I stood in front of Normani's door for a solid minute before I knocked. The weight of what I'd done still clung to me. No matter how many times I washed my skin or changed my clothes, it was like she lingered.
But this... this was what I couldn't lose.
Normani opened the door with her hair tied up in a messy bun, still in one of my oversized tees, looking effortlessly beautiful in a way that made my stomach tighten with guilt. She leaned against the frame, eyes scanning me like she was trying to read the truth in my face.
"Hey." she said softly.
"Hey."
I stepped inside, and she closed the door behind me. I could feel her eyes on me before I even turned around.
"You mad at me or something?" she asked, arms crossing as she leaned against the counter.
I blinked. "What? No. Why would I be?"
She tilted her head. "Then why didn't you come back last night?"
I hesitated. Just for a second...but long enough.
"I was calling you. Texting you," she said, voice quieter now. "You didn't respond to anything."
I ran a hand down my face. "I was tired, Mani. That's all. I didn't feel like talking to anybody. I just wanted to sleep."
Normani gave me a look that said she didn't fully believe me, but she let it go—for now. "I know you were mad. I saw it all over your face before you left. And I get it, okay? You don't care for Meg. But... she's my best friend."
I nodded, even though every word tasted like betrayal. "I know."
I stepped closer, placing my hands on her waist, tugging her gently until she was between my arms. "I'm sorry, okay?" I whispered, kissing the side of her neck. "For not answering. For not responding. That was on me."
Normani sighed but let her body relax against mine.
I kissed her again slower this time, with all the guilt I couldn't put into words. I wanted her to feel what I couldn't say. I needed her to believe I still meant it, even if I wasn't sure I deserved her anymore.
We kissed for a while, just standing there in the soft light of her kitchen. Normani's hands found my neck, my shoulders, the sides of my face like she was grounding herself in me. And maybe I needed that just as much.
She finally pulled back, smiling a little. "Okay, so... I was thinking we do a movie night tonight. Just chill. Popcorn, snacks, maybe something stupid and funny."
I smiled. "Yeah? That sounds perfect."
Her expression shifted slightly. "Don't be mad... but I invited Megan."
I froze, my hands still resting on her hips. "Why?"
"She's been... kinda lonely lately," Normani said, stepping back to lean against the counter. "And I know you don't care for her, but she's still my best friend. I don't want her to feel like I don't have time for her just because I'm with you."
I exhaled hard through my nose, rubbing my hand across my jaw. "So now it's a group hang?"
"She just—" Normani paused, then looked at me with a hint of concern. "She told me she's been feeling left out since I'm always with you. That she misses when it was just us. I think she just wants to feel included again."
My stomach turned, and not from the words, but from what was sitting just beneath them.
Of course she said that. Of course she played that card. Making herself look soft, isolated, left behind... while planting just enough guilt in Normani's heart to reel her back in. And now here I was, about to sit across from her like last night never happened.
