Chapter 6 #2
Eventually, my anger subsided. I knew I had to attract bees with honey.
Rolling my shoulders back, I slowly tilted my neck from side to side, working the tension out of my muscles like Jameera taught me.
I took a deep breath. Inhale. Exhale. Then I flung my arms out, giving my hands a good shake as I prepared myself for the acting performance of my lifetime.
Sauntering towards the door, I opened and closed my mouth a few times before shifting my jaw from side to side. The things I was about to say would hurt. Lifting my knuckles, I gently knocked on the door.
“Okay, Xain. I’m relaxed. I’m calm. I’ve had some time to think, and I want to apologize for giving you the flu. I understand why you are here, and I just want to come to a compromise. Please let me in so we can talk,” I pleaded.
Although I was feeling better and no longer contagious, Xain could still change that. When I left the house a few days ago to spend time at Mama Marissa’s house, it felt good to soak up the vitamin D from the sun, and I hoped the extra boost would prevent me from catching the flu from Xain again.
After a minute or two without a response, I started again.
“Xain, I have my period, and all of my feminine products are in my bathroom,” I confessed.
There was finally movement in my bedroom, and I braced myself for the door to open so I could pounce. That moment never came, though. Instead of opening the door, Xain slid two tampons, two panty liners, and two pads under my bedroom door.
“‘Preciate the apology. I’m about to get some more sleep, and we can talk when I wake up. Go ‘head and make the soup. I’ll eat it when I wake up,” Xain suggested.
Seething, I raised my fists and beat on the door like a petulant child. My anger was heightened again, and the wave of cramps that smacked me sent me over the edge.
“I knew yo ass was capped out,” Xain spat.
After a while, I grew tired of banging on the door, gathered my feminine products, then went through the grocery bags, taking out anything that needed to be refrigerated and putting it away. The rest could wait.
A few minutes later, I retreated to my guest bedroom.
I had a full setup for when my little brothers came to spend the night, and the sheets had just been changed when I hired a cleaning lady to deep-clean my entire place after I was no longer considered contagious.
Climbing into the bed, I curled up underneath the covers, resting my body because I knew I wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep with Grippy Socks in the next room.
I tossed and turned for an hour, then went into the living room to watch TV while doing a crossword puzzle.
I was on my second puzzle, struggling with the second-to-last word going across.
It was fifteen letters, and the hint was one word: occasionally.
Crosswords were a daily brain exercise, and I didn’t regularly look for hints or answers online.
However, knowing that wasn’t even an option thanks to Xain riled me up again.
Speaking of the devil. My bedroom door opened, and Xain stumbled out, rummaging through the bags on the table.
He pulled out a toothbrush and toothpaste, then went back into the room.
I was no longer in a rush to get back in my bedroom.
It’d have to be deep cleaned and disinfected before I would sleep in there again.
Deciding to give my brain a break, I tossed the book on the coffee table and curled up beneath my throw blanket.
Xain exited the room a few minutes later, no longer dressed in his pajamas and wearing a pair of Nike sweats and a matching t-shirt.
My eyes were glued to the titty on the side of his head as he comfortably swaggered into the kitchen.
He washed his hands, then rummaged around in my cabinets.
I sat back up on the couch, staring up at Xain as he pulled my refrigerator open.
“God damn, you don’t have shit in this refrigerator but a cucumber salad,” Xain announced, his voice no longer raspy.
“It’s just me, so I don’t really stockpile groceries. I buy what I need. Plus, I just had my refrigerator deep cleaned and tossed everything out.”
“I bet. Where ya cooking utensils?”
“Ughhhhh! Get out of my kitchen. I don’t need you tearing anything up in here. I got it. I’ll make the soup. Just get out,” I rambled.
Maybe cooking him soup would release me from being his prisoner. Xain raised his hands and left the kitchen, claiming a seat on my couch.
I sanitized the surfaces and got started.
As I cooked the soup, I pulled out my glass tea kettle and poured three bottles of water inside.
When the kettle started to scream, I turned the eye off and retrieved two purple coffee mugs.
Almost everything in my apartment was purple.
My cast-iron cookware, the handles of my stainless steel cookware, and the hanging dish towels were all various shades of purple. It was my favorite color.
The love of purple was one of the things Mama Marissa and I bonded over when we first met.
Anytime she grabbed something cute and purple for herself, she’d grab one for me too.
I’d grown close to Q’s entire family, not only because I worked for Q, but also because my Aunt Anila was married to their Uncle Vincent.
I thought we were all family. So how could Tech do this to me and lock me in here with Xain?
Placing an echinacea tea bag and a drizzle of honey in both mugs, I carefully poured the steaming water until the cups were full.
I had half the mind to spit in his mug, but I was trying to smile my way out of this hellscape.
I covered the mugs with purple saucers to let them steep until I finished cooking the soup. Jameera had recently taught me that.
I pulled my ladle out of my drawer, rinsed it off, and scooped a generous amount into two purple bowls.
Taking a deep breath, I took the saucer off one of the coffee mugs and sauntered into the living room with a fake smile on my face.
My captor was relaxing on my couch, watching ESPN without a care in the world because I wasn’t evil enough to shoot him.
“Thank you,” Xain said with a smile, reaching up to accept the bowl and mug.
Fuck you!
I screamed in my head, but chose to put on a smile as opposed to the mean mug he deserved.
“What’s in the mug?” Xain questioned, placing the bowl of soup down on the coffee table.
“Echinacea tea. It eases cold and flu symptoms and boosts your immune system,” I detailed.
“You didn’t spit in my shit, did you?” His eyes slipped into thin, suspicious slits.
“No, I thought about it though,” I admitted.
Xain laughed, pulling the mug to his lips. “This some new shit. My granny always had me drinkin’ chamomile and honey tea when I got sick. I fuck with this. What did you say the name was again?”
“Echinacea. You know, your rasp is gone, and you haven’t drunk a sip of water or anything since you got here,” I noted.
Placing both of my hands on my hips, I blocked his view of ESPN.
It was like deja vu from that day in the hotel all over again, even down to having my cycle and being overly agitated. I hated this nigga’s guts.
He silently took a long sip from the mug and nodded in approval.
“Did you come over here faking sick?!” I accused him after he didn’t respond. “You didn’t even sound sick anymore. I haven’t heard a sniffle or a cough the entire time I cooked. You don’t even use a tissue to blow your nose or clean up any drainage.”
“Cat’s out of the bag. I’m in the recovery phase,” Xain shrugged. “No longer contagious. I still get fatigued though.”
“This nigga didn’t even get as sick as I did. It took me way longer to bounce back,” I ranted to myself.
Snatching my crossword puzzle book off the table, I collected my tea and soup and went to the dining room table.
Xain joined me in the dining room with the food and tea he extorted out of me.
I never would’ve cooked for his ass otherwise.
He better enjoy my grandma’s recipe while he could. He’d never taste my cooking again.
“You just wanted to be over here. You’re a psycho kindergartener with a crush that can’t admit it.”
“Crush on you?” Xain emitted an obnoxious laugh. “Nah, this ain’t that.”
Something snapped in me, and I burst into a sobbing mess. I hated how emotional I got when I was on my cycle. Now this nigga had the satisfaction of thinking he broke me. When really my pussy was just bleeding.
“Fuck, man…” Xain rambled, rounding the table and wrapping his arms around me.
I’d never voluntarily been that close to Xain, and the citrus and smoky wood scent was even stronger when I relaxed in his arms. He smelled amazing.