Array
(
[text] =>
ⁿᵒʷ ᵖˡᵃʸⁱⁿᵍ
𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐬 & 𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬
𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐲 , 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐫
𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐚 couldn’t breathe. Not properly. Hours had passed since that kiss, but her lips still tingled like the ghost of him lingered there.
𝐉𝐚𝐱 had left right after, no words, no explanation — just silence. The kind of silence that made the walls feel smaller, the air thicker.
Now she sat in the nursery, rocking Leo slowly, her mind spinning. She didn’t regret it. She couldn’t. But she knew enough about Jax’s world to know nothing stayed secret for long. Someone always talked. Someone always watched.
And sure enough, by the time the sun set, she heard the storm brewing.
Voices rose downstairs. Not Jax’s — his crew.
“Yo, what you mean she still here?” one of them snapped. “Ain’t it enough you hiding her, now you—”
The slam of Jax’s voice cut through. “Watch your mouth.”
Maya froze. Her stomach dropped.
Leo stirred, sensing her tension, and she shushed him, pressing him close. She crept to the hallway, straining to hear.
“She’s a distraction, Jax. You slipping. Everybody can see it,” another voice argued. “The girl, the kid — they got you off balance. And if the streets catch wind of that? OY gon’ eat you alive.”
Maya’s chest tightened.
Silence, then Jax’s voice, lower, lethal. “You think I don’t know what’s at stake? You think I forgot what game I’m playing?”
“You acting like it,” the first one shot back. “You got feelings, bro. That’s weakness. Weakness gets us all killed.”
A chair scraped. The tension downstairs was electric.
“You want out?” Jax’s tone was ice. “Say the word. But don’t ever question me again.”
Nobody replied. Heavy footsteps echoed, the conversation ended — but the damage was done.
Maya slipped back into the nursery, her mind racing. The kiss wasn’t just between them anymore. If his crew saw it, felt it, then the streets would know soon enough.
And the streets didn’t forgive weakness.
Later that night, Jax came to her room.
He didn’t knock. Didn’t speak at first. Just stood in the doorway, watching her lay Leo down. His eyes looked different — harder, conflicted, but with a glint of something that hadn’t died since their lips touched.
“We started something we can’t finish,” he muttered finally.
Maya turned, crossing her arms. “You’re scared.”
His jaw tightened. “I’m protecting you.”
“By pretending it didn’t happen?” she snapped. “By acting like we’re strangers when we’re not?”
Jax stepped closer, his presence filling the space. “You don’t understand. Every kiss, every glance, every second I spend wanting you — it puts a target on your back. And I’d rather you hate me than die because of me.”
Maya’s throat tightened. “And what if I’d rather die than keep pretending none of this is real?”
The silence between them was heavier than any gunshot.
𝐉𝐚𝐱 left without another word, slamming the door behind him. Maya leaned against it, tears stinging her eyes, while outside the mansion, headlights cut through the darkness — cars pulling up that didn’t belong.
The streets were moving. And the fallout was just beginning.
–
[text_hash] => b4865665
)