What's Meant For You
She loved him when he let her in his home during the chicken epidemic at 10. She loved him at 16, when he swallowed his hatred and took her to homecoming. She loved him on the night of their graduation, when he spent all night worshiping her. She loved him when he left without a trace. She loved him when he didn't call, text, or email for five years.
And, fuck her, she loved him when he turned up out of nowhere, asking for her forgiveness.
Huey P. Freeman x Jazmine DuBois
Romance. Hurt/Comfort. Friendship. Family. Humor.
Rated M
I'd like to issue a warning for this chapter. Some dark shit is about to take place. It won't be the entire chapter but it ends on an incredibly sad note. It may not be for everyone. If not, I understand. There will be a very basic recap in the next chapter.
Chapter Fourteen: Drown
THE BLISS OF NEW YORK HAD LONG SINCE FADED.
Jazmine sat in Huey's bedroom holding a sleeping Alicia. Huey, Riley, and Grandad had been spending long nights out searching since the night they returned. They'd found Tom's hideout and though they'd seen Tom go in, he'd managed to slip out unnoticed. This, of course wouldn't be so alarming if he hadn't snuck into Jazmine and Sarah's homes, leaving subtle differences wherever he could.
Moving dishes where they wouldn't go. Switching furniture around. Unplugging items. Little things that led the men to believing he was furious and needed them to know that he could get to them, no matter what. And Huey was determined to ensure that it never came to that.
Jazmine got up to put Alicia into bed. Just as Jazmine was shutting her door, a very tired Huey walked in.
She went to greet him quickly, pulling him into a hug. He clung to her.
"Why won't you let the police handle this, my love?"
"I don't trust them," he said simply.
She pulled away and have him a small smile. "I have some pajamas out for you in the bathroom. I'll heat up dinner while you shower and I can rub your back before you go to sleep."
He stared for a moment before kissing her soundly. "Join me," he whispered against her lips. Before she could respond, he lifted her off of her feet and began carrying her to his bedroom. With it being three weeks since their return from New York, they hadn't had the chance to explore like they had before. So all she could do was giggle and wrap herself around him.
He moved them to the shower quickly, both working to rid one another of their clothes. They stepped into is shower and she squealed when the cold water hit them. Once it adjusted she was on him again, sharing kisses.
The passion shared between them now was different than before. A bit more familiar but the excitement only seemed to grow. They'd only shared small kisses and late night cuddles. This felt good.
Huey set her down and she began washing him slowly, lathering every inch of his skin. He watched her closely the entire time, his breath catching as she began to stroke his length slowly.
It wasn't long before her teasing became too much. She grinned as he finished washing himself quickly and shut off the shower. He moved to grab her but she slipped out of his way. With a giggle, she shot past him and into his bedroom. Despite his earlier exhaustion, he was hot on her heels.
Just before she reached the bed, he pulled her back into his arms. He lifted her until her face hovered above his own.
"Hi," she whispered.
He stared for a moment before kissing her. He moved them to the bed, careful not to press his full weight against her. She used this to move him onto his back. She felt him smile against her lips.
She wasted no more time teasing. She settled him perfectly between her thighs and began rocking against him, sliding her slick folds along his length.
"Fuck," he growled, sitting up enough to pull her close while they rocked together.
Neither of them was prepared to last long. It was only a few short minutes before she began trembling.
"Huey," she whined, grinding down as hard as she could manage.
"I know, baby girl. Let go for me."
She dug her nails into his skin and did as told, cumming all over him. It was exactly what he needed to send him over the edge. With a grunt, he came undone right after.
He cleaned them up quickly before climbing into bed and pulling her close.
"I hate that you're gone all night."
"I know."
"Alicia hates it too."
He pulled her even closer. "I know."
"Can we just have one day with you tomorrow, Huey? Please."
He hesitated. "I don't want to lose steam, Jazmine. He's been so close to you. I don't want him to get any closer."
"Okay," she replied softly.
"I'll come home early," he promised. "No later than six-thirty. We can have a nice dinner together and watch a movie, okay."
She gave him a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Okay, Huey."
He kissed her soundly, sorry to have to tell her 'no' but knowing that right now he didn't have too much of a choice. "I love you, Jazmine DuBois."
