Chapter 3
Cayla
“So, you let that man go to your house just to feed and walk my nephew.” Zynea's tone held disbelief.
“Yeah, girl.” I was looking over my little bag to make sure I had everything.
My stitches were scheduled to be removed in three weeks, and the doctor said that I should make a full recovery in six to eight weeks. I was given crutches for the meantime so I wouldn’t apply too much pressure on the injured leg.
“I’m so mad I’m not home. How are you going to survive being at the top of the castle, Rapunzel, with your newfound disability?”
Zynea always joked about how I lived on the top floor of my apartment building.
“I honestly don’t know.”
A few hours after Orion left the hospital, he called to check on me and asked if I wanted to stay with him while I healed.
Honestly, I didn’t know how I was going to get up my stairs, and I worried about Mello going out to use the bathroom.
I didn’t give him an answer on the spot, but the offer was very tempting.
Worry dripped from Zynea’s voice when she asked how I was going to do things.
I paused before revealing the proposition that was presented to me that I had yet to accept.
“Orion offered for me to stay by him until I heal. Well, me and Mello. He owns a house in East New York. He even has a full bathroom and bedroom on the first floor.”
“Girl, I’m so glad you share locations with me because you just be living life on the edge. You don’t even know this man,” she chastised.
“I didn’t say yes yet. I was just thinking about it. He even paid my hospital bills.”
After the phone conversation with Orion, I went to turn on the television.
I saw that it was working on the premium channels.
I asked a nurse how my television was on, since I hadn’t paid for anything.
Hospitals loved to sneakily hit people with charges, and I wasn’t going for that shit.
I was already about to roll into enough debt.
The nurse got someone from patient and insurance communications for me, who notified me that not only was my television paid for until my discharge date, but my surgery and inpatient stay were as well.
Thinking it was a mistake, I quickly told her that I wasn’t responsible for any of that.
She smiled and said that an Orion Blackwood had covered all my expenses over the phone yesterday.
My dimples deepened with a smile, just thinking of how nice he was to do that for me.
“Girl, go,” she quickly changed her tune.
“Now you’re okay with me going?” I said with a chuckle.
“Hell yeah, this nigga is coming off bread and didn’t even sniff the kitty yet. Lock this one down, big mama.”
I shook my head and then lightly laughed.
“Big mama… big mama…” she started chanting in my ear.
“You ready to go?”
Orion’s voice startled me, so I quickly put the phone to my ear. I had forgotten to tell him to grab my AirPods when he was at my place. So, while I was gathering my things to leave, I had Zynea on speaker.
“Uhh yeah.”
“Na, by all means, let her finish the song. Big mamaaaaa,” he joined in as he smiled.
I hoped he didn’t hear everything she said. I honestly didn’t know how long he had been standing at the door. I tried to read his facial expression, and he didn’t seem bothered, so I wouldn’t be either.
“Girl, is that man there?” Zynea asked in a whisper.
“Uhh huh,” I grumbled. I laughed inwardly because she had some nerve whispering now.
“Well, bye. If I see your location in East New York later, then I’ll know what you decided.”
“Bye, girl,” I said before ending the line.
“Have you decided what you want to do?”
I didn’t know if he bit his bottom lip and tilted his head to the side to sway my decision.
He looked so damn sexy doing it. It was the way a few of his locs fell in front of his face for me.
I twisted my face for a bit in thought. He had been looking out for me for the past couple of days, so I didn’t see any harm in accepting his offer.
“I’ll stay by you.”
He smiled, showing off his teeth. I was so glad that under his diamond grill, he actually had a nice smile. Most niggas put gold and diamonds across the yuck mouth, and that was so disgusting to me.
“Well, we gotta go get the little fur ball and get you some clothes. I’ll FaceTime you when I get up to your place because I don’t want you to have to climb those stairs.”
“Okay.”
He smiled at me like I had just made him the happiest man in the world. I quickly remembered that I had to thank him for paying my bills.
“Thank you…” I said lowly.
I wasn’t used to men doing nice things for me, so it was weird to thank one for anything.
“For?”
