Obsessed

| Eight

" And where the hell were you two last night? “ Jaylin questioned, fastening the bracelet around her wrist. Vinny and I just looked at each other. I sucked my teeth and he bit down on his lip. We chuckled. “ Uh uh, don’t do that. ”

“ We were sittin’ next to you, Jaylin, whatchu’ talking ‘bout? “

“ Stop that lyin’. I wasn’t that damn drunk, I knew what was going down. “ she stood up, defensively. “ Let me find out ya’ll f****d and ain’t tell me. “

She stormed out of the room and I returned to putting my shoes on. I tied the white laces, standing up and walking over to the mirror.

“ I got somethin’ for you. “ I watched him reach into his bag through the mirror and pull out a rectangular box. He walked over to me, placing it in my hands. I opened it, revealing the golden chain with the small puzzle piece. I looked up and noticed he wore the other chain on his neck. He gently pulled it from the box and connected it. “ You had me since the first day I saw you. It ain’t take long after that to steal a piece of my heart. I love you, lil’ daddy. “

“ I love you even more. “ I turned around, allowing him to drape the necklace around my neck and fasten it. I pulled on it, twisting the puzzle piece with my fingers. “ I love it, Vinny. “

“ Anything for my baby. “

We walked from the house and to the crowd of familiar faces. We spoke and waved at the family members we encountered on the way to the table. Jaylin side-eyed us as we sat down, rolling her eyes and displaying her attitude.

“ Well don’t you look handsome, Vinny. “ my mother complimented him.

“ Thank you, Mrs. Huff. “ Vinny smiled. “ Thank you for havin’ me. “

“ The pleasure is all ours, especially since you’re family now. “ my mother pushed her hair behind her ear before getting up from the table and rushing over to the kids.

“ Now if she can see it, I know yo’ daddy can. “ Jaylin’s attitude changed from dismissive to snitch-like. “ Wait ‘til he finds out. “

“ There go my babies! “ Kierra cooed, interrupting Jaylin and I making childish faces at each other. Jaylin stood up to hug her first and flicked her tongue at me. “ Lord, ya’ll act like brother and sister. “

“ In his dreams. “ Jaylin huffed as Kierra hugged me.

“ Kierra, this is Vinny, Vinny this is Kierra, my favorite cousin. “ I introduced them and they shook hands.

“ Mhm, I saw you two runnin’ from the garden house last night. “ Kierra trailed off.

“ Come again? “ Jaylin leaned in.

“ Fake news. Vinny, you want somethin’ to eat? “ I stood up as he did the same. Aunt Grace rang the dinner bell just as we began walking over to the buffet of food.

“ Alright now, Junior, go head baby. “ she spoke once everyone was standing by.

“ What? Why I gotta’ do it? “

“ Boy, hurry the hell up. “ she forced through gritted teeth, gaining scattered laughs from us.

“ Fine. Shield your eyes and close your ears. “ he started. “ Dear Lord, we thank you for allowin’ us all to arrive safely. We ask that you continue to bless the bond that we share as a family. Let it get stronger. Stronger than yesterday, Lord. Ms. Spears, Brit if ya’ nasty. “ I had to contain my laughter the best I could and Vinny wasn’t helping. “ And Lord, I ask that you bless this food. May the meat be tender, the greens be drippin’, and the potato salad be wet and not dry. ”

” Amen. “ Aunt Grace finished the prayer for him as everyone gathered plates for their food.

I fixed Vinny’s plate and walked with him back to the table before retreating to the house and checking on my dad. He was the only boy out of five girls, and Lord knows he gets overworked when big events like this happen. Just as I expected, I found him in the kitchen washing dishes.

“ What are you doing, old man? “ I slipped into the large area. He looked over his shoulder, smiling.

“ Just washing the dishes. “ he took his hands from the water, drying them on a towel. “ You enjoying yourself? “

“ Of course. Junior quoted Britney Spears in his prayer, and I could never live with myself if I missed that. “ I chuckled. “ You good? “

“ Yeah, I’m good. “ he hugged me tightly. “ I wanna’ apologize for being hard on your guy. “

“ Say what? “ I didn’t know if that was a setup or if he was being genuine.

