Previously
"Why don't you like being flattered though?" I ask.
I immediately regret my question as Zaylani's sheepish smile disappeared.
"Oh I'm sor-" I start.
"It's fine. I've just been hurt a lot is all." She responds, void of emotion, looking out at the lake.
"What hap-"
"Nique can we please not talk about this." Zaylani says in a cold tone, cutting me off.
"Damn okay I'm sorry ma. Ian mean to bring back any bad memories or anything.." I say and she slouches a bit with a sigh.
"No wait, I'm sorry. It's just still a sensitive topic for me. But I'll tell you because I trust you." She says.
"No need to apologize, I understand. And you sure? You don't have to." I say, reassuring her.
"Yes I'm sure. I want to." Zaylani answers.
"I'm all ears." I say.
Zaylani's POV
I took a deep breath and got ready for the emotional roller coaster I was about to take myself on. I've never told anybody any of this so I'm hella nervous about opening up. The only person that knows this is Kierra. What if I push Nique away?
All this was racing through my mind when Nique said,
"You really don't have to tell me Zaylani..we supposed to be having a good time..ion want you reminiscing on past hurt."
"I know it's a lot for a first date but I want you to know what you're getting into before things get serious." I replied.
"I understand that but I really don't want you ups-"
"Just let me okay? I want you to know." I insisted.
"Fine..go ahead..and take your time." She replied, hesitantly.
"Okay well, I've been in a few lil..entanglements if you wanna call it that, but nothing really serious until this one girl. Her name was Taniah. She was a stud and my first love. We were together for about 3 years."
"Damn, what happened?" Nique asked.
"Well, things were amazing for the first year. Little to no arguments, constant dates & random deep conversations yk, that fairytale type of love." I replied and she smiled at my last comment.
"A year tho? Y'all were together for 3 years if it wasn't going well then why not just leave?" Nique inquired. She made it sound so easy.
Little does she know.
I ignored her question. She'll figure that out later.
"She went on a trip with family for about a month and shit was never the same after she got on that flight. We texted every day for like a week & change, then she stopped replying. Our texting became like a once every couple of days thing, & even those conversations were dry. I asked her what was going on & if everything was okay constantly, but she would always say everything was fine. Of course I was down here stressing about it because I couldn't see her in person to figure anything out, but forward to after that trip."
"Mm..I dislike her already." Nique said.
"Rightfully so." I agreed and continued on with my story.
"When she came back she was..more distant, less loving. I remember when I met her at the airport she barely even cracked a smile when she saw me. I asked her if she was okay & she just said she was tired. I let it slide cuz an argument after she just got off a 5 hour flight is not ideal, & tiredness is usual."
It continued for weeks though, but I held my tongue because I didn't know if she was struggling with anything, which would also be odd because she used to tell me everything.
Anyways I finally got fed up and confronted her about it and..." I trailed off as I started to remember the day like it was happening in real time.
Flashback.
"Taniah we need to talk." I said sternly, standing over Taniah laying on her couch.
She let out an exasperated sigh.
"What now Zaylani?"
"Wachu mean what now? You act like I be bothering you or something." I said.
"You not bothering me it's just-man fuck that. What do we need to talk about." She replied, clearly irritated.
"Naw it's just what? Speak up Taniah because I'm sick of this shit."
She stood up and looked down at me with a menacing expression on her face. Taniah was pretty tall, about 5'11. Compared to me, lord knows.
"Sick of what shit Zaylani? What exactly is there for you to be sick of?" She said, raising her voice a little.
I was starting to rethink even saying anything. I didn't know why she was so mad and quite frankly it was scaring me.
I took a deep breath anyway and replied,
"I'm sick of you being so distant. I'm sick of you treating me like shit. I'm sick of you constantly using you being "tired" as an excuse not to talk to me. Like what's the reason?! Is there someone el-"
Before I could finish my sentence, I felt her hand collide with my face.
I stumbled back a few steps and put my hand on my face in disbelief. Taniah stepped up close to me & whispered in my ear, "Don't you ever question me or my loyalty again and this will be a one time thing. Aight?"
I didn't reply. I was too shocked to even look at her. That was until she raised her hand up again and I flinched away.
"Okay!! I won't do it again I'm sorry..just-just don't put your hands on me again please.." I somehow said clear enough for her to hear. Taniah moved my hand from my face and kissed my cheek.
