I woke up to find that it was noon. Fuck. I checked my phone to see that I had missed eleven calls...all from her. Perfect. I sat up rubbing my face. Just then I heard bangs on my door, like the police were here or some shit. I stood up and put on some sweat pants and made my way to the door. The person continued to bang on my door. This better not be Sophia. Hell, it better not be Ravenna. I looked through the peephole to see my girl banging on the door frantically. I checked my watch. Two days like I said. And I'm the delusional one. I opened the door and she quickly came in hugging me close. I shut the door and hugged her for as long as she needed to be held. Her tear stained face pressed up against my chest. There's only one person who would do this. Drew. I'm gonna have to beat his ass at some point.

"Michael, I-"

"Shh." I cut her off. Her voice was hoarse. She's definitely been yelling. What the hell did he do this time? I walked her to the living room and sat down beside her on the couch. She laid her head on my lap and continued to cry. I just rubbed her back. I'll just let her vent like she does every other time.

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"He hit me again." She finally said an hour afterwards. I studied her face. Judging by her face he's got her smoking an extra pack a day. She pulled out a cigarette and lit it. I didn't stop her. It was her way of venting which I knew I could not disturb. "I didn't even do anything." She began to tear up. "He just came up to me and hit me." I bit the inside of my cheek. She doesn't have to worry about me talking. This was why she started coming in the first place. To cry, to vent, to fuck, to leave. The cycle would repeat itself and oddly enough I was the one falling in love. I swear it's so backwards. Normally it'd be the girl falling in love. But I guess it's because she's already "in love" with Drew. I'd make sure she didn't know I loved her.

"You know what?" She took a long drag. "I know why he hit me. I was doing laundry and found some bitch's number in his pocket and went off on him about it yesterday. You should have seen how he was looking at me. He didn't say anything. He just listened, nodded, and walked away without arguing with me about it. I wanted him to understand where I was coming from. I guess he didn't." She took another long drag, inhaling the intoxicated drug deep into her lungs and let it out smoothly through her nostrils. She was quiet and finally cried again, "How do you wake your girlfriend up to hit her? Who the fuck does that?!" She grabbed a pillow and threw it at the window as hard as she could. I didn't do anything. What could I do? It's just a pillow anyway. She's just venting. I can't stop her from venting. "I'm sorry." She wiped her nose. This ain't nothing to me. She looked out the window, a distant look in her eyes as we sat in silence. I got up and went to my room. I would just let her vent. That's what she comes here for anyway. I set out some clothes and went to take a shower. I had to relax. I guess I was used to Drew hitting her so much that my face showed no emotion at all when I was in her presence. But now I have to beat his ass. One way or another, I can't keep letting this happen to her. It's bad enough she's letting this happen and not leaving him. I stepped under the warm beads of water that shot from the shower head and began to take out my braids. I liked taking out my braids in the shower, it's always relaxing to me.

By the time I finished taking out the braid in the middle with my hair half undone and the water still running, I heard the door open and close. I ignored it; maybe she's just using the restroom. I continued to take the next braid out. Through the shower curtain, I noticed her silhouette. She began to undress, dropping her clothes to the floor. She pushed the curtain back and stepped in behind me. I stopped what I was doing as she wrapped her arms around my waist; her breasts pressing against my back. I knew how to respond, but then again I didn't. I didn't say anything as she turned me around to face her. I looked down at her and noticed the purple bruise on her ribs. My heart ached at that moment. She winced when I touched it. She looked up at me, a deep sadness in her eyes. I don't think her ribs are broken, otherwise she would have gone to the hospital and she wouldn't have been sitting in that crouched position out in the living room. I looked away. My body was tensing up in anger.

"Please don't be upset." She begged. "I know I did something wrong, okay? Just...please don't be mad at me, Michael. It's bad enough Drew's mad at me, I don't need you being mad at me too."

"I'm not mad at you." I finally said.

"Thank you. I don't know what I would do with myself if you were upset with me."

"Yes you do."

She gave a look, "What would I do?"

