5. Daylin
FIVE
daylin
Somewhat loud rustling disturbed me from my slumber. I’d only been asleep for a couple hours, having had too much on my mind to find actual sleep. Not to mention, I kept worrying that Rakim would come into the room and assault me in some way.
It was only after I remembered that he sort of saved me from Ayan that night at the party—realizing Rakim didn’t come off as the assaulting type—was I able to doze off.
“Good morning.” An older black woman with a warm smile greeted me as I sat up, confused. “I didn’t know what you’d like, so I made a big platter.” She set down a tray with waffles, eggs, sausage, bacon, fruit, toast, and orange juice. “Coffee?”
“No. I don’t drink coffee. Do you um, have cold chai tea?” I tried my luck since the woman was clearly ready to serve.
“Sure! I’m Cynthia, by the way.” She beamed down at what I was sure was a perplexed and befuddled expression on my face. I could only nod woodenly in reply. “Be right back with that.”
Like she said, Cynthia returned with my iced chai tea, and like the food, it tasted amazing. I hadn’t expected to be fed home-cooked meals and have my coffee or tea order taken, so I was extremely caught off guard.
As I finished up my chai, the door to the bedroom flew open, and in walked Josias and his identical twin brother, who I hadn’t been able to get the name of. They looked exactly the same, only Josias’s locs were blond at the tips, and his brother’s weren’t.
“Oh shit! You old girl’s cousin!” Josias pointed as his brother closed the door for some reason. I didn’t like this shit at all.
“I’m her boss, actually. We aren’t related,” I replied, noticing Josias was grinning while his brother surveyed me with a more serious stare.
“Told you she was fine as fuck.” Josias patted his brother’s chest. “He didn’t get a good look at you at the party, so he was asking Rah. This Zaire, my twin.” He turned to me to explain as if I gave a fuck.
I wasn’t exactly in a ‘meeting new people’ mood.
“Oh.” I feigned a chuckle, feeling awkward.
“You into trains?” Zaire asked, and I couldn’t believe this was the first sentence out of his fucking mouth.
“Do you mean the actual locomotive because there is no way you mean any other type,” I shot back out of reflex but immediately shut my mouth, praying they didn’t try some shit or, worse, tell Rakim and he punish me for being rude to his obnoxious sibling.
“Nah, he means was you trying to get fucked by me and my brother,” Josias clarified. “I mean, only if you want. We ain’t gotta take no pussy, lil mama.”
Before I could reply and light into their asses again, Rakim entered the room, exuding a power over everyone like he always did, I noticed. I even found myself quieting down and waiting for his next move or word, like a loyal subject.
“Cynthia,” Rakim called out, and the older woman sauntered in, grinning.
She made her way over to me and took my tray of now empty plates, used silverware, and drinking glass.
“You niggas get out. Told y’all not to come in here.
Hardheaded asses.” Rakim rocked his head toward the exit of the bedroom.
Josias and Zaire complained but fell in line, leaving out of the room behind Cynthia.
“Thank you,” I said, feeling slightly stupid for thanking him for anything. “The food was really good.”
“You can use the bathroom over there. Towels are in the warmer, and it’s some generic soap too. Ain’t the time to be picky no way,” he responded, completely ignoring my kind gesture that he didn’t even fucking deserve.
“I don’t have anything to wear.” I stood from the bed.
Declining to respond, he tugged the door open and left.
Shaking my head, I waltzed into the large and luxurious en suite that put my own nice ass bathroom in my home to shame. I talked shit about Rakim as much as I wanted to, knowing he wouldn’t know or hear as I brushed, flossed, and used the mouthwash that was all laid out for me in fresh packaging.
I found it odd and alarming that the brands were the exact ones I used at home, since homeboy told me not to be picky. Maybe he was only speaking on the bodywash.
Hopping into the shower, I soaped up with the generic but good smelling soap. It smelled of forest trees and vanilla, too potent to get close to my vagina so I just used water down there.
Stepping out of the shower, I was startled to see a pair of tights and a large graphic T-shirt hanging on the back of the door, mainly because it wasn’t there before I’d gotten into the shower.
I was so wrapped up in the warm, powerful showerhead and my thoughts that I must’ve missed someone coming into the bathroom and putting clothes on the door.
I didn’t like that. In this situation, I needed to be alert and keep my head on a swivel. Failing to see someone invading my privacy was a lesson learned. From now on, I would work overtime to be sure my eyes stayed peeled.
“Damn,” I mumbled, realizing the clothes fit perfectly. The pants were comfortable, and the oversized shirt had the right amount of extra space.
Leaving the bathroom, I descended onto the bed and split my hair into two sections before knotting up one side and braiding the other into a Dutch braid. Once finished, I repeated the action on the other side to prevent it from matting while in captivity.
As I did so, my mind traipsed into Rakim-land. He was so mysterious, but interesting and alluring at the same time. From the way he commanded attention without a word as if he were Michael Jackson in concert, to the way he supplied the bathroom with my exact lineup of preferred oral products.
