Chapter 26

𝙰𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚜

I shouldn’t have gone out again. I knew that the second I stepped into his neighborhood. It felt different this time. like yeah…you not supposed to be here.

Different faces were posted up, conversations were clipped short, and eyes lingered just a second too long. And not in a curious kind of way. The kind that already knew somethin’ about me.

I clocked it immediately. The way bodies angled when I walked past, shoulders turning just enough to keep me in their line of sight and the way their laughter died down. It was all tension and whispers now, like my name been passed around more than I realized.

“Thought yo ass was done,” one of them muttered, voice low but clear enough.

I ain’t even look at him. I wasn’t here for them. The only person I was lookin’ for was Jalen. That situation from the other day been sittin’ in my chest, just there. Irritating me. And I hated that part of me that needed to see him again. The part that teeded to prove somethin’. Like I had to remind him he was playin’ with the wrong one.

And worse? I could feel myself slippin’. Like I was watchin’ it happen in real time, my old habits creeping back in, stretching like they just woke up from a nap.

And I wasn’t fuckin’ with that.

‘Cause clearly I ain’t do a good enough job putting my past behind me.

I don’t even know why I thought I’d just find him sittin’ around like a target waitin’ to be hit. My expectations was wild for that.

And before I could even think rationally, they rushed me.

No warnin’. No nothin’. Fists started swingin’ like they been waiting all day for this shit. I moved off instinct, blockin’ what I could, slipping past a couple hits, throwin’ mine back harder. Training kicked in real heavy, my muscle memory taking over before my brain could even catch up.

But training don’t mean shit when it’s more than one person.

I ain’t stupid. Numbers don’t play fair.

A hit cracked across my ribs, knocking the air clean outta my lungs. Another one clipped my jaw, sharp enough to make my vision flash white for a split second. My ears rang, but I stayed on my feet. And I think that’s what pissed them off the most.

After that, I don’t remember a single hit. It all blurred together. The sound of my own breathing got loud in my ears, steady but heavy, like I was tryna force control back into my body piece by piece. Fists, footsteps, bodies hitting pavement. All that shit blended into one beat.

And eventually? They backed off.

Not ’cause they won, but because I wouldn’t stay down.

My hand throbbed like hell, pain shooting up my arm. I let out a low groan as I stepped away, moving slower than I wanted to admit. And my ribs burned every time I took a breath too deep, bruises already starting to bloom under my skin while my jaw felt tight, as my head was still buzzing

By the time I made it home, it was dark. The lights in my penthouse were all off, quiet in that eerie way that made every step sound louder than it should. I pushed the door open, stepping inside, and that’s when I saw Londyn pacing.

She paced back and forth like she was wearing a path into the floor. Her nail caught between her teeth, brows pulled tight, her whole body tense like she been waiting too long.

She stopped the second she saw me.

“What the hell happened to you?!”

I barely got the door closed before she was in front of me, hands hovering over me like she couldn’t decide where to start. Her eyes moved fast—my eyes, my jaw, my hands, my ribs—taking everything in like she was tryna piece together a story she already hated.

“Aries,” she said again, softer this time.

“I’m good,” I huffed automatically, even though every inch of my body was achin’.

“Don’t,” she snapped, sharp enough to cut through ice. “Don’t you dare.”

I stiffened.

She reached up slow, her fingers brushing my cheek so gentle it almost didn’t feel real. When her hand drifted down to my ribs and I couldn’t stop the groan that slipped out, her whole body stilled, her breath catching sharp in her throat like my groan alone told her everything she needed to know.

“Oh my gosh…”

“It’s just bruised,” I said quickly, tryna smooth it over, “I promise.”

She wasn’t hearing none of that. Not a single word.

Her hands trembled, just barely. “Y-you could’ve gotten killed.”

I shrugged. “Didn’t though.”

Her eyes snapped to mine so fast it almost made me flinch. Glossy and wet all at oce. Anger sittin’ right next to fear like they was sharing space behind her eyes.

“You don’t get to joke right now, Aries.”

I swallowed, nodding softly, my chest tightening in a way that had nothin’ to do with bruises. “I’m sorry,” I said, quieter this time. “You’re right.”

She didn’t respond. She grabbed my arm and guided me to the couch, sitting me down like I was somethin’ fragile she couldn’t afford to drop. She moved quick—ice, towel, everything she needed, her actions precise, but panic sat under the surface, evident in every move she made.

“Don’t move,” she ordered, pressing the ice gently to my ribs after I pulled my hoodie off.

“I ain’t goin’ nowhere, Lo,” I muttered, watchin’ her.

She stayed close. Sittin’ beside me, eyes glued to my face like she was monitorin’ every breath I took. Every little shift I made had her hand coming out automatically.

