Leaning back against his seat, Darrin ran his hand over his head and sighed heavily. He decided to stay home and work since he had a lot of work to do and he'd rather do it at home. He knew that the workers would be able to work on their own without him there since he did it often. He stared at the multiple contracts that he finished going over.
"I need a break," He sighed and pulled his phone out. He had to tuck his phone away and place the ringer off so that he was able to focus. He got distracted easily, it'd been like that since he was a child. He could never stay in one place nor could he pay attention for too long.
His eyes lit up with happiness as he pressed the home button on his phone and his wallpaper appeared. He smiled at the picture of him and Rosé together smiling for the camera as Jennifer took the picture. His daughter was his everything and it sucked for him that he couldn't understand her lately. He knew that he was in the third grade and she was growing to the ages where she was more secretive, but he still couldn't figure her out.
He thought that asking once was going to get her to open up to him. He never had the talk with her. The talk where he explained that he was her parent, but he was also someone that she could speak to about anything. He thought whatever she was going through was just a phase, so he never questioned it further.
He didn't question her when she'd grumpily get to the car after school without any words about how school was. She just hugged him tightly, hoping that he'd never let go of her.
He didn't question it when he noticed that she didn't have friends- the friends she only had were the kids he set her up with through family friends- and believed that she didn't because she wasn't social.
After raising Rosé alone since she was one years old, he still didn't give her the talk, which made her feel like he was just too busy to care.
Darrin was going about parenting as if he was going through everything easy in his life. He was "going with the flow." He hated the fact that it wasn't enough for her, because he could see that what he was doing wasn't enough. He saw it and decided to apply his emotions into his work and gain the money to give her whatever she desired.
He continued to look at her beautiful face and chuckled to himself. She reminded him so much of her mother. She was quiet like her mother and never said much, but her presence was always loud. She was soft spoken, but she was so sassy and spunky.
She was his little light and all he wanted to give her was happiness.
The sound of the doorbell ringing from downstairs caused his head to shoot up. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he stood up from his sea and headed down the steps. He didn't expect any company and knew that it couldn't have been Rosé when his mother was picking her up from school and taking her two her dance class.
"I'm coming damn." He mumbled as he heard the doorbell ring three more times. "Fuck is what wrong with them?"
Swiftly, he opened the door and looked down at the woman across from him. He smirked and looked at her knowingly.
"Darrin," She smirked and entered the house.
He shut the door behind her and looked over at her. She slipped out of her shoes and stood in front of him in.a tight dress. It was so tight you could see all her curves. "What are you doing here, Michelle?"
"You knew I was going to come here," Michelle rolled her eyes. She spent the entire morning sending him nude pictures and just he thought of him handling her thoroughly made her drop everything she was doing and head over to his house. And she knew that she wasn't going to regret it.
"I missed you." She pouted and neared him. Her arms wrapped around his neck as he held her in his arms. Her legs wrapped around his waist as he carried her to his bedroom and placed her onto the bed.
Instantly, her lips latched onto his feverishly. He held her hips and pulled her higher as he tongued her. She moaned into his mouth and closed her eyes softly, her hands making it way down to his basketball shorts. He groaned as her hands rubbed against his hard on as she kissed down his neck.
This was something that he'd been craving for a week. All his days were stressful and filled with tension. He just wanted some type of release, and what better way than sex?
His hands gripped onto her rear as he pushed her hair away from her face. She tore his shirt off and smirked as she licked down his body and stopped at the top of his shorts.
"I missed you so much," Michelle whimpered. She pulled his shorts down, her eyes widening at the view of what she called her favourite drug. It was long, thick and just the right tone. She loved feeling how hard he was and his veins on her tongue.
Although he didn't give head to her, she loved giving it to him regardless. Looking up at him seductively, she wrapped her hand around his member and moved her hand according to his liking.
