ward’s brows lifted a little, her words pulling more out of him than he expected. “see, now that’s the thing i wasn't sure about,” he admitted, “you sayin' you’re interested, but you carry yourself like you’d rather keep a nigga right at arm’s length. hard to read sometimes. but i fuck wit' you though....” he leaned back in his chair, letting it sink in. “but i get it. protecting yourself? that makes sense. world don’t exactly make it easy to trust people. still…” he trailed, shaking his head. “you don’t gotta cover it up with me. i'm not here to pick you apart, salem. just here. for you.”

salem  rested  the  side  of  her  face  against  her  palm  ,  nodding  slowly  in  response.  "  what  do  you  mean  ,  ward  ?  "  what  wasn't  he  so  sure  about  ,  it  actually  sounded  concerning.  "  well  to  be  honest  I  wasn't  planning  on  keeping  you  at  arms  length  at  all  ,  i  would  rather  have  you  understand  me  before  anything  because  then  you  would  know  how  to  read  me  and  not  play  any  type  of  guessing  games..  but  yeah  me  too  .."  salem  sighed  ,  it  was  complicated  buttony  as  much.  "  I  mean  yeah  ,  it's  not  a  good  world  and  it's  filled  with  good  people  and  people  that  pretend  to  be  good.  we  will  see  along  the  way  though  ..  not  saying  that  I  am  going  to  cover  anything  up  because  you  will  probably  see  it  before  me."

deshae didn't know what had taken over here, whether it was truly her just going after what she thought she wanted ⸻ or if she was just jumping too far ahead of herself; either way, sinclair wasn't saying no, and all she could do was act on whatever felt right. she got closer, placing her hand on sinclair's neck as she slowly deepened the kiss between them, not scarce or wavering; it was just her testing the waters, making room for what could possibly be. her palm rested gently against sinclair's cheek as she pressed a kiss to the corner of her lips before pulling away.

what  was  in  the  air  today  that  was  the  only  question  in  her  mind  how  did  they  go  from  saying  they  weren't  interested  in  anything  romantic  to  kissing  each  other  ,  this  was  so  un  expected  but  something  felt  right  about  the  whole  thing  ...  like  it  was  right  between  them.  her  tattooed  hand  wrapped  around  deshae's  wrist  once  her  hand  rested  on  sinclairs  neck.  the  kiss  was  exactly  how  sinclair  imagined  it  to  be  ..  and  just  how  deshae  was  all  in  for  the  kiss  ?  so  was  she.  as  the  two  pulled  away  ,  sinclair  made  her  way  back  in  and  brushed  a  kiss  against  her  cheek  .  "  so  is  this  the  part  when  you  tell  me  what  you're  saying  with  that  kiss ? "

every  time  they  got  together  was  supposed  to  be  the  last.  time  and  time  again  they  proved  that  being  in  a  relationship  wasn't  good  for  them.  they  simply  couldn't  stay  on  the  same  page  outside  of  the  bedroom.  she  was  kidding  herself  thinking  that  staying  apart  would  ever  be  the  case.  they  had  far  too  many  mutual  friends  but  she  didn't  expect  them  to  be  forced  together  for  the  foreseeable  future.  “  what  am  i  supposed  to  say?  ”  they  weren't  really  supposed  to  talk  about  it.  ears  in  the  walls  and  all,  but  she  was  obviously  upset.  never  wanted  to  be  involved  in  a  case  regardless  of  the  situation.  “  you  never  care  about  people's  time,  em.  fuck,  i  could've  came  there  an  hour  later  and  you'd  still  be  on  some  bull.  ”

emryie  just  couldn't  get  over  the  fact  that  she  couldn't  leave  her  alone.  their  relationship  meant  so  much  and  it  hurt  to  see  that  they  couldn't  make  it  right  but  it  was  better  that  she  got  the  chance  to  be  in  her  presence  even  after  the  two  would  break  up  ..  but  it  was  all  about  trying.  and  even  then  they  couldn't  go  away  from  each  other  because  they  were  in  the  same  friend  group  and  they  all  went  to  many  events  together  so  it  would  be  hard  to  avoid  each  other.  "  you  know  ..  i  don't  know.  like  at  least  something  but  I  know  we  aren't  supposed  to  say  much."  she  fixed  her  bag  that  hung  down  from  her  shoulder.  "  I  care  about  peoples  time  but  I  care  about  mine  too.  right  ,  okay  .."

that  would've  been  an  easy  way  to  reach  out  to  her,  but  sadly,  “  i  lost  your  number  the  second  i  left  here.  ”  in  fact,  she  probably  lost  it  even  before  then.  leaving  her  phone  behind  much  like  the  rest  of  her  life.  wanted  nothing  to  do  with  it.  she  definitely  should've  cared  more  about  the  mess  she  left.  would've  known  about  the  clean  up  both  she  and  her  lawyer  failed  to  complete  less  than  a  decade  ago.  it's  awkward  to  sit  here  and  pretend  to  be  amicable.  de'arra  never  truly  moved  on  from  their  relationship.  simply  buried  it  away  in  the  hopes  it  wouldn't  resurface.  “  i'm  good.  i've  been  really  good  recently.  ”  she  admits.  focused  on  her  music  and  breaking  through.  watched  her  lyrics  win  countless  awards  for  other  artists  but  now  it  was  her  turn  and  she  was  excited  for  that. 

