Moving Forward

Ten

Aaliyah

"Prodigy? Prodigy? Where are you?" I called, and I couldn't help, but have an edge to my voice. I was still furious from my little run-in with Ray. How dare he think after he left me he could just waltz back into my life, and act like nothing happened.

"I'm out here," Prodigy replied. I stepped out onto the balcony, and the view completely wiped my anger away. I stood in awe. The view of New York was amazing. It took my breath away. As I stared at the twinkling lights, I couldn't help, but feel small.

"Are you okay?" Prodigy asked, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me closer.

"Yeah," I whispered, still in awe at the view. "It's just so...beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you," He grinned, causing me to blush. For a few moments, we just stood there admiring the beautiful skyline. But then Prodigy brought me back to reality.

"Have you found an adoptive family yet?" He asked, and I cringed at the question. To be honest, I hadn't really thought about it. No one seems right anymore.

"No," I sighed. He was quiet for a moment, and I could tell he had something more to say. "What is it, Prodigy?"

He didn't respond at first. He just continued looking at the skyline. "What if we raised the baby ourselves?" He blurted, after being quiet for so long.

"That's crazy," I said, shaking my head. I couldn't believe he wanted to do this. "We are just kids."

"I know," he replied. He took my hands in his, a hopeful expression crossing his face. He just lit up thinking about it. "But I could get a job, and we could move into an apartment together. My dad is rich. He could get us started."

I didn't know what to say. "This is crazy," was all I could manage to get out. Here he was the nicest guy I've ever met willing to raise a baby with me. I just didn't know how to respond.

"It's not crazy. It's perfect," He smiled. He just seemed, so confident, that everything would work out. And I wanted to believe him.

"Okay," I whispered, then repeated a little louder. "Okay."

Prodigy lit up. "This is going to be great," Prodigy exclaimed. He wrapped his arms around me, and that's when I saw him. Ray was watching us, and I knew he was listening to us the whole time.

_____

3 Months Later

Prodigy

I stood in the apartment kitchen, talking on the phone to Aaliyah as Ray carried another box of baby clothes. He glared at me for a quick second before disappearing with a box into one of the two bedrooms. Our apartment was small, and I wasn't used to the crowded space, but Aaliyah fell in love with it.

"Roc just won't shut up about how excited he is to have a nephew," Aaliyah commented, and I could hear her laughing through the phone. I smiled at the sound of her voice, wishing she was here in my arms. "He's been dragging me to every baby store; I swear you would think he was pregnant."

"Well," I began, leaning against the wall for support, "at least Prince isn't as crazy."

She laughed again. "That's because he's crazier! He won't shut up about colors for the nursery. He says we can't have yellow, blue, or pink."

"They just care about you and our little baby," I cooed. I could hear her sigh, and I frowned. "What's wrong?"

"I'm scared," she admitted. "I've been taking these baby classes, and they're really hard Prod."

"I know," I commented. "I was there."

I heard a loud crash from one of our bedrooms, and I sighed. "Ray is fucking something up. Let me call you back, baby."

Hanging up the phone, I made my way through the kitchen crowded with boxes and into the master bedroom. I frowned when I saw a broken picture frame on the hardwood floor, and I offered to go get a broom. When I returned with the item, I noticed Ray staring out the window, something he only did when he was thinking about something important.

"Is everything OK?" I asked. I began sweeping up the pieces, wondering what was on my brother's mind. "Are you scared that you're going to miss me?"

Ray laughed bitterly. "Nah, I'm glad you're leaving," his usual carefree tone had a hard edge to it, and I took a step back in shock. "I'm sick of you and Aaliyah."

"Well, you're going to be even sicker," I mumbled. "I'm marrying her."

"What the fuck?" Ray looked at me, his eyes wide. He had that sick look on his face again, and I briefly wondered what had gotten into him.

"Yeah," I dug around in pocket before retrieving a small black box.

He stared at it in shock, and he gestured for me to open it. When I complied, he sucked in a deep breath, blinking dumbly. I knew that I probably shouldn't marry someone I only knew for a short period of time, but I felt something with Aaliyah that I never felt before. I wanted to be with her and only her, and I wanted her to be mine.

"You're a dumbass," he muttered.