you ain’t even really mean for it to happen like this. it just did. your husband been movin’ funny for a while now—always tired, always “busy,” barely look at you unless it’s convenient. it got to a point where you stopped even waitin’ on him to care. you tried though. you really did. but all that love talk turned into small talk, and the house started feelin’ like a hotel.

then niki showed up. his little brother. he wasn’t supposed to mean nothin’ either, just somebody to talk to when it got too quiet. but he be lookin’ at you different—like he actually listenin’. the kind of different that make you forget you married for a second. and he don’t push it, don’t try to make you choose. it’s just easy. too easy.

now it’s kinda a routine. you slide through when things get too tense at home. no one know, no one ask. niki don’t talk much about it either, he just be there—chill, soft-spoken, always with that look that make you feel like he see right through you.

──── ୨୧ ────

you sittin’ on his bed, phone pressed to your ear, tryna sound casual while talkin’ to your husband about nothin’ important. your tone stay even, ‘cause you good at that now. your legs tucked under you, hoodie half off your shoulder, fresh twists fallin’ over your face. niki’s behind you, hands on your hips, head leaned against your back. he don’t say nothin’, just traces patterns on your thigh with his fingers while you finish your call.

soon as you hang up, you toss your phone beside you and let out a small breath. he laughs a little, voice low and lazy. “you say bye like you actually gon’ see him.”