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The night of the incident (flashback)
The night sky was dim and dark, with only the street lights from the corner store casting a glow. Aaliyah followed closely behind Psalm, yelling as they emerged onto the street.
"Psalm, I'm so sick of this shit! You're going to take that girl's number right in front of me?" Aaliyah stepped up to him, invading his personal space as she pressed herself against him.
Psalm, clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Aaliyah, please, don't do this shit now. I know that girl, why you tripping?" He tried to explain to her.
But Aaliyah was not having any of it. "You're fucking lying, Psalm. You don't know that damn girl, not like you're claiming to" she shot back, her words punctuated by furious punches she began to throw at him.
At first, her blows felt insignificant, barely making an impact. But soon, they started to sting.
"Stop hitting on me damn Aaliyah" Psalm finally snapped, his patience wearing thin.
A swift, involuntary reflex caused his fist to instantly connect with her delicate jaw. The impact was immediate and Aaliyah recoiled, her hand instinctively cradling her jaw as a single, lonely tear escaped from the corner of her eye.
"Get in the car," he ordered, struggling to keep the tremor out of his voice.
He opened the car door with a shaky hand, climbed into the driver's seat, and concentrated on steadying his breathing.
Once inside, he found himself muttering under his breath, "Arguing for no reason." As he maneuvered his car out of the parking lot, Psalm began driving towards his home.
His mind was consumed with what had just happened, his heart heavy with regret. Turning his gaze to his right, he saw Aaliyah. She was crying, her hand gently cradling her jaw as she stared blankly out of the window.
He let out a sigh, so deep and loud it filled the confined space of the vehicle. He despised himself for what he had just done, for allowing his anger to control him and lead him to hurt Aaliyah. He had always had respect for women, he had the belief that one should never resort to violence, especially toward a woman.
But in a moment of blind anger, he had lost control and broken that cardinal rule.
"Give me your phone," Aaliyah demanded, her voice breaking the silence that had settled in the car. Psalm huffed in response.
He couldn't understand why she wouldn't trust him, why she was always looking for a fight. This wasn't their first argument, but it was the first time he had allowed his anger to manifest physically. And that was a line he never thought he'd cross.
"You not gone find shit here" he murmured, as he casually handed his phone over to her. She took it from him, her fingers tracing the cold, slick screen as she began to scroll through it.
