Belongs To Him

24 | Caught in my throat

Alina Windsor

My bruise hadn't healed. It only got worse over the days and a hospital confirmed I was fine. But the doctor reasoned it was good to know nothing was damaged. They kept me for observation, it was stupid and didn't make any sense to me.

Kingston showed up at some point. I woke up to him in the chair next to me and my sister Beth across from him. But now concealer was the only thing masking my pain on the outside.

I couldn't go into work with a scuffed up neck without a concern of my wellbeing. Kingston wanted me to call out, I refused. I just needed one person and her being clueless about it made me at peace in the moment.

"You know life isn't as bad as it seems once you've learned to stop giving a fuck. Like my step mother Lisa, up my ass. I stopped picking her calls about a month ago about dad? It's like a whole new world," Townes muses in glee.

She'd been on a new energy kick as well as ready to kick ass if someone crossed her. We had been missing each other recently with our lives. I don't quite know how to update her on Kingston, when, well. We all know how she in fact feels about him. If I told her the whole story of the other night, I knew she'd still tell me to run.

Her face usually says it all. She can't really hide it and even though it's a flaw; I almost love it most about her. Which leads her into fights with her extended family, in which she updates me on. Her father is a 'bust' as she puts it in every conversation. But I know this, I'd met him a few times.

"Honestly I say good and maybe good riddance. If your father's having a problem, that's your step mum's problem not yours! She signed up to be there with em, not you?" This makes Townes laugh and she hugs me slightly as we walked.

"I should just call him and tell him he's a wanker and his wife has gone bonkers," now she was just teasing me. I'd been bullied at point growing up for being the only one with a British accent in school. I even once tried to muffle it, but it made my mum mad.

She told everyone at church about it as well. Which had me meeting with the pastor about insecurities at age seven. But my real conversation was with Beth who taught me vulgar but important words to use that they didn't understand.

"You've got a problem with me love?" I rolled my eyes at her as she shook her head.

"How would I identify my best friend if I didn't hear your voice. It's the cutest thing to exist, I bet Kingston is obsessed with it," The mention of him takes me by surprise, but also eases me.

"So he's not a banned conversation topic?" She sighs at me shaking her head.

"I can share you, but I'm not going to love the man. I'm your best friend and he married you after three weeks. He basically has to win me over. I mean how did it go with your family?" A little lady approached us with a bouquet. The flowers were violets, decaying and a little disheveled.

"Three dollars a piece, please." Awkwardly I looked over at Townes. I didn't have cash on me and from the looks of it neither did she.

"I'll buy one," a voice sounds behind the lady and as we looked over there stood Nicholas. "It's my mother and her best friend, the least I could do." Taking out a twenty he hands it to the lady and she began to sort out the arrangements.

"Now why the hell are you in Harlem? You work on the other side of the city." Pulling me in for a hug followed by Townes I shrugged.