blessed • stephen curry [sequel]

xiv. ever since new york

I carried her bag as we walked down the aisle. She looked for room 1033 and found it by the right side.

We got inside the room and I placed her bag beside her bed. Her feet dragged her towards the huge glass window as she stared at the view.

"Is it your first time in New York?" I asked, walking behind her.

She nodded her head slightly while she continued to admire the beautiful city.

"You wanna walk around?" I suggested. "I'll go with you if you want."

She slowly turned to me. "You have practice."

"Not the first time I missed it for you," I told her.

It felt like she wanted to smile but her thoughts seemed to put her emotions in disarray.

"I'm okay." She turned away in panic. "You should go to practice."

I stayed looking at her. "Are you sure?"

She simply nodded.

I don't know why I felt nervous all of a sudden. "Okay, well. I'll be back in two hours, then we can take a night stroll or something. I know some good places you can unwind."

When she didn't say anything more, I decided to give her some space and left the room while feeling hollow in my chest.

I just wanted to see the strong, clever, and happy-go-lucky Arzaya again.

---

Arzaya

The rain had started falling and the whole New York City was engulfed in dark stormy clouds but why did I find it so beautiful?

I've sat in the couch facing the window since I got here and all I've been doing was stare at the view while talking to Shay on the phone.

She'd constantly call me everyday to check if I was doing okay and I was somehow moved by her concern.

I took two sleeping pills today but it hasn't kicked in. I didn't know if I could sleep later but I hope my nightmares would stop haunting me.

"Arzaya, are you listening?" Shay spoke from the other end of the line.

I cut out of trance. "Sorry."

"Why do you talk so mellow?" she asked. "I'm getting worried. Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

"Arzaya," her voice sounded like she wanted to complain. "You shouldn't have stayed with Jackson. You're getting worse."

"Baby, I just want the best for you. I'm helping you think properly. I'm the only one who sees your worth."

I held in a breath as the lightning struck. "Shay?"

"Mhm?"

"I think I understand now why Jackson's hurting me," I told her. "He's doing it to make me realize that sometimes doing bad things earns you punishment."