Mated

Nineteen

Malik  

After eating we headed to my apartment. As we were heading inside the neighborhood dog ran up to Ahsha. "Hi, cutie. Did you miss me?" Ahsha said as she gently scratched the puppies head.

"That dog never lets me, or anybody gets half as close to him without snapping, but with you, he acts like he's known you all its life," I said shaking my head. "Maybe because dogs can sense evil and well, you're you," She said looking at me. I chuckled. "Malik?" She began sweetly. "No," I said already knowing where she was going. "It's freezing out here and it's supposed to rain. We can't just leave him out here." She said scooping him up. She looked up at me pleading. “Look at his little face.” She said cuddling him. 'Let her.' Ares said speaking to me for the first time in a couple of days. I hummed. "Okay, but if he chews up any of my things, he's out," I said knowing that she'd never let that happen. "Thank you, baby." She said kissing me.

--

Ahsha was sitting on the floor with her newfound pet, her laptop, and all her schools' books. "So, do we have a name for him yet?" I asked as I sat on the couch. "It's between Louie or Coffee. I can't decide. What do you think?" She asked looking up at me. “Coffee?" I asked. "Coffee is more like a joke because I'm slightly addicted to coffee." She said making me chuckle. "As for the name Louie my dad is from Louisiana, so Louie." She said looking down at the puppy.

Onyx and Abraham trotted in and over to her one resting his head on her thigh and the other on her calf. They had grown extremely protective of her which I loved. "Are you a Louie or Coffee?" She said to the dog. I watched her interact with the puppy and Onyx and Abraham showing the usually very aggressive dogs so much love. I sat back and watched her. These past several months with Ahsha had been completely something new for Ares and me. She brought up a bunch of emotions and thoughts that I never thought I would find myself thinking about.

'You shouldn't be thinking about stuff like that.' Ares said making yet another appearance. 'I don't know what you mean.' I answered. 'You’re thinking about a baby. We're not ready for a kid.' Ares said. 'I know. It's just a thought. I know you've been thinking about it too.' I said. He fell silent knowing I was right. I thought about what Ahsha would be like carrying our kids, the type of mother and wife she'd be. They were only fleeting thoughts but times like this they became blatantly obvious.    

"Malik? Hello?" Ahsha said kneeling in front of me. I looked down at her hands that rested on my thighs. My eyes quickly shifted to hers and she froze holding my gaze. I cleared my throat. I watched her quickly moved her hands. "Sorry—" I pulled her onto my lap, so she was straddling me. She cupped my cheek pressing her forehead against mine. I took several deep breaths before I was finally able to look at her. “s**t,” I said.

Ares

I pressed Ahsha into the window brushing my lips against her sweet spot where her mark rested. "Ares?" She whispered as I gently kissed her mark gaining a whimper from her. I smiled against her neck. "Ajl ya habia?”(Yes, my love) I said. "Stop.” She said gaining her voice back. I froze when I heard her voice. I looked at her seeing a flushed look on her face. "I’m sorry. I didn’t hurt you, did I?" I asked searching for any signs of injury.

She pushed me away from her. "You can hardly acknowledge my presence, but you can try to f**k me?" She questioned as anger rose through her. "I—" She looked up at me with her beautiful copper-colored eyes. I stared at her. "Tell me what the hell is going on in your head or I’m going him until you do." She spoke. I stared at her silently. She smacked her lips before rolling her eyes and going to walk off. "I don't want to hurt you," I said with my back to her. I heard her footsteps stop. "Hurt me? How would you hurt me?"  She asked. I walked towards her cupping her face staring into her eyes. Her eyes shifted rapidly as I showed a snippet of what I could do. She looked up at me confused. "Do you want to do those things to me?" She asked. "No—yes—sometimes I do but I don’t want to. I don’t want to hurt you." I said. She stared at. 'She's pissed.' Malik said. "Are you kidding me?" She asked. I tilted my head looking at her curiously.

"I’m trying here. I really am but how am I expected to feel like we’re in a relationship if you’re being an asshole.” She said. “Acting like a little b***h baby.” She mumbled. It felt like she slapped me. "A what? I didn’t quite catch that?” I asked. “Nothing forget it.” She said. “No, say it again,” I said. “I said stop acting like a b***h baby." She barked looking at me defiantly. I cracked my neck looking at her. "I don't like that word," I told her. She c****d her head back. "Well then stop acting like one. I may be new to this world but I'm not a child you can talk to me." She said.

