A/N: Who's ready for some Boo Boo Cookie? Now, keep in mind, Cookie and Anika are endgame, but nothing worth having comes easy. Also, I'm not sure how long this constant updating is going to last but I'm enjoying it while it lasts. Just an FYI.
-ED
Anika was busy checking out hotels in the Atlanta area when there was a knock at her door.
"Come in," she said as she continued typing. She'd hoped that it was Cookie coming to extend an olive branch so they could end their silent treatment. Alas, it wasn't meant to be because when she looked up at the person who entered her office, she met eyes with the son of the woman she was in love with instead of the woman herself.
"Hakeem, what can I do for you?" Anika asked the young man.
"I just wanted to check in with you and see how you were doing," he replied as he sat in the seat opposite of her.
"I've been alright." It was far from the truth but he didn't need to know that.
"I hear you've been alright as well. Tiana's a nice girl." Anika hoped her statement didn't come off as jealous because she definitely didn't want to give him the wrong impression.
Hakeem looked cocky like he wanted her to know that he was now dating Tiana. Honestly, she couldn't care less about who he decided to date as long as it wasn't her. She was about to knock him down to size when Lucious walked into her office. Hakeem glared at his father but Lucious ignored his youngest, choosing instead to focus on his ex-fiance.
"Where are you with the Atlanta trip?" he asked without preamble.
"Hello, Lucious. I'm fine, thank you for asking."
He paused, "Anika, where are you with the Atlanta trip?"
Anika leaned back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest. "Why don't you ask Cookie? She's the reason we're even going on this little trip."
"Cookie's out sick so I'm asking you."
Both Hakeem and Anika perked up at Cookie being sick.
"Is she alright?" Anika asked trying to keep her voice level. The entire time Cookie had been at Empire, she hadn't taken a sick day. If she stayed home that meant something was seriously bothering her. She even came to work while she was nursing a heartbreak so that made Anika even more worried.
"She said her head's been hurting but it wasn't anything serious. I don't even know why I'm telling you this. Where are you with-"
"I'm in the process of checking out hotels. Once I have one selected we'll be on the next flight out."
"That's what I like to hear," Lucious said with a smile. Anika didn't return it and he eventually left her office without speaking to his son.
"He still ain't shit," Hakeem stated once the door closed.
"Yeah, well that's not going to change anytime soon," Anika agreed.
The two were quiet before Hakeem broke the silence. "Look, I know you said last time was last time we would be together but I've been thinking about us, a lot, actually."
"Hakeem-"
"Naw, just hear me out. I know we were both hurting but I enjoyed that night."
Anika would never admit to him or anyone else his prowess in bed but he had a gift and she knew Hakeem was blowing Tiana's back out.
Anika unfolded her arms and placed them on her desk in front of her before clasping her hands together. "Hakeem, you're a nice guy, but there are so many reasons why what we did shouldn't have happened, cannot, and will never happen again."
"Is it cause I'm young?"
"It's because you were almost my step-son," Anika said with a laugh although nothing was funny about the situation. "We shouldn't have slept together, okay. We were both vulnerable but it shouldn't have happened. I'm sorry."
Hakeem nodded his head, "I got you." Anika knew he was upset but there was no way she could go there with him again. He finally left her office and Anika put her head down on her desk. She hoped she was able to get through to Hakeem and that he would be able to move on. This was the first time since they had slept together that he had approached her to talk about that night and she hoped that it would be the last.
Throughout the day since Lucious first announced that Cookie was sick, she picked up her cell phone to dial Cookie's number. She even got as far as pulling up her name but pressed the end button before the call could connect. She started and deleted text messages and eventually got so frustrated that she threw the phone over her desk. Luckily the phone landed on her plush rug. Finally deciding to put her Gran's words of wisdom to use, she left Empire and went to her favorite Jamaican restaurant to pick up some conch stew and stopped to get some chamomile tea for Cookie's headache.
Anika walked up to Cookie's apartment and raised her hand to knock on the door and hesitated.
What am I doing?
Before she could run away she heard her Gran's voice "Tell her how you feel; stop hittin' on each other like you're children."
Anika knocked firmly on the door and waiting for Cookie to answer the door. When she finally did, she stood in the door blocking the entrance.