"Go back to Drew." She turned her back to me allowing the water to fall on her head. I wrapped my arms around her, careful not to touch her ribs. "It's okay. You'd come back though." I whispered in her ear.

"You're right... I would. I can't get enough of you." She took my hands and pulled them down toward her thighs. "You mean a lot to me, Michael." Stop lying to me, please...
 

By the time we got out of the shower, I was deep between her legs against the wall. Her legs wrapped tightly around my waist as I took her slowly, sensually, treating her like the woman she was. No one else could get this out of me except for her. Ravenna got this treatment out of me once. Only once though. This girl right here got it out of me every time.

"Don't stop." She breathed. I kissed her lips, biting her bottom lip a bit. Her fingers ran through the side of my hair that wasn't braided. I loved her fingers more than Sophia's. This girls touch, her breath could easily send me over the edge. I've never felt this way before her. Now that I've got her, I can't get enough. I grabbed her and walked over to my bed. Her legs were still tightly wrapped around my waist as I tried to lay her back on the bed carefully. I backed up and took hold of her waist and listened as she moaned for me, begged for me, and felt her walls throb around me. I was in a state of ecstasy at this moment. Shit.

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"Do you get mad when I leave?" She asked as she lay atop of me, running her finger along my chest.

"No." I looked up at her. My heart was always at ease when she was here with me in my arms.

"Yes, you do. You have this look in your eyes when you look at me. So, you must get upset when I leave."

"No. I don't."

"Why not? Do you have girls on the side that I don't know about?"

"No," I laughed. "I don't get mad, because you always come back."

She smiled, "What do you do when I'm gone then?"

"I go out. Visit people, record my music, and go to clubs. I'm never mad at you. I just get disappointed."

"Why?" Her expression changed.

"You go back to Drew when all he does is abuse you. I don't understand that."

She sighed, "You will never understand."

"Well tell me so I can try to understand."

"I love him." I rolled my eyes. "No really, Michael. I do. My dad accepts him because he's able to take care of me. Drew owns this big company. You know that, right?"

"So?"

"So...my dad loves that about him. My dad just wants me to be taken care of."

"This doesn't explain why you quote unquote love him."

"I can't explain it. I just do."

"You mean, you can't explain it because you convince yourself that you love him to make him and your father happy. That's what you mean. That's what you don't want to explain."

She sighed, laying her head on my chest. She knows I'm right. Even Drew knows I'm right. "Who did your braids? They're cute on you." She lifted her head to face me.

"Sophia. She's a girl I used to know."

"Like, know-know, or just know?"

"We used to be close friends."

"What happened?"

"She fell in love."

"Oh..." She bit her lip, "Did you love her back?"

"Not in that way. She wanted me to see her in a sexual way. I couldn't do that."

"Why not?"

"She was like a sister to me. You don't see your brother or sister in a sexual way. That's not right."

"I've always thought of you as more than a friend."

I looked up at her, "How?"

"You're always there for me when I need you. I can talk to you about anything and you'll listen. You have this blunt but honest nature about you that's good when I need to know that whatever I'm doing is wrong. I don't look at you as a friend, nor a brother, maybe a lover, but I can't quite put a name on it." She looked away. "How do you see me, Michael? Do you look at me as a friend?"

I sighed, "More than a friend."

"Why do you say it like that?" I ignored her question and pulled her down to kiss me. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Take it how you want." I lifted her off of me and lay her on the side.

"You're not going to tell me?"

I smirked, "I really can't quite put a name on it. Don't worry about it." I turned around to face her, caressing her cheek. "You mean a lot to me. You know that?" She nodded. I kissed her forehead, "You mean so much to me. When you let Drew do stuff like this to you," I lifted her arm to view her bruise. My lips got tight, "it makes me upset. I don't see how he could do this to you."

"I don't know why either." She put her arm back down. "If I weren't with Drew, would you still be disappointed with me?"

"Of course not. Why?"

"Your opinion means a lot to me."

"Why don't you take my advice and leave him then?"

She pushed my hair behind my ear, "I already told you, Michael. Things are complicated."

"Are they complicated when you're with me?"

At that she smiled, "No. Everything's perfect."