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Fantasia's POV
After Taraji snapped on me, I figured I had to see for myself what had her so upset. The way she yelled at me and shut me out hurt my feeling a little, and now I can see why it makes her so upset when I do it. She's just like me for real. I should suck and fuck all of that anger and pain out of her right now, but I need to focus on the task at hand. I went into the hospital room that she had come out of, finding a younger, lighter-toned version of Taraji sitting up on a pillow in the bed.
Tempest: Fantasia Barrino?! You're actually here right now?!
Fantasia: Yes, but you don't need to be concerned about that. What you need to be concerned about is the woman that just stormed out of here crying. Taraji is someone that I love and care about deeply, and I don't fuck around with people who try to fuck around with her. She's been through things that would have killed most people, but she's still standing and I'm not going to let anybody knock her down. Anybody who hurts her will have hell to pay, and I'll personally make sure the debt is paid in full.
Tempest: You've got me all wrong. I don't want to hurt her.
Fantasia: Good, because it won't end well for you if you do.
Tempest: I just wanted to meet her, y'know? I don't have any other family. My mother up and abandoned me when I was 16, and my dad is gone. My boyfriend put me here. I don't have anybody. I'm all alone.
Fantasia: I feel really sorry for you, but Taraji isn't going to accept you into her life until she's ready to, and I won't try to convince her. I'm here for her, don't get it confused. Though, you do kinda look like her. You guys could probably be twins if you weren't so young.
Tempest: I could never be as pretty as she is.
Fantasia: Oh come on, you're a pretty girl. I'm sure Taraji would agree. Most women have to dye their hair to get it as dark and rich as your hair color, and you have Naomi Campbell cheek bones.
Tempest: Thank you. I've never felt pretty before. Nobody has ever made me feel like I'm beautiful. Maybe if I was beautiful, my parents would have stuck around. My dad chose Taraji, and my mom chose a man. Nobody has ever chosen me.
I felt bad for the girl. I could relate to how she was feeling. For the longest time, I never thought that I was pretty either. I was the dark skin girl with a fat nose and big lips, and I hated myself. The way that people treated me didn't make my low self-esteem any better. Now I'm more confident than I've ever been, and I hope that Tempest and other young women like her can go on their own journeys of self-love and self-discovery.
Fantasia: You just have to keep telling yourself that you're beautiful and that you're worth it until you actually believe it. I know it sound silly, but it really works. I'll see if I can get Taraji, back in here, but I'm not going to make any promises that she'll change her mind about you. Just because you're ready for her doesn't mean that she's ready for you, and you need to understand that.
Tempest: I understand. No matter what happens, I want to thank you for trying.
I gave her a single head nod and a half-hearted smile, walking out and running right into Taraji. Red had taken over the whites of her eyes and her gorgeous face was stained with dried tears. Her hair was wild all over her head. I smoothed her hair down, keeping my touch gentle and light so that I wouldn't trigger another burst of anger from her. As sexy as her anger is, now is not the time to piss her off.
Fantasia: Hey, I was just coming to find you. Are you gonna go back in there and talk to her? I spoke to her a little and she seems harmless. I really think she just wants to have a relationship with her big sister.
Taraji: Yeah, her big sister with a big house and big pockets. I have no interest in being played by a con artist again. I want to go home and forget she exists.
Fantasia: Ok, then I'll take you home. If that's what you really want.
I could see right through Taraji. She doesn't have it in her heart to abandon someone in need, even if that someone is her long-lost sister. She's guarded, but at the same time she readily lends herself to anyone who needs her. Her selflessness is a blessing and a curse, and I just pray that it turns out to be a blessing in this situation. I can't stand to see her get hurt again after the pure hell that she has survived. She sighed and grabbed my hand, wordlessly walking into Tempest's room. Tempest's babydoll eyes lit up when she saw Taraji coming back, but I could tell that she was trying not to get her hopes up too high. Deep down I secretly want Taraji to at least attempt to make a connection with Tempest, but as I stated before I'm here to stand by Taraji in whatever decision she makes. I'm not here for Tempest.
Tempest: You came back. Are you ok?
Taraji: No, but I'll have to be eventually. I talked to my mom, and unfortunately your story checks out. I'm sorry for accusing you of being a liar.
Tempest: It's ok. I can't say that I blame you. If I was famous and a stranger came around 25 years later claiming to be my sister, I wouldn't believe it, either.
Taraji: My anger was misdirected. Both of us are victims in this situation. It's not your fault that my dad cheated on my mom, and it's not your fault that we were kept apart. So what are you going to do now? Where will you go?
Tempest: I'm gonna stay in a hotel until I figure something out.
Taraji: How are you supporting yourself?
Tempest: This is kinda embarrassing to admit, but I do Only Fans.
Taraji and I made the same face at each other, our eyebrows raised in surprise and our lips shut tightly. I wouldn't have expected that answer from her. She seems so innocent, but I guess anybody would look innocent sitting in a hospital bed.
Taraji: Oh...well as long as you're safe and clean I don't see anything wrong with it. Listen, I'm gonna give you my number. I'm not saying that we're going to be the best of friends, but I want us to start somewhere.
Tempest: I want the same thing.
I watched with a smile on my face as they traded phone numbers. I've always wanted a sister, so to see my love connecting with a sister she never knew she had is a beautiful and super surreal thing to witness. I hope that Tempest is genuine in her intentions with my baby. I trust her a little bit more than I did an hour ago, but I'm still going to keep an eye out for her. She would make a pretty bridesmaid at our wedding.
It seems like this book is going to be 100 chapters long because I have no idea how we're going to get to the teaser in the beginning😂😅! I have a few ideas for a new Tarasia book for later on down the line, so tell me which one you guys gravitate to the most!
1. COLLEGE PROFESSOR X STUDENT 2. ENEMIES TO LOVERS 3. SINGER X BODYGUARD 4. SINGER X BACKGROUND DANCER 5. BOSS'S WIFE X ASSISTANT 6. BOSS X MAID
