Maya walked through the night, holding her phone to her ear as she listened to the line ring endlessly. When she got Nayely's voicemail for the fifth time, she looked at her phone in confusion. Standing by Nayely's car, she didn't see any sign of her around which was driving her anxiety closer to the surface.  

Could she had gone to the bathroom at the last minute, too? After setting down her things on Nayely's trunk, she paced the aisle for what felt like forever before it was apparent that Nayely was nowhere to be found. 

"Where is she?" Maya spoke aloud, now getting antsy from the unknown. She knew that emotions were high tonight, there had been so many things going on around Nayely that anyone in her position would want to get away to blow off some steam. 

But Maya knew it wasn't like her to go off without letting her know.  

It was then that Maya remembered the night she and Nayely were rudely interrupted by a strange older man that forced her from her friend's house. She could never shake the knowing yet nervous look on Nayely's face when the stranger and his henchman showed up. She never had a chance to bring the subject up afterwards, but in this moment, her mind immediately went to the possibility of her getting another visit. 

Everything about the exchange was sketchy, but as she was dismissed before she could find anything out, Maya was left with her imagination running wild as she wondered if Nayely's sudden disappearance had anything to do with the men. 

Getting back to dialing Nayely's number, Maya quickly moved back towards the crowd, hoping to run into her. As her feet picked up speed, she stumbled as she stepped on an object in the road. Keeping her balance, Maya looked down to see Nayely's phone screen alight with fresh cracks from her shoe. 

Her heartbeat drummed in her ears as she bent down to pick up the phone with shaky hands. 

"Okay. Okay..." Keeping her cool, Maya tried to remain rational as she attempted to understand what she had found. Just a couple of feet away, Maya saw the glint of the car key she knew belonged to Nayely. Scrambling to collect her things, Maya ran back towards the crowd, desperate to find her friend. 

"Please! I just need to see the parking lot cameras to find her. That's all I'm asking for." 

"Ma'am, I can't just let you in." 

"This is an emergency!" The security guard looked on, unmoved by her frantic pleas. 

The young man all but rolled his eyes as he placed his hand on the door handle leading to the security office. He had already told Maya that there was no way she could access the room. Afterall, it wasn't like she was looking for a missing child. 

"Listen, she's an adult, right? Maybe she saw someone she knew and just...dropped her things." 

"Dropped her things? Who leaves behind the two most important things in life?" Shaking Nayely's phone and keys in his face, Maya was beginning to feel that she was getting nowhere. 

"I've got a job to do. Go to the police! Look around some more! I don't know!" The security guard threw his hands up. "Just relax and I'm sure she'll come around. Good luck!" Patting her shoulder, the man walked away despite her cries for him to come back. Maya didn't want to cause a stir by mentioning just who was missing, so trying to at least access the security cameras seemed like her best bet. 

When she exited the building, she looked over to find a post of officers near the events of the night as life continued on. Crossing her arms, she took a step forward, ready to ask for their help before she noticed a gas station across the street. Eyeing its distance, Maya felt a ray of hope as she moved towards its lights. 

When the bell rang announcing her entrance, she saw that the young man at the register was leaned over, kissing a smiling girl his age as the store was mostly empty. 

Going to the counter, Maya looked over its edge to see a screen that showed the movements of those inside the store, as well as outside. 

"Can I help you?" Maya hadn't noticed the two lovebirds focusing their eyes on her as she nearly scaled the counter in her attempt to peek at the screen. 

"My bad." She straightened herself up before pointing towards the film. "The cameras. You think they'll show you the parking lot across the street?" 

Glancing over his shoulder, the young man shrugged." I mean... maybe." 

"Are they recording? Let's say I needed to see if something-or someone-happened to be seen on the camera about an hour ago, could you pull that up?" 

Getting the hint, the cashier rubbed the back of his head as he stood up. "If I needed to, I guess I could." When Maya's smile widened gratefully, the cashier cut her hope short. " But I don't think I can." 

"Please. I just need to see something really quick. I promise."  

"But my boss-" 

"I'll be fast. I promise. I'm just trying to find my friend." The young woman who stood beside Maya sympathized with Maya's obvious nervousness. 

"Just let her look." She bargained on Maya's behalf. She wasn't sure what was promised in the silent exchange of smiles between the two, but she was thankful when the cashier waved her around the counter. 

"Alright." Looking around the store, the young man made sure that no one needed any assistance before leading her into the back. Maya saw an old computer monitor with tangled plugs running to the ground. "You've got to make it quick. Sometimes my boss shows up during this shift." 