"I know," she replied. "I love you too."
Jazmine DuBois was alone and bored, stuck in the house by Huey's instructions.
Alicia was with Cindy, Sarah, and Regina as they made plans to take her to the city for a movie and a play world some time ago. Of course they had stipulations and Cindy was heavily armed, Huey pulling some strings to ensure it wouldn't be a problem in the future.
Jazmine could have gone but she decided to stay in hopes of having a good amount of alone time with Huey before they brought her back home.
But it was only 11 now and she had so much time to kill and nothing she wanted to do. Nothing on television. No movies. Games. Social media. Sleep. Cooking. Nothing. She was going crazy.
She thought of Huey. And how much she already missed his presence. Her mind then wandered to the night they shared. Last night and in New York. She bit into her lip as a smile formed.
He'd been working so hard. And he'd been so stressed. Even if they only had a few hours, she wanted to do something special with him. She wanted to recapture that feeling they experienced on their last night in New York.
With that in mind, she dressed quickly and headed out to do some shopping, being mindful to avoid the watchful eyes of her security. She was careful to lock up incredibly well and looked up the bus schedule. She'd leave in time to make it with some time to spare. However her focus on ensuring the house was locked up tight and she was on time for the bus made her miss the pair of brown eyes watching her in the distance.
Ever a man of his word, Huey arrived at 6:30 exactly. Ever a man of perception, he noticed immediately that something wasn't right.
He moved through the house carefully, searching for even a hair out of place. He found trace of forced entry. Of a struggle. Or even an unusual happening. And somehow, this makes the feeling of dread wash over him and pull him under.
It was dark. In her haze, Jazmine realized that. But no matter how much she willed her mind to focus, it refused. She moved in and out of consciousness, darkness surrounding her, movement lulling her, and the faint sound of the piano dancing in her head.
'What's up Huey?' Cindy asked.
"Jazmine. Have you heard from her?"
The panic in her normally calm tone broke her own cheerful disposition.
'No. She's not home?'
"No. And she isn't answering her cell."
'Oh my God. Did she leave a note or anything?'
"Nothing."
'We're on the way.'
The second they hung up, Huey went out to the SUV parked some distance away. A familiar face rolled down the window as Huey approached. He opened his mouth to speak when Huey slammed his fist into his eye.
"Fuck! Hu-!"
"Where the fuck is she?" he roared. His tone was strong enough to pull the four occupant's attention back to him. They all leaned back a bit, watching his eyes become a dangerous, vibrant red. "Am I talkin' to my fuckin' self? WHERE. THE FUCK. IS SHE!?"
"Sir, we haven't moved and we saw no unusual activity."
"That's crazy. 'Cuz I think it's real fuckin' unusual that my girl ain't in my fuckin' house! That count as unusual to you?"
"Sir, we-"
"I want every fuckin' person you got out lookin' for her! NOW! And you better pray she's in the same fuckin' condition I left her in. And if not, yo families gone be rockin' yo faces on a fuckin' t-shirt."
He didn't give them time to respond. He made his way back to the house. Just as he opened his door again, his phone sounded. Just as quickly as hope bloomed, it died. He answered wordlessly.
It was almost soothing. The darkness. The music. The rocking. Was she in a car? She couldn't mind could barely stay focused or active long enough to process a thought.
But what she felt... The fear. The anxiety. The regret.
Those rang loud and clear, even when her mind wasn't awake to realize it.
'Grandad and Regina goin' around the neighborhood to see if anyone saw somethin'. Cin hittin' up spots she like to go to. Sarah took Alicia to tha station wit her. I'm bout to link wit tha head of security. See what them niggas got on that bitch that could help.'
"Aight," Huey repied, grateful for his brother's initiative.
'We gone find her bro. Alive.' He didn't give Huey a chance to doubt his words. He hung up.
Jazmine tried her best to feel her surroundings but found nothing was telling. She wasn't bound but the space she was in was incredibly small. Though she wasn't tall at all, the fit seemed tight. It was incredibly cold and hard. When she was jostled violently within her confines, she realized where she was.
Nothing was moving quickly enough for Huey. Thirty minutes and still, there was nothing. He found no clues in his home, Riley had found nothing they didn't already, and the police and security were coming up short.