My face softened once I realized how much my absence had truly affected her. ‘I told you that.’ Malik said. I sighed. "I am sorry," I said as I went to pull her into my arms. However, she pulled back. She walked around me grabbing her dog before heading upstairs. 'Well look what you've done.' Malik said.

Ahsha

After walking away from Ares, I grabbed my dog and headed upstairs. Once Louie was settled, I took a long shower to calm my nerves down. After I finished my shower I stepped out and threw on one of Malik's shirts and a pair of shorts before I started cleansing my face. I was standing in the mirror finishing up my skincare routine when Ares came into view standing behind me. I rolled my eyes. "I treat you like you're not able to handle things because I know how hard this transition has been for you. I don't want to upset you." Ares said. I turned and looked at as he spoke. "I want to share things with you but there are certain things about this life that I just can't share with you. And what's going on with me right now is one those things." He said walking towards me. He grabbed my shirt pulling me to him.

"I'm sorry." He said again. "I understand that but completely icing me out and leaving me in the dark—That's not good enough," I said pushing past him. "What are you doing?" He asked me as I grabbed my phone. "I'm calling Aaron to come to get me. I'm going home." I said with my back to him. Before I could type the text, my phone was snatched from my arms. "Give me my phone." I snapped. "No." He said. "Ares give me my phone." I barked trying to reach for it only for him to hold it over his head. "No, we’re going to talk." He said. "Oh so now you want to talk. Well, I’m not. I want Malik back," I said crossing my arms.

"No, you're stuck with me until we resolve this," Ares said. I pushed past him only for him to grab my arm. “Ahsha please.” He said turning me to look at him. "First of all stop grabbing me," I said trying to pull myself from his grip. He pressed me into his dresser staring down at me. We sat in an intense staredown before he gripped my chin. I felt goosebumps cover my body. I watched as a smirk graced his annoying face. His grip tightened as his other hand slipped under my shirt pressing into my stomach. He dipped his head planting kisses along my jaw. Did he really think he could try and use s*x to smooth this over?

My breath hitched. "Tell me what I can do to make up for what I’ve done?" He whispered. My words got caught in my throat as he looked down at me. "I—" I whispered. "You what? Tell me?" He asked as he worked his way towards my lips. "Stop," I mumbled right before he reached my lips. He looked into my eyes. I cupped his cheek. "Until you can tell me what the hell is going on, I'll be staying at my parents. I'm sorry Malik." I told him before grabbing the phone and my dog and heading downstairs.

"Yes, Ahsha?" Aaron said answering on the second ring. "I need a ride home," I told him. "Of course." He said. He and Khalil came up grabbing my school bag before leading me and my dog downstairs. I looked up at Malik's apartment to see Ares looking down at me with a cold look.

--

I woke up the next morning feeling a huge lump in my throat. I had planned on staying in bed all day when my door was busted open. "Wake ya ass up!" I turned to see Isa standing in my doorway. He looked me over before he looked at me worried. "What happened?" He asked closing the door. “Do I need to go f**k Malik up?” He asked. I sighed as I sat up. "Malik or rather Ares and I got into a fight," I said turning my back to him. "What did he do?" He asked. "He's been ignoring me for months and last night he finally starts to talk to me only to say he can't tell me what's going on with him," I explained.

"Ahsha.” He sighed. “Maybe he really can't tell you what's going on with him," Isa said. I turned and looked at him in disbelief. "Isa?" I snapped. “You’re supposed to be on my side,” I said. "After everything you've seen and learned this year you can't process that there might be something about this world that he literally can't tell you about." He said. "But I—" "You're my twin. I'm going to ride for you no matter what but we're new to this world, so you have to give him the benefit of the doubt. I mean has he lied to you about anything this far?" He questioned and they hadn't. I rolled my eyes sighing. "I miss the days when my only worry was school," I mumbled falling back into my pillow.

"Can I at least be mad for a day, so he doesn't think I gave in so easily?" I asked my brother. "Of course. Can't have him out here thinking he can play my twin." Isa said. I laughed shaking my head. "Good cause I'm still upset but now it's more of an annoyance than mad now," I said. "Ahsha you're home." I looked to see my mom standing in the doorway rubbing her stomach. "Yeah, I decided to sleep here," I told her. "Perfect get dressed we're heading to the Ahmad's." My mama said. I sighed. "Don't even trip she got me trying on a s**t ton of suits," Isa said annoyed.