Please listen to music linked with chapter
Random Harper picture above ^ btw she has black hair so I often edit this girl into how I think Harper would look in my head. I just use the model as a base.
—-
Meg and Ryan talked our ears off. Ryan went on and on about how he had this yacht off the coast and that we should come over and have drink one of these days. T'Challa pushed it off until the very night before our last. We ordered our dessert "to go" and returned to our beach home.
" You'd think the black panther would be a little more friendlier ", I chuckled, resting our box of chocolate cake on the counter.
" I tolerate more than I should ", T'Challa poured himself a drink at the bar and sat down at the couch. I sat beside him, kicking my heels off.
" He just wants to show off what he has as most men do. If we bump into them again I'll consider going over there to amuse myself ", T threw his arms around me and I relaxed into him on the couch.
" They seem harmless. A little ignorant but harmless nonetheless ", I laughed. He shook his head and turned on the tv. In this resort they got plenty of channels that played in the states. Growing up I mostly watched educational tv shows or I watched african dramas. My parents never really let me watch much television to begin with but I had the internet.
" Grey's anatomy ? ", we both spoke in unison and squinted at the television, reading the title.
A few hours later we were knee deep into season three of the show. Somehow we got sucked into it and we ended up falling asleep on the couch which caused another later start to our day. Day 4 of Thailand and we were already waking up at 10 in the morning. I woke up on the couch beside him. His shirt was open and unbottoned and his head was in his heads as he slept. I stand up in my dress, grabbing my heels from beside the couch. I immediately go upstairs and shower before making breakfast.
I never really got to cook for T'Challa a lot and so this time I made something I knew he liked. Blueberry pancakes with Jam. I also made a few of his favorite sides along with his cup of black coffee. Sitting his meal down at the coffee table he shifted awake from the smell of the food.
" Get up sleepy head ", I grinned at him. He yawned and sat up lazily.
" Ahh. All these for me ? You know what I noticed about us Mnandi ? ", he bit a piece of his turkey bacon off.
" What's that ? ", I smile, digging into my usual oatmeal with fruit.
" We enjoy breakfast more than any other meal. We should call ourselves the breakfast club ", he slid scrambled eggs onto his plate.
" Apparently there's already an American movie called the breakfast club and it's not about breakfast. I'll pass on the team name ", I giggled. He pulled me into him and my laughter continued until he silenced me with a kiss to my mouth. A syrup flavored kiss wasn't bad coming from him. My hand pressed against the side of his face while my thumb skimmed over his lips.
" We really need to talk about that collar ", I tease.
" We do. We do ", he smirked at me knowingly. His eyes analyzed me for a second, clearly in deep thought.
" I guess it really is true what they say about East African girls after all ", he chuckled. I look at him strangely and slightly taken aback.
" Oh really ? And what is it that they say ? ", I inquire.
" That they live in the desert but they get wet like the ocean ", he snickered, hinting at the night before.
My face turns up in disgust and I smush his face playfully. He laughs even louder as I try to pull from his grip.
" Is this how the King addresses his Queen ? ", I push from his lap but he captures me and flips me under him. Now he's hovering over me with a wicked grin on his face.
" It's all in good fun my love ", he kisses the tip of my nose and I roll my eyes.
" Where exactly did you hear this rumor ? ", I scoff.
" Erik ", he chided.
" Of course. And just what would Erik know about East African women ? Hmm ? ", I fold my arms in annoyance.
" Women are very fond of Erik. I believe his old girlfriend is East African as well. Erik doesn't seem to be like the settling down type but there's only one women I've ever heard him talk about regularly. The girls picture he had in his wallet. Either that or he's had his share. Maybe both ", he shrugged. I pushed him off me so that I could get back to our breakfast. I steal a piece of turkey bacon off his plate but he doesn't mind.
" If he has her in his wallet then he must love her. Poor girl ", I tease. T'Challa co-signs.
" He must. I have you in my wallet ", he pulls out his wallet from beside the couch and shows me. Just as he said. It was a picture of me that I sent to him while he was away.
" I didn't know you kept my morning selfies ", I recall my ritual of taking a picture of my face in the morning- every morning like he asked.
" I had to wake up to your face somehow Entle ", he smiled.
" How do you disgust me and enthrall me in the matter of 3 minutes ", I roll my eyes and pushed myself back into his lap.
" We seriously do need to talk about this collar ", I urge.
" We have time. No rush ", he excuses. As soon as I protest there's a ring at our doorbell. I groan in annoyance. We'd never get around to it.
" Delivery for U-Udaku ? ", a Thai man held a box at our door.