Grateful for the access, Maya moved to crouch before the screen. 

"Can you take it back like...an hour?" Maya's eyes darted across the screen anxiously as the employee clicked through various folders. 

"Here, the camera from one of the pumps is the only one that shows the other side of the street." Reading through the time stamps, the boy looked to Maya."But! It just barely shows the entrance and exit into the parking lot. It may be cut off." 

"Anything is better than nothing." She assured him. Biting her thumbnail, Maya watched as traffic steadily flowed across the screen. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary, which worried her even more.  

"It looks like things have been pretty normal. I mean...do you know what kind of car this person could have been in? Maybe that will help-" 

"Wait! Wait! Can you rewind it back?" Poking the screen, Maya watched everything in reverse until what had caught her eye the first time reappeared. "Okay! There." Squinting, it was almost impossible to make out anything from the black and white images. They watched as an SUV haphazardly turned out of the parking lot, barely missing other cars on the road as a dark car followed closely behind. 

"Damn it." The angles didn't allow for Maya to see into the windows of the vehicle as they whizzed out of frame. She rewound the video again and again to no prevail. 

"I don't think there's anything else I can show. Maybe if we zoom in there'd be more." Just before the employee bent to help, his attention went to his buzzing phone as a text alert from his girlfriend warned that his boss had just pulled into the lot. 

"Shit! My boss is here, you gotta go back out, I'm sorry I couldn't help you more but I can't lose this job." Pulling Maya to her feet, the boy ushered her out of the room just in time. She tried to collect herself as she moved to the door. She could hear the nagging of the boss as the door slowly closed behind her. With a single nod to the cashier, she thanked him one last time. 

Looking back to the festivities, Maya took a deep breath as she followed the flashing blue and red lights to the police. This was the last thing she wanted to do, but at this point she felt she had no choice. 

"Can I see your phone?" As Nayely and MJ walked down the hall towards his loft, she knew it would be best to let Maya know where she was. The last thing she needed was to leave her friend in the dark about tonight. More and more it seemed that lately Maya found herself caught in the whirlwind of men in Nayely's life. 

"1095." When Nayely lifted her eyes, confused by his words, he nodded to the phone. "The passcode is 1095." As her thumbs hovered thoughtfully over the digits, Nayely began dialing in a phone number. The first time she called, she was sent to voicemail as Maya ignored the unknown number. Calling a second time, Nayely could only imagine what she could have been doing in that moment. Just when she thought she would be sent to voicemail once again; she heard the rushed voice of her friend on the other line. 

"This is Maya?" Her voice came through skeptically, as she waited to tell her unknown caller that she couldn't speak. 

"You can call off the search party, Maya. I'm okay." Nayely pulled her head away from the speaker as her name was screamed through the phone. She was bombarded with curse words of relief as Maya yelled. 

"Girl! What the hell happened? How the hell did your big ass get snatched up? Are you sure you're okay?" 

Nayely winced as Maya's barrage of questions brought on a high-pitched ringing in her ears. 

"I ran into someone, nobody snatched me, and yes I'm sure." In the background, she could hear Maya speaking to the officers she had just approached, letting them know that everything had worked itself out. "You went to the police?" Her words drew MJ's attention. 

"I've gone to the police; I've checked security cameras-you've had me running around like I'm crazy trying to find you. Tell me where you're at and I'll come get you." No matter how you looked at the situation, Maya's suggestion made the most sense. She had no reason to be holed up with MJ in his home now that she'd made contact with Maya. Whoever it was that followed them from the parade couldn't be less of a threat just because she was with MJ in his own space.  

As Nayely battled with herself over her answer, her eyes connected with MJ's. Gently prying the phone from her hand, he looked to her for silent confirmation as he took over the call. 

"Hello, Maya?" 

"And you are?" The woman's defenses were up as MJ sought to introduce himself. 

"MJ." He responded. " Nayely and I go way back...and we're just catching up. Look, I know I've probably caused a bit of trouble tonight, but I promise you she's in good hands-" 

"MJ? As in little crackhead MJ Park? The reason why tonight has gone to hell?" Maya's short laugh held no humor as she began to lay into him. "Listen, I don't know what it is you're trying to do, but you need to leave Nayely out of it. Whether it's for relevancy or just being messy, you can take your dramatics elsewhere. Tell me your address, so that I can come and pick Nayely up, otherwise I will be getting the police involved. Trust me!" 

