"How's Jeremiah doing, Ki?" Hannah asked one afternoon at brunch.

This had been a common question I'd gotten for the past month or so. Sienna had filled our friends in on the whole "Jeremiah and King shooting" situation as soon as she touched down in Seattle, and I didn't blame her at all. She struggled with supporting King and herself, and I could only offer so much comfort over the phone.

"He's..." I trailed as I took a sip of my mimosa, unsure of how to respond.

Was Jeremiah still waking up with nightmares? No. But that's only because he barely slept at all these days. He claimed he stayed awake through all hours of the night because he had a lot of work he needed to catch up on, but I knew better. He was annoyed by the nightmares as soon as he started having them, so I could only imagine how he felt when he realized they were here to stay, at least for now. In addition to his recurring nightmares, Jeremiah was paranoid. Coming up behind him was a sure way to trigger him, and any loud noises caused him to jump.

"Better," I said after a pause.

Desiree set down her mimosa. "You sure 'bout that?"

"Dez." Hannah fixed her with a look.

Her eyes widened as she innocently asked, "What? It took her like five minutes to answer you."

"Maybe because she doesn't want to talk about her traumatized boyfriend on her birthday," Sienna said.

"Okay, well, that's not helping either, Si," Hannah said as her attention pulled to her.

I sipped my mimosa as I watched the three of them squabble about what was and wasn't helpful when in reality, none of them were. The most helpful person was Sienna, but she could have phrased her response better. I understood that Hannah was just trying to be supportive, but I didn't want to talk about it. And I saw how Desiree pressing me could come from a place of concern after my less than convincing answer, but it wasn't my business to tell in the first place.

"It's not my birthday, Si," I said as I attempted to redirect the conversation.

"I know, but it is your birthday brunch," she said as her attention pulled from the other two girls.

I tipped my glass towards her. "Notice how that's not my birthday, though."

"Ara, please," Sienna said with a scoff. "It's your birthday celebration, so it's close enough."

"Yeah, but—"

"Anyways, I'm ready for another mimosa if y'all are," Desiree said as she cut in.

"You've already had one too many," Hannah said with a laugh. She grabbed Desiree's glass and downed the last of her drink.

Desiree snatched her glass back. "No such thing as one too many when your man is coming to pick you up."

"Mm, that's not how it works," Hannah countered.

"It is," Desiree said with a firm nod. "Besides, Sean knows mimosa time equals nasty drunk sex, so he prefers when I have one too many."

I snickered and said, "Not if you fall asleep."

"Kiara's right," Sienna said with a smile. "You get a few drinks in you and you're knocked out before you can even say "one too many.""

"Y'all are just some haters," she said as another drink was placed in front of her.

"Yeah, I'm taking that." Hannah grabbed the full glass, which earned a protest and a pout from Desiree.

I grabbed the mimosa from Hannah and she squinted at me. "You have to drive, and my man is picking me up. I'm doing you a favor."

"That's only my second mimosa." She reached across the table, but I moved the drink just out of her reach.

I shrugged. "Well, it's my birthday, so...."

"Actually, it's not—"

"Quiet, Si. It's close enough."

The rest of brunch flowed easily. I hadn't seen my girls all together like that since Adrienne's wedding, and it was always a good time when we got together. And a good time is exactly what I needed right now. It provided a welcome and temporary distraction from everything that was going on.

I clambered into Jeremiah's car and asked, "You slept before you came to pick me up, right? 'Cause you were up all night, and I'm not tryna crash."

"Hey, baby," Jeremiah said with a playful eye roll. "Nah, I'm good. I got some work done at the office, so I'm ready for a break."

"Hi, J," I sighed. "How you feeling? How was work?"

He pulled off the curb and started on his way to mine. "You know most conversations go the other way around, right?"

"I know, I'm just different like that." I smiled. "But you look handsome. You had a meeting today or something?"

His eyes pulled to me briefly before they found the road again. "Or something."

I studied Jeremiah as I sat back in my seat. His hands gripped the wheel a little tighter than usual, and his eyes stayed locked on the road ahead. His expression dropped from warm to impassive, and that was all I needed to press him further.

