Chapter 20 #2
Natalia sighed dramatically, even in her weakened state. “And here I was hoping y’all were about to pick out wedding invitations.”
Nhuri narrowed her eyes at her, shaking her head. “Please, don’t start.”
Natalia smirked but winced slightly, shifting to get more comfortable. After a moment, her eyes danced with mischief. Despite her apparent exhaustion, she had to take advantage of this moment.
“You know,” she started, “he asked about you before.”
Nhuri’s brows shot up. “What?”
Shyriq’s posture stiffened beside her, but Natalia just grinned, clearly enjoying herself. “Months ago. I think it was right after you got fired. He was trying to be all smooth, asking if you were single but disguising it like he was just checking on me.”
Nhuri turned slowly to look at Shyriq. He didn’t waver under her scrutiny and kept eye contact.
“You were asking about me?”
He exhaled through his nose. “Yeah. I was . . . curious.”
Natalia snorted. “That’s what we’re calling it?”
Nhuri shook her head, a slight smirk tugging at her lips despite everything. “So, let me get this straight. You were interested in me but hired me anyway?”
“I knew you needed a job. That was more important.”
For a moment, something passed between them. Shyriq was always subtle but intense with his gaze. Nhuri felt her stomach flip, but she quickly looked away, focusing back on Natalia. “Well, there goes your big romantic moment,” she joked, trying to lighten the sudden shift in the room.
Natalia sighed dramatically again. “Well, I guess my duty is almost done. Next, it’ll be wedding bells and me telling the story of how y’all met.”
Nhuri chuckled, shaking her head. “If you don’t hush and get some rest.”
Natalia’s smile softened. “I’m glad you had someone with you, though.”
Nhuri’s eyes flickered toward Shyriq before she could stop herself. She wrapped an arm around his waist, leaning into his chest. He squeezed her frame, silently letting her know he was glad he was there too.
“I am too,” she admitted quietly.
“I think visiting hours are almost over,” Natalia said.
Nhuri’s posture straightened. “We’re not leaving.”
“I’ll be okay, sis. It’s just overnight, and Malik is coming up here.”
Nhuri’s throat tightened. “You don’t want us to stay?”
Her feelings were a bit hurt, and Natalia knew it. Her expression softened.
“It’s not that. You need some rest, and so do I.”
“But what . . .” Nhuri took a deep breath. “But what if something else happens? I can’t lose you.”
Natalia’s eyes watered. “You won’t. I promise.”
Nhuri wanted to believe her. She really did.
Raniya popped her head up, wiping her eyes. “You get to come home?”
Natalia brushed a curl from her daughter’s face. “Not tonight, baby. But soon.”
Raniya frowned but nodded. Nhuri mimicked her facial expression, and Natalia shook her head.
“Go home with Niya. You’ll feel better in the morning, and I’ll be sure to check in,” Natalia said.
Nhuri sighed. “Fine.” She looked over her shoulder at Shyriq. “You don’t mind taking us home, do you?”
He shook his head. “Not at all. You just let me know when, and I got y’all.”
Raniya clung to her mother for another moment before Nhuri gently pulled her away. “Come on, baby girl.”
Natalia gave them both a tired smile. “I love y’all so much.”
“We love you too,” Nhuri whispered, kissing her cheek.
“I’ll see you in the morning, Mommy,” Raniya said, holding her auntie’s hand.
Natalia smiled. “Yes, you will, baby. Be good.”
“I will.”
“Rest up,” Shyriq told her. “I’ll make sure they get home safely and back up here tomorrow. You need anything?”
Natalia shook her head. “I don’t but thank you.”
Her exclamation held more weight than she let out. Natalia wasn’t just thanking him for asking if she needed him. She thanked him for being there for her sister and daughter but more so for Nhuri. She would forever cherish his support during one of the scariest moments of her life.
“It’s nothing, but you’re welcome,” Shyriq said before heading out the door.
As they stepped into the hallway, Malik was walking up. They embraced, and he hugged Nhuri and Raniya tightly. She could feel his heart beating quickly, and her reassuring smile settled him some.
“She’s waiting on you,” Nhuri said.
“A’ight. Let me get in here. How you doing, man?” he asked Shyriq, sticking his hand out. “Malik.”