And then Cindy called.
'She was at the mall,' she said quickly. 'She snuck out, took a bus into the city, and came into this clothing store in the mall. She went into the dressing room but no one saw her leave. They found her wallet in the dressing room she was using. She must have been taken out of the back door. They have an exit in their store that leads to the back of the mall.'
"Security footage?"
'They're pulling it for me now. But I don't think we need it to know who took her, Huey,' Cindy said.
Riley texted then, sending him an image of all of the places they'd spotted him before.
"I know where she at."
The car began to slow and Jazmine's mind began to clear, though she couldn't seem to find the strength needed to move. To get out.
So she forced her mind to focus. To remember. Leaving the house. Locking up tight. Making the bus. Grabbing a pretzel. Heading into her favorite store. Grabbing some clothes. Moving into a dressing room. But then... But then what?
Huey moved through traffic expertly, careful to avoid any near accidents. He was nearing his destination when Riley's car appeared behind him. And behind Riley was Cindy, moving quickly. They had no idea what his plans were or how much time they had.
And then... An image of Tom's unfamiliar eyes flashed in her mind as he stood behind her in the mirror. He covered her mouth and nose before she could scream, the cloth smelling of sweetness. Chloroform? He drugged her.
She felt her eyes fill with tears as the car came to a stop. She could smell water now. The rocking had ended, but the piano music continued to play.
She heard the car door open and shut and steps round to the trunk.
"I'm sorry, honey," she heard Tom say. "But the three of you refuse to see reason."
Suddenly and slowly she was moving again, but she was much too disoriented to fight. To yell. So she cried. Silently.
She thought of her mother. Cindy. Of Riley, Regina, and Grandad.
And then she thought of Huey and Alicia. And she prayed to God they knew how much she loved them. How much she wanted a normal life. To be Alicia's mother. Huey's wife. Make her mother a grandmother again. And give the same to Grandad and Regina. How she wished she had a child that adored her sister. And got into trouble with Uncle Riley. To have a house, a dog, a family, and adventure.
And as she felt the car tip over and crash against water, she prayed to God they could survive her loss.
Tom was fast, but not fast enough to avoid being seen. Police and security were hot on his heels.
Jazmine couldn't imagine it possible to get any colder. But as water began to touch her skin, she thought she would freeze before she drowned.
"Jazmine!" Huey couldn't have slammed on his breaks any harder. He just barely parked the car as he raced towards the dock's end to the car slipping beneath the surface.
Her tears fell harder now as she slipped further beneath the surface. Even as she tried to will her body to stay above the rising water, she was still low on remaining air.
Huey dove in without thought, willing himself to move faster. "No. Jazmine, please." And for the first time in a long time, he felt tears stinging his eyes. What if she was already...?
"I love you," she whispered to no one about everyone. And like the car, she was submerged.
Riley was right behind his brother, fear gripping his own heart. She had to be okay. She just had to. So together they dove beneath and moved quickly to release her. Riley tried to bust the truck while Huey tried the car, which had hit the relatively shallow bottom.
It hurt. It hurt so bad. Her lungs burned and her body ached. In her pain she forced her mind to think of her most beautiful moments. She wanted the last thing her mind to see to be just that; beautiful. She hadn't even noticed the jostling of the car around her. She'd already given up.
Nothing was working. They both swam to the top and dove back under. Sarah and Cindy were there now, holding on to Alicia and sobbing uncontrollably. Alicia didn't move. She didn't speak. She didn't cry. She only stared and trembled, despite being warm. Regina and Grandad held on to one another, sharing silent tears.
It was time now, Jazmine knew. She could no longer fight. So she let go. Let the pain and the darkness swallow her whole.
Just as Huey prepared to take another deep breath, he found the release for the trunk. He hit it once. Nothing. Twice. Nothing. Held it down. Nothing. He bashed it repeatedly. Begging it to free her. And even beneath the water's surface, the sound of it opening seemed to echo in his mind.
He swam around to help Riley. She wasn't alert. Wasn't breathing. Her skin seemed so pale and his lips blue. He grabbed her quickly and broke the surface.
"Oh my God!" Sarah sobbed.
