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Reese Ta'vian Jackson Jacksonville, Florida
Reese clutched the steering wheel before glancing at a sleep Kirari. He couldn't help but chuckle as he saw some drool roll down her chin, this had been a long journey indeed. Yawning, he turned back to the road and formed himself to stay awake.
Their plan was to make sure that Blanco disappeared forever and that meant that they needed help from someone. The only person who had crossed paths with Blanco and lived to tell the tale; Kirari's father.
Reese couldn't help but feel nervous when he thought about meeting him once again. He'd framed the poor man and although he'd never slept peacefully after that, he still carried the guilt with him everyday.
A part of him wanted to blame Blanco for his manipulative ways. Reese had been so young and he'd been played because of how vulnerable he was. However, he also knew that his actions were wrong. Keith and Reneé had raised him better and he had the moral compass to know that framing an innocent person was just plain wrong and evil.
Yet he still did it...for acceptance.
"You're worried, aren't you?" Kirari asked softly, the hum of the car was quiet.
"Yeah, I sent yo pops to jail for nun. Now I gotta go ask him for help." Reese sighed, this whole situation was heavy. He didn't expect K.I to forgive him at all.
Heck, he was even shocked that Kirari had found it in her heart to forgive him. Let alone, date him.
"And to top it off, he gon' find out we dating." Reese finished off still staring at the road, he didn't want to face Kirari. Talking about what happened made him feel so ashamed that he could just shoot himself.
Kirari suddenly sat up straight, which was weird because she'd been laying back throughout the whole trip. She cleared her throat slightly as she adjusted her seat to a straight posture.
"I was actually gon' ask you to keep our relationship on DL." She mumbled, Kirari knew her father well and he wouldn't accept Reese.
Honestly? She didn't expect him to.
K.I was a man who held grudges, for long periods of times. Her mama always talked about it, she'd always complain about how all the boys had picked up that trait from him. Kerr did the same thing. He would never forgive Reese and although that broke Kirari's heart, she knew that there was no point in trying to convince him either.
"We ain't gotta tell yo daddy yet but eventually the truth gon come out, Rari." Reese shrugged while he continued to drive, Kirari simply stared at him for a while before sighing.
"You right but ion want it to come out yet." She replied quietly before staring into the window.
Although they'd both been tired because of the long journey, their anxiety had been peaking as they got closer and closer to the prison. Kirari hadn't seen her father since his arrest, they'd instead write to one another, while Reese struggled to control his shaky hands that physically manifested the shame and fear that filled his psyche.
Everything was so messed up.
-XX-
"It's getting late and the prison don't allow visitors at this time." Reese broke the silence after two hours of driving, the sun had began to set and an ombre of colours painted the sky.
"Should we just go back home then?" Kirari asked genuinely which made Reese side-eye her.
"I just drove this car for 5 hours, I ain't doing another round." Reese groaned, "Let's just book a hotel."
Kirari shook her head as she realised how dumb her suggestion was. She really didn't want to face her father right now and she wanted to slow down the process as much as possible. Deep down she knew that seeing him would break her down all over again.
She didn't want to feel that hurt ever again.
"I'm so dumb, just ignore my suggestions." She chuckled, trying to cover up the fear in her voice.
"I know you're scared, I can read you like a book. We gon' talk about it when we get a room." Reese glanced at her for a quick second before browsing for nearby hotels. They both needed this talk.
After a while, Reese finally found a decent hotel to stay for one night. They both walked upstairs in a groggy manner because they'd been in the car for so long.
Kirari flopped onto the Queen sized bed and Reese began looking through the windows. He had to make sure everything was safe and the area was clear before he could even relax.
"I'm ordering pizza, you want some?" Kirari asked as she typed on her phone.
"Yeah, get me that Hawaiian pizza, please." He replied before slumping down next to her.
As they waited for the food, silence filled the room. They were both exhausted because of the journey but questions still lingered in the air...unanswered.
"Kirari, why did you forgive me for what I did to yo daddy?" Reese asked truthfully, he'd always wanted to know how she'd moved in from that.
Turning her head, she faced Reese with a soft face. Her eyes glanced at her features quickly before she sighed slightly. This was one of those questions she'd been expected and had honestly been unprepared about.
"I won't even say love because that isn't enough to get over something that huge." Kirari began softly, both their heads were facing the ceiling now.
"So what changed?" Reese asked.
"Nothing. That's why I forgave you." Kirari replied, "Your dad still worked all the time, your sister was busy with her finals and you were lonely. Vulnerable. Easy to manipulate."
"I was lucky enough to have a big family, which means that I always have someone to talk to. I can't imagine having absolutely no one. The only two people you had were so busy that they hadn't even see you in a while."
"You had that look in your eyes. That lonely, misunderstood look and it haunted me for years. I could tell that you were a genuinely good person who'd been used like a puppet."
Exhaling, Kirari finished, "So I just woke up one day and decided that I wasn't going to be angry anymore. That included forgiving you."
"I was that easy to read huh?" Reese asked softly.
"Nah, I just Know You." Kirari replied before there was a knock on the door, calling her to collect the pizza.