He shook his hand. “I’m Shyriq. Good to meet you. I’ma get them home, but they’ll be back in the morning.”
Malik nodded. “A’ight. Niya, make sure you charge your iPad so we can call you.”
“Okay.”
“Sis, I got her. If anything changes, you’ll be the first to know,” Malik reassured her.
Nodding her head, Nhuri glanced at her sister’s door, and then they approached the elevator.
The automatic doors slid open once they reached the lower level, and Shyriq told them to wait while he grabbed his truck.
Nhuri stood on the curb, holding Raniya’s tiny hand in hers.
Though the breeze was nice, Nhuri couldn’t enjoy it.
Exhaustion was creeping up on her now that the initial rush of fear had subsided.
She and Raniya yawned simultaneously as Shyriq pulled up to the curb.
She helped Raniya in the backseat and buckled her in as she rubbed her eyes.
Nhuri knew she’d be asleep before they made it to her home.
Nhuri settled into the passenger seat and was quiet for a few minutes.
Her thoughts were everywhere, and her mind was racing, but it seemed to calm when Shyriq reached for her hand.
Like at the restaurant, he intertwined their fingers, soothingly rubbing her knuckles.
“How you feeling? Talk to me,” he said.
He was concerned, and Nhuri felt every bit of it through his tone and affectionate gesture. The weight on her shoulders made her hesitate, but she talked anyway.
“Overwhelmed. It’s a lot to process,” she admitted.
He nodded. “It is, but that’s why you have people in your corner who can help you sort everything out.”
She glanced at him, and he turned to look her way.
Shyriq didn’t say anything else, but his eyes told her everything she needed to know.
It was the type of reassurance she’d need to rest tonight.
Nhuri didn’t think sleep would come easy.
For once, the silence in the car wasn’t uncomfortable.
It was thick with emotions that neither was ready to put into words.
Tonight had changed the trajectory of their relationship, and they knew it.
Nhuri leaned her head against the window, exhaling deeply. “I didn’t expect the night to go like this,” she admitted, finally breaking the silence.
Shyriq glanced at her before returning his focus to the road. “Yeah,” he murmured. “Not exactly first-date material.”
Nhuri let out a soft, tired laugh. “Not at all.” She turned her head to look at him. “But I’m grateful you were there.”
He tapped his fingers against the steering wheel before speaking. “You don’t have to thank me. Family is everything. I get it.”
She studied him, taking in the way his usual guarded expression softened just slightly. “Yeah?”
He nodded, his jaws ticking as he switched lanes. “Yeah. I know what it’s like to see somebody you love struggling and feel helpless. That shit doesn’t sit right.”
Her heart clenched at his words. There was something deeper there, something he wasn’t saying. But she didn’t push. Instead, she reached over and lightly touched his arm, the warmth of his skin seeping through his jacket. “Still . . . I appreciate you.”
His grip on the steering wheel tightened just a little before he exhaled and gave her a small smirk. “Yeah, well . . . Don’t think this gets you out of breakfast.”
Nhuri’s lips curled. “Oh, so we’re still on for that?”
“That’s if you still want it,” he said, glancing at her with a raised brow. “I promised you a second date, and I’m a man of my word. Even if that means I have to order food for you and baby girl back there.”
Nhuri’s heart fluttered. “I guess I can’t argue with that.”
Hour by hour, Shyriq was proving her wrong. The guard she’d had up was slowly crumbling, and Nhuri had no intentions of picking up the pieces. Minutes later, he pulled up to her home. The street was quiet, and she was so happy she’d chosen to live somewhere peaceful.
Nhuri turned to check on Raniya and smiled softly when she saw her completely knocked out. Her mouth was open, showing her missing tooth. She had an eventful day, and Nhuri knew she needed that sleep.
“I got her,” Shyriq said, already unbuckling his seat belt.
Nhuri hesitated. “You don’t have to—”
He shot her a look. “Nhuri. Relax, okay, baby? You don’t have to do everything and be everything to everyone. Let me take some pressure off of you. I got her.”
Her eyes watered as she nodded. “Okay.”
“You want me to carry you inside too? You’ve had those heels on for a long time.”
