temptation «:|:» the weeknd

forty-five / [a]

forty-five / [a]

Abel was finally back in the only place he could truly call home and he was thrilled, to say the least. Nothing could heal his mind more than a great studio session with the boys by his side, cheering him on and giving him constructive criticism whenever needed. It was the times like that when he was sitting in the studio smoking on loud and vibing to the unique melodies Illangelo created right in front of him that made him think of those past times. It was the two hundred thousand dollar recording studio that reminded him of when he didn't even have a place to go when his mother kicked him out. In the past, Abel couldn't afford the hourly fine to record music that would become something legendary and the thought of that humbled him.

He smiled as Montreal blasted through the high-quality speakers in the room. At last, they were mixing what would be the final parts of the trilogy. House of Balloons would forever have his heart since it was what inspired the others. It had a different artistic feel in comparison to the other two and he was in a completely different place in his life when his mind was wrapped around those moments.

Thursday was probably his personal favourite. Abel felt as if it was the sexiest and the darkest of the three projects. And because he was so fucked up on the drugs at the time, he allowed himself to be the most vulnerable on Thursday. Not to mention his collaboration with Drake gave him a whole new level of recognition that he had never experienced.

Echoes of Silence, of course, was the latest of the trilogy. However, it was his least favourite of them all and he had the hardest time completing it. He felt it was completely depressing and he couldn't get himself to listen to it much because of it. It also lacked the sex appeal that the other two had in his opinion. Nonetheless, his crew heavily disagreed with him and thought he was fried when he tried explaining it to them. It never really dawned on Abel that he had created a masterpiece with that one.

His boys were quick to correct him when he started to reflect on his music a bit too hard, and he had nothing but appreciation for that. All of his crew were present, wearing their matching jet black XO bomber jackets and various gold chains that were custom made by their jeweller. A pair of fresh Timbs were spotted on everyone due to the heavy snow showers that were bound to stop no time soon. Abel's black Timbs had 'XO' engraved on both sides in a green print that paired perfectly with his laces.

Hyghly took a final drag from the blunt before passing it counter-clockwise to Cash. "It's crazy, I just had this memory."

Hawk and Lamar exchanged funny looks, knowing how their bros can get after hitting the blunt a few times too many. The R&B singer narrowed his eyes as if it could help him get a better picture of what Hyghly was saying. Chuckling, he replied. "What you talking bout, my g?"

"Back in high school, I told you if we made it, it would be 'cause of you, nigga. Not me. Not Lamar. I said 'Abel gone get us out the hood'. Nigga, all I know is you need to cut me another check 'cause niggas is practically prophets and shit out here."

Lamar laughed, nodding his head in agreement with his words. Damn straight, he thought. Abel was credited for Take Care, the album that won Drake his first Grammy award. It took them a while to realize it, but they made it. There was nothing left to stress about because they were exactly where they once dreamed of being. They weren't even drinking heavily or popping pills to celebrate like they used to. The best way to celebrate was doing just what got them there in the first place, the music.

Cash couldn't fight back the grin on his face as he looked over to Abel, who was already looking at him with a similar expression. "Yeah, man. You proved yourself to me. Proud of you, blood."

Abel was ready to dap him up when he remembered that Cash wasn't just a member of the squad, rooting him on the entire time. Cash was a believer of his greatness since day one. Cash was the man that had his back when Valerie was out of her mind on the drugs and even let him stay on his couch for months. Cash was the mentor that gave Abel some of the best advice that eventually turned him into the man he currently was. So he gave his brother a warm hug in return, truly grateful for the one person he could credit for saving his life. "I love you, man. I don't give a fuck if we weren't real brothers."

Cash chuckled, hugging him back before pulling away with a dap. "Don't you get sentimental on me yet, bro. I need an album first."

.:|:.

"What's good, my g?"

"Not shit, bro. Just out here taking it a day at a time. What's up though... with that Echoes of Silence?" Drake asked, shutting the door behind himself before finding a spot on a chair in the living room. He watched as Abel went into the kitchen.

"I'm still in the process of getting that mixed, but hopefully it'll be out within the next few weeks. What's good though? What made you stop by?"

He waited until Abel had come back to the living room before he continued with their conversation. Drake watched as he held up a bottle of Hennessy and poured into his glass. Taking the glass to his lips, he downed the shot in one take. "You remember I told you Zaria's pregnant, right?"

Nodding, Abel took a sip from his own glass slowly. He seated himself on the right arm of his couch.

"Well, she's not the only one. I fucked up, big time and I don't even know how I'm supposed to tell her. This shit is gonna break her heart." Drake poured himself up another shot and downed it once again, repeating himself a few times before Abel had to take the bottle from him. "She knows the bitch, too. It's one of the broads she danced with at the strip club. One night we were fighting and..."

"I get it, man. You don't have to explain yourself. I've been there." Abel replied after pondering on a response for some minutes. He didn't know what to tell his friend because he was not in that place he was once in anymore. Scratching the back of his head, Abel sighed, "Man, tomorrow is Valentine's Day. You can't tell her now..."

"So I should just lie to her?"

"I mean, can you think of any other options?" In the back of his mind, Abel knew that what he was recommending was completely wrong. Just when he had thought Temptation was far behind him, there he was, taking small steps that he knew would lead him into a much bigger situation. "Look, man. If you tell her now, she's going to remember this day forever. Just... wait to tell her. Make sure that it's yours."

"It's mine. I already know it is. Man, who am I to lie? I was messing with ole girl." Drake paced back and forth, nearly seconds away from breaking something.

"Is she far, bro?"

He looked at Abel as if to ask 'do you really want to know?'. Shaking his head, he finally answered, "Further than Zaria, bro." Drake closed his eyes and decided to take a deep breath, his fists releasing on both sides. He had no right to be angry because he did the deed alone, but he was angry with himself. "Just... don't tell Valerie, man."

Abel's eyes widened for a second as he contemplated on listening to his brother or his conscience. He vowed that he would be a better man and stop lying to his girl. He knew that he couldn't go back to his old ways. If she were to find out what he was hiding, it could not only jeopardize Drake's relationship with Zaria, but it could put his relationship with Valerie on the edge.

"Please."

His mouth dropped slightly as he knew just what path he had to follow. The path he would always wound up following in the end. Valerie was way too close to Zaria to keep something so big from her. He had no other choice than to lie. "I gotchu, bro."

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