Aaliyah
Fabe was calling for the fifth time that evening. I wanted to talk to him. He was the closest person to me, besides Rah. Considering what had happened, though, I no longer knew if I could still trust him either.
But, finally, I decided to answer. “You better not be calling me for your brother.”
“I’m calling for me.”
He actually sounded genuinely concerned, so I let my guard down. I laid back down under the bedding of the king sized bed in the Marriott. That is the only thing that I had been doing since I left the house. I didn’t know what to do. I had a lot of hurt in my heart and a lot of cash in my pockets.
“He told me what happened,” Fabe said. “Are you okay?”
No matter how hurt I was, I couldn’t even deny how my body relaxed in the presence of his sympathy and concern.
“I guess,” I answered.
“Where are you?”
“I don’t want your brother to know…”
“Aaliyah, c’mon now,” he fussed, interrupting me. “I wanna see you. I need to make sure you’re okay.”
Quietly, I pondered over the idea. I would have given anything to be held right then.
His visit sounded like something that would make it all better, even if only temporarily.
I had only had the comfort of my newborn.
I needed somebody who could tell me that I wasn’t trippin’ and that I had done the right thing.
Fabe sensed my hesitation. He smacked his lips. “Really, Aaliyah? I’ve been telling you to leave that nigga since you got with him. Why would I tell him where you were?”
He was right. Had I listened to his warnings in the past, I wouldn’t be lying in bed with a purple ring around my neck.
“I’m at the Marriott on Sixty–Fifth and Cicero.”
“I’m on my way.”
He sounded like he was already in the car, so I believed that he would be there soon.
I hadn’t showered since I arrived at the hotel the morning before.
I was too distraught to have the strength to do anything except feed my baby and use the bathroom.
So, reluctantly I crawled from underneath the covers.
On my way to the bathroom, I checked on Junior, who was fast asleep in the bassinet that I brought along with me from the house.
My body was so heavy with hurt as I prepared the shower and took off my sleep shirt.
I still couldn’t believe that Rah had put his hands on me.
He wasn’t perfect, by any means. We’d argued countless times before.
Never had he thought so little of me that he hit me, however.
Never had his disrespect been so blatant.
Yet, since he was capable of murder, I guess he had always been capable of anything.
My mind was so busy, and my emotions were so fucked that I hadn’t even eaten. So, after I got out of the shower, I could damn near smell the Italian Fiesta pizza on the other side of the door right before I heard a knock.
I wrapped the hotel towel around my body that was still dripping with hot water. I peered through the peephole and couldn’t deny how laying eyes on Fabe gave me a feeling of comfort that I hadn’t felt in days.
I hid behind the door as I opened it. Fabe came in and immediately put the pizza and brown bags down on the table.
He turned to look at me. Instantly, I came towards him and fell into his arms. Though I buried my face in his chest, he picked it up and began to examine me.
He looked over my face and body. When he saw the bruises, he bit his lip with sorrow and anger.
“I’m okay,” I promised him.
His eyes burned into mine, silently telling me that he knew that I was lying.
I sat down on the bed and avoided him. At first, I thought his visit would be comforting. Now, I just felt stupid. He was standing there looking and smelling good. Compassion was oozing from him. Yet, I had denied him and stayed with a nigga that obviously never cared about me.
“You okay?”
I couldn’t even lie to him, “Not really.”
“How long you plan on staying at this hotel?”
“For a few days.”
“And then?”
“I’m going to Houston.”
Getting my mother out of that home would take a few days, but I had enough money to stay in that hotel for as long as it took.
I kept those details away from Fabe, though.
I didn’t want anyone to know that I knew about that money or that Rah killed Carlos.
I just wanted to leave and be free. I hated that it had to happen like this, but transferring my mother and being able to move her closer to her sister was the only ray of sunshine in the midst of this storm.
It almost made it all feel like it was worth it.
Fabe saw my weariness and put his arms around me. “I told you to leave him.”
When I lay my head on his shoulder, he began to soothingly rub my back. I fell into him and finally relaxed. I only felt that protected when I was near him. Yet, for a year, I avoided being that close to him.
“I know,” I told him with a sigh.
Being in his arms felt right. It felt safe. It felt genuine. It felt like falling in love over and over again with every minute he held me.
“But you loved him too much.”
I had no response for that.
“Can I ask you a question?”
I dreaded what he would ask. I wasn’t ready for some deep ass conversation with him about how his brother wasn’t shit and I dealt with it.
“Go ahead.” However, he deserved that explanation if he wanted it. Hell, he had been more of a man to me emotionally than Rah ever had.
“Who is Junior’s father?”
I wasn’t expecting that question, though.
I immediately got anxious. For nine months, nobody questioned me. Rah didn’t think twice. Fabe never once asked.
When I pondered over the answer and the embarrassment silenced me, Fabe asked, “You don’t know, do you?”
The truth was I didn’t. I had sex with Fabe and Rah days apart from each other. Rah never even considered using condoms. He told me that I was his and he was mine, so we didn’t need them. Fabe, well, you can blame that recklessness on Remy Martin VSOP.
When my silence spoke of my guilt, anger seemed to overwhelm Fabe.
He removed his arms from around me and slightly moved away from me.
As soon as I saw that I had hurt him that much, I reached for him.
I wrapped my arms around him. As I did, my towel fell.
For over a year, he looked at me like I was his everything.
Now, he was looking at me like he hated me.
I just wanted to fix it. I kissed him. Immaturely, I felt like that would make everything better.
Surprisingly, he kissed me back. He didn’t fight as I slipped my tongue into his mouth.
When I felt his masculine big strong hands on my back, it was as if my pussy took over.
I hadn’t had sex in so long. My body knew what Fabe could do, and it wanted it.
My heart knew that I had hurt his feelings by keeping his child away from him and thought that fucking him would fix it.
He acted like it did. He took over, taking advantage of me finally giving myself to him physically, just as he always wanted.
Fucking him would fix me too, if only for a moment. So, he used his weight against my body to force me down on the bed, and I invited him. I wrapped my petite arms around his strong neck and lost myself under him.
Resting against one elbow, he sucked my mouth as he unzipped his pants.
My pussy oozed with anticipation of the dick that I recalled a little over nine months ago.
I was eager. As we kissed, I reached for his dick, anxiously opened my legs, and brought it towards my opening.
My pussy seemingly reached out to him as he slid into me.
We both let out excited and amazed moans as his stiff long dick met my juicy insides.
“Shit,” Fabe breathed into my ear. “Just like I remembered.”
I was lost in the feeling. I was lost in the penetration. He didn’t whale his dick into me selfish and aggressively. He took his time, found my spot, and massaged that motherfucker, just as he did the last time.
“I love you,” softly swam into my ear in a deep whisper.
I gasped at the words. My eyes welled up when my heart felt the genuineness. My legs opened more, allowing him in deeper, fishing for him to say more.
I fought the urge to get too loud, in fear that Junior would awaken in his bassinet. But it was hard, because his dick was so hard and seemingly fucking my organs.
“Gawd damn,” I groaned softly as Fabe lost his face in my neck.
He asked me, “You love me?” But didn’t wait for an answer. He was seemingly fucking the love into my heart with purposeful attacks on my g spot. “Tell me you love me, baby.”
I did. I always had. As sweat began to appear on the surface of our skin, I felt the love between us that had always been there, that we had always avoided.
Tears fell from eyes that were still sore from Rah’s punches. “I love you too.”