“You scared me again, Aries…” she admitted.

I nodded slowly. “I’m sorry.”

She leaned in, wrapping her arms around me careful but tight, like she was scared I’d fall apart if she held me wrong…or even disappear if she ain’t hold me at all.

I set the ice pack down and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her in just as tight. My chin resting against the top of her head, breathing her in while my ribs disapproved every second of it. But I didn’t let go.

We stayed like that for a minute. Maybe longer. And when I finally tried to stand, thinking I could at least clean up a bit, her hand shot out and grabbed my wrist immediately.

“Where is you goin’?”

“Bathroom, mama,” I said, already half turning.

“I’ll come.”

I blinked at her. “Londyn—”

“I don’t care,” she cut me off, already standin’ up. “I ain’t lettin’ you out my sight.”

I nodded and let her follow me.

She sat on the edge of the bed while I cleaned myself up, her eyes never leaving me for more than a second. Not even when I looked back at her.

When I finally laid down, my body heavy and aching, she didn’t hesitate. She crawled right in beside me like there was no other option, pressing right into me.

Her hand came to rest on my chest, counting every breath.

“You not leavin’ tomorrow,” she murmured, voice low.

“I wasn’t plannin’ on it.”

She nodded, tucking herself under my arm like that settled it, as if that was the only answer she was willing to accept.

I stared up at the ceiling, every part of me sore, but it wasn’t the pain that stuck with me. It was her. The way she held on. The way she stayed.

I’d taken hits before. Worse ones. But this? This was the first time somebody looked at me like losing me would break them.

Eventually, the place slowly quieted down, settlin’ into that stillness. No cars outside, no music, just the soft hum of the ceiling fan and her breathing. Slow and careful, like she was still scared to move too much in case it hurt me.

“You still awake?” she whispered.

“Yeah.”

She shifted, lifting her head from under my arm so she could look at me properly, her face just inches from mine. “Does it hurt?”

“Not right now,” I answered. “Plus, I’ve had worse.”

I felt it immediately in the way her fingers pressed just a little firmer into my shirt, like she didn’t like that answer.

“You don’t gotta keep bein’ like that,” she said softly.

“Like what?”

“Strong all the damn time,” she murmured, her voice dipping lower. “Like nothin’ bothers you.”

I stared at the ceiling again, jaw tightening slightly. My ribs throbbed. My face ached. But none of that touched what sat heavy in my chest.

“Ion know how else.”

She went quiet after that, then slowly rolled onto her side so she could look at me properly. In the dim light, her eyes softened, lashes castin’ faint shadows across her cheeks while she studied me like she was tryna memorize something she might lose.

“You scare me when you leave,” she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. “Not ’cause I don’t trust you… but ’cause Ion know if you coming back.”

Her words hit me harder than anything from earlier. I turned toward her carefully, mindful of my ribs, until we were facing each other fully. Our Too close to pretend like this was still nothin’.

“You know I come back,” I said quietly. “Every time.”

Her lips pressed together, like she wanted to believe that but couldn’t fully let herself. “Aries… that don’t mean you always will…”

My words caught in my throat. I didn’t even have a response for that. ‘Cause she’s right. So instead, I reached up.

Slow and careful, my thumb brushed along the edge of her jaw, like I was askin’ a question without actually saying it out loud.

She didn’t pull away. If anything, she leaned into it. And something in my chest cracked open just a little more.

“We ain’t supposed to do this… Lo,” I murmured, even though my hand hadn’t moved.

“I know,” she whispered back.

And that was exactly the problem.

I didn’t think after that. Didn’t give myself the chance to. I leaned in, closing the space between us before my hesitation could catch up to me, pressing my lips gently to her cheek, soft and brief.

I lingered just long enough to cross the line, long enough for her to know it was my choice.

Then I shifted, just slightly, lettin’ my lips graze closer to the corner of hers. Not quite there, but close enough.

She inhaled sharply, her hand slidin’ up from under my shirt, settling carefully over my ribs like she needed something to stabilize herself.

“Don’t disappear on me,” she said quietly.

“I won’t,” I replied, softer this time, pressing a gentle kiss to her temple.

And for the first time, I meant that in a way that scared the shit outta me.

She moved closer, fitting against me, her head tuckin’ beneath my chin while her arms wrapped around me.

I held her there, just as tight, staring up at the window long after her breathing started to even out. My body ached, yeah, but that wasn’t what kept me awake.

It was her.

The weight of her trust. The way none of this felt fake anymore, not even a little. And laying here, with her in my arms and my heart beating louder than it had all night.

I knew one thing for sure.

There wasn’t any going back to what this used to be.