"What happened?"

A fleeting smile passed on his lips as he said, "Nothing, Ki. Don't worry about it."

I scoffed to myself before I crossed my arms over my chest. After our conversation in the hospital, I figured Jeremiah had realized that he didn't have to hide behind this stony facade anymore. His actions led to me believe that he did, anyway. But now here we are again a month later, and it felt like we were back to square one.

"I had a meeting with the detective leading my case," Jeremiah said after a moment. "He looked at the video footage from the hotel and was able to trace the guy who shot me to a pawn shop, but that's it."

"That's it?" My eyebrows furrowed as I continued, "They couldn't ID him? What about the stuff he stole?"

Jeremiah shook his head and took a deep breath. "Nah, he was wearing a ski mask, and pawn shops are already sketchy, so you know they weren't tryna help."

"What happens next, then?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" My eyes widened in surprise. I smacked my teeth and said, "Nah, they can't just do nothing. I know cops never wanna do their jobs, but he didn't just take your favorite pair of cufflinks—dude shot you!"

"They have nothing to go off of, babe."

"What kind of sorry excuse for a detective can't find a lead when they have footage of the guy?"

I didn't understand how the police could have witnesses from the hotel lobby and the pawn shop, video surveillance, and a partial footprint but still come up with nothing. And I also didn't understand how Jeremiah seemed so cool about that. He came back home with three new scars and PTSD, and he was ready to give up just as easily as Baltimore PD.

"You've gotta keep pressing them, baby," I said after a moment of silence. "If you let them drop the ball—"

"I'm not letting them do anything," Jeremiah snapped. "King and I have been in their asses since day one, and a month later, we accepted there's not shit we can do."

"But—"

"Drop it, Kiara."

I snapped my mouth shut. The bass in Jeremiah's voice was all I needed to hear to let me know he was serious, and I wasn't too keen on pushing his limits today. Although his demeanor was cold, I could tell that emotions brewing under the surface would explode if I pressed him further.

The rest of the ride to my place was filled with silence. I could tell that Jeremiah didn't want to talk, and I could respect that. Hell, I felt the same way just a few hours earlier at brunch. Fishing for information and pressing for action wasn't always the best option, and I needed to respect that he needed his space. I was still in the business of being patient, and I had a feeling I would be for a minute.

Michael and I met up for lunch the next day. He'd been awfully annoying the past few weeks since I'd gotten back. We hadn't had the chance to talk about what went down between Jeremiah and me because we'd both been preoccupied. I knew he'd been waiting to say what was on his chest and call me all types of stupid.

I filled Michael in on what'd been happening the past few weeks. He listened attentively yet somehow managed to still sneak in snide remarks and criticisms along the way. At least this time, he was getting in Jeremiah's ass, too, and not just mine.

"I could go on about how y'all are both wrong, but I'm sure you don't wanna hear that from me," Michael said.

"You'd be right about that," I said as I squinted my eyes at him.

"I already put my two cents in enough anyways—"

"You're right about that, too."

"So, how are you?"

My fork paused midway to my mouth. "How am I?"

I hadn't been asked how I was doing since Sienna asked me when we were still playing the waiting game at the hospital. Since we'd left, the most common question I got was if Jeremiah was okay. My friends, Jeremiah's friends, and even my family were more concerned about him than me. I understood because he was the one that actually got shot, but still. I'd been so caught up in him that I didn't stop to think about how I was.

"Yes, that's what I just asked, Tiara," Michael said slowly.

"Gimme a second," I said with an annoyed eye roll.

Michael snorted. "You need to think about how you are?"

"Well, nobody's really asked me that. Jeremiah getting shot had nothing to do with me."

"You were there, weren't you?" He looked at me with a purse on his lips.

"Yeah..."

"Okay, so then that's got something to do with you," he said as he gestured towards me. "So I ask again, and I'll say it slowly this time—"

"You need to stop talking to me like I'm stupid or something." I pointed my fork at him with a challenging expression.

