Aaliyah's Prelude |C.B|

fourty - three

Aaliyah Brielle Na'Jai Harper
22 years old.
Los Angeles, CA
———
2AM

Aaliyah laid on the couch, tracing Chris's back tattoos while he played a game with Trey connected on the other side..

She was lost in her thoughts about the pregnancy, Chris's legal troubles, and her job.

Nervous didn't even begin to describe how she felt; she was stressing.

The thought of Chris going to jail terrified her. Now that she was pregnant, the idea of being a single mother, even for just two years, was haunting her.

She was upset that Chris had put himself in this position without considering how it would affect everyone else but she didn't have much say because it happened before her.

But she was dependent on him—well, mostly him. Her job at the studio was still there, but the less she went, the less business they got.

Ghostwriting took up most of her time. She didn't have time for her studio unless it was something important. Business wasn't really an issue because Chris was paying the mortgage, but ghostwriting was stressful.

Artists like 2Chainz and Jeezy wanted things done quickly and there way, but if she didn't have inspiration for their lifestyles, she couldn't write for them.

"What you thinking about?" Chris asked, kissing her lips before looking back at the game.

"You," she said quickly, wrapping her arms around him.

He side-eyed her before closing out Madden 12 and going to Netflix. "What I do?" he asked, moving her hands off him and motioning for her to move so he could lay back.

She shook her head before moving to let him get comfortable.

He looked at her weirdly before scrolling to find a movie deciding to just put on My Hero Academia. "Soo... what's up, what's on yo mind?" he asked before pulling her on top of him. "Talk to me, Li." He coached.

Aaliyah took a deep breath, feeling the weight of her worries pressing down on her. "I'm scared, Chris," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "With everything going on... the baby, your legal troubles, my job... it's all just too much right now."

Chris looked at her, his eyes softening. "I know it's a lot, Li," he said, holding her closer. "But we're gonna get through this. I promise you. I'm going to do as much as I can before they come for me."

She nodded, but her anxiety didn't lessen. "I just don't think it's a good time to have the baby," she confessed, her voice cracking. "With everything happening, how can we bring a child into this mess? Chris we not even together."

Chris's expression hardened slightly, though his grip on her remained gentle. "I want this baby, Li," he said firmly. "No matter what, I want us to be a family. We'll figure out everything else, but I want this." He said as his hands made his way to her nonexistent belly.

Tears welled up in Aaliyah's eyes as she looked at him. "But what happens when you go to jail, Chris? What if I'm left to do this on my own? I can't handle that. I don't want to be a single mother."

"And I ain't going nowhere right now," he assured her, his voice resolute. "We're in this together, no matter what. We'll figure it out. One step at a time. I promise you, I'll do everything I can to be here for you and our baby."

"I'm here Aaliyah."

Aaliyah buried her face in his chest, feeling a small measure of comfort from his words. She knew the road ahead wouldn't be easy. She also knew Chris was going to jail no matter what... but his words did help.

Chris gently lifted her chin, making her look into his eyes. "Li, I see how hard you're working," he said softly. "You're running yourself ragged with the studio, the ghostwriting, and now worrying about the baby and me. You need to take care of yourself too."

She sighed, leaning into his touch. "I know, but there's just so much to do. If I don't keep up, everything will fall apart. I'll fall apart."

"I'm here for you Aaliyah, You don't have anything to worry about," Chris insisted. "It's new for both of us, and it's okay to admit you need help. You need to rest, to take care of yourself and our baby. We'll figure this out together."

"You don't even need to work." He told her bringing up this conversation again. "You and my baby already set for life, Whatcha working for?" He asked her as she rolled her eyes "My bad Ms. Independent." Chris joked making Aaliyah chuckled. "I got you Ma."

Aaliyah nodded, tears welling up again. "I'm just so scared, Chris. I don't know how to handle all of this."

He kissed her forehead gently. "I got you, Li. No matter what happens, I got you. We're in this together, and we'll make it through. You don't have to carry all this weight by yourself. We'll take it one day at a time."

She clung to him, feeling the warmth of his embrace and the sincerity in his words. Despite the uncertainty of their future, in that moment, she felt a little stronger knowing Chris was by her side.