MJ pursed his lips, feeling the heat from her anger. His eyes shifted to Nayely who leaned towards him, straining her ears to hear the other end of the conversation.  

"Look, I understand how you feel-rightfully so." 

"How I feel? I don't know you; you don't know me. But I can tell you one thing-I've never heard Nayely speak of you. Ever! Do you have something to do with that bastard who barged in to her place like he owned it the other day? You do, don't you?" Maya accused him. Nayely was keeping too many secrets from her as strange men were coming in and out of her life. Maya tried her best to leave the issue alone, as it was obvious Nayely wanted to remain tight lipped, but after this stunt she didn't know how much more she could turn a blind eye to. 

An inkling of fear began to set in that Nayely no longer trusted her. 

"I don't know what kind of game you're running, who you're in bed with, but just know that I'm not going to let any of this slide. If you're a part of anything that could hurt Nayely, I'll be the one to put an end to it. Period!" 

MJ raised a brow at the mention of this unknown man. From the sound of her voice, she spoke with venom, a tell all sign that whoever this was, she was less than a fan. The feeling of Nayely's hair against his cheek brought him out of his thoughts just as the phone was jerked away. With her brows furrowed, she tried to face away from MJ after catching Maya's question. 

She already knew she was crazy to come to his home, but there was no way she'd let him know that much of her business. 

"Maya, I'll call you tomorrow." 

"How? I have your phone!" 

"Maya!" Nayely let out. Drawing in a breath she calmed down." I swear to you I am okay. I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it." 

The next moment was filled with a broken voice. " I just need to know that you're okay. Not on some work shit, but on some real shit. You're my friend, Nayely. I don't know how you dealt with things before we met, but you're my girl which means you don't have to do this stuff alone." 

The irony wasn't lost on her that the only person she thought could care about her so deeply was who Maya was trying to defend her from. She wondered what was wrong with her to make Maya feel this way. How had she missed the stress she must have been under? 

Nayely softened as she rubbed her neck. "I know, Maya. I promise that once I'm done here, I won't play any games with you. We'll talk soon, okay?" Nayely has never been the best with her words, but she hoped this was enough to let her rest easy. 

"Nayely..." 

"I promise."  

"At least send me his location. Just in case." Nayely knew that despite the innocent request, Maya was bound to ride by to scope out his place. Just imagining the smaller woman leaning out her window as she cased the neighborhood brought a smile to her lips. 

"Good night, Maya." 

"Fine. Not like I can't do some internet digging anyway." Before Nayely could protest Maya caught herself. "Which I won't! Some of us do respect the privacy of others." Saying their goodbyes, Nayely turned back to MJ who now stood in front of an open door. Wringing her hands, the warm air that wafted from his home welcomed her as she took the first step. 

"She won't be blowing you up tonight, don't worry." Handing the phone back, Nayely kicked off her shoes out of respect. 

"It would really be no problem if she wanted to check up on you. Seriously." MJ caught Nayely's coat as it slid down her back. She found herself gripping it, wanting to reject the courtesy before allowing him to take it from her. 

"Trust me, if you value your sanity you don't want her calling. Especially since she thinks I'm being held hostage. Maya doesn't play." Nayely let out a deep breath that didn't seem to help relax her nerves. She could still feel a tingling sensation running through her when her body and mind fought against each other. Whenever she was put into a hard place, she was constantly thinking of how she would free herself. Her fight or flight took control. 

"I'm happy you have someone like that in your corner." MJ admitted. Silence fell over them as Nayely took in the loft. It was sparsely decorated, with an immaculate shine to the floors and counters that told of MJ's cleanliness. Despite its near empty appearance, there was just enough furniture around to let you know that someone actually lived here. 

"Still settling in?" Nayely offered up small talk. 

Walking past her, MJ took out two glasses and poured water into each of them. 

"You could say that." His eyes followed her movements as she cautiously moved about his space. He didn't miss the way she walked around his home gingerly, careful not to disrupt anything.  "Apparently, living mess free can keep me drug free." MJ caught the slight jump Nayely made as he approached her from behind, reaching around to hand her the glass of water. A quiet thanks left her lips as she stepped aside. 

"Are you...?" She left her question hanging, not sure of what she should ask.  

Was he doing better?  

Was he ever tempted?  

