Still

23.

Chapter Twenty Three

The flight from Los Angles back to Houston was a bittersweet journey. Maia didn't expect to miss the warm weather, peacefulness, and alone time that the stay had brung her. While she was thankful for the time spent, she knew that she had to go back to reality. During her late night chats with Zakari while they both star gazed in their own locations, she could tell that he'd missed her warmth and touch.

She couldn't lie and say that she didn't miss him. His touch was impeccable. The way he held her close at night made her feel so secure. She'd noticed that he never fell asleep first no matter how tired her was. He'd hold her, watch her drift off to sleep in his arms, and kiss her forehead before finally falling asleep himself. When she'd wake up in the middle of the night, she'd look over and he'd always have at least one hand on her to ensure her that he was always there.

Heaven had made sure that everything was taken care of for her departure. Before coming back into the city, she'd turned her previous number back on so that she could finally speak with everyone. From the jet, Heaven had an Uber waiting for that took her to her destination of choice, which happened to be Zakari's home. When she arrived and didn't see his car in the driveway, she wasn't the least bit surprised by that.

It was the middle of the afternoon and she was sure that he was working. Mai pulled her sweater closer to her body, not used to the cooler weather just yet. She entered the home, turned the security alarm off, and immediately removed her ankle boots from her feet. Wearing boots on a plane was arguably one of the worst decisions that she'd ever made in her life.

Looking around the home, she immediately noticed that nothing was out of place. Zak kept a clean home, it was something she picked up on immediately when she began staying with him. Immediately, she wandered over to the record player that he'd purchased for her. Anita Baker's Rapture was the last album that Mai had played and it was exactly what she wanted to hear right now.

Placing her belongings into the bedroom, Mai took the chance to run herself a quick bath. She poured in the orange scented epsom salt and lit a few candles. She'd be crazy to come back to reality without some type of relaxation. The candles were lit and the lemonade Zakari had made was poured. Mai removed her articles of clothing and slipped into the bathtub. Her eyes closed the moment she felt the warmth from the water.

In her hand was her old phone. She looked through the text messages that had come through before she disconnected the line. Most of the messages were from Malik. At the time, he was the only person outside of Brianne that knew that she was missing. She read off his desperate pleas for her to give him a call back or just to let him know that she was okay, but she never responded.

Deciding to skip to her emails, she frowned as she saw an email from Malik. Desperate. With a roll to her eyes and a sip of the lemonade, Maia opened it. Focusing on each and every word, she read the lengthy email. He was basically giving her a free condo, but she knew that it wasn't free. More than likely, Jourdan foot the bill.

"How the hell do they know I broke my lease?" She whispered to herself. She finished the email, making a mental note to follow the directions to get the key to her new place.

Before texting her friends, Maia wanted to relax. Based on the email that was sent to her, everyone seemed to have a hand in this and while she was thankful, she wasn't sure that she was over what happened to her. They'd given up on her when she needed them the most.

Taking in the moment to relax, Maia allowed the phone to fall gently on the rug below the tub. She sunk into the water, throwing her head back and allowing the glass of lemonade to hang freely in her hand. Relaxation only lasted for a few minutes, because she wanted to get something on her stomach and hopefully on a plate before Zakari came home, she got out of the tub.