𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐖𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤? ✪

Chapter 16 ⭐️

*AUTHOR'S POV*

Karrizma stood at the edge of the crowded bar, her hand wrapped tightly around her drink. She wasn't here to get messed up. She wasn't even here for fun. She was just trying to escape.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she could already feel the weight of the message. It was from Leeanna, just another update on how her and Marriel's day was going. Another pic of them laughing.

Another reminder of what Karrizma couldn't seem to have, no matter how hard she tried to fit into that love.

She hadn't been truly happy in months, maybe longer. It wasn't that she didn't care about them, it was the opposite. She cared too much. So much that it was hurting her. She loved them, yes.

But she couldn't be the reason they stayed stuck. The way they looked at each other, the way their love just flowed... She'd tried to pretend like she could be part of that flow, but she knew now she wasn't.

She wasn't meant to be the third wheel. She wasn't meant to be the person who could fix everything.

And damn it, Karrizma wasn't going to keep dragging herself through the mud to be a part of something that wasn't even hers to begin with.

She was their love, but they were each other's everything.

And as much as it hurt to admit, Karrizma knew she had to leave, because if she didn't, she'd lose herself completely.

She leaned against the bar, the energy of the place buzzing around her, but she was lost in her own thoughts.

The noise felt like it was getting louder, the light too bright. Her chest felt tight. She wasn't ready for the pain, but it was time.

She had to stop holding onto something that had slipped through her fingers.

"Yo, you good?" Karrizma glanced over her shoulder, seeing a short light skin stud standing there, her locks were died pink, eyes sharp like she'd been sizing Karrizma up for a minute.
There was a softness to her, though, like she could see past all the tension Karrizma carried.

Karrizma cracked a small smile, but it was half-hearted. "I'm straight. Just... tryna think." The stud stepped closer, casually leaning against the counter. She wasn't too flashy, but she was fresh.

Her vibe felt easy, like she didn't need to try too hard to stand out, but she did. She wasn't trying to be in the spotlight, but the way she carried herself demanded respect. Karrizma could feel that energy, felt that space she took up, quiet but solid.

"You look like you just got your little heart crushed or sumn," the stud said, her voice low but confident. "Talk to me."

Karrizma shook her head, but the weight in her chest felt a little lighter. There was something real about this woman, something Karrizma didn't know she was looking for, but it was there.

"I ain't tryna bother you," Karrizma muttered, her fingers tapping lightly on the glass. She wasn't trying to make a move, wasn't trying to get into anything.

But damn, it was nice to have someone see her for a second, just her, and not the mess she felt like she'd become.

The stud smirked a little. "Ain't no bother. You'd be surprised how many people walk around here pretending they're fine. Nobody's really good all the time. But you—" She paused, her gaze flicking over Karrizma, reading her with a sharpness that was almost uncomfortable. "You look like you're carrying a lot."

Karrizma wanted to roll her eyes, brush it off. But something in the woman's steady gaze made it harder to ignore. Karrizma swallowed, looking down at her drink for a moment, before letting out a sharp breath.