Looking at his face, he no longer sported the gaunt look he had the night he stumbled to her front door. She thought the thin face he once had was a part of his sex appeal as an actor. Knowing that it was nothing more than a side effect of his demons, she could only wonder how no one else saw the warning signs before things went downhill. Nayely watched as he rubbed a hand down his fuller face that now held a healthy glow. 

"Almost 8 weeks sober." MJ looked to his feet bashfully as he was happy to mark another week that he had gone drug free. Sometimes he wondered if he was getting ahead of himself-it was still fairly early to say he was completely in the clear. Relapses could happen. He may not be as strong as he-- 

"I'm proud of you." Nayely placed her hand beneath his chin, raising his head to invoke the confidence she felt he was worthy of showing as she spoke from her heart. "That's something you should say with your head held high." MJ swallowed the knot in his throat as her words touched him, straightening his shoulders as he met her head on. Curling her hands back into a loose fist after realizing how gentle and natural her touch was, Nayely looked away. 

MJ's phone began to vibrate with a call. Looking to see Christina's name, he could already make out the back and forth that was bound to happen. He chose to silence the call, knowing that while tonight wouldn't be spent reminiscing together with Nayely, he wanted to give her all the attention he could, he wanted to leave room for them to digest everything without the frantic calls and directions from his manager. 

"My manager." He answered the questioning look in her eyes. "She's away on business, but of course news travels fast." 

"I just don't know how things could have gone so wrong." Taking a seat on his couch, Nayely closed her eyes as she recounted the night. She could feel the dip of the seat as MJ took a spot near her. He was close enough that she could feel the heat from his body radiating through his winter wear.  

"I want to say I'm sorry again for everything that's happened. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be involved in any of this." Nayely cut her eyes at him through the fingers that covered her face. "What? It's the truth. I don't mean that in some self-deprecating way-just trying to be straight up." 

"It won't do us any good to juggle the blame between each other. As far as I'm concerned, the only person at fault for anything is the stalker that's latched on to the both of us." Shaking her head, Nayely couldn't imagine how someone could build their career around invading the lives of others. The cocoon she had managed to make for herself left her ignorant to the troubles of being a public figure.  

This gave MJ even more reason to protect her. 

In his head, he could hear the weary question Maya had asked-or rather accused him of earlier. 

"Do you have something to do with that bastard who barged in to her place like he owned it the other day? You do, don't you?" 

"Did this guy come to your place? Did he threaten you?" 

Nayely's eyes went wide as she was confronted with Judge Stewart's visit. There were so many things swirling around her that she felt herself getting lost in the chaos. Where did she even begin to fix things? 

"Why would you ask that?"  

"Maya. She mentioned something about me being involved with some man showing up at your house. With the way she said it, it sounded it like she'd kill me the moment she had a chance to." 

"That's not important right now." Nayely didn't want any more entanglement surrounding her life. She needed to keep things as separate as possible, so she deflected. 

"Listen, if this guy has anything to do with that story then I have to know. He's taking pictures, following you around-if he's coming to your doorstep, then you have to tell me, Nayely." MJ's hand wrapped around Nayely's fingers, pulling her attention to him. He spoke like he truly saw himself as her protector. A vein ran the side of his neck, pulsating as his jaw tightened. Nayely watched as his hazel eyes darkened, waiting for her to confirm his fears. 

Pulling her hand from his grip, she shook her head, careful not to fall into the trap he was setting. He wanted her to trust him, as if he could be the one she confided in. There was no way she would take his words to heart. Once upon a time, his words would have meant something, would have stitched the hole in her chest, but not now.  

She had grown since they last knew each other. 

She had survived all this way without him. 

"He has nothing to do with any of this and it's honestly none of your business." Her defenses were up, and the light air she once had was beginning to dissipate. MJ's chest tightened as she began to shift, obviously looking for a way out. 

"I'm just trying to look out for you--" 

"No one asked you to do that." Standing to her feet, Nayely stepped away from MJ. "Just like no one asked you to swoop in and save me tonight." 

"I don't need to be asked to make sure you're okay." 

"Yes! Yes you do! How did you even know where to find me?" Nayely held her hands up, confusion on her face as she thought back to how she was whisked away by MJ earlier that night. " You're talking about him following me, but what about you? How are you any different right now?" 

"I--" 

"This is the third time MJ. How many times are you going to show up to places you shouldn't be?" Nayely echoed her words from their grocery store run in weeks ago.  "You said you wanted to earn my trust, didn't you? How can you do that when you're stressing me the fuck out just like everyone else?"   