He was really going to make me say it. When I thought about it, I had two things to be thankful for. He was letting me crash at his house, and he paid my hospital bills. Well, three if I’m counting how he went to walk and feed Mello when he didn’t have to.
“You paid my hospital bills, went to walk and feed my dog, and you’re letting me crash with you.”
He looked at me for a while before his full lips parted.
“These are things a nigga interested in you should be doing.”
He let his last word trail off a bit, and the reality of his statement stung.
It was evident that I had been fucking with all the wrong kinds of men since my breakup with Lamont.
All cheating aside, he was attentive to my needs, caring, and had excellent communication skills.
Of course, all of that changed when I put on this much weight.
Before getting too caught up in my feelings, I smiled at the silver lining in his statement.
“So, you’re interested in me?” I asked, blushing a bit.
“You don’t see it yet, but we about to go together.”
“Boy,” I chuckled out because he had to be playing with me for real, “oh, so you want little ol’ me.”
Wasn’t a damn thing little about me. I was a whole lot of woman. I just hoped he was prepared for what he was asking for. He blinked his long lashes repeatedly before speaking.
“Real bad,” he confirmed with the straightest face.
I tucked my hair behind my ear timidly as silence crept into the room.
The nurse came in with my discharge papers, prescriptions, and a follow-up appointment.
Once everything was signed, Orion wheeled me out to his car.
I was impressed with his ride, which shouldn't have been a surprise.
He opened the passenger side door of a black Audi.
After helping me into the car, he waited until my plumpness sank into his peanut butter seats before closing the door behind me.
From the side mirror, I watched as he placed my crutches in the back along with my bags.
On the drive over to my place, he caught me up on things with his club.
Since the police had finished their investigation, he was good to reopen this upcoming weekend.
I was happy for him. Besides owning this club, I had no idea what else he did for a living.
Being a business owner must have been sweet to him, because paying my hospital bills without even knowing me for real was admirable and some boss shit.
When we made it to my apartment, he double-parked right outside my building.
Being left alone in his car made my curiosity roam.
I sat still for a bit, lost in whether I should snoop or mind my damn business.
After all, we were just vibing. Vibing with these other niggas turned into lie-filled situationships.
My inner thoughts were killing me. Crippling me because I needed to know more about this man.
I quickly popped the glove compartment open, and a gun fell into my lap.
“Oh, shitttt,” I quickly whispered.
I looked around as if someone could see me, but the tint on Orion’s car was so damn dark.
I didn’t want to touch the gun to put it back because I didn’t need my prints on it.
I grabbed the bottom part of the sweater I was wearing and then tossed it back into the glove box before slamming the door shut.
Right then, I second-guessed whether I wanted to stay with him.
What if he killed me in my sleep or some shit?
My phone ringing caused me to jump. I didn’t even think of this man having cameras in his damn car.
What if he saw me being nosy? I was sure he would come downstairs and put me right out of his car.
Hesitantly, I slid the bar to answer his FaceTime call.
“Hey…” I answered shakily.
“You okay?”
His bent brow had worry in it. Something about the way he instantly sensed distress within me made me feel uneasy. That feeling you get when you’re on a damn boat. Unsettled in a sense.
“Yeah, I’m okay, just a little tired,” I lied.
“Okay, let me hurry up so we can get to my crib. What do you need out of here?”
I gave him a quick list of what I would need and where he could find my luggage so he could pack my things.
I didn’t know how long I would be staying at his house, but I wanted to make sure I had more than enough things, so I wouldn’t have to bother him with the burden of running back to my place for more clothes.
I squinted and thought of everything I told him to gather.
Satisfied with my list, I moved on to the last item I would need.
Lastly, I told him to pack Mello’s bowl and food, but he said he could stop at a pet store to get them.
Once he got everything I needed, he said he would be down in a minute.
Seeing him walk out of my apartment building with my luggage and Mello in tow caused the corners of my mouth to turn upward.
He opened my door and handed me Mello before putting my bags in the back seat.
My baby was wagging his tail and dancing in my lap.
I knew he was happy to see me. When Orion got in the driver’s seat, he looked around before speaking.
“Is your car good being parked over here for a long time?”
“I don’t have one,” I admitted.