Slowly and sensually, Michelle licked around his top and sucked on it as if it were a lollipop. She smiled at the feel of his hands caressing her hair as she continued. He groaned and threw his head back.
"Fuck."
"You like that?" She smirked and licked him from the base to the top before she swallowed him.
Darrin felt himself coming to his climax and pulled her away. He lifted her up as if she weighed nothing and laid her onto the bed. He began to grab a condom from the nearest lamp dresser when he heard the sound of a door slamming shut.
Abruptly, he looked up and froze.
"What?" Michelle breathed heavily below him.
Darrin ignored her words and rolled off of her. He slipped on clean boxers and looked out of the window.
"What is it?"
"She's here." He rummaged around and grabbed his sweatpants. He threw her shirt towards her as she got her hair together.
Michelle looked at him in confusion and pouted. She hoped that he wasn't referring to any girlfriend that he had. The last thing she wanted was to have sex with someone that was in a relationship.
"My mother and my daughter..." He looked back at Michelle and cursed to himself. This wasn't the time for Michelle and Rosé to officially meet, especially when they weren't in a relationship. Rosé didn't seem to like the previous women she'd caught around the house or on video call with her father.
Darrin was a bit nervous.
"You gotta go."
"Are you serious?"
Darrin sighed heavily, hearing the doorbell ring. "You gotta go and be brief. You know how I am with my daughter and you know how she is."
Michelle nodded and rolled her eyes. She couldn't believe she didn't get her nut, but it was somewhat understandable to her.
She slipped out of the bed and followed him down the steps. Darrin headed towards the door and opened it.
"Daddy!" Rosé squealed and jumped into his arms. She dropped her stick onto the floor and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her smile widened as he hugged her tightly and kissed her forehead.
"How was dance and school?"
"Dance was fun. We learned ballet."
"That's great! Maybe you can show me some moves after you're done your homework."
"I'd love to," She slipped out of his arms and felt Jennifer hand her son her backpack and her dance bag.
Darrin tried his best to make sure that extra curricular activities were incorporated into her everyday life. He wanted her to pick whatever she wanted and do lessons for a balance in her life. A way to relieve stress and be more active.
A way for her to feel normal.
"Ma, I thought you were gonna stay?" Darrin frowned. She usually stayed over whenever he couldn't pick Rosé up and she had to. She'd stay over and cook them a meal.
"I'd rather not," She gave him a small smile and looked back at Michelle. She'd told him multiple times and he just didn't listen.
"Bye, Afia."
"Bye, grandma."
Darrin slowly closed the door and arches as Michelle placed her purse over her shoulder and headed towards the door.
"Daddy, what's that smell? Smells like vanilla." She sniffed around.
"Hi, Rosé."
"Who are you?"
"Michelle."
Rosé frowned. "Oh."
She'd heard Michelle's name and her voice around all the time.
"How are you?"
"I'm good, how are you?" She asked plainly.
"Great," Michelle looked at Darrin and smiled awkwardly. "Well, I should be on my way, bye."
"Later," Darrin nodded and held the door open for her.
Rosé rolled her eyes and walked into the kitchen. She plopped onto the island chair and reached it to search for the fruit that her father usually left for her.
"Did you wash your hands?"
"Sorry."
"It's okay. Just remember to wash your hands whenever you get home from outside."
He watched as she jumped out of her seat and frowned. "Rosé, be careful!"
"I am."
"Nah, you just jumped down like you crazy or something."
Rosé giggled wand headed towards the powder room. Once she was done washing her hands, she plopped back into her seat and reached her hand out.
"Guess what fruit it is."
Darrin smirked as she felt the tip and smiled. Running her hands over the fruit, she gasped.
"It's a banana."
"Correct."
Happily, she peeled the banana and took a small bite. Her fingers tapped against the counter as her smile slowly dropped. A frown was replaced and she was no longer in a happy mood.
Darrin grabbed her lunch bag out of her backpack and began cleaning it out. He looked up at Rosé and noticed her hard expression.
