19. Chapter 19
19
Kelly
W aking up in Malak’s bed was a strange feeling. Some part of me wished he was there with me, that I was curled up against his side, my face tucked against his warm neck. I could picture it in my head so perfectly. While the day before had been stressful, I was still reeling from the pleasure Malak had brought me.
My moment of basking in the memory of his head between my thighs was short-lived, however. As my phone started to ring from the pocket of my sweater and I was forced to tug it out and see that my father was calling. My brow furrowed, and I quickly slid out of bed, tugging my panties and pants on as I hoped that I wouldn’t miss the call before I was done.
I felt odd talking on the phone in Malak’s room, so I rushed out into the hallway as I answered.
“Where are you?” my father asked from the other end of the phone. His voice was harsh and cold, as it had been most of my life.
“At home?” I mumbled and hurried down the hallway towards the living room instead of my bedroom. I could smell food being cooked in the kitchen, and realized Malak must be awake. It was too late. I was already in the living room, trying to keep my voice hush.
“Lindsey is here heart broken and—” he said.
I blinked as I switch my phone to my other hand so I could use my dominant hand to brush my hair out of my face.
“Dad, hold on,” I said.
I took a deep breath. “Okay, Lindsey is there?” I asked. I chewed at the inside of my cheek, my pulse quick. I was still upset with Lindsey, but the tone of my father’s voice had to be worried. The last thing I needed was him upset with me.
“Yes, she didn’t tell you she was coming back home?” he asked me.
“No, the last time we spoke, she told me to leave her alone,” I insisted.
I could hear my father sigh on the other end of the phone. “She’s very upset Kelly. You need to come here and talk to your sister. We all need to comfort her right now.”
My brow furrowed. I bit my tongue, trying to ignore the frustrated words that were daring to come out of my mouth.
“I can’t just leave and come there. I have work,” I told him. I had barely been working a few weeks. How was I going to get any time off? Lindsey, being upset, was not an emergency, as much as I hated how the situation had gone.
“Where are you working now again? The book store? Listen, Kelly, your little job isn’t as important as family. We all need to be here, we need to talk about this as family,” father said.
My free hand balled into a fist.
Little job? Family?
My eyes shifted over, and I locked gazes with Malak. I could see the way he was looking at me. Protective, prepared to defend me. I wasn’t sure what I had done to deserve that from him, but I shook my head as he took a step forwards. I needed to handle it on my own.
“Lindsey doesn’t even want to talk to me,” I told him, doing my best to gloss over the topics that were making my stomach burn with anger. “It’s best if I stay here.”
“You’re Lindsey’s sister. She needs you for support,” he told me.
I turned with my back towards Malak as I heard another pair of footsteps. Suspicion bubbled up to my throat.
“What’s this about?” I asked him, “She has you, or are you planning on leaving?”
“I have a business trip in a couple days, but that is besides the point Kelly, you had a part in this. Lindsey told me about how Rose thinks she has feelings for you .”
My jaw tightened. I hated the way he said that, as if Rose having feelings for me was utterly ridiculous.
I couldn’t work up the courage to tell him what I really wanted to. That Lindsey and he could deal with it themselves. Instead, I squeezed my eyes shut and took a breath through my nose.
“I’ll think about it. I have to go.” I quickly hung up the phone.
When I turned around, I saw both Malak and Grey standing there. My thighs warmed at the sight of both of them, but my temper flared at the sight of Grey. I squeezed my phone tightly in my hand before shoving it back into my cardigan pocket.
“You alright?” Grey asked.
Frustration burned in my stomach. “No,” I replied, “and don’t pretend like you care.”
He blinked at me. My eyes didn’t leave him to look at Malak, but I could sense the tension rising in the room, and didn’t blame him as he stepped to the side away from Grey. Away from me. I thought.
“What are you talking about?” Grey asked.
I shoved my phone back into my sweater pocket and went all but stomping over to Grey. My hands balled into fists. “You tied me to a fucking chair yesterday to try to get information out of me!” I reminded him, “or do you not remember that?”
“Oh, come on like you didn’t enjoy that,” Grey replied defensively. He stepped closer to me.
I reached my hands out and pushed at his shoulders. He barely moved, but looked at me in surprise. His eyes flickered with irritation.
“It doesn’t fucking matter!” I growled at him, “Unless we talk about it beforehand, I don’t want any dub-con bullshit from you.”
“I get it, okay, but if you would just tell us what was…" Grey started, but I cut him off.
“Malak knows,” I told him, my jaw setting, “because Malak didn’t tie me to a chair without permission.”
“Are you kidding me?” Grey asked, “believe me if all I wanted was information from you I—"
Suddenly Malak was grabbing Grey by the back of his neck and tugging him backwards.
“Hey, no we’re not doing this right now,” Malak rumbled out, “I’m making breakfast and we’re all going to sit and eat, because Taylor is preparing to leave tomorrow and I don’t want anyone making things any worse than they are. You understand?” His eyes locked on Grey’s.