" Yes. Thankyou ", T'Challa pulls the box from the man and sets it down on the floor.
" What is this ? ", I watch him open the box and pull out life jackets.
" We're going jet skiing ", he grinned.
Jet skiing while clinging to my husband wasn't half bad. Jet skiing by myself however, was kind of scary. I got the hang of it over time. We stayed at the beach for about three hours until we worked up an appetite for lunch. They had a chain of restaurants scattering the beach so I threw on my cover up skirt, sun hat, and my shades to grab a bite to eat. We agreed on authentic pad thai before we went home. Coincidentally we were once again stopped by Megan and Ryan. It was getting creepy at this point. They somehow got us to finish our lunch with them and that's how I found out more about who they were.
" I run a child care center and Ryan is a heart surgeon. We're from Philly trying to take a break from the cold weather up there ", she seemed so excited to talk to me. I'd have to admit that she was pretty sweet when she wasn't asking me about my background, or my hair or my accent. Deep down maybe Meg just wanted a friend. Kinda like...me ?
" That's very nice ", I took a sip of my Arnold Palmer.
" What do you guys do ? ", Ryan and meg looked between us both. The last time we told people we were royalty we were laughed at.
" Look buddy, you seem kinda familiar. You sure you aren't a celebrity ? ", Ryan looked over his beer bottle squinting at T'Challa. T'Challa being the Capricorn he was, he'd barely spoken this entire time. I rest my hand around his arm.
" We are -", before he can answer Megan chirps up.
" Oh my stars ! You're that Prince ! ", Meg exclaimed.
" Oh right ! You're Prince of Wakanda. Sorry for your loss man...", Ryan looked at T'Challa with a sad expression. To the outside world Wakanda was a country of farmers who didn't have much to contribute. They'd seen T'Challa and his father on the news before especially when T'Chaka went to world leader meetings. To the outside world we didn't amount to much. They thought our country was poor and insignificant. They didn't hold the royalty in Africa as high of regard as a Queen Elizabeth.
" King...Of Wakanda ", he corrected them quietly.
" Wow...I cant believe I'm talking to a Queen ", Megan gushed.
" We've never met royalty before ", said Ryan.
" and you never will again ", T'Challa grumbled. Ryan and Meg were too busy talking that they didn't hear him correctly.
" I didn't hear ya. Say that again bud ? ", Ryan leaned in closer.
" He said, and we're just like anybody else. We're just here to have a nice vacation ", I chuckled nervously, slightly elbowing T.
" Right. I mean I'm sure life is pretty hectic and busy for you guys. We relate, running a business is not easy at all. It's hard being the boss. So Harper ? How old did you say you were again ? ", she asks.
" I'm 19...I'll be 20 this year ", I smile politely.
" No way. You're just a babe ! I'm 29. I don't why I thought you were older. It's not like you look it, you actually look pretty young. Your skin is amazing. What do you use ? ", Meg has once again asked me about my skin. For the 5th...time.
" Soap...water and Shea butter ", I chuckle.
" How about you ? ", Ryan sparked up convo with T'Challa yet again. I kick him under the table.
" 24 ", T'Challa cleared his throat trying to seem into the conversation.
" 25 soon. Your birthday is coming up ", I lean into his side and look up at him. He shoots me a half grin. He knew I wanted to do something special for his birthday.
" So you've two got an age gap huh ? Wow. I never met a couple with the same age gap as us. I'm 29 and Ryan's 34 ", said meg. They both looked to be in their thirties anyway.
" Yeah. We've know each other since we were kids. We were friends as children. I met him when I was about 4 years old ", I chuckled thinking back to the memory. Meg thought it was adorable not realizing we were arranged.
After late lunch with the O'Neal's, we returned home. We both immediately crashed on the couch. I sigh in exhaustion from this afternoons activities. We wined down with showers to wash off the sea water.
T'Challa's Pov*
" Help me wash my hair ? ", she turned around, ringlets clinging to her syrup complexion.
" Sure ", I grabbed the shampoo bottle from her and poured it into her hair. After I got a good amount into her curls, her head titled back slightly even though I was taller than her. I worked the shampoo into her hair slowly as my fingers seeped into her scalp. She had such long hair, so it took some time to get it evenly coated. Coiled it came to the middle of her back and stretch it almost came to her waist.
" That was strange huh ? ", she said.
" What was ? ", I ask.
" Them finding out you're a King. Think it's too risky to hang with them now ? ", She asks.
" There's not much they can do with my abilities and all. I'll sense an attack before it even happens. Nobody touches the Queen, first and foremost ", he chuckled. She seemed to be putty in my hands. I noticed she loved to be rubbed wether it be massaged, a stroke on the back or in this case, a hair wash.
