SO RIGHT

Run In

Cj POV
Same day
Manhattan, NY

Cj pulled into the Target parking lot, his hands gripping the steering wheel tight as he glanced at Kaylene beside him. She was blabbering about something, but Cj wasn't listening.

"Whatchu said you had needed outta here?" he asked, cutting her off mid yap.

Kaylene shot him a glare, clearly annoyed, but Cj couldn't care less. His mind was elsewhere, still running over the images of Mia he'd seen on Instagram that morning.

"Ugh, you aren't listenin' to me, are you?" she huffed, throwing her hands up dramatically. "I said I need some makeup"

Cj barely nodded, not giving her full attention as he parked the car. His mind was elsewhere. They had just landed and got settled into their hotel a few hours ago, he was planning on meeting with his homeboy later who was good with tracking people down to help him pinpoint where Mia was and what she was out here for.

"Ight, you got ten minutes," Cj muttered, already unbuckling his seatbelt. He wasn't in the mood to wander the store with her. He had business of his own to attend to. Kaylene rolled her eyes but didn't argue, grabbing her purse and stepping out of the car.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He should've never let her get away in the first place. He'd fucked up, yeah, but that didn't mean she had to act like he didn't matter.

He knew he'd made mistakes in the past, but he just wanted his girl back. He wanted a do over.

"Oh I need some Boric acid too, I think you threw my PH off..." Kaylene said lowly as they walked away from the car and toward the store entrance.

Cj snapped his neck at her. "The fuck? Don't put that shit on me. That's on you." he shot back, irritation sharp in his voice. He didn't have time for this. He didn't have time for any of her bullshit.

"Probably all them niggas you be fuckin. Learn to clean yourself" he added as he shrugged

"Fuckin? You the only nigga I'm fucking. The fuck are you talking about Cj?" Kaylene spat back

"Hoe watch out with that nigga word, yo ass not even black" he mumbled as he pulled out his phone and began scrolling

He searched through his messages to find one of his old sneaky links from back in the day that he knew lived in New York now. He was tired of Kaylene already and wanted some different pussy for the night.

They made their way into Target and Kaylene instantly went toward the beauty section. Cj went his separate way and made his way toward the electronic section, looking for a new controller for his game.

In the meantime, his old sneaky link hit him back and he decided to call her.

"Hey baby, what's up?" Her voice was low, flirtatious.

"Where you at?" Cj grunted, his eyes scanning the aisles of Target as he waited for her to answer.

"I'm around, wassup?" she responded, giving him that same seductive vibe she always did.

"I'm at Target, but I'm trynna see you later. Whatchu trynna do?" Cj said, his lips curving into a small smirk.

"Mmm, I can come to you, or you can come to the crib, it's up to you baby."

"Ight send me yo address" Cj said before she agreed and he hung up.

Cj ended the call quickly and stuffed his phone back in his pocket, walking down the aisle toward the electronics section.

He was walking through the aisles of Target, ready to go at this point, he pulled his phone out to text Kaylene until he heard something.

A soft laugh.

A familiar laugh.

He froze. His heart rate picked up as he instinctively turned toward the sound. He didn't even have to think about it. He knew who it was.

Mia.

His stomach twisted, and before he could even stop himself, he was walking toward the sound of her voice.

He rounded the corner and spotted her in the toy aisle. She was kneeling down, looking at something on the shelf. Her hand was resting on her belly as she spoke to a little girl who was with her.

For a split second, everything around him faded out, and all he could see was Mia. She looked different—still the same, but different. There was a softness to her now, the way was carrying herself, the way she smiled at the little girl. It hit him harder than he expected.

He stood there for a moment, watching her, and the rush of old feelings came flooding back—anger, regret, longing. He could feel his chest tightening as he watched her interact with the child, her voice light and warm.

He didn't know what to say or what to do. His breath caught in his throat as he just stood there, watching her. She looked different, but still the same. The softness in her smile, the way she moved—it was all familiar, but there was something new about her. Something he couldn't quite place.

He opened his mouth to speak, but his words were stuck.

Mia's laugh floated through the air again, a little louder this time, as she spoke to the little girl beside her.

"Yeah, baby, you like this one?" Mia asked, her voice warm.

Mia handed the little girl the toy to place in the cart when she finally noticed him standing there. Her expression faltered for just a second, but it was enough for Cj to feel the shift. There was no warmth in her eyes anymore, no softness. Just distance. And maybe a little bit of pity.

Cj cleared his throat and tried to mask the frustration gnawing at him. "Wassup Mia," he said, his voice tight, like he was trying to keep everything in check. "Long time no see."

Mia, still kneeling down, didn't respond right away, just glanced at him with that same guarded look. She scoffed and turned her attention back to Ava. "Ava, baby, go see if you can find that Barbie dream house you want"

"Ok Mimi!" Ava said before heading toward the end of the aisle where the doll houses were.