Riley got up first and helped Huey up. Huey laid her flat and began to perform CPR.
"Come on baby," he said quietly, working as quickly and carefully as he could. She wasn't responding. He could feel tears burning his eyes. "Please don't leave me, Jazz. My moonlight. Please."
Still nothing. Sarah collapsed a Cindy joined her, a heartbreaking sob falling from her lips. A pain like no other gripped her heart as she watched her sister's lifeless body resting on the cold concrete.
"Please!" Huey said, not giving up. "Please. We need you."
Still nothing.
His movements slowed as tears fell from his eyes onto her cheeks. "No," he whispered.
One more try.
And her pale green eyes sprung open as she sat up, coughing the liquid from her lungs.
"Jazzy!" Cindy screamed, launching over to her in record time.
To weak to hold herself up, she leaned into Huey, who held her close.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered into her hair.
"No," she tried to say, but couldn't seem to get the words out. So he shushed her, urging her to rest.
They were surrounded by family in no time, all touching her. Needing to know she was still right there. It was Sarah who was the shaking voice to break the spell they were under.
"We need to get her to a hospital and get you boys into new close so you don't get sick."
Everyone drove in complete silence. Grandad and Regina got clothes for the boys while they got Jazmine admitted into the hospital.
Fortunately she wasn't under too long and they didn't see any lasting or even fatal signs. They did however suggest that they keep an eye on her as she was at freezing temperatures for some time. With some medicine and promise of a watchful eye, she was allowed to go home.
The police and security were waiting there. Once again, he slipped away, but with such a radical act, he left clues behind and a bad taste in the department's mouth. Media coverage allowed everyone to be aware of Tom, though Huey wasn't a fan.
They spoke with Jazmine for as long as Huey allowed. She recalled everything that she remembered and the rest was filled in. He instructed her to head up to bed. He'd be there in a minute. She did as told with no questions asked or even a look back. They didn't speak again until his door was quietly shut.
"I assure you that we are doing everything we can to find him, sir," an officer stated.
"And I assure you I'm doing the same," he promised. "And I need you to understand that if I find him first, no one will ever find him again."
They could only nod, understanding his rage.
Sarah came down his stairs some time after they left. She managed to get a still silent Alicia to sleep.
"She hasn't said a word," she said quietly.
"I know. But she will. We'll get through this," Huey promised.
"Thank you, Huey," she said after a moment of silence. Tears began falling from her eyes. "If she would have-" She couldn't bring herself to finish her sentence.
"But she didn't" he said, not wanting to recall those moments. "She's here. Safe. And we'll keep it that way at all cost."
Without thinking, he kissed her cheek. "I had them leave you the guest room closest to our room, okay?"
She nodded and gave him a watery smile before going to rest. He waited for her to shut the door before heading to bed himself.
She thought that there was no possible way she could be more hurt.
More disappointed.
More shocked.
But here she was, curled up in Huey's bed, hot tears trailing down her face.
Her own father... The look in his eyes as he willed her life to come to an end... Drugged her and tried to... She didn't recognize him. She couldn't after that.
She heard Huey open the door. Wordlessly he climbed into bed with her and pulled her into his arms. He, much like herself, was still trembling. He held her so close it was almost painful. But she didn't mind.
She was drowning, in emotions now. And thoughts. But for now, she'd allow him to pull her above the surface and into him.
Thank you all so much for your support, patience, and birthday wishes. It has been quite the month but I feel happy and excited.
I did publish my book. It's available on Amazon! It's called the Ghost of You by Dajah Israel. Naturally, you don't have to purchase but I wanted to share with you all because you gave me the courage to try for this. I can't tell you how much I appreciate you.
And if you haven't already, please check out A Story of Huey and Jazzy by Bulma's Ego. She was very nervous but I've really enjoyed what she's written so far. It's so sweet and a little sad but leaves room for hope of a positive ending. Enjoy it!
I also want to tell you how freaking much I miss you guys. I will be back to regularly scheduled programs. Uploading every Saturday. I am working on another project but my deadline isn't nearly as close.
You all are freaking amazing. I can't thank you enough and I can't wait for our weekly conversations!
I hope you liked this chapter and there's so much more to come. Much love.
Q. I.