"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...
Grayson 'Ace' Valentine III [ fri, nov 17th5:52 AM ] Town Square Apartments
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It was going on 6:00 AM, and Ace was laid out on Zolina's couch while 'Entergalactic' played from her TV on a low volume.
The slow rise of the sun outside of her windows created a rosy-like hue on the east horizon, which displayed the promises of a new day. But the other side of the sky still grasped on to the mysterious, dark blues of the previous night.
Ace rubbed his face tiredly and looked over at his girlfriend, who was stationed in front of her golden easel.
Zolina had been up all night painting, and since he was too worried to take an eye off of her, neither of them had gotten any sleep.
She was in the middle of applying vigorous brushstrokes to the background of her canvas, when he heard her let out a low yelp and start to rub at her shoulder.
When it was clear that she wasn't going to take a break, he stretched his long limbs and stood to his feet.
"Baby?" He rested his chin on the top of her head once he stood behind her. "Can you chill for a second?"
"I need to finish this." She continued to hold her shoulder as she forcefully dipped her paintbrush into a bottle of violet paint.
"And you will." He stood in front of the canvas now, blocking it off. "Later. You been at this since last night."
"Grayson." She glared at him. "Move. Before you end up with this oil paint on you."
"Paint me all the fuck you want, Mama." He ran a hand down his white t-shirt. "You crazy if you think imma just let you overwork yo'self when I can see you in pain."
Zolina rolled her eyes and walked away from him and her easel. She picked up a prescription bottle from her side table and dry swallowed a couple of pain pills before sinking down into her loveseat sofa.
"You shouldn't take those on an empty stomach." Ace sat on a chair, facing her. "Can I order you sum'n to eat? Or I can go pick sum'n up."
"I'm not hungry." She flipped her braids over her shoulder and scrolled through her phone.
"Word?" He chuckled dryly and rubbed his jaw. "What you eat since yesterday?"
She stayed quiet.
"Aight." He nodded his head and turned off her television. "Well you ain't said a word 'bout what happened with Zorion. So you either gon' talk to me, or eat sum'n. Pick one."
"Pick one?" She looked up from her phone and squinted at him. "I'm not doing this with you."
"What you mean you ain't doin' this?" He mugged her. "A nigga been biting his tongue and tryna be delicate with you 'bout this whole thing, but I ain't just gon' let you fuck up yo' health. Mental or physical."
