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CHAPTER TWO ⤱ FRIEND OR FOE?
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Omari's sitting in the quiet of his room, the only sound the soft scratch of his pen against paper as he pours his thoughts into his journal.
"Man. I don't know what's up wit me. It's like... ion get interested in people fr. But Tha? She got it. Ion even know what else to say. Fuck allat tho. I'm tired of being guarded up all the time. Mekhi & Marcus been telling me lately how I should be wit the guys for real chilling and vibin' and here I am once again miserable as a bitch. Man, I gotta get my shit together."
He snaps his journal shut, a decisive click in the quiet room, and grabs his car keys. No way he's letting his pride or confusion be the end of it.
Behind the wheel of his car, the city lights blur past as he makes a call to Marcus.
Marcus picks up with enough volume to fill the entire car. "Hello?" he practically shouts into the phone.
"Why the fuck you yelling?!?" Omari can't help but snap, Marcus' loudness grating on his already frayed nerves.
"Man, what you want?" Marcus sounds distracted, like he's got better things to do.
Omari's frustration is clear as he takes a deep breath, trying to keep his cool. "Do me a favor & call Diana for me. Ask ha' where Thaina at. She duckin' me over some dumb shit," he demands, the wheels of his car eating up the miles to Thaina's dorm.
Marcus, ever the informant, spills before Omari can even press. "I was just on the phone wit' ha cause I was tryna get some, shorty said sum' bout Thaina being in Elease dorm caus—"
But Omari doesn't need to hear more. "Say no more. I figured she was wit' ha'. 'Ppreciate you," he cuts in, ending the call.
Omari pulls up in front of the sleek, towering dormitory building, the sun setting behind it casting long shadows. This ain't his first time here, but rolling up solo always got his nerves buzzing a bit different. He kills the engine, steps out the ride, and locks it with a sharp beep, striding up to the dorm's entrance with a certain swagger.
At the concierge desk, he's met by a face that's become somewhat familiar on these visits.
Omari, with a confident grin, leaning slightly on the concierge desk, says, "Ayo, I'm here for Elease. You mind hittin' that buzzer for me?"
The concierge, looking up with a hint of recognition in his eyes, replies, "Omari, right? Headed up to 517?"
Omari nods, impressed and slightly amused, "Yeah, that's the one. You got a good memory on you, man."
The concierge, smiling and pressing the buzzer, responds, "Got you. You know your way up?"
"Like the back of my hand, fam. Appreciate you." Omari throws a respectful nod towards the concierge and turns from the desk, making his way towards the elevators. The lobby's low hum of scattered conversations and keyboard clicks fills the space around him. He hits the elevator button, standing back as he waits for the doors to open, his presence marked by an air of quiet anticipation mixed with a touch of impatience.
As the elevator dings its arrival, he steps in, hits the button for the 5th floor, and as the doors close, he takes a moment to center himself for the encounter ahead.
[ ELEASE'S DORM ]
Omari, with each step through Elease's dorm, feels the weight of his mission pressing down. The city's night hums behind him, fading into a distant murmur as he focuses on the task at hand.
Upon arrival, he's met with the familiar face of the concierge, who, recognizing Omari's determined stance, buzzes him through without much fanfare. The elevator ride up is a slow ascent, giving Omari too much time with his thoughts, each floor dinging like a countdown to the confrontation he both dreads and craves.
When Elease's door swings open, her greeting is casual, almost rehearsed. "Hey Mari. What you want?" The question hangs in the air, the subtext rich and complex.
Omari's gaze darts around the room, searching, hoping, yet finding none of what he came for. "Where Thaina at? I got word she was here, she not here?" His question, simple on the surface, carries layers of concern, frustration, and a trace of hope.
"She said she was coming right back. Come in tho I guess so you can wait for her," Elease responds, her touch light on his back as she ushers him inside. This gesture, seemingly innocent, feels charged with unspoken implications.
The room's ambiance shifts with Omari's entrance, the music's beats now a subtle undercurrent to the tension between him and Elease. He steps in, the door closing behind him with a click that sounds oddly final.
Omari, deep in the heart of Elease's dorm room, is trying to untangle his lingering feelings about Thaina, despite their previous conversation meant to clear the air about Malik. Elease, under the guise of offering a sympathetic ear, edges the dialogue toward dangerous waters.
"You're still hung up on Thaina and the whole Malik situation, huh?" Elease probes, feigning innocence as she circles closer to the crux of Omari's turmoil.
"Fasho, it's like... we talked it out, and she made it clear nothing's going on. But sum' in me just can't let it go," Omari admits, his guard momentarily down as he confides in Elease, mistaking her curiosity for concern.
Elease leans in, her voice dropping to a whisper, "Maybe it's not Thaina you should be worried about. Ever think maybe you're missing out on what's right in front of you?"
Omari, lost in thought, misses the dangerous glint in Elease's eyes. "What you mean?" he asks, genuinely puzzled, looking for clarity in the maze of his emotions.
Elease moves closer, her intentions masked by a veneer of empathy. "I mean, maybe Thaina's not the one for you. Maybe you need someone who really gets you," she suggests, her words laced with a hint of something more, something darker than mere advice.
Omari gives a side eye for a moment before breaking the silence, "You don't know that. At all"
Before responding, Elease body language can tell she's thinking carefully as to what today.
"Why you keep looking at me?" Elease whispers very passively to Omari as she's not giving no form of eye contact.
Omari visibly showing confusion in his face, "I literally am not looking at you, nigga. You need your eyes fixed if you being deadass."
Omari, feeling the weight of his unresolved issues, doesn't immediately grasp the shift in Elease's tone. It's not until she's much too close, her lips inching towards his in a move that's anything but friendly, that the situation becomes glaringly clear.
With a jolt of clarity, Omari reacts, pushing Elease away firmly. "What the fuck is wrong wit' you? You ain't jus' do that bra' ain't no way." he snaps, the betrayal slicing through the fog of his doubts.
Elease reels back, her facade crumbling to reveal the malice underneath. "Come on, Mari. You know you want something more. Something Thaina can't give you."
Omari, now fully aware and repulsed by Elease's manipulation, finds his voice, thick with anger and disappointment. "You got me fucked up, yo. Keep ya' hands off me b*tch don't do that shit ever in ya' life again."
The room's energy shifts dramatically, the betrayal hanging heavy between them. Omari being super angered. Omari's search for solace has instead unveiled the true colors of someone he thought he could trust.
