his intensity with a quiet resolve...
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It's been about three months since that night with Aubrey. Ever since then, I've kept my distance, moving out of his house and into a condo of my own. A lot of my belongings are still there, but I've told myself I'll collect them eventually.
Khalil's return a couple of weeks ago stirred things up again. He couldn't understand why I moved out. I explained that since we were planning to get married, I wanted us to start fresh, and living in that house felt like anything but. He kept suggesting we move back, but I was firm about not wanting to discuss it further. To my surprise, he respected my wishes.
"Babe! Your boy finally came through!!! I sent him the beat and he immediately sent back a verse! He says he wants Jcole on it, so now I'm waiting on Cole's verse! This shit is about to be the one, baby!!" Khalil's excitement was infectious, even if the news was bittersweet for me.
I couldn't hide my surprise that Aubrey had actually responded. "When did you send the verse?" I asked, trying to focus on the numbers from my shops, but my mind was elsewhere.
"Last week, and he sent the verse back the next day. I tweaked it some to see if he'd like it and he sent back today that it's fire," Khalil explained, his eyes glued to his phone, I could tell that he was texting.
"Well, I love that for you, Baby!" I managed to say, offering him a supportive smile even though my heart felt heavy.
"I'm talking to him now. He invited me up to Toronto to work on some other shit," Khalil added, casually dropping news that felt like a bombshell to me.
"What did you say?" I pressed, needing to hear it again to believe it.
"I said that he invited me up to Toronto to work on some shit with him. He's talking album shit, baby." The excitement in his voice was clear, but all I could feel was a tangled mix of emotions.
"Oh... Didn't he just put out an album?" I questioned, trying to make sense of everything.
"Baby, you know The Boy doesn't stop, you of all people should know that," Khalil said, echoing a truth I knew all too well.
"So, when are you going to Toronto?" I asked, the reality of the situation beginning to sink in.
"Well, he said that Cole would be in Toronto for a good minute and to come on Friday. I think they're working on a joint album too. Baby, if this happens... fuck, I know it will!" His enthusiasm was obvious as he made his way upstairs.
I couldn't deny my happiness for Khalil's success, but everything felt overwhelmingly complicated. Khalil heading to Toronto, working closely with Aubrey, the threads of our lives intertwining in ways I hadn't anticipated.
I followed him upstairs, wanting to understand more, to share in his moment fully. I found him gazing out of my floor-to-ceiling window, lost in thought.