"What are you doing here?" Cookie asked her with a frown on her face. It wasn't quite the response Anika was looking for but at least she opened the door.
"Lucious said you weren't feeling well."
"Again, why are you here?"
Anika rolled her eyes and held up the bag of food and tea. The smell of the stew wafted from the bag to Cookie's nostrils. Narrowing her eyes at Anika, she opened the door wider so the other woman could enter the apartment.
"Your apartment is nice," Anika said, trying to make pleasantries. She had placed the food on the counter in Cookie's kitchen but was now standing awkwardly in the living room. Cookie was still suspicious as to why Anika was currently standing in her living room and hadn't offered her a place to sit down. Mostly because she and Lucious had had sex on the couch and she felt weird about Anika sitting there.
"It's conch stew," Anika blurted out effectively ending the awkward silence. "It's the closest I could find that compares to the stew back home."
Cookie nodded, "smells good."
"There's also tea for your headache."
Cookie scrunched up her nose. "Lucious can't keep shit to himself." Anika decided to avoided the topic of Lucious. "How are you feeling?"
"You're doing it again. We aren't friends, remember?"
This time it was Anika's turn to scrunch up her face. "I brought you food. Indulge me."
Cookie rolled her eyes and went to sit on the couch. She would have chosen the bar stool but she wanted to lean her head against the wall in hopes that it would help calm the pounding. She still hadn't invited Anika to sit down anywhere.
"I've had a headache all day and nothing I take is making it go away."
Anika sat her Céline bag down on the coffee table and sat down next to Cookie who tensed up in response. She reached up a hand towards her and Cookie backed away.
Anika let out an exasperated sigh, "I'm not going to kill you, Cookie. My grandmother used to rub our head and neck when we were younger and had splitting headaches. It's just massaging your temples, neck, and the base of your skull."
"That's sounds dangerous and I don't trust you," said Cookie, still now allowing Anika to touch her.
Anika felt the sting of her words. "Do you really think I'd hurt you?"
Cookie almost let the yes slip from her lips. Instead she moved her hand in a 'get on with it' motion and tried not to flinch when Anika reached towards her again. Anika told Cookie to turn around so she could start at the base of her neck and work her way up. Anika alternated between using hard and soft pressure and let her hands massage Cookie from her neck to the base of her skull and finally to her temples. Cookie was feeling the affects of the massage and let her head lag to the side, leaving her neck open and inviting.
Bringing her hands back down towards Cookie's neck, Anika let her hands slip down to her shoulders, then down her arms. Before she could stop herself, she placed a soft kiss on the area where Cookie's neck met her shoulder. Cookie froze as did Anika whose hands stilled on her arms. Before Cookie could think that she imagined the kiss Anika placed another kiss on Cookie's neck, then one behind her ear, and then finally one on her shoulder. Cookie turned around to face Anika and Anika wasn't able to read the look on her face. When Anika turned her hands fell to Cookie's waist. Not knowing if she should move them or keep them there, she chose not to move at all. She watched as Cookie looked her over before making eye contact again. Still unable to decipher the look she was given, Anika made to say something, anything, but before she could Cookie placed her hands on Anika's face and brought Anika's lips to hers.
Anika couldn't believe that they were actually kissing but when she felt Cookie slip her tongue in her mouth all doubt went out of the window. Anika felt Cookie trying to remove her cardigan without breaking the kiss. She lifted herself and shrugged the sweater off all without removing her lips from the other woman's. Cookie pushed her down so she was lying on the couch and then moved to straddle her waist. Anika let herself explore Cookie's back under her shirt. Cookie grabbed Anika's hands and held her arms by her wrists above her head and she places a knee between Anika's legs. She feels Cookie latch on to her neck and is enjoying the pressure from her knee when she has a flash of Hakeem doing the same. She tries to shake the thought out of her mind but suddenly she's feeling his hands on her and it's starting to make her sick. She pushes at Cookie who backs up immediately. Thinking the other woman came to her senses, Cookie moves to get off of Anika but stills when Anika blurts out "IsleptwithHakeem!"
For a moment she thinks that Cookie didn't hear her but then she feels the grip that Cookie still has on her wrists tighten and she's certain that she's going to die on Cookie's couch and Cookie is going back to prison for killing her.
