New Beginnings

Okay I'm not new around here but this is my first story I hope you guys like it comment please :)

When they told her the news, she felt her chest clench up. Her breath caught in her throat before heart-wrenching sobs started escaping. She crumbled down to the floor and cried for hours. She couldn’t believe it. He was gone...forever. Her heart ached for him. Never again would he comfort her with his warm embrace, or wrap his strong arms around her petite frame, or join his soft lips with hers. She couldn’t comprehend that she could no longer look into his warm, hazel eyes and know every emotion he was feeling. She couldn’t wrap her mind around the fact that he would never smile his stunning smile ever again. She couldn’t move, she couldn’t breathe, all she could do was cry. Why was she still existing? She was nothing without him, a shell without a soul. He was her soul, her heart, her everything.

1 Week Later

                Today was the last day she would ever see his face. The funeral. She put on a black dress. Everyone said she should be celebrating his life instead of mourning, but she couldn’t help it, they were closer to each other than anyone else in the entire world and without him she was nothing.

               

Why should she celebrate losing her boyfriend when he was only 26? She was almost 24 and they’d been together since she was almost 19. They met when she was waiting tables at Red Lobster and they had been inseparable ever since. Today would’ve their 4 year anniversary. She started to tear up at the thought, but she calmed herself before she could really start crying.  She wouldn’t miss this for the world because closure was the one thing she really needed.

She’d cleared her schedule for the entirety of the next 2 weeks. She knew she wouldn’t be able to function properly without him and she didn’t want to put forth anything, but her best effort. Her new routine without him would take some getting used to, but she knew he wouldn’t want her to waste her life so she was going to get back at it after some recovery time.

She was pursuing a rap career and he encouraged her and fully supported her dreams. She’d already released her first 2 mixtapes and she would probably be on a DVD soon, but right now, he was her main priority. She finished getting ready and waited for the limousine.

About 10 minutes later, she saw the limo outside of the window. She grabbed her clutch and walked out. As she opened the door and got in the car, his mom pulled her into an embrace.

“We’re gonna make it through this. Okay, darling?” she encouraged.

“I know and thank you for all the support and help,” she replied.

They rode to the church in a comfortable silence. When they arrived, they took their seats in the front pew. She cried silently through the entire service. At the end, everyone gave their condolences and said there final goodbyes.

When she was the only one left, she slowly made her way toward the casket. She stopped and admired his freshly shaven face and smooth skin. He was even beautiful without the vibrant spark of life behind his eyes.

“Hey,” she said shyly, “I just want you to know that I loved you with all my heart, more than anything in this entire world, more than myself. I want to thank you for everything you did for me and just know I miss you so much. Rest In Peace.”

 She kissed his cheek one last time and took a deep breath. She was slowly, but surely, coming to terms with the fact that he was gone. She made her way out of the church to signal the pall bearers and join the rest of the family back in the limo. When they arrived at the cemetery, they all got out and made their way to his tomb.

Once the coffin and flowers were placed, the preacher addressed the small crowd, “Any last words?” She watched his mother stand up and face the crowd.

“We are all witnesses of what was an amazing life. I know he would appreciate each and every one of you, but trust me, he’s in a much better place now,” she said. By now, mostly everyone was nearly in tears if they weren’t already crying. “If I’m sure of anything, I know 2 things. One: he fulfilled his God given purpose and two: he was absolutely and irrevocably in love with this young woman right here. The night before he passed, we’d gone shopping for an engagement ring and I’m sure he would want you to have this.” His mother beckoned her up to the front, placed the ring on her finger, and kissed her cheek. “Any last words, Onika?” She shook her head no.

“Be strong for him…and all of us. I know you can do it,” she whispered in her ear. She nodded her head fiercely while tears continued to pour relentlessly from her eyes. They all watched as the casket was lowered into the ground. As everyone left, she walked over to his intricate marble headstone. It read:

David Anthony Brown

May 26, 1982 – July 13, 2008

Our Son, Our Brother, Our Friend

A Gentle & Loving Soul

She walked away trying to contain her tears. Thankfully, the ride back to her house was short. She said goodbye to his family and the second she got inside the door, she crumpled to the floor and the sobs took control of her. She cried as she crawled miserably to her bedroom and got undressed. She cried in the shower and her make-up ran down her face. It subsided slightly as she got into bed. She rolled on her side and hugged her pillow tightly. She wept noiselessly until she fell into a fitful sleep. Even her slumber was plagued with memories of him. She couldn’t escape her misery.

