Sleep Talking

Complicated

Please swipe left to listen to the song that goes with this chapter.

[current Mike Visual above]

Taj eventually ended up leaving Michael's place for the night to be alone in the solitude of her own home. She didn't mean to react the way that she did but how else was she supposed to react? A part of her was envious of the woman who was before her that she was blessed with something so precious, something she'd always wanted for herself. But the other part of her knew that it wasn't her place to be envious of a woman she hadn't even met yet.

/•/

"I need some time on my own." Taj looked down at her hands.

Mike looked at her attentively, with a sad heartbroken expression on his face knowing that their relationship had changed drastically since finding out about his unborn child.

"This is, just a lot." Her voice cracked as her eyes watered. "I thought I had healed from my past but with this going on it's just bringing back so many awful memories that I'm reliving. I don't want to put that all on you...you don't deserve that." She breathes out shakily, wiping the corner of her eyes.

"Taj please, we can get through this...I want to be with you, there's nothing more in this life that I could want...I just want to be with you." He pleaded.

"I can help you through this, this is hard for me just as much it's hard for you. I mean just a couple of weeks ago I found out that I'm going to be a father and I still haven't fully processed it yet." He walks over to her, and places his hands on her cheeks so he could look into her beautiful brown eyes.

"This isn't a break up okay? My family is just being extended that's all." He explained to her, using his thumbs to wipe her tears away. She wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head against his chest.

"I don't wanna give up on us so easily...I've never felt this way about anyone." She sniffled. "I just need some time apart to clear my head, I really like you Mike...and you haven't given me a reason not to like you just yet...but please just give me some space please."

Mike nodded, placing a soft kiss on her forehead and watched her back away awkwardly fidgeting as she pointed towards the stairs to get her things.

"I should probably get my stuff, I'll call you when I get home. We'll sort things out when I'm in a better mindset, okay?" She reassured him and walked past him to get her things to leave.

/•/

As she sat in the living room of her apartment drinking tea, she looked out at the twinkling lights of Atlanta's skyline through her high rise windows. She couldn't help but wonder what was wrong with her? Why had her body rejected life numerous times? And what kind of woman was she that she couldn't do the one thing that she was put on this earth to do? 

Taj shook her head, trying to get rid of her over active thoughts and sighed averting her attention to Bojack Horseman on Netflix.  After finishing her tea, she got back up with the blanket wrapped around her shoulders and walked inside of her kitchen to place her mug in the sink.  Her phone buzzed in her hand and she smiled at the text that she got from her boyfriend Michael who was worried about her.

M I K E Y
There is joy in the morning. 
Hope you feel better soon babygirl. ❤️

Taj faintly smiles at his text and quickly responded back.

I'll call you in the morning love — TAJ

•••

The few days later while Mike was at his restaurant doing inventory, his friends visited him because he'd gone MIA since the last time they'd seen him and naturally, they were worried. While his bartender was serving guests, Mike was counting the number of bottles that they had left so he could put in a stock order for the next couple of weeks.  With Fourth of July just around the corner, he knew he would have to double up on stock because it was one of his busiest days of the year.