"And all that you are, I do
My single line of stars in noon
Reflection of the very moon, I do
I do, I do, I do
Show my love for you
Can I show my love for you?
(Can I show my love for you?)."
YEBBA "Yebba's Heartbreak"
Kyle
"Yo Kyle. We're going to be late. Get your fine *ss down here." I heard Shawn yell from downstairs.
"Hold up. I'll be down in a sec." I placed the two envelopes on my mother's dresser before exiting the room and closing the door behind me.
"N*gga, you sound gay as f*ck." Dewayne scrunched up his face.
"I am gay."
"Oh yeah."
"Ya'll are funny as h*ll." I laughed, dapping them up.
"How you feeling man?"
"Feeling good. Been resting up all week to have enough energy for today."
"We're going to turn up tonight!"
"Yes sir." We headed out of the house and hopped into the car. Once I got comfortable, I pulled out my phone.
"Who you calling?"
"My lady."
"Look at you smiling." Daniel teased me.
"Man, get out of here."
"Hello?"
"How you doing baby?"
"Better now that I'm hearing your voice. I can't wait to see you."
"I'm on my way to the venue. I'll see you soon."
"Get here safe. I love you."
"I love you too." The car ride was cool. We were cracking up and having a good time. There was slight traffic, but I still expected us to make it on time. I started to feel a little hot and out of breath. I knew I needed to get out of the car.
"Yo, can we stop at a gas station real quick?"
"Yeah, you need something?"
"Yeah, I just want to grab something real quick."
"Okay." Dennis pulled into the parking lot of a QuikTrip.
"I'll be quick." I went into the restroom and immediately coughed into the sink. I spent a few minutes breathing in and out before pulling myself together and walking out. I got a bottle of water before getting back in the car. We got to the ballroom within 15 minutes.
The venue looked beautiful, not too over the top like Nicole and I wanted. It's lowkey giving wedding vibes, but it's just a party.
The boys and I went to Nicole's dressing room. They went in before me and I stood outside the door.
"What are you guys doing here?"
"We just want to make sure you don't look like a wicked witch for our boy."
"Shut up."
"But forreal sis, you look beautiful."
"Thank you. I love y'all. Now go before I mess up my makeup." They came out and Tre patted my back.
"It's all you bro."
"Hey gorgeous."
"Baby, I wanted to make a grand entrance for you." Nicole pouted.
"You already did when you first came into my life. It was never the same. It has only gotten better."
"You just have a way with words, don't you? You look so handsome. I love the touch of the durag."
"Thank you. I had to have a little swag. You look breathtaking."
"Thank you. I want you to promise me something." She said, fixing my collar.
"Anything."
"If you don't feel well, I want you to sit down or say something. I know it's your night, but you can't force your body to handle what it can't."
"Our night." I told her.
"What?"
"Tonight is our night and I promise." I kissed her.
So, the couples made their entrances first and my Mom put on a little show before Nicole and I came out. We made a strict rule of no phones. Even though it's just our close family and friends here, I don't want any of the footage being published online until we decide to put it out. I do have one cameraman, Quincy, who is always at my events is filming and will put everything into a mini-movie for us. I just want us to live in the moment and appreciate the time we're spending together.
We do have a DJ playing all of our favorite jams, but Nicole designed a whole area for me as a DJ booth if I felt up to it. We both surprised each other with special dances. I did one with the boys and she did her thing with the girls.
We partied all night long. Dancing, singing, eating, and drinking. I took a couple of breaks to sit down, but the crew never left me out of the fun.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we will now have a few dedications and speeches. First up is Momma Kyle." Greg announced. Nicole and I got off the dance floor and made our way to our seats on stage as the crew sat at the table in front of us.
"Thank you. I'll try to make this as short and sweet as possible."
"Take your time Mom." I smiled at her.
"34 years ago, I gave birth to my handsome baby boy. I never knew he would be my only child until my husband died when he was 11. I worked two jobs to make sure he had food to eat and lacked nothing. I couldn't say no to him and that was evident with the toy trunks that were all over the house." We all laughed. "My brother brought us here when Kyle was 14. It took time for him to adjust and make friends in school. That's he discovered his love for art. He would draw and paint everywhere he could; on the bus, at the park, and in the library. He got a scholarship when he graduated from high school and he attended college here in Atlanta. I went back home after I knew he was ready to be on his own. All of the sacrifices I made, I will never regret them because I got to see my son follow his dreams and become the man his father wanted him to be. I am so proud of you and I know he is too. I just want to say thank you for never being ashamed of me and taking me along with you every step through your career. I love you, son."