Present Day

Nicki had just wrapped up shooting the video for Right By My Side with Chris Brown earlier that day. She had the rest of the day off and she just wanted to be alone and stay in bed. Safaree went to visit family in New York and he wouldn’t be back until the next day so she was in her LA apartment watching reruns of Judge Judy and eating cranberries and almonds on the couch.

She reflected on her shoot yesterday. As she repeated the sentimental lyrics over and over for every take, she always happened to think about a certain someone…Drake. As hard as she tried, she couldn’t mask or suppress her feelings for him any longer. What would happen if I just gave him a chance? She wondered to herself No! I have a career to focus on, I don’t need this. She tried to convince herself she didn’t need anyone. She suddenly felt a huge wave of guilt crash over her as she thought about all the times she rejected him. They had so much history.

Flashback

Nicki walked up to the tour bus and took a deep breath. She’d been so successful in the past year. She was on The Come DVD Wayne discovered her. He contacted her and they worked together on her third mixtape. This one was really big underground and her buzz was growing. Wayne was going to sign her to his label, Young Money, and today she was meeting the rest of the members.

She knocked on the door and waited patiently. She was anxious, but really excited. Just then, Wayne opened the door.

“Whaddup, ma?” he said as he pulled her into a hug.

“Hey, Wayne. It’s good to see you,” she said enthusiastically as she walked up the stairs.

“You ready to meet the crew?” he asked.

“Absolutely!”

“Nicki!” She and Wayne both turned around to see an excited Shanell coming their way.

“Hey, Nelly,” she said as they hugged tightly.

“Let her breathe, aight? She still gotta meet the rest of the crew. In fact, since you so excited, how bout you introduce her,” Wayne said teasingly.

“Whatever, let’s go,” she laughed. They walked to the back of the bus where 5 men and 2 boys were seated on different couches and in chairs.

“Hey, guys! This is Nicki,” Nelly stated. She beamed and gestured for her to come closer. “Nicki, this is Gudda Gudda, T-Streetz, Mack Maine, Jae Millz, Tyga, Lil Twist, and Lil Chuckee. She pointed to each person as she said their name. She was greeted by a chorus of hey’s and hello’s, but T-Streetz said, “Damn, shawty BAD! You see that ass?!?!” Shanell glared at him and said, “Shut up Streetz,” then turned to Nicki, “Don’t pay him any mind. He’s always high.” Nicki just giggled. They seemed like a pretty cool bunch. For the next hour or so they chatted and got to know each other better.

“It was nice meeting everyone, but I gotta leave now. Hopefully, I’ll be seeing more of you guys soon,” she said as she stood up and shouldered her purse. She gave them all hugs and waved as she backed down the aisle. As she turned around, she slammed into someone texting on their BlackBerry.

“Oh!” she exclaimed.

“I’m so sorry! Are you ok?” he asked. She collected herself and looked up at him before letting out and audible gasp.

“I don’t think we’ve met before. My name is Aubrey, but everybody calls me Drake.” He extended his hand and smiled.

“Sorry, I gotta go.” She squeezed past him, ran down the steps, and rushed to her car while he stood there baffled.

“What did I do?” he questioned. Everyone just shrugged.

Nicki got in, slammed the door, and threw her purse into the passenger seat. She leaned her head on the steering wheel and exploded into sobs. They continued as she reached across the car, opened the glove box, and removed a picture. He looked just like David. Everything about them was nearly identical, from the smile to the caramel skin to the hazel eyes. She sat there for a couple more minutes and tried to get herself together. Any other day she wouldn’t have reacted this way, but she was already thinking about David because today was the one year anniversary of his death. Before she met the crew, she was with Mr. and Mrs. Brown remembering his life.

She made her way back to her apartment and immediately got in the shower. After she dried off, she put on a pair of boy shorts and a gray wife beater, and checked her phone. She saw she had a few missed calls and a text, all from Shanell. She opened the text first.

                Nelly: What was that all about? You okay?

She didn’t really want to respond, but she saw that her friend was genuinely concerned.

                Nicki: Can I call you?

                Nelly: Yeah

She dialed Nelly’s number and she picked up on the first ring.

