"Damn. Hasn't even been that long and you got a whole rock on your finger now, huh?"
"...What are you doing here?" She unthinkingly rubbed her swollen belly, the tight knots forming in her stomach at the same time.
"What you mean? I came for the art...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The space next to her in bed moved, waking Zolina up from the deep slumber that she was in. She knew that she was facing the window, due to the brightness she could see and feel through her eyelids.
She slowly blinked her eyes open and let out a small yawn, awakening her senses from her peaceful sleep.
Little did she know, her dreams might have been the safest place for her mind right now.
Not being able to feel Ace's touch, Zolina pouted and turned around, rolling right into him.
"Hey." She said groggily, snuggling closer to him and his body heat.
"Hi, Ma." He wrapped an arm around her. "Sleep aight?"
Zolina nodded, the scent of his body wash and cologne filling her nose. When she opened her eyes again, she realized that he was fully clothed with a few chains around his neck, and a watch on his wrist.
"You left?" She put a hand under his shirt and rubbed his chest.
He hummed in response.
"Wow, I was really out of it." She chuckled. "What time is it?"
"Two sum'n."
Zolina frowned at the short responses that he was giving her, lifting her head to look at him. When she caught Ace's gaze, she witnessed something that she hadn't seen in a long time.
An unreadable expression.
Dark brown eyes; hardened by something swirling around in his mind, stared back at her.
She gently touched his face, "What's wrong?"
Ace broke the eye contact, "I gotta talk to you 'bout sum'n."
"Okay..." She sat up and wrapped his sheets around her body, waiting for him to continue.
"I'on really know how to say this shit, so just—" He ran a hand down his face. "Just bare with me, aight?"
Zolina's stomach tightened, "What's going on?"
"You trust me, right?"
His intensity was making her nervous. Her heart started to pound so heavily in her chest, that she could feel it in her ears.
"Of course I trust you." She said immediately. "Why?"
Ace scratched the back of his neck. He let more silence fill up the room like hot air, which made a cold sweat prickle on her skin.
"Grayson—"
"Grant called me earlier."
"About the art?" Zolina asked worriedly, afraid that Grant didn't like the options that she had laid out. "Did he get what he needed for Soraya?"
