“Yo, my nigga, you take one box up out of here and I’ma split ya’ shit,” Messiah said as he scratched the tip of his nose with his thumb.

“Messiah!” Bleu whined.

“Come here, man,” he barked, snatching her hand and pulling her into the garage. He turned toward her once they were alone. “I want to be happy for you, B. I do. You’re my family, man. I lost everybody, B. Meek ass, man, he on some snake shit, Isa caught in the fucking middle, Ethic half trust a nigga, and Mo can’t even look at me, B. You’re the only one I got that’s ten toes down. Now you leaving?”

“Iman loves me, Messiah,” Bleu whispered, recapturing control of her eyes and lowering her gaze to the concrete floor. Her feet shuffled back and forth as she crossed her arms.

“Look,” Messiah said, exhaling as he took a seat on a box Bleu had pushed in a corner. “I know he do. I know that part, and I know it’s fucked up for me to ask you to stay, but, B, you ain’t fucking with Iman like that. Come on, man, let’s keep it a hunnid. You don’t love that nigga. You used to, but not no more. I know you, B. I know you better than you know yourself,” Messiah said. “That’s Saviour’s old man. That’s your family and I get it, but that shit don’t run deep. I saw it run deep with Noah, but that part of you ain’t even fucking with Iman like that no more. I know you.”

“What do you know, Messiah?” Bleu asked. “Huh?” she raised her voice. “If you knew so much, we wouldn’t be here. We wouldn’t be saying goodbye. You don’t know shit with your stupid ass.”

Messiah snickered and glanced up at Bleu. She couldn’t help the stubborn smile that broke out on her face. “You’re so stupid,” she said, eyes watering as she began to laugh.

He chuckled and nodded. “Stupid as fuck, but I need you, B,” Messiah said, a smirk pulling at the side of his mouth. Bleu swiped at the tear that slid down her face. He stood and wiped the second one that chased the first. “Stop crying, man.”

“I’m not crying,” she answered stubbornly, but she very much was. He pulled her into his space and wrapped strong arms around her as he held her. Bleu sniffed. “One day, you’re going to have to let me go.”

“One day, but not today,” Messiah said. He squeezed her tighter, and Bleu wrapped her arms around him and held on to his T-shirt for dear life.

“When you let go, I’m going to end up hurt, Messiah. How is this fair?” she asked. One strong hand massaged the nape of her neck, and Bleu closed her eyes tighter.