Nouveau

Chapter 15: Progress

Tremaine

He could feel the anger steaming off her head. L almost thought she broke free and he chastised her.

"Where you going Laive...Huh? Where you gonna go?"

Their breathing was heavy as she tried to fight her way off the floor. Rolling them over, Tremaine pinned Laive down by the wrists and hovered over her. L was shaking her head fiercely and kicking her legs to make him stop.

"I'm not trying to make you cry L, but you have to talk. You think I like seeing that shit in your eyes every day? It's eating you up baby girl..."

She choked back a sob, "Tre-...Please"

Tremaine grabbed underneath the nape of L's neck, lifted her off the floor, and cradled her cries into his right shoulder.

"I heard you crying in your room the other night. This shit is breaking my heart. Talk to me" He lowly said into her ear.

15 minutes.

It took 15 minutes to calm Laive down and finally get her to talk to him.

An hour passed.

"Feel better?"

"Can you not?" she whined. Tremaine had obviously become fascinated with her hair.

"I mean, you can look crazy if you want to. I'm just trying to help you out"

Laive was in deep thought, and sighed sadly as she barely picked her head up.

"What's wrong..."

"I'm sorry.....I'm sorry about all of this..You've seen me cry like a thousand times, and it's so frustrating that I've been all over the place lately...I'm not even a crier. I'm not weak..."

Tremaine gently rubbed her knee, "Nobody said you were any of those things...You're one of the strongest people I know."

Laive's bottom lip quivered and her eyes watered as if she was about to cry again.

"But you're also human Laive...Nobody expects you to be invincible."

"For me..." Laive's words were barely audible. "I have to be invincible for me. It's all I know.."

Tears slowly cascaded down her face. As Tremaine brushed them away with his thumbs, he carefully observed her.

Slowly, he leaned forward to plant a kiss on her forehead and Laive's eyes closed when they serenely grazed her skin. They were sitting sideways on the living room couch, with their legs crossed Indian style, as they sat face to face.

"You don't even really know me..."

"Ok...I'll let you think that."

Laive squinted her eyes at him and Tremaine quirked his lips at her.

"What? You want to do something?"

"No..." Laive quickly shook her head and smirked. Her temples were aching. Steadily, L rubbed to alleviate them and held her head down.

"That's what I thought...Your head hurt?"

"It's killing me actually"

"If you weren't such a cry baby..."

Laive punched Tremaine in his chest, and he replaced his hand where the pain stung.

"Really L?...you snuck me"

"I didn't sneak you. You saw me....you got to be quicker than that homeboy"

"So you hood now?" Tremaine's tone was laced with sarcasm.

"I'm FROM the hood, but I'm NOT hood. Big difference."

"Don't leave out country. You country as hell Laive," Tremaine was laughing.

"You know what?..You really don't have room to talk...Like at all."

"I'm cool with being country, that's me. I've never hid that from nobody"

Laive gave him a look upside his head that was something serious.

"You gone stop giving me them stiff ass looks with your eyes though....What you want?"

"What?" Laive's eyebrow raised up.

"What you want for making all A's?"

"What's the limit?"

"It ain't one."

"Stop lying!...What can't I ask for?"

"I just told you. It's no limit. How many ways you want me to say it?"

"Let me see...." L used her index finger to tap on her chin, while her head was angled towards the ceiling.

"Ahhh hell. You 'bout to try and break a nigga."

"I'm not." Laive smiled. "I promise."

Laive

"You gone tell me what you want today or tomorrow?"

Did he have to be such a smart ass?

"Can I go grocery shopping?"

Tremaine looked at her like she was crazy.

"I'm sitting up here telling you, you don't have no limit and you can get whatever you want. And you want to go grocery shopping?"

"You're sleep. I will drop a couple bags on groceries before I even think about buying clothes or shoes." Laive was meddling with the draw strings on her pull over.

"I bet. Your ass can definitely put away some food"

"...." Laive's mouth dropped open.

"A fly gone get in there. I ain't lying on you. You eat enough for like 5 people."

"And you don't?" L caught an attitude just that quick.

"Don't tell me you mad?" Tremaine was chuckling softly. "You and that damn temper L. You got to work on that"

"As the pot calls the kettle black..." She mumbled underneath her breath.

"You said something?"

Laive rolled her eyes at his commentary, and didn't answer him.

Yeah. He definitely just HAD to be a smart ass.

"...It still don't change the fact that you a living garbage disposal."

"First of all, I have a really high metabolism. That's why I want to go grocery shopping." She said. "I miss cooking my own food.."

"Alright, I'll make sure I take you grocery shopping."

"You know you can't take me. That would cause a riot for you."

"You telling me what to do now?" Tremaine smirked.

"Even if I was, I feel like your tail still wouldn't listen to me."

"As long as you know Laive. As long as you know..."

"Oh whatever!" She winced at the volume of her own voice and massaged her temples in small circles with her fingers.

"Let me go get you something for that headache"

"Ok"

Tremaine

Now that school was out of the way, Tremaine knew that Laive would be able to focus on music full time.

The things he knew she could accomplish excited him. Laive couldn't dream of the things that were going to be in her future.

He strongly believed her steps had been ordered by God, and prayed every night that God would equip him to help carry her through. Even when she couldn't see it, Tremaine believed in her. He was going to make sure she accomplished her wildest dreams, and everything else beyond them.

Before all that could take place, he had to make sure that L had a celebration. A little Lit-uation before he left LA.

Trey Songz style.