Don’t Cross the Line

The Scent of Something Familiar

The air smelled like lemon and lavender — sharp, fresh, intentional. Shayla stood at the kitchen counter, wiping it down in slow, steady circles. The house was already spotless, but cleaning wasn’t about dirt. It was about control. It was about peace. It was about keeping her mind focused on something other than the man standing near her doorway.

“All right, I’m going to get out of here,” Anthony said casually, keys jingling in his hand. “You need anything? You good?”

“We’re good,” Shayla replied without turning around.

He paused. “Huh?”

She could feel his eyes scanning the room. She knew that look. She had memorized it years ago — when they were together, when she was cooking dinner every night, folding his clothes, lighting candles to make the house feel warm. Back when she thought doing everything right would make him stay.

“You know,” he continued, inhaling deeply, “I always love the smell of you… love some.”

Shayla froze.

There it was.

That tone. That subtle shift. That slick, almost playful compliment wrapped in innocence. To anyone else, it would sound harmless. But she knew him. She knew what he was doing.

“All right,” she said evenly. “Well, just holler at me if you need some.”

Calling It Out

“Anthony,” she called before he could step out.

“What’s up?”

“Where you going?”

He turned, slightly confused. “What?”

She finally faced him, her expression firm. “Don’t ever try me like that again. I know what you doing.”

His brows furrowed. “What are you talking about?”

“Oh, you trying me,” she said, crossing her arms. “Talking about you love the scent. So you like that I keep the house clean? Stop doing that.”

Anthony blinked. “Shayla, all I said was I appreciate a clean house.”

She laughed softly — not amused, but disappointed. “Please. I know you like the back of my hand. And you know what I don’t like about you? You always thinking things that you don’t say. You don’t keep it real.”

“Now you reaching.”

“No, I’m keeping it real,” she shot back. “When we were together, I was cleaning for you. I was cooking for you. I was fulfilling all your fantasies and desires. And guess what? You still left me. You went back to your wife.”

Old Wounds, Clear Boundaries

The room shifted. The air got heavier.

Anthony sighed. “Okay, Shayla—”

“No,” she interrupted. “You worry about Amber. I’m going to do what I need to do for Iman.”

He leaned against the counter. “Why are you taking this further than it needs to be?”

“Because you don’t get to flirt with me like we forgot what happened.”

He let out a small, disbelieving chuckle. “Flirt? You serious right now?”

“Yes. I am.”

He straightened up. “Since we keeping it real, you knew I was coming over. From the looks of it, this counter didn’t look that dirty. So all of a sudden you just needed to clean?”

Her eyes narrowed. “You are so arrogant.”

“I’m just pointing out the obvious.”

“No,” she corrected firmly. “You’re making it about you. It’s not about you. I’m cleaning my home while my son is away. That’s what grown women do.”

He folded his arms. “Okay.”

“What I’m saying,” she continued, her voice steady but controlled, “is don’t cross boundaries with me. When you had me, you didn’t want me. Now you’re back with your wife. I’m happy with Iman. What we have now is a good thing — co-parenting. Taking care of our son. Kai is the priority.”

She stepped closer, just enough to make her point land.

“So don’t ever try me like that again. Just because nobody is around.”

It’s About Kai

Anthony’s jaw tightened slightly. “By all means,” he said, gesturing toward the counter. “Continue to clean. Clean when I’m here. Clean when I’m away. Only thing I want is my son to have a clean place where he lives.”

“It is clean,” she replied.

He smirked faintly. “It’s just funny how the scent gets stronger when I show up.”

“Come on now,” she warned.

“But it’s not about me, right?”

“It’s about Kai.”

He paused, then exhaled. “If you think I tried you in any way — which I didn’t — I apologize.”

Silence.

“Let me know if you need anything for Kai,” he added.

“For Kai,” she repeated.

He nodded. “Everything is about our son.”

“Exactly.”

Growth Looks Different

A long moment passed between them — not romantic, not warm — but familiar. Two people who once knew each other too well, now pretending they didn’t.

As he reached for the door again, she spoke one last time.

“The house is clean for Kai. Not you. Are we clear?”

He looked back at her.

“Crystal.”

And just like that, the door shut behind him.

The house fell quiet.

Shayla stood still for a moment, letting the silence settle. Her heart wasn’t racing anymore. Her voice hadn’t cracked. She hadn’t let him charm her. That was growth.

Years ago, that compliment would have softened her. She would’ve smiled, maybe flirted back, maybe let herself believe there was still something there.

But not now.

Now she understood something she didn’t before — attention is not affection. Compliments are not commitment. And chemistry is not character.

Anthony liked familiarity. He liked knowing she still reacted. He liked testing the waters, seeing if the door was cracked open.

But Shayla had closed that door.

Not out of anger.

Out of clarity.

She picked up the cloth again and wiped down the counter one last time. Not because it needed it — but because she did.

Because peace requires maintenance too.

Her phone buzzed. A message from Iman: “How’s everything?”

She smiled.

“Good. Just keeping the house clean.”

For Kai.

And for herself.

This time, the scent in the air didn’t remind her of Anthony.

It reminded her that she had rebuilt her life — fresh, stable, and on her own terms.

And that was something no compliment could take away.