Nayely's mind spiraled as she became overwhelmed with her growing anger wrapped in suspicions. Her head ached as all her problems morphed into a dark blob. 

Judge Stewart. 

Terrence. 

The reporter. 

Did she have to add MJ to the infamous list too? 

She was beginning to wonder if the men who kept tripping into her life would ever take their foot off her neck. 

There was so much to protect. She had to protect her career, stand up for Brittany Stewart, and what about Maya? Would any of this blow back on her? And MJ-this reporter obviously had it out for the two of them. What if the stress of everything gets to him and he --? 

Steady hands wrapped around Nayely's waist. She was pacing through the apartment, knocking into furniture as the panic she held back for so long overcame her. Her staggered breaths escaped her so loudly that she couldn't hear MJ's voice calling out to her. Her limbs numbed as she moved with no aim. 

Each step she took weighed down her body. It would have been easier to walk through wet cement with how sluggish she felt. Where was her strength?  

MJ's body followed Nayely's to the ground as she buckled in his foyer, never letting go of the hold he had on her. There was no denying the panic attack he seemed to have caused. Her lips moved as she mumbled the worries he knew she kept to herself. If he could barely understand the rush of broken thoughts, he could only imagine what went on inside her head. Her hand clutched the sleeve of his shirt as he pulled her in close to his chest. He wondered if she wasn't disoriented, if she would have recoiled from his touch.  

Nayely pressed her face into his shirt, forgetting her earlier rejection of him.  

"It's okay, Nayely. I got you. I promise I got you." MJ repeated into her ear over and over, rubbing his hand over her coily hair, until her eyes closed.  

The further she drifted into unconsciousness, the tighter he held on, never faltering in his embrace. 

Nayely's eyes followed the movements of sunrays against the ceiling before her. She didn't know when she had fallen asleep, but the languid feeling in her bones told her that her body had craved the chance to relax. Reaching to the thin sheet covering her body, she wondered what had kept her from wrapping herself in her plush duvet during the night. The only time she felt safe at night was when she was covered from head to toe in the cocoon of her sheets. 

An unfamiliar weight lied across her chest, a weight that didn't cause any discomfort. Furrowing her brow, she raised her hand to the arm that grazed her skin. 

It felt so close, she had to look down to see she no longer wore her sweatshirt from the night before.  

MJ. 

She came to MJ's apartment last night. 

When she began to squirm beneath his arm, he instinctively drew her in closer. Moving her from her side of the bed, he was met with no resistance as her body fit into the mold of his own, his face tucking into her neck as her heart raced. 

She could feel the firmness of his bare chest against her back. Her eyes blinked rapidly as she felt the tickling of his breath against her pulse. 

Panic ensued as she tried to figure out what in the hell was going on.  

"You were sweating all night." He spoke into the crook of her neck, sending a chill down her spine. Reaching above her head, he pulled her discarded sweatshirt from the pillows. "You took it off on your own. Do you remember?" 

MJ's voice drifted in a low timber, special to the early morning hours.  

Memories of her cursing as she sat up half dazed during the night came back to her in pieces.  

"Hot. It's too hot." Nayely pulled her top over her head, struggling as it caught on her hair. 

"Help." MJ watched from where he stood at the side of the bed. With care, he maneuvered her out of the offending top. Before he could take a step back, he felt a tug at the hem of his own clothes. 

"Too hot." Nayely's hands worked fast pulling MJ's clothes as high as she could go from her sitting position on the bed. In her stupor, she figured that if she was this hot, then he had to have been too.  

"Nayely-"  MJ looked to see her eyes were barely open as she attempted to relieve him of his shirt. Each time he pulled her hands away, they were back on him intent on finishing her mission to free him. MJ willed himself to not react to the feel of her hands on his stomach as they roamed innocently closer and closer to his waistband. He knew she wasn't aware of her effect or even what she was doing, but before he could berate himself for enjoying her touch, he was thrown down to the bed. 

His body laid haphazardly across Nayely as she finally got the top over his head. Stuffing it behind her with her own, she sighed as her mission was accomplished. MJ had been on his way to the living room, wanting to give her the space she needed in his bed. 

But now as he tried to lift himself off of her, not wanting there to be a misunderstanding when she came to, he was tugged back down like it was nothing. 

"Strong as hell..." he all but laughed to himself as Nayely thwarted his attempts even in her half sleep state. He weighed the possibility of this turning out horribly once she woke up in the morning. Her feelings towards him seemed to run hot and cold, but lingered towards pushing him away. 

