Dont Panic

A Few Weeks Later

Chris Brown's P.O.V

"Baby!" I called out as I stepped into Kayla's house, kicking the door shut behind me.

"In here!" I heard her voice float from the kitchen.

I made my way over, and as soon as I saw her, I wrapped my arms around her waist, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to her lips.

"Ugh, Chris!" She giggled, wiping her mouth.

I pulled back with a frown. "Did you just wipe my kiss off?"

"Sure did." She smirked playfully.

"Oh, bet. Remember that." I plopped onto the barstool across from her, watching as she moved around the kitchen.

"I'm just messing with you. You know I love you, Chrissy," she said sweetly before leaning in to kiss all over my face.

I smirked. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Now, make me some food, woman!"

"And just like that, you ruin the moment," she chuckled, shaking her head as she pulled away.

"But seriously, what do you want to eat?"

"Uhh... a sandwich," I said, pulling out my phone.

"One sandwich coming right up!" she announced dramatically, opening the refrigerator.

I chuckled. "You're such a weirdo."

"But you love me, though."

"I do, I do." I locked my phone and focused back on her. "How you feeling now that the cast is off?"

"Amazing. I couldn't take it anymore," she said with relief.

"I believe it."

"You act like you were the one wearing it," she teased, setting a plate in front of me.

"Nah, but I was the one slaving for you," I said, flashing her a grin.

"Yeah, yeah, sure," she muttered, sitting beside me.

Just as I was about to take a bite, her phone blared, interrupting the moment.

"I get money, I'm that type of bitch. An icy whip is what the youngin' likely with—"

I glanced over and noticed the way her whole demeanor shifted. Her body tensed, eyes fixated on the screen with an expression I couldn't quite place.

"You not gonna answer that?" I asked, chewing.

She shook her head and focused on her nails instead.

The phone rang again.

I narrowed my eyes and got up. "Alright, now I really wanna know who—"

"NO!" Kayla's voice shot through the room, nearly busting my eardrums.

I blinked at her. "Damn, alright. Then turn that shit off if you ain't gonna answer it."

She sighed. "People been playing on my phone all day."

I raised an eyebrow, still confused, but let it slide.

The phone rang again.

Without hesitation, I stood up and grabbed it.

"Chris, no!" she snapped, lunging for it.

Ignoring her, I pressed 'Answer' and brought it to my ear.

"Hello?"

There was a pause before a deep, cocky voice responded.

"Kay!? You ain't hear your fuckin— wait... who this?"

"Nah, nigga, who is you?" I shot back, already feeling my blood pressure rise.

The voice on the other end chuckled darkly. "Why don't you ask her, playboy?"

My jaw clenched. "Ima need you to stop calling my girl's phone, bruh, or it's gon' be a problem." Without waiting for a response, I hung up and tossed the phone on the counter.

I turned to Kayla, my expression hard. "Who the fuck was that?"

She looked down at her feet, silent.

"Obviously, it's somebody. Who is it, Kayla?"

"It's nobody, okay? Can you just drop it?" she mumbled.

I let out a dry laugh. "Nobody? That nigga sure sounded like somebody."

"Chris, please," she sighed, rubbing her temples.

"Nah, man, fuck this. Ain't I your boyfriend? We supposed to talk things out, Kay. You always shutting me out," I snapped, grabbing my hoodie.

"Chris, it's not that serious," she said, her voice wavering.

"Then why you ain't want me to answer the phone, huh?" I challenged, sliding on my Jordans.

She stayed quiet.

"Exactly," I muttered under my breath. I grabbed my keys and headed for the door.

But just as I reached for the handle, her voice broke through the tension.

"You wanna know why I didn't want you to know? Why I've been hiding this for weeks?"

I turned back, eyes locking onto her trembling form.

"Because he threatened to kill you, Chris."

Her words hit me like a gut punch.

Her body suddenly caved in on itself as sobs racked through her. She dropped to the floor, breaking down in a way I had never seen before.

My anger disappeared instantly.

Rushing over, I scooped her up and carried her to the bedroom.

"Shhh, baby, don't cry," I whispered into her hair, laying her down before crawling in beside her. She curled into my chest, gripping onto me like I was the only thing keeping her grounded.

"You deserve so much better, Chris," she whispered, voice hoarse.

I tilted her chin up so she could look at me. "Don't say that. I'm lucky to have you."

"I don't want you to get hurt," she hiccuped, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks.

"I won't," I promised.

"You don't know that," she whispered. "He's fucking crazy. That's the ex I never wanted to talk about."

I exhaled, rubbing her back soothingly. "Shhh, Kay. Don't panic. We'll talk about it later. Right now, just get some sleep." I pressed a kiss to her forehead.

She sighed shakily before snuggling closer, finally letting go of the weight she had been carrying alone.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you more."

-Revamped