Shades of Black

Chapter 13

It was finally morning and when I checked the clock, it was 5.
I was still holding Liam in my arms, he had been calling out to a name, Luna. Thank God I wore a tampon, I got up softly without him noticing.
As I was walking to the bathroom in my panties, I had his deep voice from behind. "Red, my favorite color is red now." I looked down only to realize I was wearing red-netted  panties.

"No it's not and..." Liam cut me short, "Trust me, it has never looked sexier."
Before I could move a step to grab a towel, he pulled me back.
I couldn't stop him from touch me because my hands were both hiding my boobs.
"Don't...please!" My body responded quickly to his mighty touch, I cursed myself.
His tongue sucked on my neck and cleavage. The cramps I was feeling first disappeared, he looked at weak me at that point.

"Let go of your boobs, sweetheart." My hands quickly fell the either sides, just like that. I felt like something was controlling me but it was just me.
He sucked on both my boobs and then went down and kissed me navel. I pulled back, "I'm on my period, I can't...." The words slipped my mouth as I ran to the bathroom.
I was preparing to shower but my cramps really hurt like shit.

I took a full hour pulling myself together. I wanted to cry but I was better than this, when I checked my phone, mum sent me a random message.
Saying that I should stay at Kat's for the coming week because she was going to Cairo and Amandla was going to be at the headquarters. She also told me not to forget the mission.

And yet again, she left me. That was the kind of mother I had.
She didn't even know my favorite color or food, what movies or snacks I liked. She didn't know hated rollercoasters because there wasn't even a single day that she took me to the park like normal mothers. Not even at what age I got my first period.

Infuriated, I threw my phone at the wall. Liam knocked on the numerous times.
"Are you fine in there? I made you breakfast." I angrily shouted, "Stay away from me, just go away." I forced myself up and finally decided to shower.

                         ***
I sat across him on the breakfast table not even saying a word, chewing on a bunch of grapes, with my huge ass 5A afro falling in my face.
"I like your hair, it so big...and black." Liam spoke without looking me straight in the eye.
I lifted my eyes and looked at him dead in the eye, he quickly looked away. I couldn't even explain why my ears turned so pink when I got angry.

Liam walked to the kitchen and got a small bucket of strawberry ice cream. "I'm sorry...I!"
I sighed, "It's not you that I'm pissed at, I just..."
Tears suddenly emerged from my eyes and I quickly cleaned them. Liam called out to me, "Come here, stop crying. I guess it's normal for all girls."
Without thinking, I flew into arms. I was hurt by different things at this point.
My mother, Willow, cramps...fuck the universe.

Liam straddled my legs around his waist as we sat on the chaise lounge in the living room.
Why did this man make me feel safe and the urge to trust him?
"It's okay." He hissed in my ear.
I gave him a peck on the lips him and then got off him.
"Thank you." Liam smiled fully for the first time and he had one dimple and also long canines.
He cleaned my tears, "I don't like it when pretty eyes cry."
He pecked my forehead and left for the kitchen.
I followed him there, "What are you making?"
"Tacos!" Oh, I had never tried those before. I added, "I also want to make you something you've never had or known of. Pilau..."

I had him chuckle, "You can do better than that. The woman who birthed is Arabian, so I know that. Try harder."
I sighed, "Why make life hard? Just say 'mother', simple."
He argued, "She's not my mother, she just gave birth to me. There is a difference."

I didn't want to go deeper at this point, his steel blue eyes reflected anger.
I just thought of something else to make, "Have you heard of Chapati more like flat bread?"
Yes! He didn't know, he inquired, "Never had of that...tell about your ancestry by the way, nationality, everything. At first sight, I thought you were black American, then when you spoke to me. You had a slight British accent, quite confusing."

I started off, "It's quite a long story. Okay! Nationality, British...with an East African mother, from the Pearl of Africa. As for my father, he has an Ethiopian mother and a colored father, whose partly British. So, both my parents are of an East African ancestry."

After the whole explanation, he looked confused. "So you mean to say you are East African?"

I nodded with a yes. Liam muttered to himself something I didn't hear. I continued kneading the dough as he mixed spices I didn't even know.
"Tell me about your ancestry, big man. "This was a way to get what I  out of him.

"It's not as complicated as yours. Father is Spanish, the one who birthed me is Arabian. And my mother is South Korean." That was complicated compared to my side of the story. It must have been the woman I had seen in the picture the other day.
I inquired, "Who's Luna? I had you calling her name last night." His eyes darkened, "Why do you want to know?"

"Is she the girl in the photos at the beach house?"
He immediately threw the bowl he was holding against the wall. My heart crept with fear, "Why did you touch those photos?"
"Well I went to a random room and..." Liam was looking so messed up, I walked to him and placed a hand on his chest.
He was having a panic attack again, "Calm down, I'm sorry...Liam look at me." He had to calm down, who was Luna to him?

When he finally managed to come down. He spoke at once, "When my mother was pregnant with me, she took a lot of drugs. She tried to abort but my father stopped her. After my birth, she ran away with a rich Australian man since my father was running bankrupt. It was just me and my... father, that's when Luna and Lauren came in as house helpers.
Luna was my age and we grew up together, she was my sister and Lauren was my mother. When I was around seven, my real mother came back because my father had regained his property."

Liam seemed to have tough memories of his childhood. He took a deep breath before continuing.

"My father allowed her to come back but she wanted Lauren and Luna out. A house was built for them, I was equally excited to go but I was told to stay and get along with my mother.
I thought it was going to be easy but she started flogging me, burning me with cigarettes, locking me in a dark room. This happened when my father usually went on business trips. She tortured me for like three whole years. I got a disorder whereby I couldn't cry anymore.
One stormy night, Luna came home asking if father was around but he wasn't. Lauren was very sick, well my mother sent her away in the rain yet she was asthmatic. Thunder started to rumble outside, I got very scared and ran out to save Luna. She could no longer breathe, she died in my arms yet she was so innocent and I..."

A call interrupted us, it was from Manuel, Liam went upstairs. By the time I touched my face, tears were flowing. At least he hadn't killed Luna, I had killed Willow. There was no way I could run away from that.
My phone rang at that same time, it was Kat. Why was she video calling me?
"Hello there little witch, your mum told me you were coming to stay over but I'm sorry. I'm at my cousin's for the holiday. We are in Puerto Rico."
When she stood up, she was only in a bra and her panties.
"Kat seriously, why are naked? Wait you have a birth mark on your tummy."

She pulled a mini-skirt on.
"Yes baby girl, everyone has a birthmark. I hate mine, it reminds me of the scare on my sister's stomach. She was kidnapped and she was brought back dead, she was shot. But we really looked alike."
My heart stopped for a minute. But whatever I was thinking, I just pushed it away.

"Well I don't have one, I just have those tiny back dots." Kat laughed and told me to stay safe and well before hanging up.