𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄 ❷ ⓿ ❷ ❷
Sitting in the tan leather seat of the Gulfstream G700, sporting a camel colored long cardigan over the white fitted turtleneck top and light denim cropped jeans, watching her father interact with his wife on the three-seat divan in the entertainment space across from the 40-inch TV. Her leg bounced up and down, contemplating on when she wanted to confront her father about knowing about her daughter and not telling her about.
A hand touched her knee, averting her attention to the big veiny hand and up the dark chocolate arm to Landon's eyes. She scoffed, crossing the leg he touched over the other to drop his hand and stared out of the panoramic oval window.
Landon sighed; well aware of his girlfriend still having a attitude towards him since she was staying in a hotel and it was the first day they've seen each other without resolving anything. "Baby, it's been a week. When are you going to drop the attitude and talk to me?"
"We're not doing this right now." Anicia retorted in a low tone.
"We have to talk—"
"I said no," Anicia gritted as she looked at him. She rolled her eyes and switched seats in front of Abi and her husband Charles.
Abi observed the tension. "Trouble in paradise?"
"Just—do not start right now, Abi." She dismissed her sister.
Abi frowned instantly. "Ew, what's wrong with you?"
"Babe..." Charles silenced his wife, keeping her from antagonizing; Abi left it alone and returned to what she was doing; closing her eyes and resting her head on her husband's shoulder.
The jet landed to Mercedes Sprinters awaiting their arrival. Purposely, Anicia rode in the sprinter her boyfriend wasn't in and stared at the back of her father's head the whole drive to a city right outside of Seattle. Trees surrounded the gated, H-form architecture situated on the twenty acres of land that includes eighteen bedrooms and twenty bathrooms. Parking around the fountain, butlers stood in line on the concrete stairs leading up to the front entrance.
Anicia was the last to get out, preparing herself for the brief visit at her Grandparents compound. She took her time to enter the mansion behind everyone else as the butlers grabbed their suitcases. She checked her phone and looked at the few missed calls from Toby. She stopped the strides in her Gucci Princetown GG velvet slippers and pressed the button to return the call.
"What up wit it?" That rich, baritone shot a chill down her spine.
"Hey," Anicia glanced to the opened arch-top front door as a smile stretched on her lips. "I'm sorry for missing your calls. I was on a plane."
"A plane, why?"
"My Grandparents fortieth anniversary." She exhaled, "I told you about it the other night."
"Oh yea', damn, I forgot honestly." he admitted, "My mind been clouded."
She could hear the stress in his tone. "What's wrong?"
"I been in Vegas fa' the past few days helpin' plan my son's mother's funeral wit they auntie."
Anicia was taken aback. "Wait, what? A funeral? Baby, I've been talking to you for the past few days and you told me nothing about that happening. Why didn't you tell me? I could've been there with you."
"How you gon' fuckin' be hea' for me when you gotta be lovey-dovey witcha boy in front of everybody?" the aggression towards her threw her off, "That's why ian' tell you cause it would be pointless. You sneak in, sneak out like som' fuckin' teenager—"
"Whoa; where the hell is this coming from?" Anicia interrupted his words, "I get you lost someone but don't take your anger out on me. You forget you have someone else too?"
"I'm upfront bout my shit. Ian' hidin'."
"Listen, if you would've told me about what you're dealing with, I would've been there with you. I don't care about being here—"
"But that's where you gon' stay because the approval of yo' family is what's mo' important to you. ." he interjected and she could only emit a long, audible breath.
Anicia placed her weight on her right leg. "Obee—You called twice to argue with me?"
"I called the first time to talk to som' body that can keep my emotions intact while I keep my son's straight but you can't do that, can you?"
"Anicia!"
She raised her finger to silence calling her from the door. "Obee, do you need me there for you?"
He was silent, but she could overhear his steady breathing and distant voices in the background.
"Tell me—Yes or no?"
"Anicia Galea Porter!" the strong accent of the silver-haired woman hollered once more, "I know you heard me calling you."
"Na', you gotta go."
"Obe—" the call ended in her face, making her sigh and finally head toward the mansion. She reached her eighty year old Grandmother and embraced her. "You look incredible Grandmama."
"Mmhm," her Grandmother reeled back and examined her granddaughter. "Are you a single woman?"
Anicia was confused by the question. "You know I'm with Landon, Grandmother."
"Correct. So was that call so important that you let the man you are with greet your Grandparents alone?" She stared into her eyes intently, "I blame your mother for not teaching you proper manners, sweetheart."
Anicia shifted under her Grandmother's long gaze. "Will your disrespect be left on this side of the door?"
"Yes ma'am."
Her Grandmother smiled instantly. "Good. Let's go."
Anicia followed her inside the massive foyer. Approaching her was the long-legged and stocky billionaire, Preston Avery. With a chocolate brown complexion, bald, and a silver low trimmed beard, he smiled wide at the sight of his eldest Granddaughter and hugged her closely when reaching her.
"Ten years..." his deep, resonated voice spoke as he reeled back and stared into her hazel eyes. "In ten years, I finally lay eyes on my eldest Granddaughter in person and not through an electronic."
