She didn't know how long it's been since she stepped into the tattoo shop, but she knew she had missed it a lot. She missed seeing the same annoying people every day, and as a manager, she should've been more responsible.
"Where the hell you been?" Honey asked with a scowl on her face; she looked like she was ten seconds away from telling at Yun.
"I've been at home and therapy," Yun shrugged with a calm look on her face, her eyes searching for Matthew as she looked passed everyone else.
When Yun's eyes finally fell on Matthews, her body moved on its own as she closed the space between them. Her hands came up as they cupped the back of his neck and pulled him down into a guilty hug.
"I'm sorry," she whispered as she held onto him for a few more seconds. She had made him feel like crap, pushed his buttons, and then made him feel like his feelings didn't matter.
Matthew wrapped his arms around the small of her back as he accepted her embrace and apologies. "I'm sorry too," He apologized even when he didn't do anything wrong, but he wanted to take this step with Yun as well.
They finally pulled back, but their eyes never left each other. Yun cleared her throat before yet looking away; she had forgotten why she came in the first place...other than to work and to tell everyone to get ready for the trip that would be taking place in a week.
"Uhm, I would like to talk to everyone for a second." Yun waited for everyone to get comfortable on the couches before she started to speak again.
Saffron had told Yun that if she wanted to relieve some of the stress she was holding in, she would have to speak up and let people in. "So first things first, I don't want there to be any secrets between us because I want you all to trust me. My name is Yun Nolan, but three years ago, my name was Azuri, the heir to Nolan Enterprises. I'm an ex-convict, or a felon, whatever floats yall boat. I went to jail for attempted murder, though it sounds a lot more serious than it was because clearly, my father is still alive."
Yun's eyebrows scrunched up together as she began to think, "That seems to be all; any question?" She tried to smile, but it only ended up coming out awkward as she wasn't sure how they would take it.
It was quiet for a moment as Kehalani, Heaven, and Tiffany began to take Yun's words in. Everyone else knew half it, but Aliana, who was still on maternity leave, missed all the tea.
"Well, there's no point in overthinking on the past," Tiffany shrugged with an unimpressed look. "I'm glad you told us, but it's not going to make me stop trusting you. All this did was help me understand you a lot better."
"Ion know, sounds a lil shady to me, like she searched us up but kept all these secrets from us," Heaven said with her arms crossed. Heaven was already as secretive as Yun, so that only made Yun narrow her eyes at her.
"Chile, anyways, Heaven, we don't know too much about your life either, so let's not jump the gun." Kehlani rolled her eyes before she got back on topic. "I'm not surprised, I guess you can say I had a sneaking suspicion about who you were. I didn't want to go digging into your life, but I figured you must have been a person of 'status' just from the way you hold yourself."
Yun smiled at Kehlani's words; her aura had nothing to do with her social class. It came from her ego. Yun liked to believe she held herself with a particular dignity that not everyone could exude.
"Oh, and have yall stuff packed and ready because we leave next week," Yun said as her eyes searched around for the only person who could make her feel something remotely close to love. But her eyes came up short, and she let out an irritated sigh.
"She's not here, Nalani, went to visit her mother and spend time with her family." Honey nodded then went back to taking phone calls and setting up appointments.
"Hmm, I see," Yun mumbled to herself as she heads to hers and Matthew's office.
Matthew and Yun walked side-by-side quietly into their shared office and sat down at the desks beside each other. Neither dared to take a look at each other as they stared ahead at the door, almost expecting someone to come in and talk to them. The air thickened with tension and unsaid words. It was like a snake wrapping itself around their throat, slowly cutting off their air supply and suffocating them.
"I miss you and Adonis," Yun noted as she kept her gaze downwards; she wasn't ready to look Matthew in the eyes.
"Adonis misses you too. He constantly asks for you." Matthew began typing on his computer while Yun busied herself signing papers and planning the schedule to fit around their trip.
"What about you, do you miss me?" Yun finally looked over to Matthew to see him looking at her, both of their eyes swimming with ambiguous words. "I know I was pissy towards you, but I was just upset is all. Everything I said was uncalled for and shouldn't have been said either way."
Yun said what she thought Matthew wanted to hear, she knew what she said was wrong, but a part of didn't care. That scared her the most...her weak conscience scaring away the people she was starting to care about.
"Of course, I miss you like crazy, but I don't like it when you push me away. Don't disregard my feelings for you when I'm only trying to help you." Matthew's lips formed into a thin line as he spoke guardedly.
"I'll be more open with you, I'll listen to you more, but please don't give up on me just yet." That would genuinely be her breaking point; having Matthew give up on her would be the heart-shattering trigger for her.
"I won't, you can't get rid of me that easily." Matthew smiled with a roll of his eye.
