Countdown (August Alsina)

Chapter 40

Omniscient POV

"How much farther do we have?"

"10 minutes babe. Just relax aight?"

"How can I?" Milan bit her bottom lip, tearing some of the skin from it. She stared out her window at the outskirts of Vegas. She never realized how much of a normal city is was outside of the famous strip that everybody always talks about.

"What do you think all of this is gonna be about?" She looked over at Elijah who took a quick glance at her before shrugging his shoulders.

"Ion know ta be honest. But definitely some stupid shit."

Milan nodded her head agreeing. She thought about how Elijah threatened to leave her and their relationship if she left to find her sister. She thought about how devastated it made her feel and she started to tense up. She didn't want to ever feel like that again. No matter how strongly she valued family, it wasn't necessary for her to let Mal get in-between their relationship, especially when she is grown and makes her own decisions.

But at the same time, she doesn't think it was right of Elijah to put her on the spot and make her choose between him or her sister.

"Watchu thinking about?" He asked her. He noticed her body language change a little.

"Us."

"What about us?" He smiled a little before licking his lips.

"I don't like how I felt getting on the plane. I don't wanna ever lose you, Elijah."

He realized that the conversation was getting way more serious than he expected. He picked his arm up off the arm rest and rubbed his goatee.

"I don't like how I felt when you left eitha' Mi. But you gotta understand where I'm coming from babe."

"Okay explain." She leaned against the passenger door and brought her right foot up to her lap.

He looked at her as if he really didn't want to. But he took a deep breath and gathered his thoughts.

"I only want what's best fa you. I know how much you love Mal and the rest of ya family but I wish you realized that every battle isn't yours ta fight."

Silence filled the car.

"Ion know why I thought threatening to leave would work. I shoulda known nothing was stopping you from being here."

"I just don't like how you threw our relationship out on the line like that. Do I not mean more to you than that?"

"You mean everything ta me. You know that. You risked your job just to save my life."

"I don't want you to love me because of the things I do. I want you to love me because you love me."

"What?" His face frowned up. "You not making sense, Mi."

"It makes sense to me. I never want to be put in that position babe. I don't wanna have to choose."

"The only one who sets you up ta choose is yourself. Ion do that, you do."

"Excuse me?"

Elijah sighed, realizing he was on the verge of hurting her feelings. He always knew he was a blunt person, and that was never something he thought about changing until he met Milan.

"Look Milan, I'm all in. I'm scared as shit but I really wanna see where life takes us. I do. So I put our relationship on the line because I thought you felt the same way. I'm not tryna be opening up to someone who ain't in it all the way like me. Ya feel me?" He looked over at her and her mouth was twisted.