"Thank y'all for this. I really needed a girl's day out" Sammy said.

Before today, Kelis and I hadn't seen Sammy for nearly two weeks. She's been drowning herself in work to keep her mind off of Zander. We finally convinced her to come out with us today. I don't want her stressing over a fuck nigga. Sammy is an amazing woman, and she deserves the best of the best.

"We know you needed a day out sis. We missed you" Kelis said.

"I missed y'all too. I just needed a mental break. This whole Zander situation is messing with my head. I really liked him, and I thought that we had something good. Why can't I keep a man? They always end up doing me dirty. Is there something wrong with me? Be honestly y'all" Sammy said.

"There's nothing wrong with you Samantha. You're perfect in every way, and any man would be lucky to have you. Niggas just ain't shit."

"That part, that's Zander's loss though. Let him be entangled with his baby mama. You deserve better pooh" Kelis said.

"Y'all are right. Anyways, enough about me, how have y'all been?" Sammy asked.

"I've been good. This baby is whooping my ass though. I've been so sick lately" Kelis complained.

"It'll all be worth it though. You'll have a beautiful baby girl or boy soon."

"Maybe you will too Gen. Don't think that I haven't noticed those gains. You getting thick" Sammy said.

I've put on about ten pounds, maybe more. I can't help it though. My nigga fucks me good and feeds me good. This is happy weight.

"Y'all want me to be pregnant so bad."

Kelis laughed, "weight gain was my first symptom too. We know you and East be risking it all."

"Girl, I pop plan b pills like skittles. I'm just happy."

"Mhm, we'll see wassup in a month" Sammy said.

I rolled my eyes then waved her off. "Chile anyways, are y'all coming to East's party?"

"Of course! That's the bro" Sammy said.

"What she said. I gotta get my boy a gift. What does he like?" Kelis asked.

"East is a very simple person, but thoughtful gifts mean a lot more to him than materialistic gifts do. Get him something that comes from your heart. He'll appreciate it a lot more."

"Perfect! I already know what to get him" Kelis said as she smiled.

East's birthday is coming up, and he's having a huge party at Cheetahs. Of course I'm excited because I plan on spoiling him with all the things that he loves. East deserves a night filled with fun and love. I know he feels like the world is against him sometimes, but soon he'll see how many people are down for him.

I walked into my apartment, feeling the cool air from the AC hit me as soon as I walked in. I decided to come back to my apartment a few days ago. I missed my home, but it just doesn't feel the same anymore. I know that Jayceon is dead, but I still get an uneasy feeling in my apartment. Sometimes I wanna give this apartment up and live with my man. I'm just scared to make such a big move. Like I said before, East and I still have a lot to learn about each other.

Kaiser was with Ms. Helen, so I decided to end my night with a hot bath and a glass of wine. I stripped out of my clothes, tossing them into the dirty clothes hamper. I walked into the bathroom then started running my bath water. Rain by SWV played lowly through my bluetooth speaker. I went into my kitchen to grab some wine and strawberries, but I stopped when I seen a figure on my couch.

I grabbed a knife then flipped the lights on. I let out a sigh of relief when I seen that it was East. His head was down, and his hands were covering his face. He was a little too quiet for my liking. He didn't even acknowledge me. I knew something had to be wrong.

"Baby" I called out as I walked towards him.

He slowly lifted his head to look at me. His eyes were low and bloodshot red. I could tell that he was either high or drunk. His face looked so empty and emotionless.

"Where's your clothes?" He asked as he looked me up and down.

"I was about to get in the bath. What are you doing here? You scared me babe. I thought you were going out with Kareem and Zander."

"I'm a fuck up" East said.

I knitted my eyebrows, "no you're not. Why would you say that?"

"STOP FUCKING LYING TO ME. YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE NICE SHORTY. I'M A FUCKED UP INDIVIDUAL, AND YOU KNOW IT" he shouted.

His deep voice caused me to jump. He's never yelled at me before. I knew this wasn't the East that I know and love. This was a completely different person.

"You're not a fuck up. You're a work in progress babe. Have you been taking your medicine?"

East chuckled then stood up. "You think I'm crazy? You think I need that medicine?" He asked.

He moved closer and closer to me with every word that he spoke. I didn't know what to expect. His body language was aggressive, and I felt like I was being cornered. It was giving me flashbacks of the things that Jayceon put me through.

I held the knife up and pointed it at him. "Get away from me. You're acting extremely aggressive. I don't wanna hurt you, but I will if I have to."

"You scared of me now? You should be. I'm not right in the head Gen, and that's why you deserve better than me" he said.

I sighed then lowered the knife. I didn't want East to feel like I was scared of him, but in that moment I was definitely scared. He was being extremely aggressive towards me. I know that mental illnesses make you do crazy things, and that's why I felt the need to protect myself.

"That medicine is important Jeremiah. This isn't YOU."

"This is me" East said.

I walked closer to him then wrapped my arms around his neck. "I love you, every bit of you."

Eventually, I was able to get him to calm down.

I got into the bath, straddling East and placing my head on his shoulder. The hot water and bubbles submerged our bodies, and the lavender Epsom salt put us into full relaxation mode. Both of us were quietly enjoying each other's company. He's my peace, and I'm his peace.

"Gen" East called out.

"Yes baby" I answered as I looked up at him.

"Ima start taking my medicine. I haven't taken it in years. I usually just smoke or drink to calm myself down, but that shit ain't even working anymore. I'm sorry if I scared you earlier. I'll never hurt you or Kaiser though" he said.

"Thank you for telling the truth. You definitely scared me earlier, but something told me that you weren't going to hurt me. Your body language was just extremely aggressive, and it made me nervous. I feel bad for threatening you with a knife. I did not wanna do that Jeremiah."

"You did the right thing. You been through too much to take any chances. I'm not mad at you for protecting yourself. I never wanna get that aggresive with you again, and that's why I'm 'bout to start taking my medicine" East said.

I could tell that his apology was genuine. This was nothing like Jayceon's apologies. Jayceon would apologize, but I knew that he didn't really feel sorry for what he did. This situation was different though. This is a man that truly loves me and feels bad for scaring me. I could see the sympathy and honesty in East's eyes.

"Thank you. Mental illness is something serious, and it should be taken seriously."

East nodded, "you're right."

I smiled then placed my head back on his shoulder. We spent about an hour in the bathtub together. Something about those intimate, nonsexual moments just hits different. A lot of couples NEED sex to feel love. Me and Mine just need each other's presence though.

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