Between the Raindrops

4) The Ten Plagues

The Ten Plagues

     "Where did you go last night?" Stella huffed into the phone. She could barely rest last night after Markyse took her home. Stella always knew when there was something on his mind. Prying wasn't really her forte, but for him, she pressed until she figured it out. "You had me worried."

     "I went to DC. I didn't mean to scare you, I'm sorry." He apologized.

     "DC?" She screeched. "Are you fucking serious?"

     "I needed to clear my head, Stell. You know how that is."

     "Did something happen when you went outside? After you came back inside, you were acting weird. If something happened, Key, just tell me."

     "Everything is okay, I promise. I'll be home later today and we can chill, alright?"

     "Okay," she rolled her eyes, knowing there was more truth than what he was giving her. "Make sure you call Tyla and Cynthia. They're worried about you."

     "I will, I promise."

     "If you need anything, my mom is at home. I'll let her know you're there."

     "Okay. I love you, Stella."

     "Love you back, boy."

     The line went dead and Markyse fell back on his bed. The hotel room was desolate, but it gave him a sense of freedom. Being alone was his favorite thing, he had always been that way. The silence was soothing to his ears. All he really wanted to do was just lay there and sleep. He had to go home tonight, though. He couldn't keep running.

     "I don't know who you are or where you're from, but do yourself a favor and quit running." Jamila's voice resounded in his head like a broken record. He didn't know his guilt was that obvious. Markyse never thought of himself a killer, but the man took him there. He never condoned another man putting his hands on a woman. It just wasn't right. He never saw that happen in his own home, why let it happen even on the streets? He was trying to do a good deed and it backfired on him.

     He dialed out to Stella's mom, Eryn, who lived in a small suburb in Maryland. From the few times he has visited with her, he grew fond of her. Before Stella met Markyse's family, he had only known hers. He had this fear that if he introduced them too soon, their relationship would fall off. Besides, he didn't know if he was ready to be serious with the girl just yet. He knew that he loved her, but that's all that it was. He loved her like a friend would love another friend. The sexual connection was strong, but he didn't believe in playing with a woman's heart. His mind, body, and soul needed to feel every part of her. Her heart was way too pure to be dealt with lightly, so he played it cool until he felt like it was time.

     But it had been a couple of months and slowly the attraction was making its way into his heart. Stella was a beautiful girl and almost perfect in his eyes. The only thing he wished was that she could match his mellow tone. Some days she was too loud for his liking and every now and then he enjoyed the peace and quiet.

     The only reason why he knew Eryn, was because the first time he met Stella, was the same time that he met her mom too. He was in DC for an art show and Eryn was interested in his piece. He could never forget that day, as Eryn was interested in the piece, but Stella was interested in him. That night she found herself in his hotel room, expecting nothing but a one night stand. But Stella always got what she wanted and he couldn't leave without having her number in his phone. After that night, they texted back and forth and the irony was that she lived in New York too. He was in college at the school of visual arts and she was studying journalism at NYU.