“ Stop, David, I see the way you two look at each other. He’s not like those other knuckleheads you’ve dated. “ he turned back around to the dishes. “ If he keeps you smiling and happy, then he’s good with me. “

“ Thanks, dad. “

“ Of course. “ he looked out the window. “ And one more thing: that soil mound is comfortable, isn’t it? “

“ Blah, blah, blah! “ I covered my ears, rushing away from the kitchen and back upstairs to the room, only to wish I hadn’t walked in the house at all.

Before I could run away, he had grabbed me. He closed and locked the door as I pushed the screens off the window to jump out.

“ You really ‘bout to make a scene? Knowin’ damn well you’ll look crazy. “

“ Crazy ain’t the word to be throwin’ at me. “ I told him. “ Can you please stop? “

“ No. No. No. No. “ he shook his head. “ You thought I was playin’ witcho’ ass? I don’t give a f**k about yo’ parents or that weak ass ‘lil boy you foolin’ with, you’re mine. “

“ Just leave, Jonothan. Go. “ I remained calm. I thought back to how things happened last time, and I didn’t want to risk that again. “ Please? “

“ I’m not going anywhere unless you comin’. “

“ Jonothan, I can’t come with you. I'm at my family reunion. “

“ D, I don’t care. Pack your s**t and let’s get the f**k outta’ here. “ he walked over to me, but I didn’t move. He gave me that famous grin, letting me know he was about to test me, but his smile quickly faded. He looked at the necklace dangling from my neck and rage-filled his whole body. “ The f**k is that? “

“ Why the f**k does it matter? Get out! “ I pushed him back.

“ David, keep your hands off me. “ he licked his lips. “ Don’t fuckin’ test me. “

“ Help! Help! “ I yelled. I ran around the room, tossing things around and causing a commotion. He sprinted towards the door, but I tripped him and began banging on the floor. I heard the footsteps rushing up the stairs as he stood stuck to the middle of the floor, looking around. Panicking.

“ David? David, unlock the door, what’s going on? “ my father ferociously beat on the wood.

“ Help me! “

“ You will regret this s**t! “ he jumped out the window, breaking the seal of the thin mesh fabric just as my father kicked the door in. I heard Jonothan grunt as he rolled down the roof, followed by a thud and a few screams. I heard tires screeching as he pulled away from the house.

“ Are you okay, son? “ my father vigorously checked on me as my aunt continued the conversation with the operator.

An hour later, the house was surrounded by police and the family reunion was ruined. Everyone kept asking me what happened, but my answer never changed.

“ It all happened so fast. “

I cringed, wondering how it got to this point. I was disappointed in myself. Had I contained myself and refrained from getting in bed with Jonothan, he would still be badgering me, and at least I could handle that. I could walk away from that. But him showing up here tonight proved to me that he had no boundaries, and that’s what scared me more than anything.

“ Somethin’ ain’t right about this. “ Jaylin looked at the window, shaking her head. “ There’s something you not saying, David. “

“ Look, I don’t wanna’ to talk about it, okay? “ I pulled the covers over my body and lied down.

“ That’s how I know somethin’ ain’t right, take that hot ass blanket off. “ she aggressively snatched it away from me. “ What happened? “

I sighed, weighing my options, but I had none. She had me cornered, and no matter what I told her, I felt she already knew the truth. How? I have no clue.

“ Look, I did somethin’ I shouldn’t have back in August. “

“ You slept with that man, didn’t you? The one who sent those nudes to yo’ phone? “ she nodded as did I. “ And now he’s around here stalking you. It goes deeper than that, David. “

“ He’s got a wife and two kids. “

“ What? “

“ My parents know him as well. That’s how we met, he’s a family friend. “

“ Hollup’, wait, wait. “ she held her head, trying to process everything. She gestured, aimlessly until she could find the right words to say. “ You need to say something, David. “

“ Look, I will handle this..... “

“ Handle it? This man is invading yo’ privacy and is using what he knows against you. “ she looked at me sharply. “ You need to tell the police. “

“ I can’t, Jaylin, I’m scared. “ the tears began to fall as the anxiety hit me once again. She quickly rushed over to me, comforting me. “ I can’t do this to my family, I can’t do this to Vinny, I can’t do this to you. “

“ If you don’t do something about this, it will get worse. “

“ You can’t tell anybody about this, Jaylin, nobody. “

She was conflicted by that, but I knew she had a plan. She told me to get up as we slipped through the house and away from my conflicted kin, stepping outside. Luckily the officer was still there.

