happy // shareef o'neal. [on hold]

let it go.

kadeem gently wiped at the cut on her lip and she hissed at the sting. "sorry." she shook her head and tried to look at him, but her left eye was slightly swollen and it was hard to open it fully. "thank you for this kadeem. you're the only one i could ask of this at the moment." he nodded as he put away the cotton swab that he was using. "so you going to tell me what happened?" his gaze caught her and she looked down, ashamed that he had to see her like this. noticing her silence, he sighed. "you don't have to say anything, monique. but it might help to talk shit out especially since i'm a stranger. i'm unbiased and you might need that. i feel like you have yes men as friends and trust me, i've seen them." he was right, she did have yes men as friends and she could use someone who didn't know her background or who her brother was to give her advice or a shoulder to cry on. she took a deep breath and told kadeem everything. from her friends encouraging her to pursue andrew, to the way her relationship with andrew started, to how he started to change towards her and eventually to how they got here. kadeem didn't interrupt her once and listened intently but she noticed that his jaw was clenched when she retold the part of her encounter with andrew.

when she was done, silence occupied the room. she looked at him and noticed the quiet anger radiating off of him, which he noticed and closed off his expression before exhaling through his nose. "i don't want you to worry about him ight? i'll handle it." she furrowed her eyebrows and looked into his eyes. "handle it?" he nodded and gathered close to her, wrapping her legs around his waist gently and allowing her arms to wrap around his neck before he lifted her off the bathroom counter. he walked back to her room and laid her on her bed gently, making sure not to jostle her too much. he unwrapped her legs and arms around him and made his way to put as much pillows as he could for her to sit up on. after he was done, he gently moved her up and laid her on the pillows and gathered her fallen blanket and wrapping her in it. after he was done, he stepped back and went about cleaning and fixing her room that was in a state. she watched him and tears gathered in her eyes as she did so. she didn't know what to think and she must've made a sound because kadeem looked up from his task and to her. once he looked at her, the dam burst and she finally let out the tears she had been holding back. "why would he do this to me kadeem?" kadeem tucked her against him and rubbed her back soothingly, humming softly. "i don't know, ma. i really don't know." she cried into his chest, pain and anger at the experience she went through coming out through her tears. "just give me the word and i'll handle it." she gripped his shirt and sniffled, eyes heavy and the night catching up to her. she nodded, never losing her grip on his shirt. the action was grounding her.

"handle it."

monique could smell bacon in the air and sighed. she moved around until she felt her body twinge. remembering last night, she sniffled a bit, tears gathering in her eyes and a lone one sliding down her cheek. she wiped it away quickly and tried to sit up in her bed. while she couldn't properly sit up, she leaned against her various pillows, thankful for kadeem putting them there. she heard footsteps and looked at kadeem nearing her. he smiled, his hands holding onto a tray that contained two plates and two glasses of juice. "i went shopping for food and stocked up your fridge." she smiled, grateful. she truly was grateful for him, especially after everything he's done for her so far. "thank you so much, kadeem." he nodded and smiled, placing the tray near her and entering the bed, sitting next to her and handing her the breakfast. he said a small prayer and they began eating. as she ate, she wanted to ask about where he went to last night after she had cried herself to sleep on him. she woke up later and found him missing but here he was now. "where did you go last night? i woke up and you were gone." she looked at him and saw that he had stopped eating. "i went to go fetch some clothes to change into for the next few days and i had to call up some people." she looked into his eyes and saw him looking right back. "you're staying?" "of course. i gotta make sure you're good and take care of you." she didn't know this man but he was willing to go this far to ensure she was well taken care of warmed her heart. "thank you, kadeem. honestly." her voice choked out and she cleared her throat, emotions overwhelming her. "you're welcome. now finish your breakfast."

after they were done, kadeem cleared their plates and monique realised that she had to shower which seemed like a difficult task considering the pain she felt. kadeem came back and took one look at her before raising an eyebrow. "what's wrong?" "i need to shower." she felt embarrassed but she didn't know why. kadeem nodded before he headed to her bathroom and she heard the shower start to run. he came back to her and lifted her up, bridal style and headed to the bathroom. she looked at him and fidgeted slightly. "what now?" he chuckled and gestured for her to lift her arms. she did so and he took off her top. "if you feel embarrassed, tell me. i'm just trying to help you." she nodded and tried to lift a leg out of her leggings as kadeem took them off as well. she stood in her underwear and realised that although she was shy, she wasn't embarrassed at kadeem seeing her naked. he had seen her at her worse yesterday, laid out on the floor. she looked at him and noticed he was just waiting on her before she nodded and he helped her to unstrap her bra and step out of her panties. considering he looked freshly showered, he stepped out of his sweatpants, t-shirt and shoes before helping her into the shower.

he helped her where he could and monique was also thankful for sleeping with her bonnet because she wouldn't be able to deal with her hair at the moment. they finished and he grabbed a towel for her and himself before helping her walk to her bed, deciding that she needed to practice how to walk slowly but surely despite the pain she felt. she put lotion where she could and he helped her where he could before helping her into a big t-shirt - his own that she wanted to wear instead which he let her. after they were done, monique felt exhausted. every action seemed to take a lot out of her and she was once again grateful for kadeem and his help. he pulled up her laptop and they sat in her bed for the rest of the day, watching netflix and eating snacks.

night fell quickly and monique woke with a start, noting the empty space beside her and the lights dimmed. she sat up a bit and could hear kadeem's voice near the kitchen. he seemed to be on the phone and his voice neared her as he came closer to her open bedroom. he noted she was awake and continued with his conversation, taking his spot back. "thanks a lot cuz, i 'preaciate it." she looked at him, long eyelashes framing his face gently and her face flushed when he glanced at her. "yea ima keep her straight." she wondered what the person on the other end was saying but didn't seem to care enough about it. she laid back on her pillows, eyes fluttering shut. "ight thanks man. bye." he set his phone down afterwards and monique glanced at him. "who was that?" "my cousin. i called him last night and he took care of things." she looked at his face and saw no expression change and he looked towards her, eyes locking with hers.

"it's handled.

kadeem is a new favorite of mine.

also monique has been interesting to write, i didn't plan for things to go like this but i just started typing and here we are.

anyways!

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