Bodyguard (YN x Beyonce)

Part Twenty-One

The hotel room was quiet, save for the gentle hum of the air conditioner and the slow rhythm of our breathing. My arm was wrapped around her waist, our bodies still tangled beneath the sheets. Her skin was soft against mine, and the warmth between us lingered long after the fire of earlier had settled into something calmer... something deeper. But even after a great morning full of making up I could still tell something was bothering her.

Beyoncé shifted slightly, her back pressed to my chest, and I felt her exhale. Like she was holding something in.

"You okay?" I whispered into her neck.

She didn't answer at first. Then, softly, "I want you to feel safe with me."

I blinked against her curls. "I do."

She turned over to face me, eyes searching mine like she was looking for the truth beneath my words.

"No, I mean really safe," she said. "Like... you don't have to worry every time my name ends up next to his in a headline. Or when we're not together."

I looked down, guilt creeping up my throat. "I know I've been... dramatic. But sometimes I just—" I paused, trying to find the right words. "I get scared you'll realize you don't need me. That maybe the past is more comfortable than what we're trying to build."

Beyoncé cupped my face gently. "What we're building is real, YN. It's not always comfortable. It's raw and messy sometimes, but it's ours. And I don't want to do this with anyone else but you."

That hit something deep inside me.

"I just... when I saw that picture," I admitted, "It felt like I was being replaced before I even got the chance to really be yours."

"You are mine," she said firmly. "I didn't fly across the damn country and walk into your hotel room for somebody I was unsure about."

I nodded, emotions caught in my throat. "So, what now?"

Beyoncé ran her fingers through my hair. "Now... we make this stronger. We build better boundaries with him, with the world, even with Gabby."

I sat up slightly, resting on my elbow as I looked down at her. "You don't have to worry about Gabby," I said softly.

Beyoncé's expression didn't budge. "I don't know that."

I sat up a bit more, propped on my elbow. "Bey, Gabby's harmless."

"I hear you," she said, but there was a sharpness behind her words. "But I don't know her, and I don't know what her intentions are."

I sighed. "Okay."

"I need you to understand something," she said, her tone softer now but serious. "The same way you felt watching me around Jay... that pit in your stomach, the second-guessing, the tightness in your chest?"

I looked over at her, guilt tugging at my ribs. "Yeah."

"That's what I felt the second you said her name."

I didn't say anything at first. I didn't know what to say. She went on.

"I know you say she's harmless. But I'm not looking at her history through your eyes — I'm looking at it through mine. And from the outside looking in? She's your ex. One who still seems like she wants something from you. And I'm trying, YN. I'm trying to be cool and confident and not let it get to me. But it does."

I sat up slightly and turned toward her, brushing her hair off her face. "Bey... I get it now. I really do. The way I jumped to conclusions about Jay, the way I let that clip eat me up instead of coming to you like I should've... I made you feel like I didn't trust you."