Something Domestic

II

CHARISSE WOKE UP early the next day. She threw the covers off her body and stood. Maria used to make her run every morning before her dad went to jail. Before that, they'd run together – the only time Maria was herself around her daughter. Then she went alone. And to be honest, it was better that way.

She walked towards her bathroom, fighting a yawn. She flicked the light on. She brushed her hair back and stared in her reflection. She wasn't ugly; Charisse was sure of that. But she wasn't pretty, either. She wasn't just pretty.

After using the facilities and brushing her teeth, Charisse decided to get dressed. She pulled on sports bra and sweatpants, not caring who saw her today. She pulled a jacket over her arms before grabbing her phone. She grabbed her house keys and headphones. After making her bed and telling Maria she was up, she left. She turned on her music and began running.

In Jacksonville, it was always sunny. Even at night, the air would feel disrespectful against your delicate skin. That morning though, the air was welcoming as Charisse jogged down Main Street.

She ran the same route every time. Down Main, around the block, and through Lincoln Park. Two times, maybe three. Her breaths grew shallow. She was running faster than normal – what was she running from? She quickly rounded the corner only to run into a wall of muscle. Her arms flew back as she braced herself for the fall to come. Arms wrapped around her waist, stopping her from falling. When she looked up, a small smile made its way onto her face.

It's him! She thought.

"You," He murmured.

Charisse stepped out of his arms, turning red. "Sorry,"

"No, no. It's fine," The man with the grey eyes said, a smile growing on his face. "I'm Joshua. Joshua Wright."

You're lying. "Charisse Walker," replied Charisse. "Sorry again for..."

Charisse awkwardly gestured towards him before running off. Joshua stared after the girl, shamelessly watching her body. How can a girl be so beautiful, and yet, so blind about it? Joshua kept staring at the girl – Charisse, that's her name – until she turned the corner again. A dent presses against his pants and he cursed. He turned on his heels and walked back home.

The girl had been on his mind since seeing her the day before. He was glad he got her name. Not that he didn't already know it. Ever since he saw her, he wanted to throw her over his shoulder and hand her back to God because obviously, he messed up. A naïve little girl like that didn't mix with this (dangerous) world. Joshua yearned for the bubbly, mysterious girl he ran into as he stepped into the shower making himself a man. He wanted her.

In a sense, Charisse wanted him too. She didn't want the feelings she got when she looked at him. Or the wetness in her panties when she thought about him. It was all 'awkward' to her. It was too familiar.

Taliah noticed something was off with her sister when Charisse came home from her run. Charisse was blushing a fierce red as she quickly jogged up the stairs to her room. Taliah reluctantly followed her sister, ignoring the glare her stepmother gave her.

Charisse ran a hand through her hair as she entered her room. She stripped out of her sweaty clothes. She ignored Taliah, who sat on her bed patiently, and quickly crossed the room to her bathroom. She turned the shower on and got in, not at all waiting for the water to get warm. She scrubbed her body clean, ridding her body of the grim. She pulled on her school clothes – a white t-shirt with jeaned shorts and her white high-tops. Charisse braided her hair back before leaving the privacy of her bathroom.

Taliah was still sitting on her bed, flipping through one of Charisse's personal journals. Charisse quickly snatched it from her sister's hand throwing it into her bookbag. She turned to Taliah; her face now red in anger.