All the King's Men ( An Urban Love Story )

♟️I gotchu♟

Jaden's days had been calmer since her and Desmond made up. But her nightmares were getting harder to hide after their break. She hadn't told him, but he knew. Some nights he would wake up to her crying in her sleep but didn't say anything to her about it because he felt like she would open up about it when she was ready and he didn't want to embarrass her.

It was her last day of school for the week and she arrived on campus early to do some studying. Being in the library helped her focus. She needed to make up some assignments she'd done poorly on, those past few days when she was in her slump.

Jaden's phone vibrated in her backpack pocket, as she closed her laptop. She pulled it out seeing it was a security alert for her apartment informing her that an incorrect key was placed in her door.

What the fuck? She thought to herself as she slipped her laptop and notebooks in her backpack and left the library.

She called Desmond to see if maybe he went to her apartment.

"Hey boo," he answered the phone.

"Hey, did you go to my apartment?" She asked.

"Nah, I'm just leaving one of my properties from taking care of some maintenance stuff. Why you ask that?"

"I got a notification from the alarm company saying an incorrect key tried to open my front door." She explained, "Maybe somebody had the wrong apartment."

"They don't have cameras in the hallways, huh?" He asked.

"No. I thought about putting one of those doorbell cameras up, but I never did. Maybe I should, now." She told him worrying herself.

"I'll order one and set it up when it comes," Desmond assured her.

"Okay," she checked the time on her phone, "My class is about to start. I'll call you when I get out." She told him.

"Aight."

Jaden tried to push her negative thoughts out of her mind, but she kept thinking about the fact that someone tried to come into her house, even if it was an accident.

The class ended early due to a sick professor. As Jaden walked to the car she checked her phone and saw Desmond text asking if she wanted to meet him and Jace for lunch after class.

She called him as she got in the car, to let him know she was out already, "Hey, where y'all at?" She asked as soon as he picked up.

Before he could answer, she got another call from an unknown number, "Hang on babe, lemme click over."

She answered the call, and it was the security company confirming she was the one who set off the alarm in her apartment. She informed them that she wasn't home and so they were sending the authorities.

She clicked back over to Desmond as she panicked, "I have to go home, someone broke in my apartment."

"I'm on my way, I'll meet you there," Desmond told her before she hung up the call.

She backed out of the parking space and headed toward the freeway flying like a bat outta hell.

•••

"This is my apartment," Jaden told the officer as she pushed through the front door.

The man looked her over and spoke, "We got a call about a possible break-in."

"Yes, the security company called you for me. I was at school when the alarm went off," Jaden explained.

Moments later, Desmond and Jace walked through the door and the officer eyed the two of them.