"Glad we understand each other. I love you." With that, she went to her room without a care. As soon as she was gone I started sobbing silently. My whole body was shaking and I felt lightheaded. I didn't know if it was shock or fear or what but I was a train wreck. My girlfriend, the person I admired so much, who I thought I'd spend forever with, really hit me.
End of Flashback.
Zaylani's POV
"Zaylani!" I suddenly fell out of my trance as I felt Nique shaking my shoulder.
"Oh! Sorry I was daydreaming.." I replied, still shaken by my flashback. It felt a little too real, but it happens every time I tell someone about Taniah.
"No don't apologize..are you okay??" Nique asked, clearly worried.
"I'm fine don't worry." I replied.
"Positive?" She asked once again.
"Yes I promise I'm okay Nique."
"Okay well..you don't have to finish telling me if you don't wanna."
"I'm telling you, I just needed a second." I reassured.
"If you say so.." she replied hesitantly.
"Anyways, I confronted her about it and..well she hit me." I said quietly and Nique's eyes immediately filled with anger.
"You said she hit you??" She said in shock and anger.
"Yea..it was the first time but it wasn't the last. That's why I never left. I was scared she would beat me badly." I replied.
Nique now had a look of pity on her face.
"I'm so sorry.."
"No don't apologize, it's not anyone's fault but mine."
"It's not your fault at all Zaylani."
"I stood there & let her hit me though..I could've done something. But I never did."
"When something as traumatic as that happens, it's not easy to just do something about it. You said it yourself you were scared and rightfully so. That bitch hit you & there's no excuse for it. Don't try to blame yourself for it."
"I guess.."
"Ion want you to guess I want you to know. So promise me you'll get that out your head?"
"Alright alright I promise."
"Thank you."
"No thank you."
We smiled at each other for a bit until I was ready to continue.
"So I one time I caught her tryna sneak out & she tried to say some, "oh, I gotta go see my parents." mind you, her parents live like an hour away, & it was around 2 in the morning."
"Nigga what-" Nique muttered.
"Exactly. So that's when I knew fasho that sum was goin on. But I played dumb & went back to sleep."
"Smart move smart move, gotta think that plan out huh" Nique said and I chuckled.
"You know itt"
"Then what happened?" She inquired.
"So I was really stressed out this one particular night and of course I woke up and Taniah wasn't there. I just packed a bag of clothes & went to my best friend's house planning on staying there for a while so I could be away from Taniah and she could help me figure out what to do. Her name was Ayanna. We had the type of friendship where we could just walk into each other's houses at any time, so I had a key." I said.
I'm getting pissed just thinking about this situation honestly.
"Ion like where this is going at all-" Nique said with an uneasy look on her face.
"Exactly. So I get inside & since it was late I was just going to sleep in her guest room which was upstairs next to hers. We would normally sleep in the same bed but you know, it was the middle of the night & I wasn't tryna get mistaken for a killer or anything." I said and Nique laughed.
"So I'm heading upstairs & I start hearing moaning & shit so I'm like fuck no and I get ready to head back downstairs cuz don't nobody wanna hear that shit. Then I heard a familiar voice and I stopped in my tracks."
"Now Zaylani-lemme find out-" Nique says in disbelief of where this was going.
"So I take a couple steps back up to the top floor & I'm listening. I felt like a creep but I needed to know I was trippin. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. I heard Taniah's voice in my Ayanna's room." I said, clearly pissed.
"Aw see fuck no." Nique said in shock.
"So I'm standing in front of her door hearing this shit, and it got to the point where I couldn't take it anymore and just busted through that door."
Flashback.
I stood in front of my best friend's
door in shock trying to figure out if I was trippin. I'm hearing her moaning and what sounded like Taniah's voice? This can't be happening.
"Fuck it. If it's not them it's not them." I thought and busted through the door and unfortunately, I wasn't trippin.
I open the door to see my "best friend" & Taniah fucking. I was beyond pissed. I felt nothing but rage, I couldn't even be sad in that moment. I just stood there waiting for one of them to notice me. I stood there for a minute feeling sick watching them, then they started changing positions and stopped in their tracks when they saw me.
"Why y'all stop?" I asked trying to stay calm.
They just stared at me wide eyed causing me to roll my neck.
"Y'all was hella loud just now, why so silent all of a sudden?" I continued.
