Chapter 24 #2
“But he is now,” Darisha utters, then steps closer to Sunjiya at the end of the bed.
From behind, Darisha hugs her friend tightly.
“Talk to him and call me later. I love you,” she whispers before ending her embrace.
She walks over to the door. “Hey,” she greets Akeem and he nods and steps aside to allow her to leave. He follows her to let her out.
When he leaves the door frame, Sunjiya buries her face into the stack of clothes in her suitcase. In the clothes, she screams, lets her tears fall, then quickly wipes them before he returns.
He’s here.
And talking…
To me.
Her anxiety makes the hairs on her arm stand at attention.
What’s left of her heart pounds in her chest and the butterflies in her belly flutter frantically as she awaits his return.
She doesn’t wait long. In less than five minutes, he’s back.
Instead of standing in the doorway, he walks into the room and stands directly behind her.
Her breath hitches in her throat and she swallows hard.
He grabs the shirt at the top of the stack beside her.
“You going somewhere?” he asks.
“I can’t stay here,” she responds.
“Why? I didn’t say you have to leave,” he says before dropping the shirt.
“The problem is you haven’t said shit to me,” she fires back but the anger she tries to display doesn’t land because her voice betrays her and cracks mid-sentence.
Her hurt screams and tugs at his heart the same way it had that night in the rental. He’s hurting too but hates seeing her hurt more.
“This shit is fucked up,” he utters, frustrated, before joining her on the bed. He faces forward and she faces the headboard but their eyes lock. When he sees she’s been crying, he raises his hand to the side of her face. Instinctively, she rests her face against it. “Don’t leave, bae,” he says.
“You still want me?” she asks and he sighs.
“I’m still mad about this shit. I don’t even know how to even deal with this but I know I don’t want you to leave.”
“But do you still love me? I can’t stay somewhere I’m not wanted or loved. I lived that for too many years and won’t do that again.”
“I’m not him and this ain’t that,” he says with more grit than intended. He’s nothing like that bitch ass Marcelin or any niggas like him. Softening his tone, he adds, “As mad as I am, my love hasn’t stopped. I still love you.”
At his profession, she closes her eyes, soaks in his words, and lets her tears fall. He still loves me. He presses his forehead into hers and thumbs her tears away. He inhales and she exhales, relaxing into each other.
“You have to forgive me though,” she says sternly. “If you can’t, it’ll break me; but I’ll understand and leave.”
“Don’t lie to me again,” he says.
“I won’t.”
“I mean ever,” he stresses.
“Baby, I promise; I won’t.”
He sits up and places his hand under her chin. After lifting her head, he stares into her eyes and says, “I need to know everything though. Everything, bae. I can’t love you like I need to if I don’t.”
“Okay. Whatever you want to know, I’ll tell you. Ask me anything?” she says sincerely.
“I will, after I shower and close my eyes for a minute. I’m tired,” he says, then stands.
“Can I get a kiss first?” she asks, needing reassurance that they can and will get past this if she tells him everything.
Akeem doesn’t respond verbally. Instead, he leans in and caresses her chin, lovingly kissing her lips before trekking to the bathroom.
When the bathroom door closes, she closes her eyes and says a silent prayer. Thank you.
While Akeem washes the past hours from his body, Sunjiya quickly clears the bed and rolls her bags into the closet.
She hangs her clothes on the rack but saves her shoes for later.
Right now, she just wants the bed ready for him so she can lay in the safety of his arms and answer any question he might have.
He still loves her and that’s all that matters.
When he emerges from the bathroom, the towel is wrapped around his lower half and beads of water dot his upper body. She stands and steps toward him.
“Are you hungry? I made a sandwich earlier. I can make you one?” she asks.
“I am starving,” he admits. “But I can order something.”
“No. Get comfortable. I’ll make something and bring it in here.”
His arm latches around her waist and he pulls her into his frame. “You don’t have to do that,” he says. “We’ve both had a rough few days. I don’t want you thinking you—”
She cuts him off. “It’s sandwiches. Get comfortable while I make them. I have a lot to tell you.”
They embrace and she pecks his lips before she leaves him in the room while she heads to the kitchen.
He prefers roast beef over turkey or ham, so she makes him two roast beef croissants with provolone, mayo, a dab of mustard, lettuce, and seasoned tomatoes.
She grabs two bags of chips from the pantry and two Gatorades from the fridge.
After getting a food tray from the island cabinet, she fills it with the food, drinks, and napkins then takes it to their bedroom. He grabs it when she walks in.
“Thanks,” he says, really appreciative.
When he was in killer mode, he barely ate. Anger and adrenaline fueled him, but now he’s hungry as hell. While he eats, she takes the time to move her shoe boxes into the closet and take a quick shower herself.
“You’re done,” she asks when she emerges from the bathroom. He’s out of the sitting area and in their bed, resting on top of the covers.
“Yeah and I put everything up. C’mere?” he says and she gladly climbs into his awaiting arms. A peace she can’t put into words blankets her soul and she melts.
He relaxes and prepares himself to learn who the woman he loves and wants to marry truly is.
“I want to know about the first time you and your sister switched,” he begins.
After taking a deep breath, she hugs him tighter and begins, “We were fifteen and had just met each other a few weeks prior. I needed an alibi for doing a stupid dare. I had a boyfriend but kissed another boy and he caught me. She took the blame and said she was me.”
“So, kid shit?” he asks.
“Yeah. Stupid kid shit but it worked. After that, we did it just for fun. I would spend a week with her foster family and she would be with mine. We were at different schools, so it was exciting, especially because no one could tell us apart. We never got caught. Not once. So we vowed to always be the same person. It sounds crazy but made perfect sense to us. Can you imagine finding out you have an identical twin at fifteen?” she asks, not expecting or waiting for an answer.
“We did it so much we perfected it. Then it extended into adulthood and we didn’t stop until I got trapped with Marcelin.
But now, I’m free and she expects things to go back like they were.
She wanted me to switch again so she can experience you and the way you love me but I told her no.
Hell no, actually. No one will ever experience this. You are only for me.”
“Only for you and I don’t want anybody else but you,” he says before kissing the top of her head.
“Marcelin really—”
“Ay. You never need to say that nigga’s name again. He’s gone and so are Ano, D-Low, and Preach,” he says and she lifts her head.
“You sh—” she begins but he nods and places two fingers over her soft lips.
“They’re gone, bae, and you never need to mention them, that house in Miami, or that fucking club again.”
“You really do love me.”
“With everything, bae.”
She inches up to his lips and kisses him with all the love, appreciation, and passion she has then relaxes on his chest, in his arms. Never has she felt this protected and never has she experienced a love like his. Wrapped up in him, she tells him about the money and Aunt Pri.