His Emancipator🖤 [His Duet #1]

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

We descend the apartment stairs in silence none of us finding the courage to start a conversation yet. “I’m driving” she says with certitude when we get to the car.

“You can’t drive, your shoulder, plus you don’t have your DL” I argue. Without a second glance, Zuri rips off her shoulder cast.

“Well you have a fresh wound and I’m already healing. So get in the passenger’s seat” she says, almost angrily.

“Zuri I can drive with one hand. You just got out of the hospital. You can’t drive.” I try to reason with her.

She takes the key from my hand and slides into the driver’s seat, “Watch me”

I intake a sharp breath and while I’d like to argue more about it, Zuri is as stubborn as a mule and quite frankly today has been a hard day already.

I take the passenger’s seat before Zuri starts the ignition. Apart from the rumbling of the car engine, a loud silence settles between us. To be honest the highlight of my day was kissing Zuri until Madison screwed everything or maybe I did.

I didn’t antedate that Zuri would follow me in. When I found people standing out of the apartment complaining of noise, I just knew Madison would be the culprit.

When I walked into our apartment I was raging mad. I was done with her shit. It was abit hard to throw out drunk people but I managed. Albeit after several shouts and nagging from Madison.

“Darelle what the fuck do you think you’re doing?” she’d snarled.

“What I should’ve done ever since I met you. Can’t you see you’re disturbing the other tenants?”

Only a few people were still in the house and when they heard our argument they all scrambled for the door.

“I also pay for rent like they do so I’ll do whatever I want. My dad is the mayor.” she bit back.

It’s times like those that I ask myself what I saw in her. “It’s not about you Madison. Not everything is!” I was fuming at this point.

She scowled “You had no right to throw my friends out”

“Half of those people aren’t even your friends!”

That must’ve struck a nerve because the next thing I knew she’d broken the bottle of vodka in her hand, picked up one broken piece and slashed it through my forearm.

“How long?” I’m brought back from my sporadic thoughts by Zuri’s frail voice. Her right hand is gripping the steering wheel hard. “And please don’t lie to me I know what I saw was more than a lover’s quarrel.”

“A little over six months”

From her side profile, I see her bite her jaw hard “How could have I not noticed? Was I that oblivious? God, I’m so sorry you had to go through that. Nobody should.  I should’ve noticed sooner. I should’ve paid more attention.”