Detroit. •b.t.• (Completed)

44

Bryson

"Get up" I heard Sage mumble to herself.

I opened my eyes for half a second, but closed them, seeing that it was still dark.

I heard a thud, and my eyes popped open before I felt the bed dip.

"Sage?" I sat up and rubbed my eye. "What you doing?"

"I - um - I was sleeping"

"It don't sound like it" I moved to cut on the lamp.

"I - I. . ."

"You got dizzy again?"

I imagined her nodding her head.

"I hit the wall"

"Why you ain't wake me up?"

"I - I didn't want to bother you. I got - I got thirsty"

"You don't bother me, Sage"

I didn't understand why she was embarrassed.

"I want to do things on my own, still Bryson"

"You could literally have a baby any second now, and you still get dizzy. I'm not letting you walk down the stairs by yourself, Sage"

Her lip quivered and she turned away from me.

"Boo, don't do this"

"Y-you did it" She sniffed and brought her hand to her face.

"I just want y'all to be safe"

"I want to be alone sometimes without worrying about the side effects of my pregnancy. I want to wallow around in my own thoughts for hours and listen to music and work on art, but I can't because the smells aren't good for the baby"

"Sage, that's just one thing"

"No, there's more than just one thing, that's just the example that I chose"

"We all gotta make sacrifices. You only got a little while left then you can go back to doing you"

"I can't because after that, I'm going to be caring for a child. A living, breathing person that'll eventually call me mommy"

"Sage-"

"You don't get it, Bryson. I'm not ready to push a baby out of my fucking vagina and raise it for eighteen years" Her tears dripped onto the bed sheets and Sage sat there, staring me in the face.

She wasn't alone, and I didn't know why she was acting like it.

"What's going on with you?"

"I don't think we're gonna last" She whimpered.

"How long you been feeling like that?"

"Since the beginning of this" She sniffed.

"How we supposed to last if you yourself doubting us?"

"I don't deserve you. I think - I think you'll find someone better and - and leave me for her"

"Ain't nobody better than you, Sage. You got my whole heart"

She shook her head no as if she didn't believe what I was saying.

-

"I think we should break up to focus more on the baby" I explained.

Keisha looked at me as if I was stupid. "Why would you do that to her? She can't handle that"

"I just think-"

"You're not thinking at all. Do you not understand how fragile Sage is? She's already insecure about a whole buncha stuff and what do you think telling her that would do to her soul?"

"I think our son should be our main focus right now"

"Why can't you handle Sage and my nephew?"

"I can, eventually"

"You can, now. You just gotta make it work, Bryson"

"I'll make it work later"

"Why do you do that?" Keisha raised her eyebrow at me.

"Do what?"

"Ever since you found out about the baby, you've been second placing Sage to him and kinda neglecting her"

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