“ Mista’? “ Jaylin called out to him. She gently nudged me forward.

“ I need to get a restraining order on someone. “ I told him.

“ Should we handle this here, or down at the station? “

“ At the station, and I’m coming with you. “ Jaylin insisted.

We climbed into the back of the police car as he drove away from the house and five minutes down the road to the police station. He guided us inside, checking us in and doing a slight pat-down. We sat down in the grey room, waiting for the detective. It was like a movie. I couldn’t believe this was happening to me.

“ Good afternoon, sir, ma’am. “ the young woman walked into the room. “ I’m detective Seemore, and I will be reporting to the Atlanta Police Department on your behalf. Now I do understand that your grandmother, who lives at five thirty-five west magnolia way, just filed a report stating there was an intruder who broke into her home? “

“ He wasn’t breaking in, well, he was but he was after me. “

“ Would you mind explaining further? “ she grabbed her notepad and clicked her pen.

“ His name is Jonothan Harris. He is an old friend of my mother and father and a real estate agent. He helped me find my current home; something small while I go to school and work. There was some chemistry in the beginning, but I made sure to not overstep my boundaries. Once I found out he had a wife and two children, I ceased all communication. Until..... “ I hesitated.

“ Until what, D? “ Jaylin forced me to continue.

“ Ma’am? “ Seemore gave her a challenging glare and she lightened up. “ Continue, Mr. Huff. “

“ He wouldn't stop botherin’ me about having a threesome with his wife. “

“ David Na’Mandre Hall, you didn’t? “ Jaylin chuckled awkwardly.

“ I did, okay, and I regret every moment of it. I knew nothing good would follow, but I wanted him off my back. He kept askin', and askin', and it was stressin’ me the f**k out. “

“ And now he’s turned into a stalker? “ I nodded. I looked at Jaylin who held her face in disgust. “ Anything else I need to know? “

“ Yes. I work at a styling firm, Ebenezer, and we recently completed a shoot for the Women of Atlanta calendar. That’s where I saw his wife, and she confided in me and told me that he wasn’t home as much anymore, and it’s starting to worry her and the children. I visited him and found out he has a whole apartment in the city. “

“ Before you leave, we’ll need to get that address. “

“ I have the messages on my phone if that helps? “

“ Excellent. “ she smiled. “ Then what happened? “

“ I was trying to leave but he wouldn’t let me. I ran to the kitchen, grabbing a knife and pointing it at him. That didn’t scare him. He grabbed my hand and used the knife to cut himself. “ I cringed. I could feel Jaylin staring me down, but I would give the look no attention.

Detective Seemore sharply exhaled, writing down everything in her notepad and then looking back to me. “ Okay. We may be able to get him on some minor charges, but I can’t promise anything. What I will do is file a restraining order against the perpetrator, and I hope that it makes you feel safe again. “

“ Thank you. “ I told her, fidgeting around with my nails. The detective leaned forward.

“ You did nothing wrong, Mr. Huff. It’s not your fault that one night full of pleasure has blown into a full nightmare. Things like this happen quite often, I've seen it, and I don’t want you carrying around this guilt. “ she stood up, reaching out her hand for a shake. “ I will try my best to give you back that sense of normalcy. “

“ Again, thank you. “

She nodded, leaving the room and it returned to its quiet state. I refused to look at Jaylin, and I didn’t even want to know what she thought about everything. I wasn’t ashamed, not one damn bit, but I regret the hell out of it.

“ I can’t believe you had a threesome before me. “

“ This man could have ended my life, and that’s all you can think about? “

“ David, he was married with two children, what were you thinking? “ she cooed.

“ I wasn’t. I was single, and I thought it would be a single night of fun. “

“ But what did I tell you? Good p***y has to be picky! “ she spoke verbatim, sounding out every syllable of the phrase as I nodded along.

“ And that’s what I told him. Now he’s around here actin’ like a damn fool. “ I shook my head. “ And this stays between us. “

“ Of course. “ she crossed her arms. “ Poor Vinny won’t think it's that bad, but those parents of yours ‘gone s**t the whole empire state building. Hell, they’ll s**t the whole continent. We’ll all be living in s**t houses, working s**t jobs, riding in s**t cars.....“

“ Okay, damn. “