𝗟𝗘𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝟮 𝗠𝗬 𝗨𝗡𝗕𝗢𝗥𝗡 ━━━━━ 𝘁𝘂𝗽𝗮𝗰 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗸𝘂𝗿.

015.

' WED, DECEMBER 1ST 1994. '
sanai and darnell's residence ⸻
inglewood , california !

I WAKE UP FROM MY SLEEP upon the sound of the front door opening, startled I'm brought out of my slumber, rubbing my eyes as I lift my head up from the bed, glancing around the darkness, shadows and aloneness of the room I fell asleep in a reminding of the state I was in before I slept.

Almost half asleep, I rise from the bed, wearing my fluffy slippers as I yawn walking towards the front door. I assume it's Darnell based off the way he continues to move quietly almost as if he's not trying to wake me up.

I step into the hallway, that's completely dark flickering on the light only to find Darnell glancing directly back over at me. I furrow my eyes at him, a little confused since I've just woken up out of my sleep. He blinks back at him, taking off his hood as he sets his shoes down.

"Where have you been?" I ask him my voice tired, he doesn't speak.

He takes off his coat and hangs it up on the wall beside him, his silence annoys me and as I begin to realize the serosity of the situation, I feel a sense of unease wash over me. I know him well, he normally doesn't ignore me like this. I try to shake off my tiredness from just waking up, and I glare at him still waiting for an explanation.

"Darnell, seriously, what's going on? You come in all raggedy in the middle of the night, and you not saying anything," I press him.

He finally sighs, and the tension in the air seems to ease slightly. "I didn't mean to wake you up, I— something came up and I didn't want to disturb you." he admits, his voice low and hesitant. I furrow my eyes at his response, "You've been gone since yesterday morning." I insist.

Darnell looks genuinely apologetic, but his eyes betray a hint of guilt. "I know, I should've. I'm sorry about that. It's just... it's been a rough night, and I needed to clear my head." He explains to me turning as he moves his attention elsewhere. Curiosity gets the better of me, and I ask, "Rough night, what you mean?"

Darnell hesitates, his eyes searching for the right words. "It's complicated, and I'm not sure you'll understand." I can sense something is wrong but I can't quite put my finger on it, maybe it's my tiredness. "I dunno what you're talking about." I turn around away from him and he follows me into the kitchen, turning on the light behind us.

Something about him seems off, almost as if he's a bit in distressed. I turn over to look at him a few times and his eyes happen to avoid mine. He opens the fridge to get himself a drink, I watch him as he does so, he adjusts the twists that lie upon his hair and fixes himself up as he waits before getting a glass from the cupboard.

As the water heats up, we sit at the kitchen table. Darnell appears lost in thought, and I can't help but question him. "Darnell, you acting real weird." He takes a deep breath and meets my gaze. "I'm good, really. Why you keep asking me questions?"

Darnell's behavior continues to confuse me. He's always been a man of few words, but his silence and the way he's avoiding my questions are making me increasingly uneasy. I can't help but feel that there's something he's not telling me.

Silence hangs in the air as I glare at him, trying to but things together. He stays faced the other way, fixing himself up something to drink, I yawn. "Were you with someone?" I ask him, getting up from the seat walking over to stand beside him.