"  seems  like  you  were  really  trying  to  forget  about  this  place  ,  huh  ?  I  wouldn't  feel  bad  if  u  did  before  ..  I  barely  have  a  phone."  her  socials  were  mainly  used  by  her  team  so  sometimes  she  didn't  feel  comfortable  with  scrolling  through  videos  and  being  on  social  media  how  she  used  to  ,  it  was  another  way  that  she  dealt  with  trying  to  hide  her  feeling  about  their  relationship.  "  really  ?  im  glad  to  hear  that  and  how  is  the  music  thing going  ,  think  I  have  watched  a  few  things and some members from my team do listen to your songs but that is really about it for me .. im proud of you tho. "

she  didn't  even  let  her  finish  her  explanation.  already  claiming  “  that's  bullshit  ”  while  she  seemingly  makes  up  an  excuse  on  the  spot.  everyone  was  stressed.  that  didn't  mean  you  lie  and  lead  on  your  friend  of  all  people.  sade  being  lucky  to  have  someone  like  naomi  in  her  corner  to  snitch  on  sinclair,  even  if  that  meant  causing  issues  for  herself.  “  how  are  you  going  to  say  you  never  wanted  to  fake  it  while  simultaneously  doing  it?  you  knew  what  you  were  doing.  knew  you  never  actually  wanted  me  but  was  willing  to  keep  acting  like  you  did?  ”  –  “  don't  blame  my  feeling  for  this!  you  could've  easily  been  honest  and  i  would've  understood.  ”  she'd  be  hurt  but  she'd  move  on.  would  rather  keep  her  as  a  friend  then  to  lose  her  completely.  even  if  that  meant  blurring  the  lines  every  so  often.  kissing  and  fooling  around  when  drunk  just  to  pretend  it  didn't  happen  the  next  morning.  as  fucked  as  that  would  be  for  sade.  “  you  didn't  think  that  was  something  you  should  say?  you're  not  the  only  person  going  through  a  lot.  ”

"  no  ,  that's  some  real  shit  and  it  if  wasn't  I  wouldn't  be  telling  you.  "  sinclair  never  felt  the  need  to  make  excuses  or  none  of  the  things  liars  would  do  because  that's  not  built  in  her  heart,  yes  she  had  been  lying  to  sade  this  entire  time  but  that  had  been  a  cover  up  from  explaining  how  she  really  felt  ,  and  she  was  afraid  to  admit  that  she  actually  fell  for  sade  ..  that  she  liked  her.  sinclair  needed  some  time  to  do  that  and  naomi  knew  that  herself  but  she  just  had  to  go  back  and  run  her  mouth.  and  now  it  was  even  worse  because  she  didn't  know  if  she  would  even  get  the  chance  to  admit  the  real  hidden  truth.  "  Sade  ,  I  was  going  to  tell  you  but  there  was  more  to  it  than  that..  and  I  bet  naomi  didnt  say  anything  about  that  either  but  as  of  now  I  don't  think  I  should  and  im  sorry  for  hurting  you  ..  but  I  didn't  want  to  be  the  one  to  hurt  you  but  I  guess  I  have  already  ,  yeah  ?  "

seraphina  doesn't  exactly  remember  saying  that,  but  it  wouldn't  have  been  the  first  time  she  told  someone  she  loved  them  without  completely  thinking  it  through.  thought  of  it  like  a  bandaid  during  moments  where  she  was  breaking  someone's  heart  or  needed  them  to  believe  her.  “  i  did  love  you  ...  i  do,  but  i  wasn't  saying  it  for  you  to  wait  for  me.  i  just  wanted  you  to  know  how  i  felt  about  you.  ”  simple  enough,  right?  “  i  wasn't  using  it  to  keep  you  attached  to  me.  ”

evera  was  highly  confused  at  how  seraphina  could  just  be  so  calm  and  act  like  they  both  were  supposed  to  move  on  from  the  events  that  took  place  that  night  ..  but  maybe  the  "love"  she  claimed  she  had  for  evara  wasn't  real  at  all  and  she  might've  just  said  what  evara  wanted  to  hear  and  that  wasn't  fair  ,  especially  when  the  two  had  kept  it  real  since  they  met  ..  if  there  really  was  a  lie  why  did  it  have  to  start  now  ?  "  oh  you  do  love  me  ? seraphina  ..  you  weren't  expecting  me  to  wait  on  you  ,  just  like  how  I  wasn't  excepting  for  you  to  end  up  in  my  bed  that  night  ?  you  said  how  you  felt  and  you  put  it  into  your  actions..  that  would  make  someone  wait.  "

