Chapter Thirty:
Be my problem
Sakina Joelle Davidson
New York City, New York
"I gotta tell her, Naire. I can't stand there with her and lie straight to her face anymore. Shit is eating me up inside." Sakina confessed as she turned right and began driving towards Nia's house, she was planning on telling them everything she knew about Salvador, even if it meant exposing her own wealth.
"I get you but this is some dangerous shit, as soon as you tell her make sure you get your ass back here." Naire warned, it was obvious that she was worried but she was also happy that Sakina included her in everything now. Her feelings, her problems and her dilemmas.
"If something happens, let me know, no matter how small." Naire added quickly, Sakina sighed as she stared out, watching the rain slowly begin to pour down.
"I won't bother you with the small things." Sakina sighed, parking her car right on Nia's driveway, she sat there for a bit, listening to the pitter patter of the rain as it hit her windows.
"Why the fuck not?" She asked, feeling herself get annoyed.
"Because I don't wanna bother you with my problems. I'm not your problem, Naire." Sakina shrugged, she was terrible with wording what she truly felt. She wanted to only bring happiness to Naire, no stress or worries.
"Be my problem." Naire urged, "We together, I don't expect you to be perfect." She continued softly, understanding that this was something that Sakina genuinely struggled with.
"Okay, baby?"
Sakina nodded, "Okay." She dropped her head down and took a deep breath. Something about this whole situation made her shake with anxiety. Naire was stressed enough, she didn't want her dealing with this.
-XX-
"So he's been working with my brothers but really, he was tryna set them up?" Nia asked breathlessly, they were sitting in her bedroom as Sakina finished explaining everything.
The rain was pouring pretty heavily outside, the clouds were grey and dark and the only noise was the wanted meeting the ground. It soothed and calmed the atmosphere even though the topic was heavy and difficult, Sakina even found herself on the verge of biting her nails. Which she never did.
Sakina nodded. "Girl, he's playing Zion and Kentrell into thinking that he's getting them info but really, he's getting them killed."
Nia broke down right in front of her, tears welled up in her eyes but she quickly wiped them away and furrowed her brows. She crossed her arms and looked at Sakina, before asking,
"How do you know this?"
Sakina sighed, "I got someone to tail him because I was suspicious and he figured it out. I confronted Salvador at the party and it was true." She continued, "My family's got money so I just got one of my bodyguards to follow him."
Nia nodded, it was clear that she was too busy hurting from the situation to even focus on what Sakina had said, the tears were still prevalent in her eyes, "I'm gonna tell them, he needs to die." She proceeded to get up and Sakina shot up to grab her.
"You can't act impulsively. I think they've got something on him." Sakina warned, making Nia pause. She faced her with a confused face, everything was just getting twisted and messy.
"Like blackmail?"
-XX-
"Just keep following her, I feel like she might try to meet Salvador." Sakina told Sergio, she was now in the parking lot of her apartment block. "Keep me posted."
After hanging up, she sat in her car for a bit, simply listening to the sound of the rain. She felt as if her life was flying by, everything had been so hectic lately. Before she met Naire, she'd cope with pressure and stress by isolating herself. Locking herself away and when she felt better, she'd step out again. Sakina weirdly didn't want to do that anymore. She grabbed her bag and placed it over her head to cover her hair, just as she stepped out of the car, Naire stood there with an umbrella.
Naire shut the car door and snaked her arm around Sakina's waist, pulling her closer to her and protecting her from getting wet. Sakina looked up at her with a soft expression, feeling her heart tingle with happiness as she just felt herself hug Naire. Feeling her neediness, Naire left the umbrella on the floor and hugged Sakina back with both arms, feeling the water run down their bodies. At times, letting the rain coat you was the most therapeutic thing ever. Especially in the arms of the one you love.
Sakina heard 'I Wanna Know' by Joe play in her head as she looked up at Naire and pressed their lips together. The silence said more than words could ever say, it was their reconnection after a busy couple of weeks. They'd simply been co-existing.
"Don't ever say you're not my problem, okay? I want you to be my problem and no one else's." Naire said, water running down her face, tucking the strands of hair away from Sakina's face.
Sakina nodded, feeling shy because of how intense Naire's gaze was but nonetheless, she replied, "I promise."
Naire kissed her forehead before grabbing her hand, picking up the umbrella before leading them to their apartment block. Ebony was fast asleep but it was irresponsible to leave her alone so they rushed inside, going to check if she was okay and still fast asleep.
"Why would you leave this baby alone?" Sakina asked, smacking Naire who jumped before looking at her.
"I thought I was gonna be quick, you know ion be doing this." Naire admitted, she started to pull her clothes of and began walking to the shower.
"Come on." She said to Sakina, who followed her excitedly.
-XX-
Lenora smiled as she watched Sakina and Naire walk away, she had tears running down her eyes as she put her head in her hands. Sobbing, she didn't know why she'd reacted the way she'd reacted.
Although she'd never met many gay people, she'd let her mind be clouded by other people's opinions and had lost her baby sister in the process. Lenora had spent weeks trying to educate herself on the foreign idea, understanding how to not offend Sakina and how to get how she felt. She genuinely wanted her sister back, regardless of her sexuality.
Lenora had never seen anyone who looked at Sakina with as much love as Naire did. It was pure, raw and authentic love, without a hint of deceit. Affection at its purest form and she'd dared to stand in the way of that. How could she do that?
Her heart shattered because she was constantly haunted by Sakina's sad expression when she hurried out of the restaurant. Lenora felt horrible, it ate away at her everyday. She couldn't even get her work done. Her lack of knowledge and ignorance had gotten the best of her and she'd let outdated opinions cloud and corrupt her mind. A ted talk she'd been listening to in an attempt to educate herself played in the background;
"In nowadays' society, right and wrong is as clear as black and white. Homophobia is wrong and that is in fact right, however, sometimes it was a matter of asking ourselves why that person was homophobic. Was it lack of knowledge? Pure hatred? Or just someone who needed it explained to them?"
"Just like many problems in our society, the first step is to understand that hatred can sometimes stem from fear. Loved ones can fear homosexuality because of the fact that it was something foreign, it was dangerous if you were already a minority and last of all, it challenged a very long belief about what love was."
"Sexuality wasn't a choice; it was just who you were but at the same time, it didn't define who you are."
"Just as KKK clan members can shift and become better people, homophobes can do the same too. Prejudice is a lot deeper than simple hate, it runs deeper. From your age, your family and even your trauma."
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." —Martin Luther King Jr