"What's wrong, baby?"
"Is Michelle your girlfriend, daddy?"
"No."
Although they were messing around for awhile, they weren't dating and he didn't think they ever would.
"Good."
Darrin chuckled and leaned onto the counter. He pushed a loose curl behind her ear. "What do you mean 'no?' You wouldn't want her to be my girlfriend."
"No, she's not the one for you." She shrugged. "I like you when you're single."
Darrin threw his head back and laughed loudly. His daughter was a trip.
"So, you get all the attention?"
"Yes, sir," Rosé smirked. She was such a daddy's girl. She had no choice but to be.
Darrin chuckled and wrapped his arms around her. "Don't worry you'll always get my attention."
The room was filled with silence as Rosé thought deeply. She thought about the woman that she'd been thinking about for years. Every single day. The woman that'd been absent from her life since she was at the age of one.
Rosé's eyebrows furrowed. "Daddy?"
"Yeah?"
"Where's my mom?"
Her hand traces over his arm where he described every single tattoo he had on his arms, including the one with her name and a beautiful rose that was losing petals that were turning into stars.
Darrin looked down at her and sighed heavily. This was something that she asked her father every year and he always gave her the run around. He didn't want to tell her because it just made him angry all over again.
Jade was the love of his life and he knew that he loved her in high school. They had met at a gathering for an African Pride event, as she was Liberian and Guyanese.They dated for years until Jada got pregnant in their early years of college. They were nineteen and she just wasn't ready. She wanted to travel the world and study abroad, so she got up and left after Rosé was able to walk. She left and he hadn't seen her since.
It left Darrin livid and ever since then he held negative emotions towards her. How could you just up and leave your child like that?
How could she just leave him like that?
At almost twenty one years old he began raising a child on his own. Of course he had his family to help him, but they were there when he had to take care of Rosé when she was screaming at the top of her lungs at night. They weren't there when she was sick and he had to take days off of work to tend to her, then being behind on bills. They weren't there when he found out that Rosé was blind and everything changed.
"She's out there somewhere, I don't know."
"What If she's dead?"
She's dead to me, he thought.
He shrugged. "I don't know, Rosé, but I know that she loves you."
"Okay."
Darrin looked around the room and sighed. He could feel his blood boiling just the thought of her. "How about you go and get your bubble bath together and wash up?"
"Okay, let's go." She felt around his arms and jumped into them causing him to laugh. She was always the medicine for him. She always made him feel better.
-
"Goodnight, I love you."
"I love you, too," Rosé smiled and watched as her father walked out of the room.
She sat up in her bed and listened up for the door closing. Once she successfully heard it, she slipped out of her bed and grabbed her stick. Carefully, she walked out of her room and counted her steps towards continued towards the stairs. She carefully walked down as slowly as she could and jumped down the last stair.
Her small feet pattered onto the tile floor as she walked to the cupboards and felt around.
"Ziploc bag," She mumbled repeatedly.
Finally, she stuck her hand in and stuck her hand in the box. Her father had explained where everything was for her and he didn't change things around without notifying her. Just for her safety and knowledge.
Rosé emptied a couple of ice cubes into the bag and zipped it up. Wincing in pain, she lifted her shirt and pressed the bag onto her bruised ribs.
"Ahh," She winced once again.
She wouldn't tell her father.
Oh no, she wouldn't dare.
Not when she felt that he didn't care and that he was so busy, he wouldn't do a thing about it.
It was a secret that she was going to keep to herself until it stopped.
_________________________
I decided to drop an update for you guys.
discussion: what do you guys think? thoughts on Darrin? Darrin and Jade's history? thoughts on Rosé? do you guys like Michelle? thoughts on the last scene?
if you'd like to read more of my content when im not updating, you can purchase the full version of Agape & Home on amazon. the links are in my bio. I also have an imagine and short story book called; Colours Of Imagination.
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love you all!