"I love you too Mom." I got up to embrace her, but she stopped me.
"Wait, I'm not done."
"My bad."
"And to my beautiful Nicole. Kyle had totally shut down the idea of love after a couple of first dates that never resulted in a second. I don't know what you did to him, but after your first date, my son would talk about you all the time. Even if I was telling him how expensive fruit was in the market, he would talk about how you loved oranges and strawberries. He told me that he felt an immediate connection and when we met, I could see why. You're so loving and caring, beautiful inside and out. I can't thank you more for bringing sunshine into my son's life. You will always remain dear in my heart and my daughter-in-law for life. I love you, Nicole."
"I love you too Mom." We both got up to hug her and the speeches continued. Nearly every person in the room had a speech prepared before I took over the mic.
"I would like to say a few words. Thank you all for rocking with me until this point. Each and every one of you has touched my life, encouraging me to keep going and grow. This may not be how I expected my life to turn out, but I believed that it was all God's plan for me and I had to trust him. No matter what happens after tonight, I want you all to know that I am happy with what I have accomplished and I will leave this world without any regrets. To my number one and my superstar for life, Nicole, I will always cherish what we've shared because you've changed my outlook on love." I kissed her hand before letting her talk.
"I just want to thank you all for being here tonight and celebrating Kyle. The love and support we've gotten from you guys throughout this journey have given us the strength to get through it. Kyle, you came into my life when I was finally ready to open up my heart. You literally swept me off of my feet. You have been so attentive, funny, supportive, and loving since we've been together. I couldn't have asked for a better partner and friend. No matter what happens after tonight, I want to appreciate you for choosing me and being the love of my life." She kissed me.
"Thank you, everyone, for your kind and tear-jerking words. Now, we invite all of our lovebirds to the floor for a final dance." I grabbed Nicole's hand and we walked to the dance floor just as Snoh Aalegra's "Do 4 Love" played in the background.
"I hope you enjoyed the night."
"It was truly a night to remember. Thank you for making these last days the best for me." I heard sniffing and I looked down to see Nicole patting under her eyes. "Baby, don't cry."
"I'm not crying. You don't cry."
"I'm good. Never lose that light because we need more people like you. If you ever feel down, think about the good times we've shared."
"I'll try."
"It hurts knowing I won't be there for you, but I know you'll find someone to love you. I don't want you to close your heart to finding love again."
"I don't think I'll find someone like you."
"You will."
"I love you so much."
"I love you more." Our lips locked and it was as if it was only us in the room.
Thank you, Nicole Fletcher.
*************************************************
Nicole
"What is that?" I groaned, struggling to open my eyes. I thought this annoying vibrating was coming from my dream, but it was actually my phone in real life. "2 mile run at 8 am? Yeah right." I turned off the alarm and laid back down. I forgot to switch that off before I crashed at nearly 2 am. My body can't handle any type of physical activity after last night's festivities.
I looked over at Kyle to see this man smiling. I wonder what he's dreaming about.
"Chile, let me go pee before I wet this bed." I tried to climb out of the bed as quickly as possible without disturbing Kyle's sleep. I carefully shut the door behind me and did a little dance in front of the mirror as I pulled down my pants. I plopped down onto the toilet seat and let out a sigh of relief that I made it in time.
After handling my business, I washed my hands and decided to do a little freshening up. I did my morning skincare routine and brushed my teeth. While I was drying my hands, I heard a gentle knock at the door.
I stepped out of the bathroom to see Kyle's mother peeping her head into the room.
"Good morning Mom."
"Good morning sweetheart. How did you sleep?"
"Like a baby, but I'm still a little tired. Your son is still knocked out."
"I know he's exhausted, so I'll let him be. I wanted to see what you two wanted for breakfast."
"Anything is fine."
"No, no. Tell me what you feel like having this morning and I'll whip it up."
"Fine. You know, some scrambled eggs and bacon. Kyle likes waffles with blueberries. I'm more of a pancake person, but I'm okay with waffles."
"I will make sure you get your pancakes."
"You don't need to go through all that trouble."
"But I will."
"Mom." She spoils me too much.