The complete opposite of this moment.  

Kicking off his comforter, he pulled the thinner sheet across them. He figured he could at least shift to the other side of the bed if she wouldn't let him leave. Moving carefully, he managed to get to the empty space, but not without her grip keeping his arm in place. At the end of his stretched arm, he could feel the soft curve of her shoulder in his hand. His eyes locked on to where their skin met as Nayely's breathing settled back down. Running his thumb across her cheek, he moved the strands of hair that ran along her face. She didn't flinch at the gesture, falling deeper into tranquility. 

Nayely sat up fast, ignoring the spinning of her head from the sudden movement. MJ's arm rested in her lap. 

At least she had kept her pants on. 

"My bad. I didn't realize-"  

"It's no problem, Nayely." MJ assured her. Sitting up beside her, he watched as she fumbled with her clothes, kicking the bedsheet from her body as she stood up. 

"The lock in is over, right?" Pushing her head through her top, she rubbed her hands against her pants. "Can I borrow your phone? I'll go ahead and call Maya. Or maybe an Uber..." she thought it would probably be easier to not rile her up again by bringing her to MJ's. It'd be best to just call her once she got home. 

"It's 6:02 in the morning." MJ read the time from her phone. Surely her assistant would be asleep at this time. 

"That late already?" She asked genuinely surprised. MJ raised his brows as the athlete easily brought a smile to his lips.  

"I guess that for champs the day is already halfway over."  

Nayely stuttered as she took in his joke. 

"You're right. An Uber will definitely be better." 

"Or you can save your money and let me take you home." 

"You?" Nayely's brow raised at the suggestion.  

"Yeah." Stepping out of the bed, he stood before Nayely. "Plus, it's only fair I take you back. I did bring you here." 

"No- that's not - that's not necessary."  

"Seriously, Nayely." 

"No I can just-" Nayely's words were halted by the feel of MJ's hands at her arms. He held a solid expression that told her to not deny the ride again. She didn't know why she didn't push, but her common sense knocked at her brain telling her to stop acting a fool. 

"Well... it's not like you don't know where I live."  

"You're not wrong." MJ shrugged his shoulders as he thought back to just how that all came to be. MJ watched as Nayely looked at him through her lashes. When his cheek dimpled, her face softened. 

"So, you're good with me taking you back?" 

"I guess it's my only choice."  

MJ shook his head. "Not the only choice-just the smart choice."  

After arguing over whether to leave immediately, or wait a while longer to let the rest of the world wake up, Nayely sat in MJ's passenger seat as they pulled into her driveway. Putting the car in park, MJ watched in silence as Nayely's eyes did a sweep of their surroundings.  

"I'm coming in with you, just to be safe." MJ assured her. Before she could protest the suggestion, MJ had already climbed out of his seat and rounded the vehicle. Her door opened, with a hand reached towards her to help her out. Nayely raised her hand briefly as she considered placing it in MJ's. At the last moment, she dropped it to the door, replacing the hold he had as she moved past him. 

Clearing her throat, she walked to the front door with MJ in tow. Just as she approached the keypad, she could hear the shuffling of feet making their way towards her. With both of their backs turned, neither could see that it was Nayely's old and reliably nosy neighbor coming over to investigate their arrival together. MJ's body tensed at the sound, and immediately blocked Nayely from their sudden guest. 

Looking over her shoulder, Nayely leaned to the side to see past MJ whose hand went to her waist. She was beginning to see that he had no problem touching her in the slightest of ways. 

"Nayely, honey!" Her neighbor called. The older woman placed her hands on her hips as she caught her breath. Looking MJ up and down, her eyes landed on the spot he guarded Nayely. "So, you do know this young man?" She waved her hand at them as she waited for an explanation. MJ's hold loosened as he realized she wasn't a threat. 

"It's nice to see you actually being invited into the home this time around." She crossed her arms as she recalled the previous sightings she'd had of MJ. Always skeptical, she took it upon herself to look out for the young woman who lived across the street. She knew her to keep to herself, and was an overall sweetheart. 

"How are you doing this morning?" Nayely interjected with a smile. Her neighbor answered with one of her own as she rubbed Nayely's hand.  