They both went back to quietly finishing up work. Sania came into the office and comfortably laid herself across Yun's desk with her legs in the air. Her golden-brown legs covered and hidden underneath black, addidas sweat pants.
"Ny mamas, get off my desk. I swear you act more and more like an animal every day." Yun muttered the last part, knowing it wasn't polite, and that Sania would no doubt reprimand her.
"You said something smart?" Sania said with a raised eyebrow, daring Yun to repeat herself so that she could throw her shoes at Yun again.
"No ma'am," Yun replied as Matthew laughed at how in check Sania had Yun.
"I was just coming in to tell you that your father would like to talk to you, pooh." Sania watch Yun, she wasn't sure what to expect, but Yun didn't make any sudden movements.
"Okay, I'll call him right now. Thank you, Ny." Yun spoke as politely as her voice would let her. She picked up her phone without hesitating and called Aalia.
"What?" She heard Aalia reply curtly as if she was already in a bad mood.
"Lose the attitude, my love," Yun smiled at the growl on the other end of the phone.
"Azuri, how can I help you, my beautiful revenge filled client?" Aalia's lousy mood was evident with each sigh and exaggerated word.
"First of all, what's wrong? Second, did something happen with my dad?" Yun saw Sania, and Matthew cast her confused looks as she sat on the phone with someone other than her father.
"June messed up bad today, something I cant speak about over the phone. The other matter, no, everything has been going according to plan." Yun knew she couldn't keep Aalia on the line for long, especially with how angry she was at the moment.
"Well, next time I come to see you, I'll be sure to talk to you about it. Thank you, I'm going to go see my father soon and handle things in person when I get back from South Korea." As soon as Yun heard an okay, she hung up the phone and then dialed her father's number.
"Papa?" Yun put on an innocent tone as she rolled her eyes as Sania and Matthews mocking ways.
"Azuri, baby, how have you been? I haven't heard from you in a week." He responded back softly; it almost made Yun smile. Almost.
"I know, I've been seeing a therapist, so I've been kind of busy. Sorry I didn't tell you, papa."
"That's fine, I'm glad you're getting the necessary help that you need. I was just calling to check up on you, I missed my daughter." He almost sounded genuine in Yun's ears.
"Yes, I'm getting help. Thank you for checking up on me, papa, I miss you too, but I'm at work right now, so I will have to call you later."
"Sure, call me later." He almost sounded disappointed at the fact that they had to hang up. But that didn't stop Yun from hanging up before he could say anymore.
~•~
Yun sat in her car for a moment outside of her house, not really paying attention to her surroundings as she held her ringing phone to her ear. She was planning on stopping by the house for a minute before she went to check on Nalani.
"Hello?" Cato's voice made Yun's body relax. She had no idea she was on edge.
"It's me, Yun," She took a deep breath as she listened to him let out a sigh.
"Sorry I've been awol lately; I've been taking up more shifts at the hospital. Can I help you with something?"
"I hate you like I really don't like you. Before you say anything, let me talk and get what I have to say off my chest. I hate you for sharing the same mother as me. I loved her, but she was leaving me to go and see you on the day she died. I hate you for knowing that you were my twin and then withheld that information from me. But I also hate myself for being childish and saying this type of ignorant shit to you." Yun hadn't expected to say everything she had said, but somehow it felt good to let some secrets go.
"I was only waiting for you to come to me when you were ready. I never meant to make you hate me, but she was my mother too. And for the record, I hate you too, muh-fucka. She gave me up but had the nerve to keep your cry baby ass." Cato's words had made Yun laugh, and it wasn't forced.
"I would really like to get to know you, I want to get to know my older brother." Yun had never had a sibling, and now that she finally got one, she didn't want to let him go.
"Let's meet up sometime this week, but I have to get back to work." She could practically hear Cato's smile as he said that.
"Alright, I'll call you with details." Yun hung up before placing her phone in her pocket and exiting her car.
As she near the door to her house, she was stopped by a familiar voice, one Yun hadn't thought she'd hear again.
"Yu-Yu, I'm here." Aya spoke with a chipper voice dragging out the word 'here.'
"What are you doing here? Did you just get out?" Yun questioned as she unlocked her door. Aya was someone she met in juvie, a younger girl who Yun took under her wing.
"Yes, I just got out, and you told me that if I needed a place to stay, I could always stay with you." That was something Yun said.
"Yes, I did say that. Well, here you are," Yun forced a smile as she welcomed Aya into her home.
Aya may have looked sweet and innocent, but she was sent to juvie for a serious offense. Her light skin tone adorned by freckles only helped create her innocent look.
"I missed you, Yu-Yu, thank you again for letting me stay here." She flipped her unruly brown curls to the side as her dark brown eyes found mine. "And while I'm here, I will be going back to high school, when it starts, to finish out my senior year, so don't worry." Aya was only eighteen but knew she would have to get her diploma.
