the calm after the storm. | j.p. fanfic

two

07:50 am | seattle, washington 

visual: "daniel" - broderick hunter

i found myself in a white room with two tables and a chair in the middle and a door.

as i walk towards the door, it opens and in walks daniel dressed in a white t-shirt and jeans, smiling at me. he instructs me to sit in the chair opposite of him and i sat.

he starts talking to me but his voice is inaudible, like someone had pressed a mute button or there was a language barrier. 

"i can't hear you," i exclaim repeatedly, but he does not hear and progressively gets agitated.

seeing that his patience has run thin, he gets up, flips the table, which inflicts pain upon me, and grabs my shoulders vigorously.

he yells as he is shaking me but I cannot hear. he starts throwing jabs at my body with his fist, to which i could not defend myself. 

my head begins to throb and my lungs feel like they have collapsed. blood splatters everywhere, tainting the ivory white walls of the room. 

just as i feel that i am close to death, an ear-pitching sound rings in my ear.

"jalani...jalani!"

 i arouse from my slumber as my alarm rings from my phone. just great, a new day. opening my eyes, daniel's face is inches away from mine, eyes filled with worry.

"you good, jalani?" he asks, brows furrowed with concern.

"yeah, i'm fine," i say as my eyes adjust to the morning light peeeping through the bedroom windows, "it was just a bad dream, that's all."

"okay, i'm going to take a shower then," daniel says. his silhouette is visible in the dark as he heads to the bathroom. as i sit up, a deep pain from my abdomen stops me. i rest my head on the backboard of the bed while the events of last night replay over and over in my head. 

i got up from the bed and open the blinds to let the sunlight stretch its rays into the bedroom. as i prepare my things to head to the shower, daniel emerges from the bathroom and his skin glistens as he approaches me. 

"morning babe," he says as he tries to embrace me into a hug, which i reluctantly accept. he kisses me on the forehead and we just pause in the moment as his sun-kissed skin in contact with mine. in that moment, all the hate and animosity i had for him seemed to disappear. as his arms descended to my lower back, the sore, tender pain on my ribs sent an electric shock through my body, bringing my conscience back into reality.  

"um, i gotta take a shower," i exclaim, not fazed by his affection, and pull away from his embrace. 

"what's wrong, babe? you know i'm-" he starts to say but i slammed the door before he could finish.

in the bathroom, i proceed to take a shower, allowing the hot water to hit my body and make an attempt to heal my bruises and pain. afterwards, i apply my coconut oil on my skin and put my hair up into a pineapple updo. my outfit consists of denim jeans, a yellow chiffon blouse, and my pointed white flats with my hoop earrings as accessories. i work my black girl magic as i put on my makeup to conceal the welts on my face. i work at a department store as a fashion consultant, so i always have to look my best regardless of what my situation is at home. entering the kitchen, i eye daniel as he pours orange juice into a glass. 

sitting at the dining table, my thoughts begin to wander. me and daniel share a beautiful house, drive nice cars, have great careers...what more could you want?

"hey janine, i'm heading out," he says, "also, i have a business dinner that will be in the evening, so don't wait up for me." the door slams and his presence evaporates like vapor. i hate how he lies to my face, knowing damn well he has another agenda up his sleeve. after finishing my toast, i head out to my car in the garage, praying that the pain will subside by the time i get to work.

after breakfast, i head to my subaru outback and drive to work. i set the radio to 103.7 and the tune of "loyalty" by kendrick lamar and rihanna plays in the car as i drive into the city of seattle. 

"...tell me who you loyal to
do it start with your woman or your man? (Mmm)
do it end with your family and friends? (Mmm)
or you're loyal to yourself in advance..."

makes me question daniel's loyalty to me.

i arrive at cherie's department store and head inside to be met by my co-worker, serena.

"hey girl, what's up?" i embrace her but slightly wince in pain.

"janine, you good? what happened," she asked with a concerned look.

"oh, i just ran into a wall while getting ready this morning, that's all," i said, trying to dismiss the topic.

"okay, girl, you gotta be more careful," she said, chuckling. "anyways, guess what? we have a client who wants us to plan her wedding in a month. it's gonna be exciting!"

we head to the back of the store where the clients come to get their dresses fitted and styled. a woman, who i assume is our client, sits nervously as we approach her.

"hello ma'am. my name is janine and here at cherie's wedding boutique it is our job to make you as glamorous as possible."

i love my job and everyone who works there, it is very rewarding to make my customers smile everytime they walk in and out of our store. my first client was a breeze, she was looking for a bridesmaid dress for her friend's wedding. how sweet! as my shift went on into the afternoon, alliyah texted me asking to go out with her tonight since it's friday.  

jalani: idk, i'm not feeling up to it tonight.

alliyah: trust me friend, it will be good for you. plus you need a break, you work so much lol. daniel is probably going to come home late tonight, isn't he?

jalani: yeah, so?

alliyah: so it's the perfect time to relax and chill. plus, it'll only be a high-class social club. it won't be too much energy there.

jalani: alright, i guess i'll go. see you at 8?

alliyah: yesssss, see you then!

that's alliyah for you, but that's why she's my best friend. she's always there for me and knows how to put me in a positive mood. the rest of my shift went by smoothly and i clocked out on time with no problems. after stopping by starbucks to grab a venti caramel latte, i headed home to shower and get changed into something more sophisticated and chic for tonight. 

"every storm runs out of rain, every heartache will fade away, every dark night turns into day," i repeat into my mind as i prepare to head out. 

my mother taught me those words when she raised me as a single mother, they kept us afloat when we felt like we were about to sink. it has turned into a daily mantra for me, especially now with daniel currently in my life. i'm sure my mother is probably wanting me to do better for myself right now, but i also believe that change comes in due season. even though i may be struggling with daniel right now, i hope that with time that a new flame will be rekindled between us and the healing process can be initiated. 

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new chapters coming soon, stay tuned! :)