Chapter 7
Chapter
Seven
J unicia
I sat up when the smell of food hit my nose.
I looked around the sparse room, confused about where I was for a second until I remembered what happened earlier in the day.
I couldn’t tell what time it was, but I knew the sun had gone down.
Benadryl usually put me out all night, but I guess because I wasn’t in my own bed, I woke up sooner.
I stretched, then licked my lips and felt that the swelling had gone down. Thank goodness for that. I wasn’t even sure what happened because I didn’t have anything different from what I usually ate, so I didn’t know what caused the reaction.
I checked my phone and saw that two hours had passed since everything happened, and I wasn’t sure where Franklin was. A second later, I heard a noise coming from the kitchen, so I got up and headed in there. I hoped nobody else was in the house with me besides Franklin.
Franklin was at the stove cooking something, and whatever it was smelled good as hell, but I didn’t want to wear out my welcome.
“Hey, thanks again. I’m going to head home.”
Franklin turned to face me.
“Nah, you can’t go back yet. If you need some stuff, I can walk over there with you and get it, but you can’t stay home tonight.”
I started to open my mouth, but I didn’t even know what to say. The authority in his voice made my panties wet.
“Um, okay. What about my window?”
“Your window is fixed for now, and your doors are locked. Have a seat so we can eat dinner, then we can go next door to get whatever you need.” He walked over and pulled a chair out, and I couldn’t do anything but sit down.
I watched him as he went back to the stove and put some food on plates, then came back over and placed one in front of me and the other one in the space across from me.
The plate of steak, mashed potatoes, and broccoli looked and smelled good.
“I have water, wine, apple juice, or tea.”
Tea. I’ve never met a gun carrying man who drank tea, but I already concluded that Franklin wasn’t an ordinary man.
“If it’s red wine I take some and water, please.”
“Got you.”
He returned to the table with glasses of wine and water for the both of us, then sat across from me.
We ate in silence for a few minutes. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I smelled the food, but I was pleasantly surprised when I bit into the steak, and it was juicy and tender. The mashed potatoes and broccoli were good as well.
Franklin and I stole glances at each other, but neither of us said anything.
I noticed he didn’t seem like much of a talker, and I didn’t know what to say to him.
There was a question on the tip of my tongue, but every time I went to speak, something held me back.
The silence was killing me, though, because I was used to Leo talking all the damn time.
Plus, I wanted to learn more about the mystery that was Franklin.
“The food is good,” I told him to break the silence.
“Thanks.” He went back to eating the rest of the food on his plate.
I ate a little more of my food, trying to figure out if I should even engage him in conversation or not.
“I can tell something is on your mind, Junicia. What’s up?”
I had never heard my name sound so… sexy coming from someone’s mouth.
For years, I didn’t like my name, even though there was meaning behind it.
My father’s name is Junior, and my mother’s name is Patricia, so my mother had the idea to combine their names, and that’s where mine came from.
My name coming from Franklin’s lips made my insides shiver.
I bit the corner of my lip before I looked up at him. “What made you pull your gun out on my ex the other day? And what made you fight him earlier?”
He put his fork down, then wiped his mouth. For a few seconds, he just stared at me, and I shifted in my seat. I wasn’t sure why he looked at me the way he did.
“I just thought it was the right thing to do.” He shrugged like it was nothing, then went back to eating.
I could tell there was more to it, but for some reason, he didn’t want to tell me. I wasn’t going to push him. He probably wouldn’t have responded anyway.
“I really appreciate you for doing it. There has to be some way that I can repay you.”
“The only thing you can do is stay away from him. If you decide to take him back, I can’t do anything to help you.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. When I say I’m done with someone, I am.”
Franklin didn’t have to worry about me going back to Leo because I didn’t want anything to do with him ever again in life.
Leo had his chance, and he wouldn’t be granted another one.
I wasn’t a fan of giving second chances, because most of the time the person took advantage of it and messed up the second time around.
“Good to know,” he said, then picked up his glass of wine.
