𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐈𝐄𝐒

HT3.

YURI WHITE
DALLAS, TX

SEPTEMBER 8, 2021

YURI groaned, answering her ringing phone. "What?" She asked, obviously annoyed being woken up out of her sleep.

"Rude ass. Who are you talking to?" Taylor, her mother, asked. "Shi-shoot. I'm sorry, momma. It's just that I hate being woken up out of my sleep, and you know that." Yuri said, sitting up rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"I do. But I'm yo momma so that don't apply to me." Taylor spoke, making Yuri sigh. "I didn't see you in a long time, baby girl. You must done got to grown for yo momma." Taylor voiced making Yuri smile as she got up from bed.

"No, I didn't get too grown for my momma. I just been focused." Yuri said, making her way to the bathroom. "Focused on that lil maxi pad boy?" Taylor asked, purposefully butchering Mazi's name.

She didn't like Mazi. At all. There was something about him that rubbed her the wrong way, especially when he walked into her house without saying a word. She had beef with him since.

She also felt like he was a leech, waiting for her baby to come up so he could marry her and share her money.

Her father, on the other hand, loved the boy, felt like he was just right for his baby girl.

"It's Mazi, mommy." Yuri corrected her, shaking her head as she grabbed her blue toothbrush. "I know." Yuri shook her head, hearing her mother snicker.

"What you doing today?" Taylor asked Yuri sat the phone down on the counter, putting it on speaker, so she could do her hygiene and talk to her mother at the same time.

"I don't know yet. I know I have to get some more fabric." Yuri told her, placing the toothbrush in her mouth, she started brushing her teeth. Yuri's eyebrows furrowed hearing her mother smack on whatever she was chewing on.

Yuri spit the toothpaste out of her mouth. "Momma can you stop chewing so loud? What are you even eating?" Yuri asked before bending down to rinse her mouth with water.

She swished it around before spitting it into the sink.

"A snicker." Taylor said, and Yuri scrunched her face up. She tapped her phone to see the time. "At 8 in the morning, seriously?" Yuri said, shaking her head.

"They said eat a snicker when your hungry, Ri. That's what I'm doing." Taylor replied, and Yuri smiled, trying not to laugh at her mother for being so corny.

"And I think I'm getting my nails done. I need a fill-in." Yuri announced, putting a small amount of Cerave face wash in her palm. "I'll come with you. I need a new color for the fall; I think a dark red would be cute, don't you think?" Taylor said

"We'll figure that out when we get there." Yuri said, rubbing the product into her face softly, "Mhm, okay, Ri. I'll see you. I love you" Taylor said. Yuri said it back before hanging up the phone.

Yuri washed her face off with cold water. She sucked her teeth hearing knocking on her front door; it was definitely someone else because Mazi had a key.

The knocking got louder, and she huffed, walking out of the bathroom and heading towards the front door. She opened the door and saw Mazi standing there. Her eyebrows scrunched up.

"Where's your key?" Yuri asked, and Mazi kissed her lips before answering. "Didn't feel like getting it out." he said, taking off his hoodie.

"Oh well, I'm leaving soon." Yuri told him, and his eyebrow raised. "Where you going?" Mazi asked.

"With my mom, I'm going to get more fabric and get my nails done." Yuri told him, "You can come if you want." Yuri added on watching him turn away and make his way to the kitchen.

"Nah, I'm good. You know ya momma don't fuck with me." Mazi said, grabbing a blue Gatorade out of her fridge. Yuri opened her mouth to say something, but Mazi spoke again.

"What time you gon be back?" He asked, and she shrugged her shoulders. "It shouldn't take long. Why?"

"I made reservations for Dakota's tonight. Something special for you." He told her, and she smiled wide. It's been a long time since they went on a date due to her and him being busy with certain things in their lives.

"Reallyyy? Maziii, what time?" Yuri asked excitedly, but Mazi's expression didn't match her excitement. He gave her a sorry look, but she was too caught up in her own excitement to notice.

________

"It's so pretty in here." Yuri exclaimed, marveling at the scenery in the dimly lit restaurant. They finished their meal, and they were just sitting here talking. Yuri loved every minute of it.

She glanced at Mazi, a smile playing on her lips, but her eyebrows furrowed as she noticed his blank expression.

"What's wrong?" Yuri asked, reaching over the table to grab his hand. He averted his gaze from the flickering candle and replied with a smirk, "Nothing; I'm straight. You look pretty."

She smiled and said, "Thank you; I wore my favorite dress."

"You look so handsome." She complimented him, rubbing her thumb on the back of his hand. He stared at it, swallowing the lump in his throat. He grabbed his tie, loosening it up a bit.

"You ready to go?" Mazi asked, and Yuri nodded her head. She grabbed her black clutch and stood up, taking her time due to the black heels she was wearing. She adjusted her dress as they prepared to leave the restaurant.

She wore a simple dress, a black satin maxi dress that hugged the small curves she had, and of course she made it.

She walked behind Mazi as they made their way out of the restaurant. She reached for Mazi's hand once they stepped outside. A gust of wind blowing past sent chills up her body.

"Thank you for tonight. I loved it so much." Yuri expressed as they walked to the car. Feeling like this was the right time, it was now or never Mazi stopped walking, making Yuri look at him.

She eyed him and saw how nervous he looked. "You okay?" Yuri asked, switching her clutch to her right hand.

"I gotta tell you something." Mazi started to speak. Her eyebrows furrowed. She hated those words with passion; it never came out well when those words were uttered.

"What is it?" Mazi blew air from his mouth, rubbing his waves, not being able to look at his girlfriend's face.

He finally found the courage to look at her. "I love you, Ri; you know that. I'd never do shit to purposefully hurt you." He started off, and her eyebrows rose up.

Yuri felt her palms get clammy from the nervousness sinking into her body. She didn't like the way that sounded; it didn't sound reassuring; it sounded regretful.

"I got a baby on the way.. "

_____________________________________

Wow ..