"God got me up, so there's nothing to complain about. So, you spent the night out somewhere?" Looking to the car they arrived in, the neighbor knew it didn't belong to Nayely. "Did something happen to your car? If you need anything in the meanwhile then you know we can give you one of our spare vehicles. I know my husband wouldn't mind at all! We have an old Lexus we could--" 

"No! That won't be necessary. Everything is good with my car, but thank you so much." Nayely insisted as she saw the woman preparing to make arrangements for her whether she needed it or not. When she crossed her hands in front of her stomach, she was happy to see her back down. 

"Well, okay then, but know if you need it, we're just one call away." Nayely's keypad sounded as she quickly punched in the code. Her alarm welcomed her in as she cracked the door open. 

"Of course! I'll be sure to remember that." Elbowing MJ, she motioned for him to enter the house as she talked the neighbor down. MJ looked on as Nayely continued to smile and share niceties with the neighbor all while slowly closing the door. 

"Yes, ma'am. Of course--" he heard her repeat. Nayely waved as she finally was able to close the door. 

She let out a big sigh as she turned around, glad to be in her own home. 

Counting down from ten, she went to her front window, peeling back the curtain to see the neighbor cross the street and safely enter her home. "This expensive ass security system is nothing compared to her." Nayely mumbled to herself. Taking a breath, she turned to see MJ scanning her home. 

"Does your system send you phone alerts? Is there a motion detector? Camera?" 

"Don't worry Mr. CPI Security..." She thought back to the extent she went to ensure that the system she used protected her in every way possible after Terrence. "I've got it handled." 

"I can help you, Nayely." 

"Worry about helping yourself, MJ." Nayely threw back. 

"Myself?" He pressed his hands into his chest, confused by her words."I don't have much to protect. I'm starting from scratch here. What's important to me now is making sure I stay sober enough to look out for you." 

"Look out for me for what? You realize I don't need that, don't you?" Nayely looked at MJ as if she was breaking sensitive news to a child. How could he be so confused by their current standing with one another?  

"Despite our last few encounters- as dramatic as they have been- nothing has to change. Things can remain as they have been, MJ. Trying to use this renewed sense of purpose you have after surviving death on me is wasteful. Save that for yourself." Nayely stepped around a silent MJ. She didn't get far as his hand captured her elbow in passing. She was drawn close to his side, as his hazel eyes held an even tighter grip on her.  

"I'm trying to follow the roots, Nayely." MJ thought back to his exit session with Dr.Smith as he finished his rehab stint just a couple of weeks ago. He had already made visits to the outside centers that were to become a part of his regular routine. He could never rid himself of the image Dr. Smith had made for him when he told MJ to dig for those vines that led the way to his truth.  

"The roots?"  

Pulling her close, MJ's hands warmed her arms through her sleeves. Nayely's tension melted away as she listened to him, watching his Adam's apple bobbed up and down. 

"There's a lot of twisted shit inside of me. Something that you and I both know. Roots are supposed to be the strongest part of a tree, right? Hear me out." He added as he saw Nayely's eyebrow quirk.  

"Life-- life is a tree." MJ cringed as he listened to himself repeat the words he'd heard in rehab. "It has branches, and it has roots. I've been so focused on making sure my branches looked better than anyone else's, that I ignored the work I needed to put into making sure I have healthy and strong roots.I'm in there...you're in there... and so," 

"You're following them." Nayely finished for him. 

"I just want to get to where I'm supposed to be." 

"I hope you do, MJ. But--" Removing his hand from her body, Nayely stepped away as her eyes swept the ground. "Leave me out of it." When her eyes met his, she watched the way his eyelids fluttered as he cleared his throat. 

"Nayely." 

"I need you to go, okay? I-I haven't had a chance to work out in a while, and I think I really need the release today." Walking towards her front door, Nayely opened it, waiting for the slow steps of MJ behind her as he silently answered her request for him to leave. When he made it past her threshold, he called out to her just as she went to close the door. 

"Promise me you'll call if something else happens." MJ didn't think he would be acknowledged, but just before the door shut him out, Nayely's eyes flashed a stifled invitation into her life. An invitation she was intent on keeping tucked away for as long as she could.  

She watched from her security camera as MJ's labored steps took him back to his car, and he finally pulled out of her drive way. When she saw the car disappear up the street, she quickly fled to her bedroom, throwing on the first workout clothes she could get her hands on. 

As Nayely prepared to head to her garage and hop in her car, she realized that she was empty handed as soon as she opened the door. 

"Damn it." She rubbed her face as the very empty garage swallowed her up.  

No car. 

No keys. 

No phone.  