“Why are you just looking at me?” Grey asked.
“You know why,” Malak insisted, but then he turned to me, “Kelly, what’s going on? Who were you on the phone with?”
My heart was racing in my chest, my eyes burning with tears. All I wanted was to take every once of anger I was feeling out on Grey, but I knew that wasn’t going to solve anything. I folded my arms under my bust and squeezed my eyes shut.
“Lindsey, my sister, she moved out of her and Rose’s apartment. I didn’t know where she was, but she told me to leave her alone. My father just called and basically told me my life here doesn’t matter. I should just come home and help take care of Lindsey,” I spilled. It felt almost too good to get some of it off my chest. My heart ached thinking about the words that my father had dared to speak.
When I opened my eyes, Malak’s eyes were dark, but Grey’s were confused.
“Wait, Rose,” he mumbled, “Rosie, our—your Rosie?” Grey asked, looking over at Malak.
“Yes,” Malak mumbled, but didn’t look away from me.
Grey looked back over at me. “What the fuck have you been keeping from me?” he asked and stepped closer.
I took a step back, trying to keep a distance between us. I wasn’t sure if I would punch him or climb him in that moment. It was hard to decide which I wanted to do. Maybe both.
God, he makes me so confused.
“So, wait, okay, your sister-in-law is Rosalind, Malak’s ex, and she has feelings for you?” Grey asked. It looked like about a thousand wheels were spinning inside his head. “Oh man, this is a fucking mess,” he choked out a laugh.
I swallowed hard. “Yeah, like I didn’t know that.” I sniffled and brushed a hand over my face.
Malak stepped closer to me, and I let him, not stepping back. My body warmed as I remembered the night before, but the reality of the situation kept me from getting lost in the feeling.
“What are you doing to do?” Malak asked.
I shook my head, “I don’t know,” I replied and looked to the side. “I don’t want to talk about this right now.”
“You just told us about it,” Grey insisted.
My brow furrowed. “Now I’m done,” I replied. I stepped to the side and around the two of them, heading to my bedroom. I wondered if Malak slept in my bed, but when I opened the door, my bed was still unmade, as it had been the day before. Malak seemed like the type to make the bed as soon as he woke up.
My phone started to ring in my pocket. I yanked it out and tossed it onto my bed, letting it vibrate and ring to its little batteries content. I kept my door open, lacking the energy to care enough to close it. Sitting down on the end of the bed, I looked over to see who was calling me. Rose.
I didn’t want to answer.
I was worried about Lindsey, but…she lied to me. She didn’t tell me about her marriage and then told me to leave her alone. So, that was what I should do, right?
I sighed and looked over at my phone as it started to ring again. I shook my head and looked away from it, towards my doorway. Malak was standing there.
He was holding a plate of food and a steaming mug.
“Is your dad calling you again?” he asked. His gaze shifting to the bed.
I shook my head. “No, don’t worry about it.”
Malak narrowed his eyes. “Sure, come out here and eat okay?” he turned on his heal and disappeared from my doorway.
I took a deep breath and opted to grab my phone off my bed and shove it into my pocket. As much as I didn’t want to answer any calls from anyone, but at this point, I was too worried about something being serious to ignore my phone entirely. I turned into the kitchen to see Grey standing there, putting his plate of food together.
I tensed at the sight of him for multiple reasons. I watched as he tensed too, his face turning a soft pink. My brow furrowed, but I continued forward to the counter to get my own food put together.
“You’re not thinking about going to Holly to see Lindsey, are you?” Grey asked me.
My stomach knotted. “I don’t know,” I replied as I poured some of the chai into my mug and tried to avoid eye contact.
“You shouldn’t go,” he said, his voice more serious than I could comprehend.
I blinked and looked over at him. “Why do you care?” I asked.
“I grew up there too,” he said, but I cut him off.
“You grew up around there, and managed to go to the same high school as me, somehow,” I corrected him.
Grey rolled his eyes and then looked at me. His forehead creased. “Still, I know what it’s like there. You don’t need those people in your business.”
I eyed him. “I’ll make my own decisions,” I insisted, grabbing my plate and mug and heading out of the kitchen. Grey followed behind me.
“Malak, tell Kelly to stay here,” Grey said.
I groaned.
“What?” Malak mumbled.
“Grey doesn’t think I should go check on Lindsey,” I replied. “Why he cares, I don’t know.”
I sat down a foot or so away from Malak on the couch and set my drink on the coffee table. I watched Grey’s eyes flick between us, a strange mix of jealousy and heated desire there.
“Leave Kelly alone,” Malak told Grey, voice low.
My eyes met Malak’s, and a shiver ran up my spine. I wanted the man to destroy me and protect me in every sense. I gulped and looked down, trying to focus on my food.
