21

21/Ch. 33

[Back At The WareHouse]

Ronnie: What the fuck is wrong with you?

Hakeem: She gonna come back. She can't get past them guards anyway.

Ronnie: That girl ain't dumb. She gonna leave.

Hakeem: Leave me or this place? Either way, she won't.

Ronnie: I'm about to call her. That girl belongs here anyway. She's like a sister to me already.

-Ronnie calls, but one of the guards brought Elle's phone down from upstairs-

Ronnie: Go look for her.

The whole time they were talking, Hakeem was eyeing Rakiiba.

Hakeem: Send the girls upstairs. They shouldn't be down here.

Ronnie: Y'all need to go to the room.

Toni: Hell no. I'm hungry and craving some Chili's. Let's go.

The rest of the couples wanted to go out to eat, too. Kilani and Luis became close lately, so they left together. Only 2 were left: Rakiiba and Hakeem.

Rakiiba: You looked stressed. Need a massage?

Hakeem: Fuck a massage. I need you.

They went upstairs to an empty room and locked the door behind them.

***********
[Cherelle's POV]

"Hey. Am I interrupting?"

This is the only place that I can openly cry.

Rakim invited me in and I went straight to his room. I lied down while he looked at me like I've lost my mind.

"I just need someplace to go for now."

"Where's Hakeem?"

"None of your business. Can we just talk as friends?"

He cuddled beside me.

"What you trying to talk about?"

"I just wanna cry myself to sleep in your arms."

"You're not gonna cry. You're a strong ass muthafucka."

He looks so serious. He's never known me to cry...mostly because I like to hide my feelings and only cry when no ones looking.

"What's wrong with me?" I said, bursting into sobs.

"Nothing. Besides your attitude, you're perfect. You rarely smoke and only drink wine. You're the ideal imagination of a real woman."

"No one treats me like it...I mean they used to, but --sobs--"

He let a few minutes pass.

"You're in school. You work. You're beautiful and smart. You're not selfish and you're caring to anything. You just need to know your worth."

"I'm not worthy of anything! Not even the truth."

"What happened?"

"Life always happen. Everything was set until secrets unveiled."

"Go to sleep and you can tell me about it tomorrow."

I woke up 10 minutes later. It's like, in my case, being emotional is like being drunk; All of my thoughts fly out of my mouth.

"I love you, Rakim. I never stopped."

"I love you, too, Cherelle. Go to sleep."
**************

The next morning, I woke up to the smell of scrambled eggs, pancakes, buscuits, and sausages. That's my favourite breakfast meal, so I can EASILY tell what was being made.

I got up to go clean off my face. Before I went to the bathroom to take a much needed shower, I grabbed a pair of his boxers, sweat pants, and oversized t-shirt.

When I looked in the mirror, I jumped. My eyes are puffy and red from the crying.
**********

I came back out and saw a plate of food waiting on the bed, but Rakim nowhere in sight.

I need my earphones and laptop for relaxation. I keep them in my trunk for school.

I went to the living room and saw Rakim washing dishes in the kitchen.

"Good Morning, Elle."

"Hey, Rakim..."

"I knew your eyes was gonna puff out."

"I didn't even cry that much."

"Yeah, you did. You don't remember?"

"I shed a few tears."

"You was all on me trynna have sex. You told me everything that happened and couldn't go to sleep for anything."

"You're lying."

"Then tell me how I got this?" He took off his shirt and I saw scratch marks all on his chest, ribs, stomach, etc. Then he pointed to his neck and I saw bite marks and hickies.

"I really did that? I'm so sorry."

"I had to leave you in the room by yourself. You wouldn't stop and I knew your lazy ass wouldn't follow me."

He heard a knock at the door.

"I'll go in the back," I said while he walked towards the door. It's probably groupies or Brandon.

"Where she at?!"

I heard Hakeem yelling, but Rakim was so calm and quiet that I didn't hear a response.

"I seen her car! I know she here somewhere and if I find her, imma beat yo ass!"

I heard him storming my way. I should hide, but it's too late.

"Fuck you here for?! IN HIS CLOTHES?! IN HIS BED?!"

"Hakeem, stop!"

He turned around to go back to Rakim's direction. I followed him and ran when I heard some punches.

"HAKEEM! RAKIM! STOP!!"

I grabbed Hakeem's arm, but he pushed me away and I fell onto the coffee table, but no one noticed.

"HAKEEM, QUIT!!"

"HELL NAH! THE FUCK HE GOT HICKIES AND SHIT ON HIM FOR?! YOU NEED TO GET THE FUCK BACK BEFORE YOU GET HIT, TOO!!"

Both of their noses were bleeding. Rakim is a small, so I know that he's hurting.

I grabbed Rakim's arm, which was a big mistake. Hakeem was too caught up and punched ME.

Time paused.

"Fuck, man! You see what you made me do?!"

"Hakeem, you need to leave." My voice was cracking.

"You know that I didn't try to--"

"GET OUT!" Screaming made me hit my breaking point. Tears started to fall and I was grasping to hold my cries in.

"I'm not leaving until you talk to me."

I looked to Rakim and he looked bad.

I grabbed Hakeem's arm and walked outside.

"The fuck you doing?! I was about to call the fucking police on you!"

"Why are you here?! We got into a simple argument and you starting cheating on me?!"

"For one, quit yelling. We're outside in front of other people's doors. Two, I didn't cheat. I needed somewhere to go and vent to somebody because you obviously wasn't speaking to me."

By then, I got my voice under control.

"I don't talk about my exes with my current."

"That's your problem! I still want to talk."

"About what?"

"Rakiiba."

"What about her? We wasn't even together for 4 months."

"How long ago?"

"Doesn't matter."

"You gonna answer it?"

"An answer for an answer. My go. Y'all fucked? Tell me the truth."

"No. We didn't. My go. How long ago was y'all together?"

"About a year ago. Where he get all those fresh marks on him from?"

"Hoes. I promise that nothing happened....at all. Y'all still fuck together? You better tell me because you know that she has a big mouth."

"Nah. I don't do shit with her."

"Ok. Bye."

"What you mean 'bye'?"

"I'm not going back with you. And y'all need to catch Juan before I do because I'm thinking of going myself to handle the business."

"You coming back with me right now. What you mean?"

"I'm not going. You punched the shit out of my jaw and expect us to be alright? Hell no."

"That was an accident. I told you to get back."

"I'm only going to talk to Ronnie. I'm not going to stay."

"We'll see."

He went to his car and I went back inside to get my keys.

"Rakim, you good?"

"Yeah." He was cleaned up already.

I gave him a kiss.

"I'll text you later."

What Hakeem doesn't know won't hurt him.