" Today's interaction weirded me out. I don't know why I felt so strange telling them our ages. I guess I never really thought about it ", she winced. I stop lathering her hair before resuming.
" Our age difference bothers you ? ", I ask cautiously.
" Not really. I mean we are both adults. I guess when I think back to me being 4 and you being 9 it puts things into perspective. 4 year olds and 9 year olds are completely different developmental wise ", she observed.
" So you're saying that me and you are are two different points in our life, mentally ? ", I try to better gauge what she means.
" In a sense. You don't think I'm immature ? Not even in the slightest ? ", she asks. I take a minute to think.
" You're playful but it's not obnoxious, it's endearing. It's not too much. In fact it's rare that you're playful at all. After being away from you for nine months I still find myself learning about you everyday. I'd say you're pretty mature for your age but you still have an innocence about you. Your upbringing made you that way. You're not very playful unless I pull it out of you. When it comes to us together I think we are pretty mildly tempered with each other. We always have been ", I observe.
" I'm immature on the inside ", she chuckled.
" Oh I bet ", I smiled.
" I guess I just know how to put a filter over myself. You on the other hand...you're always so controlled. You always know what to say...what to do. Just like a Capricorn I guess ", she observed.
" This western astrology thing you're into....how do you even know about that if you spent your whole life in Cai ? ", I question.
" Every now and then Baba would bring back books for me to read. One day he brought back a book on astrology and that's when I found out I'm a Pisces and you are....a Capricorn ", she sighed as I washed the shampoo from her hair.
" What's a Pisces like ? ", I test her. After getting the soap out she insists that she'll add a leave in conditioner. We spray off and step out of the shower. Her coils dripped water down to her plump backside from the tips of them. I didn't give it the attention I should have. She caught me staring in the mirror and then shyly wrapped the robe around herself.
" Well...from what I read I'm compassionate, intuitive, artistic, gentle, romantic. I also love water which makes sense because the sign is represented by the fish. Apparently Pisces people are suppose to be very expressive and I am to those that I love. If I'm not comfortable to do it then I won't. On the inside I'm raging though ", she chuckled.
" I can see that, especially with the water part. You remind me of water ", I dry my hair off with a towel.
" You on the other hand, you're represented by the goat. Capricorn's are practical, reliable, sometimes a bit stoic around those they don't know. They are hard workers, dominant, patient, and ambitious. They always reach their goals and they are the most monogamous out of the zodiac signs so it seems I've won the jackpot. Of course not all Capricorn's are loyal but the ones who have their shit together...they can be. I think you have your shit together ", she laughed. Her smile lit up the room.
" Do Capricorn's and Pisces go together ? ", I ask.
" Yes but in a ying yang type of way. They compliment each other and make up for what the other is lacking ", I watched her detangle her hair with her leave in conditioner.
" So what about the people around us. What are their signs like ? ", I become more and more interested.
" Romanda is Virgo, Erik is a Gemini, Shuri is a Leo, Okoye is a Sagittarius, Ayo is a Scorpio. Virgo is also practical, hard working, extremely reliable friends but sometimes judgmental. They like the finer things in life and they tend to be perfectionist. They are also really earthy which explains Romanda's love for planting. Erik is a Gemini. Gemini's are said to have two sides. They can easily change their minds. Their adaptable, curious & open minded. They love to have fun. They have a bit of a crazy side which explains Erik. Shuri is a Leo. She's confident in herself, she loves to look presentable, Leo's are also extremely loyal, their natural born leaders as well. They are consistent with what they do and are goal oriented. I don't know much about Okoye and Ayo just yet. Okoye is a Sagittarius and Ayo is a Scorpio. I do know that Sagittarius people are usually described as calculated, generous, idealistic, witty with a great sense of humor. Scorpios are resourceful, brave, passionate, and honest", she concludes.
" And Baba ? ", I add. She looks at me sadly and smiles.
" He was definitely a Taurus. He loved to indulge. Taurus's love to indulge and have fun. Taurus people can be stubborn in their ways but they are extremely responsible. When they find someone they care about they never let them go...kinda like Virgo. Virgos and Taurus's are similar when it comes to love and loyalty. It takes a lot for them to give up on someone. They can also be overprotective and down to earth as well. Taurus is my favorite sign ", she laughed. She was right about that when it came to my father.
It took her awhile to detangle her hair but when she was finished she threw on her clothes and we made our way down to dock attached to our vacation home. Thankfully the dock had a bed overlooking the water. It made you feel like you were floating on it which was a cool effect-especially to Harper.