"I'll be back." She winked before leaving, causing me to shake my head. I went over to my side of the bed and sat down with my legs crossed to check my phone notifications. I watched about 20 minutes of TikToks before I turned to Kyle. He still had a smile on his face. He better be dreaming about me. I grinned, rubbing his handsome face.
"Kyle, it's time to wake up. I know you're hungry." He didn't stir. I lightly moved his shoulder.
"Babe, I know you're still tired but get up. Breakfast will soon be ready. Let me help you wash up. Kyle. If you don't get up, I'll start singing." Usually that gets him to shot up from the bed, but he was still frozen in place.
"Kyle. Kyle, stop playing." At this point, I was starting to panic. His body was cold, but I attributed to the room being cold. I lifted his left arm and it immediately fell back to the bed when I released it. I put my head against his chest. I didn't hear a heartbeat. His chest wasn't rising and I didn't hear any breaths. I got on my knees and held his face.
"Kyle, just open your eyes for five seconds." I was hoping for a miracle, but the reality was forcing its way into my mind. "Baby please." I whispered. I felt my throat closing up as I tried to fight the tears. I let out a silent cry as my forehead rested on his cheek.
I don't know how long I stayed in that position before I fell back into the headboard. I closed my eyes as I leaned back, letting the tears fall.
God, I never believed this day would come but I pray Kyle makes it to you. Please look beyond the wrongs he has done and forgive him so he can walk through the gates and rest in your bosom.
I just sat there, feeling numb. I couldn't move.
"Lovebirds." I heard Tae sing. From the corner of my eye, I saw him coming in holding a tray with two plates, a glass of orange juice, and a coffee mug. "Momma asked me to bringâwhat's wrong?" My mouth opened and closed several times because I couldn't believe these words were going to come out of my mouth.
"He's gone." I croaked.
"Oh my god!" Everything fell to the ground and Tae covered his mouth, reaching behind him to clutch onto the wall to support himself.
"You guys good?" Tre shouted from downstairs. Tae slowly backed out of the room. I knew he had told them the news because of the heavy footsteps coming up the stairs.
I didn't even want to look at anybody, so I turned towards the window. My mind was completely blank. It was dead silent in the room.
My view outside was soon obstructed by Kyle's Mom. I looked up at her. She wasn't actively crying, but I could see the twinkle in her eye. She opened up her arms and held me in her arms, rubbing my back.
I felt my bottom lip quiver, before letting out a scream. I couldn't help but cry uncontrollably. I was so inconsolable even with the crew coming over to comfort me.
"Come on." She tried to help me to my feet, but I shook my head.
"No, no!" I didn't want to leave Kyle alone.
"It's okay. I'll stay with him." I reluctantly rose up from the bed. They guided me out of the room. Before I went through the doorway, I turned back to look at Kyle. Leo had his head laying on his chest as Kyle's mother kissed her son's forehead.
When we got downstairs, I dropped myself onto the couch. I closed my eyes and held my arms on top of my head. I focused on calming my breathing and hummed along to the song from our last dance. I constantly replayed that moment, especially when he twirled me around and I stuck to him like glue, loving the scent of his cologne.
I heard when the paramedics came and when they left. I didn't open my eyes until I felt something come across my lap. I looked down to see Leo. I rubbed his head before wiping my face and taking a deep breath.
I slowly got up from the cushion and went over to the kitchen with Leo in tow. I could feel everybody watching me like a hawk as I opened a drawer and pulled out a leash. I fastened it onto Leo's collar and led him to the door.
"Come on Leo."
"Nicole." Daniel called out.
"I'll be back." I didn't wait for a response as I left the house. I don't know where I'm going, but I'll let Leo lead us to our destination.
We found ourselves at the park. We walked along the trail and I maneuvered us towards the lake. I sat down on the grass and looked at the ducks in the water. I know Leo could feel the loss because he didn't even bother chasing after the squirrel that was giving him a funny look.
I threw small pebbles into the lake, doing a silent count in my head. After a while, I heard the grass crunching from behind me. I looked to see that it was my Dad. He took a seat next to me.
"He's gone, Dad."
"I know baby girl. I got you." He pulled me into a hug. We stayed there until sundown. I don't really remember much of what happened after he took me home. I just know I didn't get any sleep. I slept in a different room that night. I constantly looked at the empty side of the bed and felt the cold sheets.
I would no longer wake up to my love or sleep in his arms at night.
Gone too soon, Kyle Laurent.
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