𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝐚 𝐝𝐝𝐨𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲

32~ Healing Lies

Now playing Nobody Gets Me by SZA

How am I supposed to let you go
Only like myself when I'm with you
Nobody gets me you do
You do
Nobody gets me you do

Ariana Greenblatt

A few days after I stormed out of DD's house, I’m still in my feelings about everything. The anger is there, sure, but it's more the hurt that lingers, you know?

That kind of deep-down hurt that doesn't just go away. So today, everyone’s hanging out at Mika’s place, and I’m trying to act like everything’s cool, but I can’t shake this heavy feeling.

I haven't told anyone about what happened the last time I saw DD. If I did, they'd probably roll their eyes and tell me to move on already.

But I needed a break from everyone, so I slipped away to Mika's room, letting the noise fade as I try to distract myself with my phone.

I was so caught up in my own thoughts that I almost missed the sound of the door creaking open. I look up and, of course, there he is—DD, standing in the doorway like he’s got something to say.

His face gives it away before he even opens his mouth. There’s this mix of guilt and something else—determination, maybe? I don’t know.

"Ariana, can we talk?" he asks, stepping into the room like he's afraid I'll tell him to leave. I want to, but instead, I just sigh and put my phone down.

"What do you want, DD?" I ask, trying to keep my voice steady even though my heart’s doing that annoying flutter thing it always does around him. Damn it.

"I'm sorry bout the other day. I ain't mean to shut you out," he says, and I can tell he’s trying to be sincere. But it's like, how many times am I gonna hear this?

I take a deep breath, thinking hard about what to say next. "I forgive you, but I still don't understand why you won't tell me what happened." My voice is softer than I intended—guess I can’t keep all the hurt out.

He looks away, and I can tell he's struggling, but part of me is just tired of it. "I got stuff going on with me that's just... a lot right now," he says,

but I can hear the hesitation in his voice. It’s like he’s only giving me half the truth, and I know it.

But even though I want to push, to demand answers, I let it go—for now. A part of me just wants to believe him so bad, to hold onto any hope that things could go back to how they were.

"Okay," I finally say, my voice almost a whisper. "But I hope you'll tell me everything someday." My eyes search his, hoping for something, anything, to show that he’s gonna open up to me.

DD steps closer, and I can see the tension ease a little in his face. "I don't want us fighting, ma," he says, reaching out for me.

I hesitate, my heart fighting with my head. But then I find myself standing up and letting him hug me. "Don't call me that," I mutter, but I don’t push him away. His arms around me—it’s familiar, comforting, and I hate how much I want this, how much I need him.

He doesn't say anything, just holds me, and for a moment, I let myself believe that maybe things could be okay again.

The silence between us feels like a promise, a reminder that even with all the mess, we’re still connected. It’s like all the tension, the hurt, it’s still there, but this hug—this simple thing—is starting to mend some of those cracks.

Eventually, we head back downstairs together. Everyone's still caught up in their own conversations, but I catch Lala looking at me,

her eyebrow raised like she's asking, "You good?" I give her a small nod, hoping she won’t ask any more than that.

The night goes on, and when it’s time to order pizza, DD catches me off guard by picking a pineapple and ham one—the same one he used to clown me for liking.😭

He always said "nobody else fw dat shi," but now here he is, ordering it like it's no big deal.

When it’s my turn, I order the same thing, and when I look at him, there’s that smirk on his face, the one that always gets me smiling too.

Later, as everyone’s getting ready to leave, DD pulls me aside. "Yo, you got a ride home?" he asks, and I can see he’s hoping I don’t.

I think about it for a second before nodding. "Nah, I don’t." I laugh a little, knowing he already knew that.

We say goodbye to everyone, and as we walk to his car, the air between us feels a little lighter, but there’s still so much we haven’t said.

The drive home is mostly quiet, the city lights blurring past. It feels weird being in the front seat of his car again,

thinking about everything that’s happened since the last time I was here. I don’t even wanna think about what’s gone down in the back seat since we broke up.

When we get close to my house, DD finally breaks the silence. "Ariana, I know I ain't been completely honest with you, and I want to make it right. I just need a little more time to sort things out, mh."

I turn to look at him, searching his face for any sign that he’s lying, but all I see is sincerity.

Maybe even a little bit of vulnerability. "Okay, DD. I'll give you time. But please, don't keep me in the dark forever."

He nods, pulling up to my house. "I won't. I promise."

As I step out of the car, I feel a mix of hope and uncertainty. We’ve taken a small step forward, but I know there’s still a long way to go.

I watch DD drive away, a silent determination settling in my heart. Despite everything, I still believe in us.