deshae froze, she couldn't form a single sentence, and that was staring to bother her. sinclair was just her roommate; there was no way in hell that there could be something more between them... right? but based on how sinclair's hand never left her face, it only caused her heart to beat faster and faster. sure, you could call her impulsive and all over the place, but it was too late ⸻ her hands were now on sinclair's, and she inched closer. she pressed her lips against the other woman's without thinking too much into it, almost as to confirm whether or not she was actually interested in the woman. she just hoped that this impulsivity didn't cost her a place to stay, let alone a suitemate.

sinclair  could've  at  least  chuckled  or  laughed  at  the  reaction  from  deshae  ,  this  was  probably  the  moment  she  figured  out  her  mother  might've  been  correct.  deshae  was  a  beautiful  girl  and  sinclair  saw  something  here  before  but  she  thought  that  maybe  it  was  her  thinking  beyond.  her  thumb  glided  against  the  side  of  her  face  ,  almost  reaching  towards  the  corner  of  her  lips.  deshae  reeling  in  for  a  longing  moment  was  very  shocking  especially  when  she  stated  that  maybe  she  didnt  have  time  for  something  like  this.  but  it  only  caused  sinclair  to  rush  right  into  her  soft  lips  ,  their  foreheads  gently  crashing  into  each  other  revealing  what  was  hidden  the  entire  time.

ward expelled a laugh. “a point’s a point, i’ll take it. you say it like i won't rack up a few more throughout the night, though.” his eyes flicked to her glass, then back to her. “somethin' tells me i already got further than most niggas do though.” he didn’t press, just watched her with patience, knowing that she'd probably slip up around him sometime soon. “you don't gotta dress it up, salem. holding stuff in don’t make it disappear, it just waits till you can’t ignore it. trust me.” then his smile broke through. “but hey, if you’re better now, i’ll take your word for it. just know i’m not backing off that easy.” he tapped the arm of his chair. “lucky for me, you the type i like mama.... and i mean that one-hundred-percent.”

"  I  meannn  I  hope  that  you  do  get  more  points  moving  foward  ,  you  are  interesting  so  I  don't  believe  that  you  wouldn't  get  any  more  points."  salem  took  a  moment  to  glance  at  what  had  been  playing  on  the  television  with  a  small  chuckle  from  her  parted  lips.  "  indeed  you  are  correct  ,  some  don't  even  know  how  to  have  conversations  and  that's  why  they  don't  get  far  but  you  are  very  different...  in  a  good  way  and  I  like  that.  "  salem  ordered  a  glass  of  water  since  she  was  done  drinking  for  the  night.  "im  by  myself  most  of  the  time  so  it  feels  like  I  have  to  cover  it  up  but  for  my  own  protection  and  I  know  I  shouldn't  do  that  but  im  not  sure  on  what  more  to  do  about  that...  and  who  said  I  wanted  you  to  back  off  in  the  first  place  ?  im  interested  in  you..  all  the  way. "

jermaine let out a quiet breath, his hand still resting against hers like he didn’t want her to pull away. i didn’t figure it out overnight either,” he admitted. “a nigga used to overthink everything too, second-guess myself until it drove me crazy. but at some point, i had to stop asking if i was doing it right and just let myself feel it. that’s when it got easier.” he looked at her for a long moment, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “i’m glad you didn’t push me away for good. you don’t gotta have it all figured out right now, kisana. neither do I.” his thumb brushed against her hand without him even realizing it. “as for moving forward…” he paused, leaning in just a little, “we take it one step at a time. no rushing. just the two of us, figuring it out as one.”

"  of  course  ,  that  isn't  a  easy  task  but  you  got  it.  "  the  night  sky  started  to  rise  above  the  two  and  within  the  next  second  ,  her  chin  had  been  resting  against  his  chest  for  some  time  before  she  felt  the  need  to  pull  away  .  "  but  my  question  is  ,  how  did  you  know  that  you  felt  it  ..  like  in  what  exact  moment  did  it  hit  you  ?  I  just  want  to  know  because  before  I  could  feel  it  I  saw  it.  "  her  index  finger  helping  swipe  of  the  remaining  lip  oil  that  was  left  on  Jermaines  lips.  "  yeah  ..  I  don't  have  it  figured  out  but  she  can  do  that  together  moving  forward  ,  im  with  you  so  let's  be  one. "

muse a & muse b, childhood friends turned lovers, turned notorious robbers are heading on their biggest and most challenging heist yet. robbing the biggest bank in los angeles. when the heist goes wrong, causing them to flee and head out east, they lay low for a few months before deciding to rob a small bank in (new city), ultimately leading them to a firey shootout and their demise.