Nayely laughed to herself as she realized how badly she wished that Maya had been camped out in front of her home as soon as she arrived. Just as she mentally mapped out her neighborhood, and wondered how far she could go to satisfy her need to release her pent-up energy, the creak of her garage door opening made her jump backwards, as her KIA optima returned home.  

With her brows raised high, Nayely held up her hand in a wave, as Maya's small frame stared at her from behind the windshield. She could see her lips moving fast as she nodded her head, telling Nayely all she needed to know about the shit talking that was going on behind closed doors. 

"--Then have the nerve to stand there and wave at me like ain't shit going on." She heard as Maya finally emerged. 

"No hey, hi, how are you, or kiss my ass?" Nayely called out as the younger woman stormed past her into her home. 

"Respectfully, boss lady, you can kiss both cheeks." Maya pushed the shattered phone into Nayely's' hands all the while dragging her in behind her. 

"I need to hear it all, no bullshit. How do you know MJ Park? Why are you getting posted on every gossip sight and insta page with him? Why have I never heard about you and him knowing each other from way back?" Maya repeated his words to her from the previous night. "You've never been full of surprises, Nayely, but last night you had my ass all kinds of twisted around trying to figure out what was going on." 

"Remind me to slip you a little something something on your next check." Nayely cringed as she realized how much Maya had been thinking of. She hadn't even gotten on her signature playful smiles or jokes since she showed up. A look of fear and uncertainty covered her features as she crossed her arms. 

"How can I fix anything, if I'm blindsided by everything?" 

Leading Maya to the kitchen, Nayely sat her down at the table, in the usual spot she took whenever she visited. 

"We kind of knew each other as kids. He happened to be there last night and wanted to meet up. I wasn't thinking straight and should have told you." 

"You only knew each other as kids, huh?" Maya tapped her nails against the table as she listened to her words. "When we went to his premiere party, you acted like you didn't know anything about him." 

"I mean, I do but I don't." Nayely tried to explain the best way she knew how. 

"But you knew him enough to literally drop everything and leave with him last night?" The more Maya threw out her questions, the more Nayely felt she needed to be evasive. 

"I--" 

"I saw the pictures, Nayely." Maya stood up, unable to remain seated any longer. She rounded the corner, hoping that she'd get better answers if she was up close and personal with Nayely. "You guys were at the grocery store. What's that about?" 

"Maya, a couple of pictures doesn't tell you the whole story." 

"So, there is a story to tell?" 

"No--" 

"Nayely!" Maya threw her head down on the counter, exasperated. "Just be real with me. Please." 

"Be real? Maya, there's just a lot of shit being thrown at me right now, and I'm running out of ways to juggle it." Nayely spoke fast as she searched for the right words. "We grew up together as kids. Life moved us in different directions, and MJ happened to find me." 

"He absolutely cannot be around you, Nayely. He's a freaking druggie and now you're getting caught up in his bullshit." 

"He's not on drugs." 

"You say that like you know for sure he hasn't gone back to his crackhead tendencies. He was all over the news for ODing not too long ago." 

"That was then!" Nayely's voice raised as her memories ate at her patience with Maya. If only she knew just who saved MJ that night... 

Taken aback by her defensiveness, Maya took a step back, squaring her shoulders with Nayely. 

"There's to be absolutely no contact with MJ Park. If you want to maintain the life you have, and keep these bastards off your back, then that's the way it's got to be. I don't care if you were homies back in the day or what-keeping him as far away as possible is our only option." Stepping away, Maya picked up her purse, slinging it on her shoulder. 

Nayely watched as Maya typed away on her phone, a sense of determination rolled off of her in waves as she took control. 

"Like you said, there's a lot of things going on here. You may not want to let me in on everything, but I'll make sure that the world champion record breaking Olympian, Nayely Polite, isn't thrown into the same damn hole as these Hollywood heffas out here.  I didn't work myself to the bone and chap these luscious lips kissing industry ass to not do my job. This is what you pay me for."  

Clicking her heels to the front door, Maya left a speechless Nayely in her wake. 

"Crackheads are strong, but me? I'm nothing to play with." Opening the front door, Maya made her way out, with her locs swinging behind her. At the door, Nayely could see a rideshare vehicle roll up. 

"He's not a crackhead, Maya!" She called out after her. The smaller woman poked her head out of the window with a skeptical look. 

"If you say so!" Her voice carried down the street as she was driven away. 

Covering her face with her hands, Nayely knew that going to the gym now would be the best way to keep her head on straight. She could get off her game. 

Not now.