Behind the mask - Erik Killmonger

Chapter 31

'Where do you want to go? We could go wherever our hearts desire.' 'How does Palawan sound?' I raise an eyebrow. 'I have no idea where it lies but aye aye Captain.'

Erik Stevens "Killmonger" POV
I repeatedly face palm myself. 'Sh*t sh*t sh*t!' I should've never put my hands on her! Moments after I kicked her out I realized what I did and I opened the door thinking that she would be sitting on the floor waiting for me.. but she wasn't. I then searched the whole palace looking for her, I even went to the Jabari Land but only her mother was there. She told me that she hadn't seen her in a month and M'Baku wasn't there because he was on a business trip.

A hallucination of my father shows up. 'You have done a terrible thing N'Jadaka.' 'Not again.' I murmur to myself while grabbing a handful of my hair and tugging it. He sits beside me. 'I learned you something very important when you were younger. That was that you should never put your hands on a girl. Especially your girl.' 'I messed up dad. I messed up.' He lands a firm grip on my shoulder. 'Try to call her.' 'I already have. She isn't picking up. What if- what if she doesn't want me anymore? I didn't want to put my hands on her.. I never did. It was just one of those stupid episodes.' I vent while balling my eyes out.

He pats my back. 'I see that your love that girl deeply. Go get her back and tell her everything. And I mean EVERYTHING.' I look up at him. 'Everything?' He nods. 'You gotta do it.' I look at my hands in my lap. When I look back at where my father was, nobody is there. I don't know when she's coming back or even OF she is, but I just hope that she's safe.

N'Yarai Stevens POV
'PALAWAN HERE WE COME!' I shout while flying over the South China Sea. 'Can you tell me more about this island of yours?' I ask. 'Palawan is a province of the Philippines. They call it "the land of Promise"' 'Why?' He shrugs. 'I don't know.' I roll my eyes and laugh. 'I don't care how they call it as long as I get a tan and good food.'

My mind wanders to Erik. I ignore the feeling of absence. He needs to learn that he can't act how he wants around me. My Kimoyo bead bracelet vibrates again like it has for the past few hours. 'Aren't you going to pick up your husband's call?' I shake my head. 'Nope. He can live a few days without me.' He points at a little island. 'We are finally here!'

I carefully land the jet at an abandoned airport. As soon as I step out a wave of heat hits my skin. I breathe the fresh air in and out. When I open my eyes, I don't see my father anymore. 'I'M GONNA GET SOME COCKTAILS!' He yells while running to the beach. I shake my head laughing and grab the bag full of clothes and necessities.

I walk to the beach and see a group of people dancing. 'Hey, my name is Nessa.' I turn around and see a pretty Filipino girl around my age smiling at me. 'Hi. I'm Yara.' 'Pretty name.' I smile. 'Thanks yours too.' 'If you want to change there is a changing room right over there.' 'Thanks. I will be right back.'

Erik Stevens "Killmonger" POV
'Where is she?!' I shout as I enter Shuri's lab. 'Why are you being so loud?' Shuri asks when walking up to me. 'I need your help. Yara is gone and I know that she took a jet because there is one missing so could you track it?' She sighs. 'I don't have time to do that my King.' 'I order you to find Yara NOW!' She flinches. She walks to a computer and begins to type. After a few moments she looks back at me. 'She has hacked the jet's system. I can only see if she is flying or not. I can't track it.' 'So you're telling me that Yara can hack better than you?' She sighs. 'King Killmonger, with all due respect.. maybe she just wants to be alone.' I frown. 'Alone? F*ck do I look like?! HACK IT.'

DESTINATION OF JET RI25466: PALAWAN, PHILIPPINES 🇵🇭

As soon as the destination pops up on the screen, I rush out of the lab. I unlock a jet and fly off.

The next day.
N'Yarai Stevens POV
I relax as soon as the warm ocean water makes contact with my skin. A giggle makes me look up. 'Looks like you really needed this vacay.' Nessa says. 'Is it that obvious?' 'Yeah kind of. Why are you here?' I sigh and sit down in the shallow water. I look at my arms and feet floating in the greenish and blue water. 'My husband is stressing me out and I just need some time alone. It's just too much.' 'Husband?! You look too young to have a husband. Was it an arranged marriage?' I laugh. 'No. I really love him and we just decided to get married.' 'Aawh that's so cute! I'm here because I just graduated college and I came to celebrate it with my family. My family lives here but they wanted the best for me that's why they saved up some money and enrolled me into college.'

'Oh wow. That's really nice of them. How is college like?' 'It's often very stressful but you just got to keep telling yourself that you're doing it for a better life you know?' I nod. 'What are studying?' 'Criminology.' 'Oh that's very-' 'That guy is so cute! Who is that?!' She says while nodding her head in the direction of a guy. I look over and my good mood immediately disappears. 'Oh my.' I say while quickly getting out of the water. 'What's wrong?!' 'That, Nessa, is my husband.' Erik walks up to me. His dreads that are usually braided are now down.

Nessa excuses herself after saying goodbye. Erik gently touches my arm. 'Don't touch me!' 'I'm sorry for everything love. I should not have spoke to you like that let alone put my hands on you. I have a lot of things that I need to tell you.' He pauses mid-sentence and drops his head. He sighs and looks back into my eyes. 'Words can't explain how sorry I am. I have never apologized this sincere to anybody and I have this weird feeling in my stomach that I don't like so please accept my apology.'

I fold my arms over each other. 'I'm gonna listen to what you have got to say but I haven't accepted your apology yet.' He sits in the sand and I only now see that he's wearing black swimming trunks and a black long sleeved shirt that is covering his scars. I sit beside him. He sighs again before speaking. 'Since I was younger I used to have these panic attacks. But instead of freaking out, I would have tantrums. They stopped when I was about 18 but I had one again yesterday. When I have one.. it's like there's a hundred people in my head just screaming at me. They scream, belittle me and laugh at me. Sometimes I even get hallucinations. The tantrums would last for about 5 minutes then it would disappear like nothing ever happened.

The longest one I encountered was 15 minutes long. That day I almost lost my sh*t. Listen Yara,' he takes my hand in his and places a kiss on the back of my hand. 'I'm about to say some clingy sh*t and I don't want you to laugh at me okay?' I roll my eyes before nodding. 'I'm sorry for what I've put you through. Back in the days I would never even dare to think that I would have a wife that I would love more than my own life. And you know that I f*cking love my life.' He kneels before me. 'I'm so sorry Yara. I'm so sorry. I promise that I'll never put my hands on you ever again.'

A silence follows after he's done speaking. He raises his eyebrows. 'Please talk to me sweet cheeks.' I lick my bottom lip. 'I don't know Erik. I appreciate you telling me about your panic attacks but you really hurt me.'

'I'll do anything you want me to do. Just tell me.. how can you forgive me?' I smirk mischievously. 'Don't cuss anymore, you will sleep on the couch for a month, we won't make love until I say so... which is probably next year and you'll be my personal butler for half a year.' His jaw drops. 'Baby listen.. you know I love you but that is like living a life in jail in my own palace.' I fold my arms over each other. 'You want my forgiveness right?' 'Yea.' 'Then you got to do what I just said.'

'Okay fine. But can we go back to Wakanda? Because it's cold here.' 'No.' I say with a big smirk before I walk away.

'This girl is really going to be the death of me.' He murmurs to himself not knowing that I heard it.

'You damn right I am.' I shout back.