"Then stop being—"

"It's been a little hard if I'm being honest," I said. I could see the playful insult die in my brother's throat as I continued, "I don't know if I'm doing all this right. Like, Si told me to be there for him, but what am I supposed to do when it's a day he's closed off? And J asked me to be patient, but how long am I supposed to be okay with him lashing out at me?"

I felt like I had emotional whiplash from how fast Jeremiah's moods could change. I'd leave a room and he'd seem fine enough, but when I came back, his mood would do a one-eighty. And though he'd gotten better, there were still some things he wouldn't talk to me about.

It would take a minute for Jeremiah to be fully healed, and I understood that, but I didn't think that I was going to be affected as I helped him through it. I had to be on it when it came to sussing out his mood for the day, and if it was a bad or even impassive one, I had to be extra careful about what I said. It was exhausting to have to think about every little thing I said before I said it, especially when I never had to before.

Not only that, but it was also hard being yelled at every couple hours. No matter Jeremiah's mood, I could always count on that. I would try to get him to open up about something, and he told me to get out of his business. Something would trigger him, and I'd try to be there, but he'd insist he was fine and basically see me out the door. I'd try to stay up with him through all hours of the night, and he'd tell me he didn't need a babysitter. Nothing I seemed to do was right, and I didn't realize it took a toll until now.

"I don't know how much longer I can walk on eggshells, and I don't know how much longer I can be the target of Jeremiah's misdirected anger." I sighed and picked up my glass, my teeth gripping the straw.

Michael considered me for a moment before he said, "First, there's no "right" way to help someone after they got shot. You're doing what a good girlfriend would do, even though he doesn't deserve it."

"Now you know what—"

"Had to slip that in there," Michael started with a playful smirk. "But forreal, you can get tired of doing what's asked of you every once in a while. You gotta get rid of the idea that this has nothing to do with you because you're the main one holding him down right now."

I continued to chew my straw as I said, "Yeah."

"I'd get fed up if Kel kept snapping at me multiple times a day for days on end. And, at a certain point, you have a right to say something." He took a bite of his food before he continued. "It's a lot to have to constantly censor yourself in your relationship, and you're gonna end up snapping if you keep on this way."

"Yeah, but it's only been a month," I started as I placed my glass on the table. "It's gonna take a lot longer than a month for J to deal with this."

"You right," Michael admitted. "But it's not gonna be much longer before him taking his frustration out on you gets old."

I chewed my lip as I considered my brother's words. Of course, he was right, but I didn't know if I was ready to have that conversation. But I supposed I'd have to get prepared, considering it probably wasn't going to be much longer before I snapped back.

"Why are you even helping me anyways?" I asked when the bill came around. "You don't like Jeremiah."

"I don't," Michael said firmly. "But I kind of like you, and I know 'ol boy makes you happy, and I'm gonna back your happiness."

A sincere smile stretched my lips. "Thanks, Michael."

"You can thank me by footing the bill."

My smile dropped into a frown almost immediately. "I take that back. You are the bane of my existence."

Michael threw his head back and laughed but still pushed the check towards me. If there's one thing about my little brother, he was getting a free meal out of me.

Later that night, I made my way to Jeremiah's place. On the drive back to my brother's place, he had pestered me until I caved in and decided to talk to Jeremiah tonight. Even though he was being obnoxious the whole time, he did make valid points that I would have been foolish not to listen to. His relationship with Kelandria was four years strong, and if I listened to him, I might get the same chance.

I knocked on Jeremiah's door before turning my key in the lock. The room was dark as I stepped inside. The space was silent as I walked through his loft, and that was all I needed to know to know he wasn't home. There was usually some sign of life—music, a TV running in the background, something. Just as I prepared to take my leave, I received a FaceTime from Natasha. A surprised smile played on my lips as I pressed answer.

"Hey, Kiara," Natasha cheerily greeted from the other line.

A head pushed into the frame as Sienna bumped Natasha out of it. "Ara, what are you doing?"

"Uh," I looked around the empty loft. "Looks like nothing."

"Perfect!" Natasha clapped her hands together.

"Why? What's up?" My eyebrows pinched together in confusion.

"We're having a little girl's night, and I wanted to invite you! I haven't seen you since game night."

