Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Iwish it snowed for a few mo’ days.
This girl had me soft like butter, but remembering what happened when I was this soft for another female, it made my heart ice back up. After putting Daee in the mattress for what would probably be the last time, I showered alone, not even bothering to wake her up to join me.
Being soft was a liability. It got you fucked over.
It left you with a shattered heart and caused you to crash the fuck out.
There was something about Holidaee that gave me a feeling that she was much different than Lay, but it was too early to tell.
Shit, I ain’t think Lay would fuck a nigga over either.
When I came out of the bathroom, Daee was sitting up, rubbing her eyes with one hand and the other clutched the sheet to her chest.
“You took a shower without me?” she queried softly.
“You fell asleep,” I said dryly, walking over to my dresser.
“But you always wake me up.”
“It ain’t that fuckin’ serious, Daee.”
Silence.
I slid on my boxer-briefs and shorts. In the dresser mirror, our eyes met. Hers with confusion in them. Mine with coldness.
I had to push her away.
The silence was suffocating. My eyes left hers, but I could still feel hers burning holes in my back.
“What’s wrong?” she finally asked. “You’re being weird as fuck right now. Are you like, bi-polar or something?”
“Ain’t shit wrong,” I grunted. I rubbed lotion on my arms, legs, and feet, all while still standing.
“You’re lying. You were just fine. Now you’re acting…I don’t know,” she said, shaking her head. “You’re acting different. Did something happen while I was sleeping?”
I let out a harsh, humorless laugh. “Nah, you ain’t do nothin’. I’m the problem. I shouldn’t have fucked you.”
When I glanced over at Daee, her brow furrowed in confusion. “And that means what?”
“Daee,” I huffed. “It doesn’t mean shit. This doesn’t mean shit. We fucked, and that’s it. This shit was fun. And now it’s back to reality.”
I watched her beautiful face fall. I watched the light in her eyes dim. That’s what I needed to happen. That right there. I had to push Daee away ‘fore shit got too deep.
So why did it feel like I was carving out my own damn heart?
Daee angrily found the shirt she’d been wearing, threw it over her head, and hopped up. She stomped to the bathroom and slammed the door behind her. I opened my mouth to cuss her out, but I decided to eat that shit.
I was in the kitchen, throwing out all the shit in my refrigerator when Daii appeared, fully clothed, including her shoes.
“Where the fuck you goin’?” I asked.
“Home. The roads are clear,” she muttered.
“Is that what they said?”
“Yeah.”
I tucked my bottom lip in and nodded. “Get home safely, aight?”
Holidaee’s lips trembled, and I could see her heart breaking in front of me. This shit was crazy. How did we even get here? How the fuck did feelings even get involved? This shit was fucked up. It was really fucked up.
The tears didn’t fall. I was proud of her for that. It was the bravest, most heartbreaking shit I’d ever seen. In the short time Daee was here, I’d seen her vulnerable and soft. I’d never seen her fighting this hard not to break.
“Fuck you,” she spat.
Still Christmas day…
I’d gone by my parents, fell asleep in my Pop’s den after smoking with Kasim. The time on my phone read 10:34 P.M. when I finally sat in my car with a to-go plate filled with deviled eggs, ham, dressing, greens, and mac ‘n cheese that I planned to eat after I smoked.
As I started my car up, I thought about Holidaee.
I’d pushed her out of my head for a few hours, and now she was back.
What she didn’t know was that while she was asleep, I’d unlocked her phone with her facial recognition and called my phone from hers so I could lock her number in and share her location with me.
So right now, I know she was at Greenswood Apartments.
I knew she was safe. I wasn’t sure which apartment she was in, but when I locate her car, hopefully I could figure it out.
I’d fucked up letting Daee leave, but I was ‘bout to be like Sheila and go get my girl back.
That was some unhinged shit, and I guess Daee hadn’t figured it out yet ‘cause I could still track her ass.
I drove carefully. The roads were still wet and slick. The heat blew from my AC. It was freezing cold, especially with no sun out.
Greenswood was on the other side of town, a decent-looking complex. I cruised through the parking lot slowly, my eyes scanning every car, looking for her car. I found it parked near Building E. I killed the engine and just sat there for a minute, looking up at the rows of lit windows.
Which one was hers?
A nigga walked out of the building. I killed my engine and stepped out of the car.
“Aye!” I called out to him. He frowned at me. I ignored that shit. “You know which apartment Daee stay in?”
“Who you?” his bitch ass asked.
“her fuckin’ cousin, nigga. It’s Christmas.”
“Oh. She in E12.”
“Bet.”
I turned and walked toward Building E without another word, not even a nod of thanks. I was here on a mission.
