03/05/2018
I know I got somewhere to go
But I'm thinking we should lay here in love (lay here in love)
Ooh, 'cause baby, it's no lie
Ooh, I could watch you 'til the day I die
'Cause I'm in love with you
Laying here in the morning light
And all I want to do is hold you tight just one more night
- Justin Timberlake, Morning Light
Harlem.
I kissed the inside of her wrist, holding her hand as she laid still next to me. We were both freshly showered and fed, just naked. After feeding her, she fell asleep. Now, her long hair was free of any bondage, sprawled across my pillow and hers. I leaned in and kissed the place on her skin beneath her ear, causing her to stir.
Finally, one of her eyes peeled open and she looked around the room before her eyes settled on me. A wide smile spread across her face as she leaned in to peck my lips. I pecked hers twice before she sat up, still staring at me.
"You're my favorite human, Harlem. It's like as much as I dislike our emotional downfalls, I love us and who we've become. You seem so much more mature," She said as she leaned in and settled on my chest. Our bare skin pressed against each other's as she placed her ear right where she could hear my heartbeat.
"And that..." She stopped to laugh and sat up looking at me pressing her palm against my milk chocolate skin. "That has to be the best sound in the world. I wish you could hear it," She said before placing her head back into the same place. I smiled and rubbed my fingers through her hair.
"I've grown because of a lot of reasons, Storm. Some of them, we wont talk about until we married. Others we wont talk about until we old. The ones we can talk about now are the ones that scratch the service for us. You leaving me had to be one of the worst moments of my life," I confessed, shaking my head as I recalled all the bullshit that I had went through during that time period. Some of it I could talk about and some of it I couldn't.
Her hand rubbing against my chest brought my attention back to her.
"I left because you chose someone else, Harlem. The last person in my life had decided to choose someone else. I was used to it from the muafuckas I share blood with, but I could never get used to it with the one I shared my heart with." She said, her voice taking a venomous turn.
"Let's address all of that right here then." I said, and she laughed silently.
"We address shit every day. Let's just put a stamp on it and mail it off, then leave the shit where its at." She said, and I shook my head.
"Some shit you have to know." I said seriously. She raised up using the blanket to cover her protectively now. I sighed and tried to grab for her, but she only scooted back. She stood up to slip on a pair of leggings and a t-shirt. I took the time to slide on a pair of Nike grey sweatpants.
"Bre and I were never together." I blurted out as soon as we sat back down. She looked at me weirdly before busting out laughing. She laughed so hard tears came out of her eyes.
"That's the most ridiculous shit I ever heard. How when yall was always together?" She laughed bitterly.
"Phatphat, you saw her always following me around! Always touching me and shit. You never seen me do anything back with her! The night I was venting to you about her, I was about to tell you that all that shit was fake when she called. My father and her mother were fuck buddies and he made that delusional ass bitch think she had a chance with me. My father created a code, so if I was ever out in public and she called she would ask me where I was, so I could come fuck her and I'd tell her I was on my way." I seen a look of understanding flash through Storm's eyes as I talked.
"All of the times we were together you could've told me. And the day I left, you were with her." She stated, and I sighed.
"You don't understand, babygirl. I couldn't have told you and I still shouldn't tell you. Bre knew when she became pregnant that she would never be a part of the deal anymore. My dad couldn't make me love her, but he definitely couldn't make me raise a child that I didn't help create. I never fucked Bre." She twisted her lips at that.
"Who is he and if you never fucked Bre who did you fuck? Your name flew around the campus a lot?"
"I was a fucking vir-" A knock sounded through her apartment taking her attention from me. I sighed, frustrated, as she stood up and walked out of the room. I was pissed because she didn't even hear what I was trying to tell her.
"OH MY GOD LEENA!" I heard Storm yelling as a familiar voice spoke frantically. I rushed out of the room and into the living room only to stop in my tracks at the sight in front of me.
"What the fuck happened?!" I snapped causing Storm to look up at me strangely before getting angry.
"Harlem, you don't even know her. Stop yelling, I'll be in the room in a minute." She spoke gently as she patted her friends back. I walked up and kneeled down looking as tears streamed down my sister's face.
"Layke, what are you doing in Storm's house and why are you crying?" Layke looked at me and Storm with watery eyes and shook her head.
"Leena, why is he calling you Layke?" Storm asked as a look of pure confusion went over her face. I looked at my sister confused as well.
"I'm sorry, Storm. I was never your friend. I was sent here to make sure you were well. I was your protector, not your friend." Layke spoke with a broken voice. I was confused as hell.
"Gambino said that you had been on an assignment and you'd fly in when you could. He even had us fly in when we could. But, he never said you were here to watch her." At this point I forgot about Storm's presence and focused on my sister.
"I protected her. I helped her, and I turned her into a stripper because he was going to turn her into one of his whores. I knew you loved her too much for that. Everything was going good and papa was fine. But when you found her, papa lost it. He wanted to turn her into a whore again, so I slowly stopped working until he got mad and fired her. He fired her to keep what little of a relationship you had. But now," She cried some more and I rubbed my sister's back wondering when in the hell she became so emotional.
"What did Gambino do, Layke?" I asked sincerely. She looked at me then looked to the floor. I swear, you would think she was the younger sibling.
"Papa put a bullet through Dewayne's head this morning, took mama from a place I thought I had secured, and has placed a bounty on Storm's head. I can't fight the world Harlem," I squeezed my eyes shut as tears filled them thinking about a dead Dewayne and my missing mother.
I tried to control my emotions, making my mind go blank. This was a part of the game.
"What aren't you telling me and where is Brent?" I wouldn't break, I wouldn't break, I chanted to myself over and over in my head.
"Brent has joined papa's side, but Harlem," Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I'm pregnant." She sniffled before deep, ugly sobs wracked through her body. I held onto her, before looking to my left seeing a frozen Storm still kneeling besides Layke and me.
"Storm." I spoke gently. She remained still, her eyes still staring between Layke and me.
Storm, baby, please don't leave me...
What yall catch in this chapter??
Whose POV should be next? I like writing in Harlem's but maybe Storm's? Layke's? Gambino's? Brent's?
I'm a day late, but I gave yall all three! Yall want more?
Hope yall caught it...
Tee
