Can't Compete

twenty five

"DO IT," ELLA prompted.

Cap was scrolling on his phone, sitting beside Ella on the couch as if Satan wasn't about to chop the cuffs apart with a butcher's knife.

He smacked his teeth, looking up to see Satan holding the knife on top of his head, ready to chop, before looking back down on his phone. "Now, don't come crying to me when he chops yo hand off or sum, 'cause you a whole ass crybaby,"

"Wait," Ella hesitated, chickening out due to Cap's forecast, and held her other free hand out to stop Satan from slamming the knife down.

She stood up, dragging Cap along with her and searched the entire apartment for a pair of pliers that would force open the chain apart.

Sick of following her around aimlessly, he stopped following her and stood still. She bounced back to him, hitting his chest before regaining her footing. Ella gave him a mugged look when she turned around to face him.

"Whatchu lookin' for anyway? "he raised his eyebrows.

"A pair of pliers,"

Cap looked at her incredulously. "What made you think we got pliers lyin' 'round here when we don't even got no coffee table?"

"I ordered furniture an hour ago. It should be delivered in two days,"

"Well, order pliers while you're at it."

"You're being silly," she glared at him.

"And you're being a dumbass." He shot back. Looking down at her and saw her eyes becoming watery, he smacked his teeth. "I know yo ass ain't finna cry right now,"

Ella stayed silent and slowly felt the tears fall. She didn't understand why she was always crying around Cap when it was hard for her to communicate and express her emotions to other people who weren't Ashton. To be fair, she still couldn't communicate her emotions to Cap but she could show them, and that, was getting on her nerves.

He picked her up, putting her over his shoulder and carried her to their bedroom. Then, placed her down in the small walk-in closet where her suitcases were.

"Wear a dress or sum,"

Ella wiped her wet cheeks and composed herself. "Why?"

"Man, why you always gotta question me?"

She looked up at him plainly, although couldn't hide her teary eyes and made a move to walk out of the closet, only to be pulled back by her oversized shirt.

He smacked his teeth. "I'm sorry. Stop crying,"

"I wasn't crying," she dead-panned.

"Sure, keep telling yoself that."

Ella rolled her eyes and took a step once again. Cap held her back by the shoulders, laughing.

"What's funny?"

He stopped laughing and looked at her serious again. "You, shorty. You go from crying to being Medusa,"

"Medusa turns people into stone, not is stone cold," she corrected, understanding what he was trying to insinuate.

Cap side-eyed her, then waved her off. "We gon hit the club,"