Chapter 33
Sade
“The silence from Vaughn started bothering me more than our arguments ever did.”
The weekend was over, and it was time to get back to work.
I had spent the whole weekend with Marcus trying to get back on track.
He had taken me shopping, to the movies, and instead of an expensive restaurant, he cooked for me at my place.
I was controlling the space between us, making sure things stayed surface level.
Minimal kissing, only hugging, and no cuddling or spending a night.
For me not to have a relationship with Vaughn, I kept thinking about the things he said to me.
You embarrassed me.
He violated you.
If he come to my buildings, I’ma beat him the fuck up.
All that meant more to me than it should, and it was scary.
Lately, I thought about him more than usual.
Not about work either, his well-being, the way he cared about me, the way he looked at me, and respected me.
I never even thought a man like him would look my way because it was no secret that he liked me.
When I got to Crown Heights Monday morning, Vaughn wasn’t there.
That wasn’t unusual at first.
He had meetings, inspections, and business outside the project all the time. I didn’t think too much of it until lunch came and Denise told me she hadn’t heard from him either.
“He probably sleep after a long birthday weekend,” Laila said while eating fries at one of the kitchen islands.
I nodded, but something about that answer ain’t sit right with me.
By Tuesday, he still hadn’t shown up.
The workers noticed too.
His best friend, CK, came through once that morning, handling paperwork and talking to Denise, but he left fast. I tried reading his face while he talked, but he moved regular like nothing was wrong.
Wednesday came and went the same way.
I found myself looking at my phone more than usual, waiting for messages from him that never came. Even the work emails stopped. Everything started coming through Vanessa.
That made me uneasy.
“You gon’ go blind looking at that phone so long,” Laila said while we reviewed samples Thursday morning.
“I’m working.”
“You’re looking at that same email for ten minutes.”
I frowned and locked my phone. “Mind your business.”
She smirked. “Yeah, okay.”
I rolled my eyes.
Day five hit harder than the others.
That was when the building started feeling different.
Nobody checking behind us.
Nobody questioning shit.
Nobody hovering.
Even Denise looked stressed.
Around noon, Vanessa walked in, moving fast with her phone pressed to her ear. I barely paid attention at first until I heard Vaughn’s name.
“I just left the Ritz,” she said, walking past us.
My hand stopped moving over the fabric samples.
“He still throwing up?” CK asked through the phone. She had him on low speaker.
Vanessa sighed hard. “Bad.”
My stomach turned.
“The doctor said his CHS flaring up again like two years ago, and he ain’t taking care of himself.”
They disappeared further down the hallway, but I kept hearing pieces.
“Is he still smoking?”
“Yes.”
“Is he eating?”
“No.”
“You know how he gets, especially knowing our father isn't going good.”
Vanessa’s voice dropped lower after that, but one sentence still caught me.
“I don’t even think he’s using soap in that shower, just burning his skin with hot water.”
I looked down at the table, trying to focus again, but my mind was already somewhere else.
Hot showers.
Throwing up.
Not eating.
The way he looked at his birthday party suddenly made more sense.
That was more than a hangover.
Laila kept talking beside me about furniture deliveries, but I barely heard her.
By Friday, Vaughn still hadn’t shown up.
That man worked too much to disappear for days straight.
I tried calling him once around lunch.
Straight to voicemail.
I hung up before leaving a message.
Marcus came over that night with food and to watch a movie. He was lying back on my couch, talking about some business deal he had with his brother they were working on, while I stared at the TV, pretending to pay attention.
“You listening?” he asked finally.
“Hm?”
He laughed. “Exactly.”
“Sorry.”
“You okay?”
“Yeah.”
He looked at me for a second before nodding.
Marcus pulled me into him and kissed my forehead while the movie played in the background, but my mind kept drifting somewhere else.
Vaughn.
Everything about him seemed off lately, and now he was gone.
Marcus eventually left around midnight.
I hugged him at the door and watched him drive off before closing it.
The second the lock clicked, I grabbed my keys. I had to check on Vaughn.