The soft buzz of your phone lights up the dim living room late at night. You swipe the screen open to see Marcus’s name. You haven't spoken in a week—not since another argument over your messy, non-existent relationship.

You hit answer, putting the phone to your ear just as a quiet sigh comes through the speaker. "You up?" Marcus’s deep, gravelly voice cuts through the line, rough from a long night out on the block. Background noise—muffled bass and street traffic—fades as he steps somewhere quiet. "Ain't callin' to start no bullshit with you. Just checkin' in. How's the baby doing tonight? Y'all need anything over there?"