Tell Me You Love Me [COMPLETED]

Chapter 37: Sleepless Nights Part II

A/N: This chapter contains stalking/abuse and could be a trigger for some. Read at your own risk.

Tuesday July 7, 2020 - Tampa, Florida

Aesha POV

I check my watch.

3:15 PM

I've gotten my most recent personal painting moved into the house and I decided to just store it in my studio as opposed to hiding it in the garage and painting it down there; as long as it's covered up, Joe won't meddle with it. I'm so tired and it's only Tuesday, Joelle comes for her lesson in about forty-five minutes and I have to act like I'm okay because I know her father will be asking about me, especially since I haven't been answering his calls.

You know I got it bad bad bad bad bad bad bad for you
You know I got it bad bad bad bad bad bad bad for you

Speaking of her father...

"Hello." I say in a flat tone.
"Why haven't you been answering my calls?" He growls at me.
"Because I don't feel like talking, Joe"
"The fuck you mean? You don't feel like talking? Um, now's not the time for you to wanna isolate yourself."
"Joe, what the fuck are you—"
"Tom called me."

Shit.

"Joe—"
"Tell me right now: do I need to come home?"
"No, you don't."
"Bullshit."
"Joseph—"
"No, how long has this been goin' on, Aesha?"
"You need to stay there and secure this deal, point blank. Don't come home."
"Fine, but just tell me how long has he been stalking you."
"It's nothing I can't handle."
"You're not answering my question."
"Because there's nothing to answer!"
"Stop playin' with me!"
"I'm not!"
"How. Long?!"
"Ugh, this is why I didn't wanna talk to you! You're so damn overprotective, I'm not a damsel, I can handle it, I always do!"
"Oh, like you did when he hit you the first time? Huh? Or how 'bout the other times after that and you went back to him? That how you plan on 'handling' this??"

...

"Fuck. You."

I hear him let out a long sigh and I feel tears stinging my eyes.

"Aesha, I—"
"I've got Joelle's lesson in forty minutes, I'm gonna go get ready for it."
"Aesha, baby, wait—"
"Goodbye, Joe."

I hang up and run my hair through my curls.

This is fucked up, I'm fucked up, this is all fucked. So, being the Cancer sign that I am, I handle all of this the only way I know how to at the moment: I sit on the floor and I cry.

I cry because it's happening again, I'm pushing away everyone I love that loves and cares about me because I want to protect them from him but I know I'm not strong enough to protect myself, at least that's how I feel. I cry because I miss Joe so much that it hurts and he hasn't even been gone for four whole days yet. I cry because I can't get my thoughts to correspond with how I'm feeling; I'm feeling scared but my mind tells me to suck it up and stand up for myself knowing that I'd crumble in Rufus' angry presence again.

I cry because he's perfectly capable of killing me, probably thinking about it as we speak, and I don't think I'd be so lucky to cheat death twice.