"Yes, well, get comfortable, I do have to go somewhere, though, but I'll be back to make dinner." Yun made a move to leave out again, having wasted the little time she had. "Oh, and, if anything in my house goes missing, I will happily track you down and kill your little ass. Don't fuck around." Yun smiled at her one last time, seeing her gulp, and left out.
Yun walked up to Nalani's door, hesitating as he hand hovered over the door. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door three times, the sound echoing loudly in the quiet air.
She waited a few more minutes, knocking again, she heard footsteps behind the door, but they stopped there. "Baby, I know you're there, open the door for me, love," Yun spoke softly as she rested her forehead against the door. Yun felt this vulnerable feeling in her stomach like something was stripping her of her armor.
A couple more minutes later and Nalani was yet to open the door or move from her position behind it. "Did I do something to make you upset with me?" Yun asked as she chewed on the inside of her cheek, a nervous condition she picked up on while in jail.
As the lock was being unlocked, Yun's head popped up, and she looked at the door expectantly. The door opened slowly, the seconds ticking by moderately as Nalani's bloodshot hazel eyes stared holes into Yun.
"What do you want? Clearly, I don't want to see you or anyone else for that matter." Her words were harsher than the painful look in her eyes.
Nalani's words went over Yun's head as Yun pushed her way through the door. She was determined to see and talk to Nalani to fix whatever was going on between them.
"Yun, you can not barge in here," Yun cut Nalani off as her eyes roamed over Nalani's disheveled figure.
Her black Nike sweatpants and tank top perfectly fit her body, but the red scratch marks on her arms. Bright and angry, swollen and enlarged slightly on her arm. Yun's eyes then traveled up to her face, taking in the fresh handprint on her face.
"Who put their hands on you, I'll fucking kill them right now." The rage coursing through Yun's veins felt like melting fire molding into a hot branding iron.
But all that rage dissipated when she saw the tears falling down Nalani's face. Yun had never seen Nalani break down the way she was about to. Yun watched her with careful eyes as she took a step towards her.
"I try. I try, and I fucking keep trying, but my mom proceeds to push me away. I try to protect her from the man that continues to beat her down, but instead, she takes it out on me. He beats her, so she calls me, and like a fool, I come running. None of my brothers are around enough to witness her suffering, but I see it. She calls me over just so she can beat on me, so she can take out whatever anger that man pounded into her." As she spoke, her tone begins to rise with every syllable. She took staggering steps toward Yun as she continues to cry.
"Does she not know when she beats on me I feel the same exact pain. If not worse. I fucking hurt too...It hurts so bad, so bad that I want to tear my heart from my chest." She poked Yun's chest before those pokes turned into angry slaps. "I love her so much, but her love hurts. Her love will be the death of me..."
Yun watched Nalani angrily beat on her chest, her pain now entering Yun's body and shaking her core. She wrapped her arms around Nalani's body, holding on tight so that she could no longer move. Yun couldn't make a sound, not like she could form any words that would make this situation any better.
"But I don't want to fucking die!" Nalani let out a repressed cry, her pain getting choked up in her throat.
"Why can't she love m-"
"I love you, I love you so damn much!" Yun interrupted Nalani as her lips found Nalani's.
Nalani didn't need to hesitate; the kiss felt right, just like hearing those words felt right to both of them. Their lips molded together, not entirely though; how could it be perfect when it felt like their whole existence was the same. Like they existed only for them to find each other and mature into one. They only needed each other, and with that, Yun guided them up the stairs. Yun felt like a high schooler; she was so in love with Nalani that she couldn't keep her eyes to herself as Nalani led them to her room.
Yun knew how much Nalani hated outside clothes on beds, so she stripped out of her clothes and climbed onto the mattress. She kept her legs open as Nalani climbed in between them and leaned her back against Yun's chest. Yun would take care of Nalani when she calmed down and wasn't on edge. But Yun would just be here for her for now. Yun pressed a soft kiss to the handprint on Nalani's cheek; she could practically taste the tears on her cheek.
"How could you love me? I'm broken, clearly," Yun shushed Nalani with a prominent scowl on her face.
"You're not broken or damaged, you're simply a piece of art in need of finishing, and I'll be your muse. I love you because you ignite a fire in me that I wasn't sure anyone would be able to. I love you because even at your worst, your heart calls out to mines and vice versa."
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Melanin Nation!🍫
Thank you, everyone, for your support, it means the world to me, and I promise to take y'all on one hell of a ride.
Please excuse any grammatical errors or mistakes! Don't hesitate to tell me if there are any errors.
Thoughts!?
"Sometimes, revenge will never bring you happiness." POETICALLYKIY