Feel Something (COMPLETED)

10. Back to Reality

Somewhere in Savannah

Gigi felt a strange mix of relief and apprehension as the plane touched down back home. The whirlwind trip to Houston, then New Orleans and finally LA had left her with so much to unpack—emotionally and mentally. She glanced at Shanae, who was scrolling through her phone, looking tired but oddly at peace.

They grabbed their bags and made their way through the terminal, catching an Uber back to their apartment. As soon as they settled in the car, Gigi shot a quick text to Aunt Juju, letting her know they were back in town. Juju, never one to rely on texts, immediately called them.

"Y'all really didn't think to check in more often? I was worried sick!" she scolded, her voice full of love but firm, as always.

"Sorry, Aunt Juju, we were just... So busy," Gigi said, trying to sound innocent.

"Mmm-hmm," Juju replied, not buying it. "Y'all coming over for dinner tonight. No excuses. I wanna hear everything."

Gigi exchanged a look with Shanae, who just smiled and nodded. "Alright Juju. We'll be there," Gigi promised before hanging up.

The drive was quiet, but Gigi's thoughts were loud. The whole trip felt like it had occurred in another lifetime, yet here she was, back home, like nothing had happened.

When they finally got inside, Gigi let her bags drop right in the hallway and collapsed on the couch. The exhaustion hit her all at once. Shanae followed suit, kicking off her shoes and sighing as she stretched out.

"So," Shanae began, breaking the silence. "What now?"

Gigi leaned her head back on the couch, staring at the ceiling. "I don't know. I guess we gota get back to reality."

Shanae nodded, but her eyes sparkled a little, as if she knew something Gigi didn't. "Yeah, but... doesn't it feel like we could do something different? Like this whole trip taught me we don't have to be tied down to this one place."

Gigi raised an eyebrow, intrigued but not quite ready to unpack that. "What you saying?"

Shanae shrugged, sitting up straighter. "I don't know. Just thinking out loud. Like, I've been feelin' stuck for a minute now. Maybe that trip was a sign, you know? A sign from the universe telling us we can start fresh, do something new."

Gigi let the words sit with her. A part of her agreed, but the rest of her felt weighed down by the reality of her life. She wasn't sure she was ready for a fresh start when her current situation was still so tangled. Before she could respond, her phone buzzed and like clockwork her screen lit up with a message from Marcus—an explosion of angry texts, accusations flying, words meant to cut deep. She sighed, already exhausted from the conversation she knew she had to have with him.

Even before she found out he was cheating (this time), things hadn't been good between them for a while. Gigi knew that. Hell, she'd known it the moment she boarded that first plane to Atlanta. The trust had been gone ever since his last infidelity—yeah, the one before his babymama—and though she tried to push through, it felt like they were just going through the motions at this point. She didn't feel guilty about Chris either. Their relationship was a sinking ship long before Chris came in the picture.

If anything, Chris only helped seal the deal.

Gigi shot a glance at Shanae. "I need to go meet him," she said, her voice steady but tired. "Me and him need to just end this shit... It's long overdue."

Shanae looked at her, "About damn time."

"Yeah... About damn time," Gigi agreed. She got up, went to her room, and changed into something more comfortable before texting Marcus and telling him she was on her way over.