" Can I ask you something ? ", her head rested on my chest as we stared out into the water. The sun would start to set soon.
" Mmm ? ", I rubbed small circles into her gorgeous skin. Her big crystal eyes looked up at me. They were extremely animated and despite their icyness they had warmth to them.
" Is it wrong for me to dislike Nakia now ? ", she asks honestly. My smooth patterns stop. I take time to answer the question.
" Hmm....seeing as she clearly didn't like you first I'd have to say no ", I answer carefully.
" I find myself jealous of her ", she muttered. I inhaled sharply.
" Why ? ", I said.
" Because she's independent. She's brave and fearless. She usually comes and goes as she pleases. She does all the things I wish I could do. Now I have these powers but I can't use them to their full potential. I can pull the water out of people lungs ? Yet I'm confined to stay safe because of my status. Don't get me wrong I love the respect that comes with being a Queen but it's a lot of responsibility sometimes. Nakia just has a part of you that I feel I don't. Not because you love her but because she knows you. I didn't grow up with you all the time. There's things about you that she probably knows like the back of her hand. To top it all off we get separated for nine months and that causes an even bigger rift in between us ", she admits.
" I bet she wants to be like you in a way as well. I bet you both have qualities you wouldn't mind having from one another. I'll tell you this much, the very things you said about Nakia are some of the very things we clashed about. Yes I admired her strength but I couldn't tie her down. She was always on the move. She wanted the benefits of me but she also wanted to experience life outside of me. I started to realize she liked the idea of me more than she liked me. She wanted her cake and to eat it too. I found myself chasing after her and after awhile I got tired of running. She couldn't make up her mind and that's when I realized our feelings weren't completely mutual. She liked the thrill of being with a prince but she didn't want to spend the rest of her days being tied to one. I think the tension you're feeling is her seeing the life she could have had. Not necessarily the love she was missing out on. I think she wanted the power most of all. The marriage was just a bonus...the love came second maybe even third. The moment I laid eyes on you, you shocked me before you even had powers. It was like a surge of warmth. A static...we share ", I aligned the tips of her fingers with mine. I felt the static come off her hands due to her high emotion.
" It intensified when you came to Wakanda to stay for good. That's when I realized that you could be around someone your whole life and still be so far away. I met you and I made a soul tie. Every part of me...it's yours Harper. Tell me...have you ever met someone pure ? ", I ask her. She looked at me strangely and shook her head.
" It is the most shell shocking feeling. Your energy was like home. You were like a magnet now more than ever. You weren't something to be conquered or something to be tamed. The beauty of you is your freedom. To dim your light would only hurt me. When I looked at you I felt like I was looking at myself. When I looked at you I saw my life. The rest of my life and so on...", I brought her knuckles to my lips and kissed them. She seemed to be at a loss for words as she stared at me like I was the most other worldly creature. I knew then that I would find a way for Harper to use her powers. It was what she wanted most.
" That's how I know twin flames are real ", I mumbled.
She lifted her head off of me and brought her soft full lips to mine. Our kiss got heavier with each swipe of our tongues. She pulled away and I trapped her beneath me. With her hands to each side of my face she rests her forehead against mine.
" Ndiyakudinga kakhulu ", she whispered.
" Ndiyakuthanda ", she added.
( I need you, I love you )
When she spoke to me in Xhosa my heart jumped. I resumed our kiss and moments later we found ourselves stripping right back out of the clothes we put on. The next thing I knew I was in between her thighs. It was easy to get carried away with her. As I pushed into her rhythmically I watched her curls bounce around the pillows, her eyes flutter with delight and her plump mouth releases the most beautiful whimpers and cries. How could someone be so beautiful ? So graceful ? It was like making love to moving art.
Every now and then I found myself leaning down to taste her mouth. I loved her mouth. I loved her. Her back arched into me exposing her full breasts and beautiful chocolate nipples. How could I resist? I brung my mouth down to one as I pushed her further towards the edge. Nothing in this world could compare to watching her climax. The way my name ripped past her lips, the way her body tensed up, the way her legs pulled me in. I loved it so much I made her do it again and again and again. I had a way of holding myself off just to watch her come undone. I knew just when she had enough and I released inside her.
Harper was the type of woman who could drain ten years of stress out of man. The type of women who made you forget your problems. The type of women that you could cling to without fear of judgment. She wouldn't push you away. She was the type of women that I lusted after. The type of woman who I wanted to have my children. A dream she was. I made love to my dream. And as I watched her pant into the dark room, a light sheen of sweat coating her beautiful warm complexion, hair sprawled out around her...I grinned. It was always funny how we could have a perfectly normal conversation one minute and then be making love the next. She was magnetic and seductive without even trying.