I found her door, E12, and just stood there for a second, trying to talk myself out of this wild shit. Holidaee had been in my territory. Now I was on hers.
I knocked.
I could hear music playing from inside, some R&B Christmas shit. The music stopped. I quickly pressed a finger over the peephole.
“Who the fuck out there? Stop playing games!” I heard her say.
Damn. Now what if I was her damn daddy or some?
I heard the lock click and the door opened slightly, stopping with a chain. I cleared my throat, and the door slammed in my face.
I bit down on my lip, my nostrils flaring and fits balling in the pockets of my Heartville Hawks hoodie.
“Daee!” I growled out. I pulled my phone out and hit call when I had her contact up.
“Hello?” she answered on the third ring. “Who is this?”
“Open this fuckin’ door, mane.”
Kasim told me about the time he went through Sneaux’s window. I wasn’t doing that shit. I was about to kick her fuckin ‘ door down. As soon as I picked my leg up, the door opened…without the chain.
“It’s cold. What are you doing here, Shad, and how did you find where I lived?” Holidaee asked me.
I ignored her question, stepping past her into her apartment and kicking the door shut behind me.
When she told me Christmas was her favorite holiday, she was dead ass.
There was a Christmas tree in one corner, lit up.
On her cream sofa were Christmas pillows and a throw blanket with a Black Santa on it.
On her floor were Christmas rugs. Her apartment even smelled like some peppermint Christmas shit.
“Why are you here?” she asked again.
I spun and faced her, smiling. I ran my tongue along my diamond teeth as I took her in. Daee was in a two-piece fuzzy Christmas pajama set, with big ass pink teddy bear slippers on her feet. Those thick thighs exposed had my dick twitching, but I had to focus on why I was here.
“How was your Christmas?” I asked her, still avoiding her question. I shoved my hands in the front of my joggers to warm them. Daee had it warm in her apartment, but my hands were still freezing. “You look nice.”
Daee crossed her arms over her chest and twisted her lips. “What are you doing here?”
“Came to get my woman,” I shrugged.
“Your what?” When she saw that I wasn’t joking, Daee began to laugh.
“Ain’t shit hilarious, Holidaee.”
“Aren’t you the same person who made me leave his place?”
“Technically, I didn’t make you.”
“You didn’t stop me either!” she hollered. Her eyes dug into me. I could see the hurt in them. The same hurt from earlier.
I let out a sigh, running a hand over my hair.
“Nah, I didn’t, ‘Cause I’m a fucked up nigga, Daee.
I’on trust. I got this wall up. When I felt like that muhfucka was breaking down…
when. I felt that you were breaking it down…
shiiid, I had to put that muhfucka back up.
Shid, I think I panicked.” I chuckled nervously.
Daee just stared with those wide eyes. I waited for some smart shit to fly out of her mouth.
Her chest was heaving as she tried to stay mad, but I could see her melting.
I took two steps to close the space between us.
She didn’t move, but neither did that snarl she had on her face. I thumped her nose.
“Stop lookin’ like that,” I told her.
Daee swatted at me. I grabbed the front of her neck and looked down at her beautiful ass. Lips were just glossy, and she wore fake lashes.
“I’m sorry,” I muttered, peppering kisses on her lips. “I’m sorry for damn near finna knock yo’ head off at the grocery store.” I placed another kiss on her lips. “I’m sorry for pulling my gun on yo’ ass.” Another kiss. “I’m sorry for not stopping you from leaving.”
Daee smiled between another kiss. She wrapped her arms around me.
“So what is this…with us? What are we?” she quizzed.
“Fucked you so good, you want a title, huh?” I smirked, kissing her lips again because I couldn’t get enough of ‘em.
Daee rolled her eyes, but she was still smiling. “Stop playing with me.”
“Aight, aight,” I chuckled, letting my smirk fall. I looked her dead in the eyes, letting the joke fade. “You mine. I’m yo nigga, and we gon see where this shit goes. Now…you want it engraved or some shit? I’ve already marked yo damn pussy. That been mine since the first night.”
I crashed my lips into hers, this time deepening the kiss. This one was different. It was like we were sealing this shit between us. Not gonna lie, a nigga was scared. Not scared of being with Daee. I was scared of what I’d do to her ass if she ever fucked me over as Lay did.
I was no longer in the streets. I came home every damn night, and I was actually a good ass nigga in a relationship. There wouldn’t be a reason for Daee to even step out, and I ain’t have homeboys after that. That’s shit was dead. All I had was family.
As I looked down at Daee’s face, I vowed to protect what we had. To protect her…even from me. The winter storm outside was over, but the one inside of me had just found its eye, and her name was Holidaee.
The end….
No epilogue. They’ll be back soon. Kasim and Sneaux are getting married in the summer.