Then I pondered on how callous and rude he was to me, yet his sole reasoning for this kidnapping was because of the love he had for his cousin.
It wasn’t every day that people committed crimes for the people they loved.
So, though I wanted to paint Rakim as a terrible ruffian, I knew there was some compassion and feeling underneath all of that.
Once finished with my hair, I used the two hair ties I’d worn on my wrists to tie off the ends. It was only then that I remembered I wasn’t bound to anything, and though I didn’t know where I was, just getting out of here was a start.
“Aight, nigga. Make sure you check,” I heard one of the men say from afar outside, just as a car started.
I listened intently to the crunchy gravel as it peeled off, before peering through the somewhat foggy windows to see if I could spot the vehicle or some type of road.
In the distance, I could see what looked to be some sort of population with houses, farm supplies, and vehicles.
Testing one of the windows, I saw there didn’t seem to be a lock or any other type of blockage, so I hurried to slip back on my once pristine but now raggedy Crocs. I was getting the fuck out of here.
And for Rakim to be so smart and calculating, he sure was dumb as fuck to leave this window open.
“Ow! Fuck!” I wailed from the loud and painful zap that seared through my ankle as soon as I put my foot up onto the windowsill in an attempt to mount and then slip out. “Fuck! Oh my gosh!” I wailed. I’d only touched the window initially so had no idea about the danger of the windowsill.
Hitting the carpeted floor with a thud, I whimpered while cradling my ankle that I could literally feel swelling in size. The pain was searing, causing my breathing to become labored as if I were birthing a fucking baby.
My heart rate sped up as I listened to the bedroom door creak from it being opened and then closed. Rakim had me so terrified that if I dropped dead from a heart attack, I would not be surprised.
Heavy footsteps that I knew belonged to him sounded off, but I couldn’t ascend to my feet even if I wanted to. I couldn’t even let go of my poor ankle.
“I warned you.” His deep voice that always rattled me from within rang out above me as he scooped me up bridal style against my will.
“Now I gotta cuff yo’ hardheaded ass.” He laid me down and went to fish the cuffs out from somewhere that I couldn’t see because tears had clouded my vision.
And honestly, all I cared about was my ankle.
A mob of rabid dogs could burst in here, and I wouldn’t give a damn right now.
No matter how much I tried, I couldn’t peel my hands from compressing my throbbing ankle.
“I-I was just looking at something,” I lied poorly and through tears, hoping I hadn’t pissed him off too much. “I won’t do it again though.”
“Save the lies and bullshit for ya dumb ass boyfriend, lil mama.” He squatted down, his cologne wafting over me as he gripped my wrist to slip it into the cuff before hooking the other one onto the wooden bed frame.
I conceded, lying back with one cuffed arm stretched above my head as Rakim surveyed my ankle, shaking his head at me and making me feel as stupid as I’d been saying he was moments ago. Why hadn’t I just sat my ass down?
His big hand touched the sore and pained area, making me wince.
“Leave it a-alone please,” I begged, still blowing out short, quick gusts of air through my lips.
“My bad.” He somewhat apologized, and I was shocked to hear something even reminiscent of an apology or admission of guilt come from his mean ass mouth.
Rakim rose to his feet and left, returning shortly after with a bag of cold corn to place on my ankle.
“Thank you,” I whispered softly, the pain subsiding enough for me to get a good look at Rakim, especially since he was focused on my swollen ankle. “Did you hear from my father again?”
“Just to confirm he made it back and that Talid was going into surgery as I requested,” he replied dryly, and I just admired how masculine his bearded jaw was.
The way his muscles flexed whenever he adjusted the bag of vegetables and how his thumb, though callous, brushed along the swollen area whenever he lifted the bag to check it, was like foreplay for me right now.
His cologne dancing up my nose didn’t make it any better.
I had never been reminded of my celibacy more than right now, and the man wasn’t even doing anything to be intentionally enticing.
This feeling was new—being completely horrified by someone but also finding them alluring.
I think had I not seen Rakim and been instantly attracted to him before this debacle, I would simply be horrified by him and nothing more.
Because he wasn’t nice, warm, or welcoming in the least bit.
He was surely gonna give me nightmares for years to come if I made it out of this.
“So then I should be going home soon?”
“I said he needed to save my cousin, and he ain’t saved just yet.” Rakim stood up, and in another world, I would’ve told him not to and to keep nursing my injury, but that would’ve been weird as hell.
I couldn’t help but notice that he seemed to get offended at me mentioning going home, which was odd to me. Because if he was bothered by that, it meant either one of two things: He planned to never let me go and instead kill my ass, or he wanted to keep me for some reason.
I was leaning more toward the former since Rakim didn’t know my ass from a can of paint to just want my damn company out of nowhere.
He handed the bag of corn to me promptly and then turned to head toward the door without another word. With his absence, the pain in my ankle seemed to soar as if it missed Rakim’s presence too.