CPR

39

Aaliyah - A week later
I knocked on Ivy's door and waited for her to answer. I felt antsy, jittery, and anxious and needed to talk. Carti still hasn't been answering my calls and nobody has seemed to have heard from him. I didn't know what to think and I really couldn't even form a clear thought.

"Hey girly what's up." She opened the door.

"I just needed to get out of the house and I need to talk."

"Well you're in luck because I'm about to watch a movie and do a face mask." She chuckled.

"Self care day huh?" I asked sitting on her couch.

"Yeah something like that. I think I've been partying and going out too much. I kinda need some chill time."

"I haven't had a self care day in a long time so I feel that." I leaned back.

"I'm about to make some popcorn come with me." She started making her way into the kitchen.

I sat at one of the stools in her kitchen and stuffed my hands into my hoodie pocket while she pulled out a pack of popcorn.

"So what's up?" She took a seat across from me.

"So things have been rocky between Carti and I and I've just been keeping things to myself. We decided to take a break to figure things going on in our lives out, but now I haven't heard from him since last week."

"How does that make you feel?" She asked.

"I feel like he's ghosting me and I don't want him to pick between me and work, but I feel like I'm not a priority anymore. Like how can you be okay with not talking to your significant other for a week?" I paused.

"I just want to know he's safe for one and I want to be able to work things out between us. I want things to be able to be worked out between us."

"If you don't mind me asking why did you guys decide to take a break?" She grabbed the popcorn out of the microwave.

"His label wanted him to get involved with someone else as a publicity stunt. I knew he didn't know what he wanted to do and I have this stuff with Ian going on. I told him if he felt like he needed to make that choice then I couldn't stay with him." I rested my arms on the table.

"So ever since this break he hasn't been talking to you as much as normal?"

"Yeah and I feel like well is this my answer? Is this his way of telling me he's done without coming out and saying it? I don't really know what to think." I sighed.

We got up and walked out of the kitchen and sat down on her couch. We both took some sips from our water and she turned towards me crossing he legs.

"I've never really been good at giving advice but if and when you guys talk tell him how this made you feel. Hopefully he has a damn good explanation for all of this too. I think you guys should put all of the cards out on the table and hash it all out. This could be a growing experience for both of you." She ate some popcorn.

"That's what I want to do but I can't get ahold of him. I even called his mom and she hadn't heard from him. I'm way past anger at this point I'm really concerned."

"That's really understandable and you're better than me Liyah. I would've left him a nasty text, broke up with him, and blocked him. Of course this is different and we're different because you're a lover and you're always one hundred percent invested in relationships." She smiled.

"I do love hard and I wear my heart on my sleeve and situations like this make me hate it. I feel like I've been used and taken advantage of and then I'm thrown out when I no longer serve a purpose to people. Things feel different with Carti so I'm not sure what's going on."