"Baby I-" Taniah started but I cut her off with a laugh.
"Baby?? Tuh. You fucking a whole other bitch in my face & tryna call me baby? You must be crazy." I said.
"A bitch?" Ayanna butted in.
"Yea that's what I said.." I retorted.
"Look Zaylani it's not-" she started.
"Ayanna not what?? Not what it looks like? I stood here watching y'all fucking for a good minute & y'all ain't even notice me. So it's not what?" I said, my voice shaking. I was livid.
They were silent.
"Y'all got it man. Taniah you can definitely come retrieve your shit from the sidewalk once you done." I said and left the doorway. I knew I would beat both they ass if I stayed any longer so I decided it would be best to remove myself from the situation.
"Zaylani wait-" I heard Taniah calling out, but I couldn't.
I was a quarter way down the stairs when I heard Ayanna say,
"Just let her go Taniah, why is it so hard?" I stopped in my tracks when I heard that shit.
Naw fuck that. I headed right back upstairs, into her room & didn't hesitate to punch that bitch in her shit. I heard something crack but I didn't care. Unfortunately, I only got a few more punches in before Taniah pulled me off of her. In retrospect, it was for the better because I would've ended up in jail.
When I finally stopped trying to hit Ayanna, Taniah turned me around and held me firmly by my shoulders.
"Are you crazy??" She said, staring me down.
"Taniah stop touching me." I replied quietly.
"Or what?" She said, mockingly.
"Taniah..stop touching me." I said again and she laughed. She's trying me like shit.
"You not gon do s-" before she could even finish spewing her bullshit, I punched her in her shit too & girl did it feel great. Her ass was on the floor after the first hit.
Ayanna was too busy crying about her apparently broken nose to pull me off her so I kept hitting until I was satisfied.
"Y'all have a good one." I said before throwing the keys I had for Ayanna's house at her.
"Bitch-" Ayanna said.
"Huh??" I interrupted her and she just shook her head.
"Yea okay. Now bye."
I finally walked out the house feeling so much better, but it didn't last. I was a wreck before I even got home.
End of Flashback.
Nique's POV
Zaylani went into one of her little zone out moments so I just waited this one out. Watching her relive this experience is hard to see, but I know it's even harder for her. Based on her expressions and her change in tone, I knew she was pissed. Eventually, she snapped out of her trance.
"My bad.." she said, clearly embarrassed.
"Don't even worry about it ma. You can continue. What happened next?" I replied and she smiled.
Zaylani's POV
"So I went in the room and of course, they were fucking. They ain't even notice me till they started switching positions." I said.
"No way man-what you did?" Nique asked and I chuckled.
"Well, I was actually on my way out before I heard Ayanna say some dumb shit."
"What she said?" She asked.
"They was jus staring like sum was wrong wit them so I had walked out & Taniah called out to me but of course I ignored her. Ayanna gon say some, just let her go, why is it that hard." I said.
"Girl whatttt????" Nique said in shock.
"Right like who tf are you? But when she said that something in me snapped & I went back to her room & punched her in her shit." I said.
"Okay good, cuz I was finna say, she can't get away wit that shit." She replied.
"I was getting some good hits in too until Taniah jus had to pull me off her."
"Just ruining the fun." Nique joked and I laughed.
"Right? But I gave her two warnings to stop touching me & she wanted to act like I wouldn't do shit so she got it too. I was fed the fuck up. Bitch was on the floor with one punch, ion know how I let her ass hit me." I said.
"I'm glad they both got it. I personally would've ended up in jail." Nique replied.
"That's the only thing that held me back, them bitches are not worth jail."
"Exactly."
"After that, I took her shit & gave it to goodwill. She came looking for it too." I told Nique and she chuckled.
"But yea, when the whole situation died down I was hurt for a while until I decided to stop bitching & get on with my life." I said.
"I'm glad you did." Nique replied smiling.
I smiled back at her and said, "Me too."
"I'm glad I told you, now you know what you're in for." I said.
"& do, & I'm ready for it ma." She replied smoothly.
I smiled shyly & we continued with our picnic with smiles & laughs.
Y'all I am so sorry💀. School was beating my ass, but I gave y'all an extra long chapter jus for my tardiness so I hope y'all enjoyed it, I love y'all <3.
Edited 4/8/23