Cold

Chapter 2: Your Family Against Mine

His touch... his aura. She couldn't stay away from him. His force from behind sent her back into shock, fingers dipping deeper into her love handles as he thrusted himself into Honey. The subtle light peaking from his apartment curtains glistened over his sleeve of tattoos. In the background played a soft mix of Partynextdoor, the Weeknd, and Drake.

Honey's fingernails embedded into the bed sheets, and she thought about how many times she pulled on these same sheets. Her brain filled with guilt, heart full of lust... all over the enemy. Honey was conflicted for some time now, she had to start thinking with her brain when it came to Rashad. 

"Fuck Honey." Rashad's baritone voice whispered as he swiftly came over her backside and let out a satisfied sigh. Honey gently collapsed to the bed where she felt the energy of his satisfaction fill the air. Her cheeks blushed watching him walk away to get a towel. Wiping his forehead then his manhood, he handed Honey the towel to clean herself up.

"Chinese?" Rashad said. His fingers already ready to dial the number he had memorized by heart.

"Shad...Don't you think I should head out? It's kind of late." Honey glanced at the piercing blue lights of the digital clock that displayed 2:45 a.m.

"What you want? I'm getting shrimp fried rice." Rashad dialed the number and stared at Honey for a response. "I know you don't want to actually leave... you just feel bad and know you shouldn't be here."

"Fuck Shad, you know I shouldn't be here stop acting like it's always me at risk. You're just at risk as I am too."

"Yeah let me get two boxes of shrimp fried rice, extra shrimp in one of them... soy sauce and a spring roll... Shad... alright thank you." Rashad sprawled across his bed and silently began to roll up a jay as he thought of what Honey said. "It's just different Honey. You a female... you gone be scared it's in your nature."

"Well if I'm scared nigga make me feel protected." Honey seethed unlocking her phone and scrolling on social media.

"I ain't protecting you. I can't... you the enemy." He shrugged.

"Well then this is the last time we're fucking Shad and I mean it." Honey says hardly loud enough for Rashad to hear. "Why you rolling up? Ain't you about to go to bed?"

"I just wanna get high."

"For what, my shit wasn't good enough to put you to sleep?" Honey snickered still scrolling on her phone.

"Nah I'm tryna stay awake because it was good enough to put me to sleep." The lighter flickered over the jay and trailed to the end of the jay as he lit it and took a long hit. The aroma immediately radiated in the air and smoke invaded the both of their systems. "What you doing tomorrow?" He asks trying to make conversation.

"Working. I gotta make some deliveries to Queens in the afternoon." Honey says taking the jay from Rashad and taking a hit.

"You still working for Ranada, she don't even have that many customers to be having at home deliveries."

"It's about quality customer service. We guarantee 2 day shipping then I better be on the next subway to delivering these bundles and lashes. She pay me five hundred every weekend, I'm not complaining." Honey relaxes her head against one of the pillows near the bed frame and gazes up at the ceiling. Her senses heightening around her she takes another hit.

"You don't really need no job. Not when your dad Draymond Jones."

"The hell I do. I work for what I get. None of what I have come from him, not since I was in high school at least." Rashad takes the blunt from her and poises it at the corner of his mouth, pulling in.

"Deadass?"

"Yes. I can make my own can't I?" She laughed.

"That's whats good, just ain't expect that." Rashad says glancing over at Honey gazing at the ceiling.

"It's a lot you wouldn't expect, or know. I barely know you and you barely know me forreal."

The room hazed over in the strong accent of marjuanna and Rashad coughed a couple times before handing they jay back to Honey. "Better that way' the less you know and the less I know, the better.  You like me? Be honest." Rashad asked, genuinely wanting to know.

"No. Do you like me?"

"You cappin'." He laughs. "You let me fuck you eight times in the last month and ain't caught one of them female instincts where you catch feelings? Gas getting to you'" He shakes his head, not believing her.

"Nigga do you like me?" Honey says again.

"That wouldn't be good for us." He says back, Honey squinted her eyes over at Rashad and giggled.

"If you like somebody you like somebody. I don't get how niggas just shut off every emotion and just worry about getting a nut off."

"What I tell you earlier? You a female. You different." He says.

"I am different." She whispers looking over to Rashad, his eyes hadn't left her face since she was staring at the ceiling.

"You are. Ain't really messed with shawty like you. I'm not just saying it either, I'm serious."

"Rashad please."

"You don't know me man, you heard a couple sad stories in class that I presented. Yay you heard a powerpoint and were touched. Cancer head ass." Honey hands Rashad the jay and gets up from her spot on the bed to exit the room and head to the bathroom.

"You so damn mean... what if I was touched. A nigga can't feel no way about death?" He says following her, the door shut in his face as he leaned against the doorframe hoping she'd reply.

"Not when you from the streets, we not soft so don't act like it."

"Who tell you to be hard all the time? Your daddy? It's normal to feel shit Honey..." Rashad says. Honey fixed her appearance in the bathroom, glancing over the numerous hickeys on her neck and body. Turning on the sink she splashed water in her face and wiped the mascara off her eyelids.

"Feel nothing, you don't get hurt." Honey replied sharply.

"That's fucked up. We might be from the streets but you and I both know what pain is. I ain't saying a nigga cried but a nigga felt that in his spirit type shit." Honey hears through the door, her palms cusp the counter top and she sighs, staring into her reflection. She hated to hear the truth sometimes, and couldn't face the music. She felt like she had to be her father's aura in order to survive, because anything could happen any second.

"I hear you."

"You are different Honey, and I don't know if someone told you that before but... you a real one." Rashad's hand twisted the door knob and he entered the lit bathroom where he watched Honey stare at her reflection, the smoke now filling the bathroom. "If you can't be you around nobody else, be you around me."

"You wanna be my escape?" Honey didn't exactly take Rashad serious.

"You mine, so I don't see why not." Rashad ash out the jay on the ash tray by the sink and placed it down. Lifting himself onto the counter, he grabbed Honey's arm and pulled her body between his legs. His finger tips lifting her chin, allowing the two to concentrate into each other pupils.

"Rashad..."

"What?"

"I...I can't trust you." Honey says truthfully. "It's not you, it's your family against mine."

"I understand that. But shit, I like you and a nigga needed to let you know this." Rashad replies, Honey's eyes shifted away from his and to his lips then back at him. Her lips inch towards his as she slickly brush them against his and up his cheek to his ear and she says

"That wouldn't be good for us... right?"