His concern for her feet was sweet, and she chuckled. “No, you don’t have to.”
Shyriq nodded and stepped out of the truck.
He’d carry her if she wanted him to, no questions asked.
He rounded the vehicle and gently unbuckled Raniya.
She stirred slightly but didn’t wake as he carefully lifted her into his arms, cradling her against his broad chest. The sight of Raniya wrapping her arms around him and Shyriq carefully carrying her to the door after opening hers did something to her heart that she wasn’t familiar with. But it felt good.
Nhuri unlocked the door and stepped inside, flipping a small lamp on in the living room.
Shyriq stood idly by while she locked the door before Nhuri told him to follow her.
He followed her down the hall to her bedroom.
Nhuri pulled the covers back on her bed, and Shyriq carefully lowered Raniya.
Then Nhuri removed her shoes and tucked the blankets around her before kissing her forehead.
Staring down at her for a moment, Nhuri prayed she had a peaceful night of sleep.
They stepped out of the bedroom, leaving the door slightly cracked, and entered the living room.
Shyriq stuffed his hands into his pockets but removed them when Nhuri stepped his way.
She fell into his chest for a hug. She didn’t know she needed it, but she was glad he gave it.
Shyriq held her close, trying to hug the pain and fear out of her frame.
Nhuri broke the embrace first, stepping back to look him in the face. “I needed that.”
“You feel better?”
She nodded. “Yes. A little bit. You give great hugs. Goodness.”
Shyriq smirked. “Thank you.”
“Yes. You can say thank you. It was a compliment,” Nhuri teased.
“I appreciate that. I’m glad you’re feeling better. Everything is going to work out. Just from seeing her tonight and knowing how hard she works, Natalia is resilient. Put a lil faith in your sister ’cause I know she believes in you.”
Nhuri nodded. “She most definitely does. And thank you for noticing that. She does any and everything she puts her mind to and I admire her so much for that.”
“It’s a good trait to have to be fearless.”
“Most definitely,” she said, shaking her head with a smile slightly lifting her cheeks.
“What?” Shyriq questioned.
“Seeing this side of you . . . I don’t know. I guess I wasn’t expecting it.”
“What side?” he asked, humored and intrigued to see how she felt about him.
Nhuri shrugged. “The soft one. The caring, gentle side.”
He liked how she didn’t hold her tongue. “Yeah, well, there’s more to me than what meets the eye.”
“I see that now. I mean, I kind of witnessed it and heard about it through the grapevine, but experiencing it is something different.”
“So you like me?” he asked, smirking.
Nhuri smiled. “That’d make your day if I said yes, huh?”
He laughed lowly. “It would, but I don’t need you to confirm anything. That smile on your face lets me know everything I need to know.”
She blushed, hiding her face behind her hand. “Mhm. Whatever.”
His smirk deepened, but instead of answering, he simply headed toward the front door.
Nhuri followed behind him. As he stepped onto the porch, he turned to face her.
Nhuri shut the door and pulled her bottom lip into her mouth.
The action caused Shyriq to stare at her lips and pretty face.
She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, feeling his pull on her with his eyes alone.
“Thank you again for tonight. For everything. I know it was a lot, and you weren’t expecting to have to—”
Her breath hitched as Shyriq reached for her. His fingers gently traced the inside of her wrist. “What did I tell you? Stop thanking me. Let me just be here.”
Nhuri’s pulse quickened at his words, and before she could tell him okay, Shyriq’s head dipped, and his lips brushed against hers.
The kiss was so soft and deliberately sweet that it stole the air from Nhuri’s lungs.
He didn’t linger too long but didn’t pull away as if he didn’t want her to feel him.
To feel whatever it was she needed to feel from him and for him.
When he pulled back, his eyes lingered on hers for a beat longer before he smirked. “Get some rest. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Nhuri licked her lips. “O-Okay,” she murmured. “Good night.”
“Good night.”
He walked to his truck and didn’t pull off until she was inside the house.
Nhuri peeked out of the window with a hand over her heart, which was beating faster than she had cared to admit.
Tonight had been a lot, but the time spent with him had been everything.
It felt like something real. Something to look forward to, and she almost couldn’t wait until tomorrow morning, when minutes prior she had been dreading it.