"No! I said no!" Adrian screams at her husband.
Rocky stands in the middle of their bedroom floor in shock that his normally quiet wife has just raised her voice at him in anger. He doesn't know what to say. He's never seen her show emotion like this before.
"Yo, Adrian. What's gotten into you?" He asks her with a shake of his head.
She sits on their bed and buries her face in her hands.
"Adrian," Rocky says softly.
But she doesn't answer.
She hears him leave their room.
She glances up and catches her reflection in the dresser mirror.
She stares at herself with wide eyes and touches a hand to her face.
Why did she yell at Rocky?
She stands and walks closer to the mirror.
She hadn't meant to recoil from him when he reached for her tonight.
"Rocky is a good man", Adrian tells her reflection.
"He's is nothing like them"
He isn't.
So, why does she sometimes feel nauseous whenever Rocky tries to touch her?
Adrian stares at her reflection as tears roll down her cheeks.
The bedroom door opens and startles her. She glances and sees Paulie's standing in the frame.
"Let me talk to my sister," He yells.
"Yo, Paulie! I said leave her alone!"
"No, let me talk to her. Who does she thinks she is. Yelling at this hour of the night! A goddamn Queen? Who do you think you are?" Paulie shouts at her.
Adrian feels all the anger and boldness she just had fly out of her like birds taking to the sky.
Paulie looks her up and down.
"Adrian!" Paulie cries testily.
"P-Paulie," Adrian can barely get the words out,"Wh-what are you doing in here. It's three in the morning"
"You tell me! You're the one that's being a bitch!" Paulie yells.
"Yo, Paulie!" Adrian hears Rocky yell in protest at her brother's name calling.
"No, no! She needs to hear it! She wants to act like one, that means she wants to be one!" Paulie yells back at Rocky from outside the door.
Then he hones back in on Adrian.
"What's your problem?" He asks her as his eyes cut her down.
His voice gets dangerously low.
"You better not be trying to talk about that funny stuff again," He whispers.
Adrian stares at the ground.
"It's...It's late, Paulie. You should get some rest. You'll wake Rocky Jr," Adrian says.
"You already did that," Paulie roars with a fake laugh.
He studies her,"Now what's the problem?"
His voice dips low again. His eyes flash lightning bolts through her core.
"You better not be trying to talk about that funny stuff again," He repeats.
Adrian lifts her eyes up a little and chokes back her tears.
"It's just marital issues," Adrian says timidly.
"Marital issues?" Paulie asks in mocking voice,"Rock, get in here! She says it's just marital issues!"
"Paulie," Adrian hears Rocky complain.
"No! No! Get in here! She says it's marital issues. You two have to work it out. Come on, now. You're the only married person in this house that isn't in this room, now come on," Paulie demands.
Adrian watches as her husband shuffles inside the door. He doesn't meet her eyes and she can't meet his either.
Paulie looks at the two and then laughs.
"Huh. Marital issues. Keep your goddamn voice down, that's what you should do," He mutters and the door slams behind him as he goes.
There is a long moment of silence between Rocky and Adrian as they stand across from each other.
Finally, Rocky looks up at the same time Adrian does. They stare at one another for a moment, but Adrian looks away.
"Yo, Adrian," Rocky speaks up,"I'm sorry if I upset you-"
Adrian glances at her husband.
"No," She whispers, "It's not you. It was me...I-I just haven't been feeling my best"
She feels herself breaking down. And before she realizes it, she's crying.
Rocky closes the distance between the two and Adrian feels his arms around her.
She looks at the mirror and sees their reflection. The two of them standing in the middle of the room together.
"Yo, Adrian...I know sometimes you're not in the mood. Maybe I can be a little too pushy..." Rocky whispers in her ear.
She places her head on his chest.
"It's not you," She whispers, "It's...it's not you"
Rocky waits for her to say more.
But she won't tell him.
She'll never tell him.
XxxxX