A kiss for Ree

Chapter 28: August guest

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"Here’s your food," Iya Iyabo said, setting a covered tray at the edge of my bed. I blinked at it, then at her, my eyes burning from a restless, nightmare-riddled night.

I had managed to shower and change into something more comfortable before collapsing last night, but sleep barely visited. My head throbbed like a bass drum on a bad speaker—pounding, sharp, relentless. My stomach, sunken and hollow, felt glued to my spine after going the entire day without food.

Omar had come to my room before I could sneak into his. We’d clung to each other in silence, sobbing until our breaths synced and the tears slowed.

"Are they going to separate us? What if they take me away from you?" he’d whispered, his voice cracking with hiccupped sobs. "Did you know your dad has a sister? She barged into my room and started yelling! Ree, let’s run. Let’s find Lila and Levi and just go."

It shattered something inside me, watching him cry like that, so vulnerable and scared. I was supposed to protect him.

"We can’t run," I told him, my voice steadier than I felt. "If we go to Lila, we might drag her into this mess too. We don’t even know what we’re running from. We’d be hiding, living like shadows. We have to face it. Conquer it. Fight back."

I wasn’t sure what I was saying but the words tumbled out of my mouth. I just spoke with instinct and a shredded thread of courage.

"Akorede, your food," Iya Iyabo's voice snapped me back to the present.

"How’s your daughter?" I asked without thinking.

"She’s recovering," she replied curtly before turning to leave. Her footsteps faded down the hallway, soft but brisk.

I stared at the tray. Should I eat, gain strength, and brace for battle like I told Omar or just lie here and wither away?

I hated how indecisive I could be. One thought always led to another, until I spiraled into a vortex of overthinking.

Eventually, I reached for the tray. If I was going to face this nightmare, I needed strength. I pulled back the lid and my stomach growled at the sight: rice and beans drenched in fried stew, topped with thick, juicy chunks of meat.

“One meal per day,” Mr. Bolade had declared yesterday. My eyes fluttered shut as I took the first bite. My stomach welcomed it greedily.

I devoured everything before closing the tray and placing it aside. Should I take it out or wait for Iya Iyabo to come back?

Argh. Life sucks.

My joints ached as I forced myself to stand and stretch. I couldn’t keep lying in bed like some helpless baby waiting to grow up.

A quick in-and-out of the bathroom. I washed up and stepped out with a towel wrapped around me, water dripping down my legs. I hadn’t taken more than two steps when—

Boom!

My door slammed open. My heart lurched. These idiots ever heard of knocking?.

It was Ludwig.

I recoiled, suddenly hyper aware of my near nakedness. My towel clung to my wet body, too revealing, too vulnerable.

"Get out!" I snapped.

He stood in the doorway, brown eyes dragging over my body like a slow, deliberate scan.

"I said get out!" My voice cracked. He was the psychopath who had almost raped me and now I'm standing in his presence vulnerable.

As if Mr. Bolade or his sister would care whether their future son-in-law forced himself on me. They probably expected it.

"Dude, get out! Can’t you see—"