We didn't exchange any words after what happened took place. Everything we wanted to say we expressed through our bodies just now. I watched her fall asleep next to me. I pulled the covers over her naked body and sat up on the side of the bed. Each night I scrolled through my to do items. I usually was able to take care of business from away and anything urgent I was able to hold off. I returned emails and set up appointments as well.
I found myself scrolling through pictures I had taken on my Kimoyo bracelet. They were mostly pictures of Harper during our vacation or her and I in bed. Suddenly the last picture of Baba and myself came up. This was the last picture we had taken together around the time Harper first had come. He was in his house attire with his glasses on, looking at the camera suspiciously. I smiled.
I smiled knowing my father was okay...somewhere out there. He was at peace and away from the chaos of the world. Now I moved on in my grief faster than I thought I would and I owed it all to Harper. Her calming energy pulled me through. I wanted to do something special for her tonight. Something that she'd remember.
A nice diner on our balcony, a live orchestra and desert as always. I wanted to do something extra special to close out our 4th night in Thailand. Harper was classically trained in piano, violin, the saxophone, the clarinet and the french horne since the age of 4. I knew her love for music but she never seemed to express it. She actually enjoyed classical music as it helped her concentrate. What better way than to surprise her with something she loved most ? Music.
Harper pov*
I woke up to the sound of distant music. I figured that maybe T'Challa had the television on in the living room or maybe he made was playing music. This didn't sound like his type of music. In fact this sounded like my favorite classical piece. Sibelius- Andante Festivo. It was one of my favorite melodies.
I grabbed my robe and made my way up the staircase not thinking to check down stairs. That's when I reached the balcony overlooking the living room. In the middle of our living room there sat an entire orchestra. While the other players sat and watched the entire violin section played festivo. I gasped, hands cupping my mouth as they played it from beginning to end. They sounded wonderful, not a single slip up or mistake. I found myself getting emotional as I felt T'Challa walk up behind me.
When the song finished out I turned to him incredibly. I became distracted again when another of my favorites started playing. Brahms: symphony 1 andante sostenuto. Mid way it transitioned to Ralph Vaughn Williams- The five variants of dives and Lazarus.
" How did you do all this ? ", I was at a loss for words watching the orchestra pack up. After all my crying and hugging him he finally explained that he made the reservations for the band a week in advance. He already knew my playlist and what I listened to the most in each genre. What kind of man paid so much attention to detail other than a perfect one ?
" This was beautiful. Thankyou ", I pressed my mouth against him and I smell food.
" You called the chefs over too ? ", I got excited and my stomach was already growling.
" I figured we could have a nice dinner on the balcony tonight since we don't have plans. Maybe in the morning we can visit the mall. I'm hoping we don't run into Megan and Ryan ", he chuckled.
Minutes later there I was. In a silk pink robe on the balcony of our Thailand vacation home, overlooking the beach on a candle light dinner. The only thing that could have made the night better was chocolate cake...which he had made for us.
Dinner was spent mostly talking about the past. T shared stories of his childhood or stories about his birth mother. I talked about my never ending slap battle with my brother that ended horribly. He seemed to think that one was funny. We'd connected in a different level tonight following me expressing that I felt I didn't know everything about him. He was trying his best to be open. His willingness to share made me feel extra special. When we closed out the night I hadn't expected anymore surprises at all. Knowing T'Challa, last night couldn't have been it. I woke up to a living room full of pink roses and a delicious breakfast. Was he always this romantic ? He'd already gifted me with this trip and now he was just spoiling me. After many kisses and thankyou's we headed to the shopping mall.
I stacked up on shoes, specifically designer heels. T'Challa bought a couple watches for himself and a pair of shades that he liked. When we decided to grab something to eat at the mall, we saw Meg and Ryan ahead of us and we walked the other way. No way we were going on that yacht. We just wanted alone time.
A full day of shopping tired us out. T'Challa cooked dinner and we watched some more grey's anatomy in the bedroom until we fell asleep. For some reason I couldn't sleep tonight. I didn't know if it was the time change or maybe just my mind. I watched T sleep soundlessly with his big arm thrown over me. My Kimoyo bead light up from a message from Romanda telling us to continue to be safe.
I didn't know why the urge came or why I even thought about it but for some reason I got a surge of courage. I didn't want to return home and feel that same tension between Nakia and myself again. Tonight I'd end it once and for all.
I pressed the call button under her contact that I had strictly for emergency. To my surprise she picked up.....
End of chapter 20
;)