               

“Nicki, what’s going on?” she asked, her voice laced with suspicion.

“Well, I’ll get right to the point. Today is the one year anniversary of my ex-almost-fiancé’s death and Drake looks, literally, exactly like him. I ran away because it scared the crap out of me, but I’m fine now.”

“…”

“Nelly?”

“Oh…well, then. I’m sorry about that. It must be pretty weird.”

“Yeah, it’ll take some getting used to, but I feel really bad about it. Aubrey’s probably so confused. I’ll have to find a way to make it up to him.”

*End of Flashback*

She laughed as she remembered their little encounter. She stayed on the phone with Shanell for hours brainstorming what she could do to make it upto him. She sighed deeply. Now, she was so busy that she barely had time for any of her friends and the rare days that she did have off she just wanted peace, quiet,and alone time. She drifted into a troubled sleep on the couch.

She woke up to the sound of her doorbell ringing. She slipped her feet into her fuzzy, pink slippers and tied up her robe as she walked to the door. She looked out the peephole ready to snap on whoever it was. She was irritated that someone was interrupting her day off. As soon as she saw who it was, her irritation melted away and it was replaced by pure joy. She flung open the door and jumped into his arms.

“AUBREEEEEEY!!!!! What are you doing here?!” she asked excitedly. She was elated to see him.

“Well, I was back in town and I heard you were done with your video shoot, so I figured I would stop by since we haven’t seen each other in ages and we’re both going on tour soon.” He placed her back on the ground, leaned over, and kissed her cheek. She just stood there, beaming, still shocked to see him. “Now are you just gonna stand there or let me in before the paps catch us?” he chuckled. He bent over to get his bag and she laughed and led him inside to the living room.

As he walked behind her, he admired her perfect frame and gorgeous curves. His breath caught in his throat as her tried to absorb how beautiful she was, even if she was just wearing sweats and her hair was in a messy bun. 

“Make yourself at home. Mi casa, tu casa.”

“Gracias, mi bonita señorita,” he said and winked at her. She just giggled and blushed. “I have a surprise for you!” he said and her eyes lit up. He sat the bag on the coffee table.

“Ooooh, what is it?!”she gushed like a little child. He pulled out the bouquet of pink roses.

“Just for you, my queen.”

“Awwww, Aubrey, they’re beautiful!” She gave him a hug and rested her head on his chest. He inhaled her flowery scent and squeezed his arms tighter around her small waist.

“I could stay right here forever, baby girl. As long as you let me.” He tilted her chin up and stared deep into her eyes before kissing her softly on the forehead as she smiled at him.

“Let’s go get a vase for this wonderful gift,” she declared. She led him to the kitchen and got one from under the counter. He filled it with water and she placed the roses in it. They went back to the living room and she placed them in the center of the coffee table as he took off his shoes and threw himself on the couch.

“Hey! You took my spot!” she said indignantly and playfully punched him on the arm.

“I guess we’ll just have to share,” he replied as he shifted onto his side to make room for her. She cuddled up next to him and turned to HBO. The Devil Wears Prada was on.

“I love this movie!” she exclaimed and he laughed.

“What were you doing before I got here?”

“I was actually watching Judge Judy, but then fell asleep. I woke up when I heard the doorbell.”

“Sorry to wake you.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m glad you’re here!” They caught up while they watched the movie and in the course of their conversation it began storming violently. Eventually, she fell asleep with his arms wrapped comfortably around her waist.

When he noticed she was sleeping, he picked her up and carried her to her bedroom. He laid her down gently and slid off her sweats. He knew she hated sleeping in them. Just as he was about to walk out, she grabbed his hand.

“Aubrey, don’t leave,” she said. It came out as barely a whisper.

“I’ll just go in the guest room down the hall.”

“Noooo,” she whined, “stay with me, it’s storming.”

“You sure?” She nodded, so he pulled of his shirt and slid under the covers beside her. He couldn’t believe this was happening.

“You were always such a gentleman, Aubrey.”

“That’s how Mama raised me.” She giggled softly. They laid in the comfortable silence, enjoying each other’s presence, but neither sleeping yet.

“You’re so warm.”

“I’m sorry-“

“No…it’s nice,” she said hesitantly. She kissed him gently on the cheek and laid her head on his chest.

“Goodnight, Aubrey.”

“Goodnight, Onika.” They fell within seconds.

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