Bodies

dix-neuf.

The next day, Milan woke up tangled underneath Ramses.

She thought about the last time they'd woken up like this and how in the hours following he'd put them both in enough hot water to boil them alive.

The nauseous feeling of regret came over her and she had no problem breaking from his hold this time. Sitting up and away from him, she waited to see if he'd stir awake. Instead, he pulled his arms into his chest and got farther underneath the blankets they had shared.

Milan was grateful for this. It made what she was about to do a lot easier.

Sliding softly off of the bed, she began to put her clothes back on silently. Then, finding the bathroom, where she tried to straighten up as best as she could. The best she could do was a messy bun and splash water on her face to wake up her skin.

When she turned to leave, she was startled to see Malcolm leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed. 

"Shit!" She exclaimed in her best loud whisper when she noticed him.

Malcolm didn't flinch at her outburst.

"You really finna do this to him?" He asked, his face giving away nothing.

The question felt like he'd poured ice cold water down her shirt.

She didn't move an inch and side eyed Malcolm cautiously. "Do what to who?" She countered.

A wry smile made its way onto Malcolm's features as he shook his head a little. "You ain't one drop of stupid, so acting like it, it ain't a good look on you. You bouta get gone on Pharaoh. Why?" Malcolm expounded on his question.

Milan looked away from Malcolm and instead at her reflection in the mirror. Last night was one of the longest nights of her life. She was still in her pajamas for Christ's sake. She didn't want to repeat something like that ever again.

"Just like I told him, I'm not built for this, X. Us being together is a danger to us all." She told him simply, still not looking his way. Instead, she'd zoned in on her grazed cheek.

Ever since she became close with him, the bullets had yet to stop.

"You know that boy love you though. He gon' tear the world up when he sees you're gone." Malcolm pressed on. What struck her though, was him saying "when" instead of preventing her from going altogether.

Her face must've showed her surprised because Malcolm laughed a little. He held his hands up in mock surrender.

"I ain't the boss of you. P my boy and all, but I ain't gon stop you from following your mind. I just want you to know what you starting." The man exclaimed. And that made Milan be able to breathe a little easier.

"Thank you." She offered. Malcolm nodded at that and left as silently as he came.

When he can regulate his emotions enough to stop "tearing the world up", maybe then we can talk.

Milan grouched in her head. She grabs her phone from the sink counter and begins to slip out of the front door of the house.

She hurriedly gets off of the property and walks a few blocks down before dipping into the alleyway.

The farther she got she could physically feel the weight of the world being lifted off of her. Milan turned and looked down from where she just came from. She had nothing, but the clothes on her back right now.

Although she wasn't going to live with Ramses, she needed to get off of the street and into some better clothes quickly.

Looking like a crackhead on the street could only get you so far...