"Tell me it's nobody else's."

Kasiyr Bennett never planned on coming home for long. Chicago was supposed to be a quick stop for him and that's all. However, the city has a way of reminding you who you are and who you loved first. Ajani Washington is rooted where Kasiyr once stood. She carries the weight of the community, years of memories, and a love she never fully let go of on her shoulders. When Kasiyr's return puts them back on each other's radar, old truths resurface and boundaries start to get crossed. Some loves don't fade with distance and some choices demand a cost that neither of them is ready to pay.

"I build off of keeping you sane and you having no control makes me feel so in control."

𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘨. 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎

𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘢, 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘯𝘢 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘪'𝘮 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝟤𝟢𝟤𝟧， 𝐊𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐘𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐎𝐑 𝖠𝗅𝗅 𝖱𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍𝗌 𝖱𝖾𝗌𝖾𝗋𝗏𝖾𝖽．

" 𝖶𝗋𝗂𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗅𝖾𝗍𝗍𝖾𝗋, '𝖼𝖺𝗎𝗌𝖾 𝖨 𝗄𝗇𝗈𝗐 𝖨 𝖻𝗋𝗈𝗄𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗁𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗍 𝖡𝗎𝗍 𝗀𝗂𝗋𝗅, 𝖨'𝗆 𝗁𝗈𝗉𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗂𝗍 𝗀𝖾𝗍 𝖻𝖾𝗍𝗍𝖾𝗋." - - -

In a time where real love seems rare, Azriel has seen her fare share of people who came but never stayed. The girl had made it as far as she had in life because she never took those things to heart. She lives in a world that is ruled by a specific set of expectations and works in an industry that thrives on connections. Through it all, she knows who she is which is something you could never take from her. Asante is the opposite. He is everything that Azriel despises in a man, everything that she promised herself to always stay away from. From scandals in the media to explosive behavior on the field, everyone knows that he is unstable. The two were never meant to be. It would never work. But sometimes things happen. In ways you would least expect them to but understand completely.

𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲...

"ɪ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴡᴀɴɴᴀ ɢᴇᴛ ᴄʟᴏꜱᴇ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜ." - ᴅʀᴇᴇᴢʏ

I'm leavin' scars on your body, it ain't no status, we all undecided. .. Love is Blind