An amused smile quirked my lips. "Y'all are having a girl's night on a Monday?"

"Not important, Ara," Sienna said. I swear I could hear her eyes rolling from her tone. "Are you coming or not?"

I paused to think for a moment. Did I really want to go out on a Monday night when I had work the following day? Any night with Sienna almost always ends with a hangover, and I can only imagine how much worse it could be with Natasha in the loop. But then again, I hadn't been messy drunk in a minute, and it had been a while since I'd seen Natasha...

"Yeah, I'm down," I said. "I can just work from home tomorrow if I get too done up."

Natasha squealed as she came back into the frame. "Yay! I'll have Si text you the address and have your name put on the list."

"Bet. I'm in my work clothes so I gotta change real fast, and then I'll be on my way."

We hung up as I turned on my heel and meandered into Jeremiah's bedroom. At this point, half my wardrobe was somewhere in his house and vice versa, so I'd be surprised if I couldn't find anything. I rummaged through his dresser until the sequins of an old halter neck top glittered against the light; silver and sparkly was always a safe bet.

I quickly changed and headed towards the door but stopped short after I passed a mirror. I completely forgot that my face and hair screamed, "I just got off," and I already knew Sienna would have to say something. I fixed my face as best I could with the little makeup I had at Jeremiah's and quickly redefined my twist out with some gel before I was ready to head out the door.

I made it halfway down the hallway before I spotted Jeremiah standing outside his office door, his back turned to me. I approached him cautiously as I walked as best as possible on my toes. Any footsteps coming up behind him was a recipe for disaster, and I always tried my best to keep from setting him off—keyword being tried.

"J, I didn't hear you come in," I said as I placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

I knew I had failed at not setting Jeremiah off when he gasped, and his body turned rigid. He whipped around at lightning speed, his eyes wide as he backed into the wall.

I raised my hands and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

"You can't be sneaking up on me like that, Ki," Jeremiah firmly stated, although his face still held a sense of panic.

"I'm sorry," I repeated. "I just know that you don't like it when you can hear people coming up behind you—"

He gestured towards me. "And you thought it'd be better to creep up like that?"

I took a deep, steeling breath before I pressed my lips into a thin line. I brought my palms together and rested my thumbs on my forehead, my eyes closed. I could preach about patience all I wanted, but it was wearing thin at this point. I didn't realize how close I actually was to snapping until now.

"I'm trying, okay?" I spat out. "Nothing I seem to do lately is good enough for you, J, and I'm kind of over it. I've been here for you to lean on since day damn one, and you don't seem to appreciate that."

The wild look on Jeremiah's face was long gone as he said, "Ki—"

"I am bending over backward so that I don't step on your toes, but I can't keep it up much longer if you're gonna keep popping off on me," I interrupted. "I couldn't even begin to understand what's going through your head, but I don't appreciate you taking it out on me."

I finished my semi-rant, my eyes finding Jeremiah's as I caught my bottom lip between my teeth. I figured spitting everything out now would do better than me continuing to hold in my grievances. I'd rather voice my frustrations without an added edge of irritation.

"And I'm sorry for cutting you off," I said before he answered.

Jeremiah dropped his head as he tried to hide a smile. "You been holding that in for a minute, huh?"

"Yeah." I crossed my arms with a nod and continued, "It's not easy to complain about you to you when you have a valid reason to be acting out of character."

"First, let me start by saying you've never had a problem complaining to me before, so don't let all this stop you." Jeremiah flicked on the light to his office as he walked in and found a seat. "Second, I appreciate you and everything you've done for me the past few weeks. You don't have to stay up with me all hours of the night or walk on your toes whenever you're walking behind me. You definitely don't have to be there to talk me down from my anxiety attacks, so thank you for that."

"You're welcome," I said after I joined him in his office.

"I mean it," he assured me as I pushed myself onto the desk. "King and everyone fell off, and my parent's barely checked in on me after I was discharged, so I really do appreciate you showing up for me."

"I know you do," I said with a soft smile. "It just didn't really feel like it when you would snap at basically any attempt I made to help." I dropped my gaze to my hands.

He quickly responded, "It's nothing you