Chicago

CHAPTER EIGHT

The sky darkened above the bustling city as rain poured down on the streets. Chai and Brynn found themselves in the car, driving along the highway in silence. There was no conversation between the two. The only noise was the sound of rain dribbling on the dashboards and the windshields wipers vibrating against the window to whisk away the water from the drivers view.

Chai didn't know what to say to her big sister. Saint's words kept repeating over and over in her head. Am I easy to control? Chai asked herself as she thought about everything going on in her household. Derek used to be love of her life but he switched up the minute he found her vulnerable. She remembered the second week of when they first moved in together. They had just finished unpacking and situating their new furniture. The spark of moving in with each other at such a young age had dwindled down.

Chai and Derek were sitting on the couch watching adult swim. It was ten o' clock at night and the pair was settling down from a long day of unpacking. They moved in all of their new furniture and decorations. The apartment was complete and they could finally relax themselves in their new home.

Chai rested her head on Derek's lap, watching the random episode of Family Guy that was playing on the large flat screen television. Her eyes grew heavy and she was minutes away from falling asleep. Derek, on the other hand, had plans to go out tonight and was leaving in the next thirty minutes or so. He figured now was a good time to freshen up and prepare to leave.

"Chai, baby," Derek lightly tapped her shoulder. Her eyes opened and she turned her head to look up at him. He smirked at how cute she looked when she was sleepy, "c'mon get up. They want me at the studio at midnight to help polish a track."

Chai was not aware of this but she figured his job would have unexpected call-in's. She nodded and lifted her head off his lap, doing a quick stretch to adjust to her new position. Derek got up and headed for the bathroom to wash his face, brush his teeth and put on his best cologne.

A reminder of his outing came forth as soon as his phone started to ring. It vibrated on the couch, alarming Chai. She didn't feel ashamed or hesitated to look at his phone since she had full access to it. She had his password and a fingerprint to his phone. She stared at his new message from a person named "Camryn."

Hurry up, I can't wait much longer.

Chai's heart froze inside her chest as she came to the worst conclusions. Who was this girl? Was he cheating on her? Chai stared at the screen, thinking of ways she could approach this. She could lash out or she could simply ask him about it. She didn't have much time to think. The bathroom door opened and Derek froze in his tracks the minute he saw his phone in Chai's hand. He had forgotten his phone but realized it was too late. He figured she had seen a message from one of his flings. He was caught.

"The fuck you doing with my phone?" Derek immediately got defensive.

"Who the hell is Camryn and what can't she wait for?"

"I asked you a question first." Derek responded.

"I can't believe this shit," Chai came to her conclusion. He was cheating on her. She had access to his phone, there was no reason why he should be mad because she was on it. She was brought to tears. She had trusted Derek so much, even moved in with him despite the issues it brought to her family. She shook her head, "I'm going home."

Chai got up from the couch and walked towards the bedroom to pack a bag full of her stuff. She wasn't sure if she was going home for good or if she just needed a minute to process this. Either way, Derek wasn't letting her go.