It was 2:11 a.m.
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The café was closed. The city was quiet, the kind of quiet that wraps around your chest and makes it hard to breathe.
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I couldn’t sleep. Again.
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My legs took me downstairs. I sat behind the counter with a mug of tea I didn’t want, flipping through a book I couldn’t focus on, trying to silence thoughts I couldn’t stop.
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Davon.
The baby.
Nas.
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Then headlights flashed through the front window.
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A deep, familiar rumble of a motorcycle followed.
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I stood slowly, heart already thudding like it recognized the sound before my brain caught up.
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I unlocked the door and stepped out into the soft buzz of streetlights.
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There he was.
Nas.
Helmet in one hand, hoodie half-zipped, like he didn’t care it was freezing.
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He didn’t say anything at first. Just looked at me like he already knew why I was awake. Why I was hurting.
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“You couldn’t sleep either?” I asked.
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He smirked, but it didn’t touch his eyes. “Nah. You were just on my mind.”
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I looked down, heat rushing up my neck.
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He stepped closer, holding out the helmet.
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“Come ride with me.”
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I hesitated. “Where?”
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His grin deepened. “Somewhere I ain’t ever taken nobody.”
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Everything in me screamed to say no. To stay safe. To keep my boundaries in place.
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But I didn’t.
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I took the helmet and climbed on behind him.
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The ride was quiet. Just the wind. Just his heartbeat under my hands as I held on.
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He took us out of the city, past blinking traffic lights and sleeping blocks, through winding roads until we stopped at the edge of a little hill that overlooked the whole skyline.
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It was… beautiful.
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Not flashy. Not dramatic. Just quiet. Honest.
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We sat on the hood of an old car half-hidden in the trees, sharing silence.
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Then Nas finally spoke.
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“I used to come here with my moms when I was a kid. Before everything got messy.”
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I looked over at him. “This was your spot?”
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“Yeah,” he said. “When shit got too loud at home or in the streets, she’d bring me here. Said it was important to have a place where nobody could reach you. I never brought nobody up here. Not even Ice.”
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I swallowed hard. “Why me?”
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He paused. Shrugged a little. “’Cause you look like you need somewhere to breathe too.”
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My chest tightened.
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“You barely know me.”
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“I know enough,” he said, eyes locking on mine. “I know you cry when no one’s looking. I know you hold your belly like you’re trying to protect something way bigger than just a baby. I know you loved that man even though he broke you.”
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I looked away, tears stinging my eyes.
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“I’m not ready,” I whispered.
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“I ain’t asking you to be ready,” he said quietly. “I’m just askin’ you not to push me away.”
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The wind blew between us. I wrapped my arms around myself.
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“You’re dangerous, Nas.”
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He chuckled low. “So are you, Mina.”
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And in that moment, I didn’t feel broken. I didn’t feel abandoned. I just felt… seen.
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Maybe that was enough for tonight.