I guess he was done talking, so I picked up my glass and drank it in one big swig.
“The least I can do is clean up since you cooked.”
“I won’t fight you there.” He smirked.
That was the closest thing to a smile I had seen from him since the first day I saw him.
“I can stay at my cousin’s house. She’s out of town, but I have a key to her place.”
“That doesn’t work for me.”
I was confused about him insisting on me staying with him. It wasn’t like we were friends. I wouldn’t even call us associates, so why didn’t he want me to leave?
Was there something he wasn’t telling me? Or did he like me but didn’t want to say anything? So many thoughts went through my head.
“Don’t think too much about it, Junicia. There’s a storm coming, so if you want to get some stuff we should head over there soon.” He pushed his chair away from the table and stood with his plate and cups, then walked over to the sink and dropped them in.
I couldn’t respond to him because he left the kitchen, leaving me with numerous thoughts in my head and wet panties. It was something about a man who knew how to be demanding without sounding rude. There was a big difference, and a lot of men didn’t know how to differentiate the two.
I got up from the table, then went over to the sink to wash the dishes. Franklin must have washed the dishes as he cooked because there weren’t many left behind. It didn’t take me long to clean up the kitchen and wipe down the table.
When I was done, I went into the living room to find Franklin sitting on the couch watching some movie.
“I’m ready when you are.”
Franklin looked up at me and stood. “Okay.”
I picked up my keys from the table, then Franklin led me to the front door, allowing me to walk out first.
I noticed how cloudy it had gotten since earlier in the day. I prayed it didn’t thunder because I was terrified of thunderstorms.
We walked the few feet to my house and walked up the steps. I wanted to cry when I saw the board on my front room window. I couldn’t believe Leo did some bullshit like that. I didn’t understand why he couldn’t just leave and go about his business.
“Thanks again for boarding up the window. I’ll call first thing in the morning to get it fixed,” I told Franklin as we walked into the house.
“You don’t have to keep thanking me, Junicia.”
I couldn’t tell if he was aggravated or not, so I didn’t say anything else about it.
“Okay. I’m going to get my stuff. I’ll be back in a few minutes. Make yourself comfortable.”
Franklin went into the living room as I headed toward the stairs. I needed to let Lauren know what was going on, so I got my phone out of my pocket.
Me: Girl, you won’t believe what has transpired in the last few hours. Leo broke my window, and Franklin and Leo fought. I’m staying at Franklin’s house tonight.
I knew she would have a ton of questions, but I couldn’t answer them all with Franklin sitting downstairs.
Lauren called before I could put the phone down, but I declined the call.
Me: Franklin is downstairs in my living room while I get some stuff to stay at his house. I promise I’ll call you as soon as I get the chance to talk freely. I’m good, so don’t worry.
Lauren: You can’t tell me not to worry after you said all of that.
Me: Trust me, I’m fine.
Lauren: Maybe now you can get some new dick.
Me: I am not worrying about that man’s dick.
I did notice his print when he’d changed into his sweatpants, but I wasn’t thinking about doing anything like that with him. I was just happy he helped me.
Lauren: You should be! I’ll let you go for now, but please call me tomorrow. Love you.
Me: I will, and I love you too.
I put the phone on the charger while I got my stuff together.
I didn’t want to keep Franklin waiting too long, so I quickly packed some toiletries, pajamas, and some loungewear for the next day.
I didn’t have to work, so I wouldn’t have to worry about rushing to work in the morning.
After grabbing my phone and the charger, I headed back downstairs.
Franklin looked up as soon as my foot hit the bottom step.
“I’m ready.”
“Okay. Make sure you lock everything up.”
“I usually keep everything locked, but I’ll check real quick.”
I put my bag on the floor, then went to make sure my windows and back door were closed. Once I ensured I had everything, Franklin and I headed back to his house.
I didn’t get bad vibes from Franklin, but I was nervous about being close to him, especially since it felt like we were both attracted to each other.
Only time would tell how things turned out.