My phone started ringing in my pocket. I sighed and pulled it out after the third ring. My thumb hovered over the screen.
“Why are you ignoring Rosie’s calls?” Malak asked.
My stomach twisted.
Rosie.
I had noticed Grey and Malak both called her Rosie; I had never heard Rosalinda called that before. She went strictly by Rose as long as I had known her. Something about that nickname made my body heat. I wanted to know more about what their past was together, all three of them. I knew now that Rose was Malak’s ex girlfriend, but I didn’t know the specifics.
However, I also knew if I asked either of them for answers, I’d have to elaborate more on the things I didn’t want to. So I kept my questions to myself for the time being.
“Because I can,” I insisted, but then realizing both of them were just going to bug me about it in different ways, I slid my plate onto the coffee table and stood up.
“Fine,” I huffed, “I’ll answer. You two leave me alone.”
Anxiety ran up my spine as I shuffled out into the hallway to answer my phone, where I knew it would be hardest for them to hear me. I put some distance between myself and the door and stood near the stairs.
The phone was on its last ring when I caught it and put it to my ear.
“Hello?” I answered.
“It’s Rose,” she said.
“I know,” I replied. “What do you want?”
She sighed. “Joseph called me twice,” Rose informed me. “He’s worried about Lindsey. He said he called you but you hung up on him, told him you weren’t coming there.”
My teeth ground. “Did he also tell you that he said my ‘little job doesn’t matter’ and that it’s basically my responsibility to come there and take care of family instead?” I asked her.
“No,” Rose said, her voice lower, “I’m sorry Kelly, this whole mess is my fault.”
I took a slow breath. “Lindsey lied to me too, and she lied to you. She told you she was going to her friends, but she went home instead,” I said.but “Besides, my father does what he wants, whether it’s for the best or not it seems. Neither of us can fix that.”
“So, you’re not mad at me?” Rose asked.
I licked my lips. “I didn’t say that,” I told her.
I looked to the side for a moment. “I don’t know what I should do. Go there and show him she won’t listen to me, or stay here,” I told her, “I have work, and besides I have no way to get there unless I want to ask…well, it doesn’t matter, but I’m not asking them.”
Rose was quiet for a moment. “Look, I know things are complicated right now, but I was planning ongoing to Holly to give Lindsey some of the things she left behind in the condo. If you want to ride along, you’re welcome to.”
I chewed on the inside of my cheek. My gaze shifted over to Emily’s door. I didn’t have to quit my job. I could just see if there was anyway I could get time off, go ‘home’, show my father that I was the last person who was going to help Lindsey and come back.
Granted, there were still to very handsome, complicated men in my apartment I’d need to deal with, but at least one problem would be solved. Right?
“Alright, I’ll see if I can get time off work and I’ll text you,” I told her, then hung up without saying anything else.
Butterflies invaded my stomach as I thought about the last time we’d been face to face.
I need to get control of that before being in a car with her for four hours.
My heart was pounding as I stepped back inside the apartment. I wasn’t totally sure how Malak and Grey were going to react to the news of me going to Holly with Rose, but I wasn’t looking forward to telling them. I took a deep breath and put my phone back in my sweater pocket.
“So?” Malak asked, leaning forward on the couch.
I folded my arms under my bust. “I’m going to Holly with Rose to check on Lindsey,” I said bluntly. Getting it out was the first step.
I watched both their faces fall. Malak look more concerned while Grey looked irritated.
“What?” Grey asked. “Two seconds ago, you were ignoring her calls. Now you’re going to Holly with her?”
I shrugged. “My father is never going to leave me alone, and she’s my sister,” I explained. “I’ll only be gone a few days.”
“I could drive you, if you didn’t want to go with Rosie,” Malak insisted, standing up.
I shook my head. “No,” I put a hand up, “there’s enough drama already. Trust me, I’ll call you, text you.”
“What if something happens?” Grey asked.
“Like what?” I asked, my brow furrowing, and groaned softly, “okay, look, if you think something terrible is happening, you can come get me yourself.”
Grey eyed me. “Alright,” he mumbled.
Malak sighed and looked to the side. Taylor was standing there, looking confused.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“I’m going to check on my sister tomorrow for a few days,” I told her.
Taylor blinked. “Oh.”
I looked to the side. “Oh, damn, I’m going to miss you leaving tomorrow,” I sighed and walked over to her.
“Nah, it’s okay, we’ve got more than enough hands,” she chuckled softly.
“Well, you can always text me, call me,” I told her, and wrapped my arms around her. I didn’t know Taylor very well, but she’d been part of the reason I felt safe to move into the apartment in the first place.
Taylor wrapped an arm around me and squeezed me back, though much lighter than I squeezed her.
“I really hope everything with your relationship and living with your brothers works out,” I told her as I pulled back.
Taylor smiled softly, looking bashful. “Thanks. I hope things with your sister are okay.”
I nodded, and then let out a breath.
“You and me both.”