"Sorry, Granddaddy." Anicia smiled softly.
"No need to apologize," her Grandmother stepped in. "Your mother just didn't teach you that family is important."
Grace overheard as she appeared in the foyer. "I raised my daughters just fine, Mother."
"Barely."
The comment makes the Grandmother and her mother argue over each other in Swahili. Anicia took that opportunity to sneak away upstairs when her Grandfather turned away to stop the argument.
She walked the long upstairs hallway until she reached the room where Landon was unpacking the suitcase and glanced at her when she entered. She still didn't say anything to him which made him release a breath and walked over to close the door for privacy.
"We have to talk about this, Anicia." Still, she remained wordless. "Aight, I'm sick of this. I let you leave the house to stay at some fucking hotel and I'm just now seeing my girlfriend for the first time after you left and you still have this attitude. What the hell is your problem?"
"You."
He lifted a brow. "Me?"
"Yes, you!" She spun around promptly to face him, "You are my fucking problem. My mother is my problem. My father is my damn problem. All of this is my fucking problem! You laughed at me... in my face, Landon. You laughed at me for embrace who I really am. Under the makeup, the straight hair, the clothes, the heels—God the fucking heels every second of the damn day and you're not even generous enough to rub my feet but love to see my legs in them every fucking day.
She paused to breath. "You... laughed at me, Landon. After six years in a relationship with you, five of those years I've been un-fucking-happy because you rather kiss my parents ass then be there for me. I support everything you do Landon. Everything! But you don't do the same for me. You down me and belittle me just like my family and I can't."
"You can't what?" Landon questioned, "What the fuck can you not do? You decided to tell your mother you wanted to take a year off to do the spa business, not me! I didn't put a gun to your head and make you say yes. You did that, Anicia. So now that I'm pushing you to stick to what you said it's a fucking problem? You got family—living family–"
"No," She interjected. "You will not use that 'You don't got family' guilt trip on me, Landon. I'm not allowing you to do that anymore. Do you not see how I'm treated? Do you not fucking see it!? They don't know me! Two decades I've been away from my family because of the way they make me feel and you make me feel the same way. You make me feel like nothing! And I hate you for that. I've fallen out of love with you for that."
His eyebrows furrowed. "Fell outta love with me?"
"Why do you think I never accepted your proposal?" She inquired, "You think I was going to marry a man that puts me down? That rather please my parents than me? That rather laugh in my fucking face when I offered him the me that he seen when we first started dating? So, no, I will never marry a man like you. I will never bear children for a man like you."
The amount of hurt that glints in his eyes started to make her feel sorry for him, but it was something she had to say. She had to release it.
Landon's stare into her eyes prolonged. He was wordless so Anicia continued her words, "I loved you so much Landon. I loved you so much when you seen me for who I am. But me unloving you is on you. You changed on me. That hurt you feel right now is the same hurt I've been feeling for the past five years of our six year relationship. I loved you so much. I haven't been that much in love since—"
"Yo' ex," he finally spoke after the long silence, "the same ex you gotta kid with right?"
"Yes," she confessed, "I loved you on the same level as I loved him until the day you turned into my mother and told me I look better with my hair straight and telling me how to dress. I shut down loving you but stayed because my mother told me our 'look' is great. I can't do it anymore. We can stay here
"You wanna insinuate that I'm weak but you need to look in the mirror cause the weak one is you." he voiced gazing heatedly at her, "You the one that can't stand up to yo' family. I ain't make you weak you did feeling like you gotta please yo' family. You weak! You feel so guilty for handing yo' baby over to some strangers you not wanting more because you the one in the wrong. Why not tell me this shit five years ago instead of wasting my mufucking time?"
Anicia scoffed lightly. "I bet you've been wanting to say that about my baby for years but you was so fucking supportive when I done it. You know why I done what I done. I guess it's no more guessing on who told my father about me even being pregnant you kiss ass. Fuck you, Landon!"
"No, fuck you!"
Someone knocked on the bedroom door and it opened to Arlene staring between the two feeling the strong tension. "Uhm, I can hear y'all all the way down this long hallway."
"We're fine, Arlene."
"So why he a little to close to your face?" Arlene noticed which makes Landon step backward. She may have annoyed her big sister and gave her unwanted comments but she was strongly protective over her.
"Oh, we good."
Arlene stayed there for a moment, until she nodded and left her sister and her boyfriend alone.
"I love the fuck outta you—"
"Stop it." Anicia cut him off, looking away from him.
"So what now, Anicia? You want me to leave? This the end of our relationship?" Landon wondered.
"You don't have to leave. My family clearly loves you more than me. Since you love to put on a image for my parents, we're going to put one on while we're here for the next three days. We'll be this happy couple here in Seattle and when this door is closed you'll sleep on that couch; don't talk to me, touch me, nothing. We lay in silence until our eyes close."
"And when we leave?"
"You can keep the house I'll find somewhere else." She let him know, "You love it more than me anyway." she walked to the conjoined bathroom and shut herself inside.
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