Back by popular demand from last chapter…
Proper thank you's going out to the real ones:
hueyisbae143, QuestionyTheQuestionMark, N. Chanel, ladyrere1985, PippElulu, Firegirl19, Thief king Acnologia, SuadamPanyuthapum, mxsta, clockwork'sFinest, CocoaMoon, Your Hitta, RileysGirl5557, and LovinHueyFreeman.
Y'all. Went. WILD for last chapter! I knew people have been waiting on it but damn, I did not expect the immediate love I got back for it. Figured I'd get back to work early ;)
Also, special shoutout to the OG homie LovinHueyFreeman, getting back to work as well with her dope-ass joint: Back In The Day. Read that ish. You won't regret it, I promise you. It's lit.
Random note: Lizzo anyone? She's my new spirit animal, I love her vibe and music. Her album Cuz I Love You is the truth. And also the Truth Hurts.
Told you it was random. Backtotheflick!
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Aaron McGruder's The Boondocks or any of his characters.
"The following is a completely fictional work of satire.
Any similarities with actual rappers is totally, completely, coincidental.
Also, I ain't dissin' nobody's city, or region, or... whatever geographic affiliation you got.
I love everybody.
Seriously. I really don't want any of you niggas running up on me at the club. I don't have no crew, and they don't pay me enough to hire bodyguards.
I know how y'all niggas do. It's just jokes, man."
Dictated. Not read. The Management; The Story of Gangstalicious
Riley's POV
Pain… all over… was the only thing that registered in his mind as he started to come to. That and coldness.
His forehead brushed along the rough pavement as he shifted, struggling to blink open his eyes. They felt dry, swollen, and caked with dirt… or maybe blood. His fuzzy vision tried to focus as he attempted to lift his head up slowly. A cough had him lurching his body forward and gripping his stomach at the intense pain it caused. He cleared his throat and spit, noticing how red it was after he did so.
Damn. He thought to himself, spitting again before using his sleeve to wipe his mouth. He tried to sit up a little, groaning as he managed to barely push himself up onto his hands and knees as he did a sweep around. He had no idea how much time had passed. He seemed to be completely alone now in the lot aside from his car. Which was now rimless.
Riley felt his stomach twinge more at that, staring eye-level at his tire that had been stripped of its expensive spinning rims. And he hadn't even been able to stop it from happening. Not only had he been robbed by a bunch of trifling niggas, he'd gotten his ass kicked in the process.
He winced, lifting an arm while trying to keep the rest of his body steady as he reached for his side mirror. He gripped it and used his other hand to pull his body up to kneel, struggling to even do that. The numbing feeling at the back of his head had him reeling. His left knee also hurt like shit, he shifted his body to keep pressure off it. Riley held his breath as he readjusted himself more, maneuvering the mirror as he did so to look at his face. His swollen eyes widened as he took in his image.
"Shit." He let out hoarsely. He had dried blood all over his face along with multiple scuffs and bruises. Both of his eyes had taken a hit, with his right having a big bruise directly underneath and his left eye just looking red and puffy all over. Judging by the coloration, his nose, lip, and jaw had also taken a few swings. The pain was becoming more apparent the closer he looked, forcing him to turn away from the mirror. He was even more disgusted as he glanced down at himself, taking in the way his once white long-sleeve was now stained in patches of deep red. Riley dropped down to his hands and knees again as he let out another harsh cough, holding his side as he did so. The longer he looked, the more he started to feel it, and he couldn't stand it. He felt so weak.
I gotta get up. He thought to himself, gritting his teeth as he shifted his body again. He patted his pockets and felt his keys thankfully. He also noticed his cellphone and his headphones that had scattered towards the front side of the car. Riley fought back the groan as he gave a mild crawl to the space in front of him, not being able to contain his noise as he pressed down on his left leg. He stretched his body further in order to grab his headphones, looping them quickly around his sore neck. He eyed the distance to his phone and bit his lip, using the side mirror of the car again to try and pull himself up to a stand. Because fuck trying to crawl on a bad leg.
He paused to steady himself once he made it to his feet, trying not to let his swirling headache topple him over. He opened his eyes again and kept them pinned on his phone, using the car as a guide as he half-limped over to retrieve it. As he leaned down slowly to grab the phone, his fingers on the hood of his car brushed along something sharp. When Riley pulled his body back up with the phone in hand, he turned to look down at his hand and back at the car.
He felt sick as he almost doubled over, leaning onto the hood of the car, his phone now loosely in his hand as he stared at his windshield… his now cracked windshield, with a huge bash in it as if he'd slammed into a body or a deer.
"FUCK!" Riley ignored the pain as he slammed down on his hood, staring in disbelief at the scene in front of him. This couldn't be happening. Why the fuck? Riley's thoughts were in overdrive as he racked his brain for reasons. It had been a good while since he'd actually got himself into some trouble. Like real trouble. Lately, he hadn't been in anybody's shit but his own. Who the fuck would have a score to settle with him out of the blue like this?
Riley continued to think, his mind beginning to hurt as badly as his body as he tried to get back to his driver-side door as quickly as his limp would allow him to. He unlocked the door and tugged it open, gritting his teeth as he allowed his body to fall into the seat more or less, not knowing any other way to do it. He groaned as he shifted his body to pull both of his legs inside and turn his body to face forward, pulling the door shut behind him to lock it right away.
He threw his headphones from around his neck onto the passenger seat before he leaned back onto the headrest, trying to focus on his breathing instead of his aching body. He was in so much pain just sitting upright, it was almost unbearable. He didn't know how he was going to be able to make it home this way. Especially with the giant crack in the middle of his damn windshield that splintered out infinitely in every direction.
His eyes opened again after a few minutes, drifting down to the phone still in his hand at his lap. He slowly clicked on his Contacts button, clicking again to find his most-frequent list. His eyes went to her name out of habit, but he honestly hated to bother her with this shit so late. He didn't see any other choice though. Huey and Jazmine were both home and definitely wouldn't answer their phones considering they were barely talking to him. He wasn't about to call Caesar since he was about the same distance in relation to them. And Tish, the only other person that would be convenient, was out of town.
She was really the only one he could call. Not that he wanted to. Because he hated to admit it… but he needed help.
He clicked her name and closed his eyes, holding the phone to his ear. If she didn't answer, he was fucked. There was no way he could drive about 20 miles in the dark with his car like this. He would have to sleep in his car and wait for morning, which he did not want to do in this lot. But if she did answer, he didn't even have the words to tell her, let alone face her….
"Reez?" Cindy's voice answered the phone after a few rings, and Riley opened his eyes.
"H—" He had tried to say "hey", but another severe cough took over his body, causing him even more pain in his current position.
"Reezy? You okay?" Her voice seemed concerned. She didn't even sound like she'd been sleeping.
"Yeah." Riley coughed again painfully, trying to keep it together on the phone.
"You sure? You don't sound good."
He held back his sigh. "Look… I need your help." He admitted.
"What do you mean? What's wrong?"
"Something… happened. I'm in a lot a few blocks from work now, I just—"
"It's almost 1:30AM Reez, you were supposed to get off at midnight." She interrupted. "What happened?"
He felt like such a little bitch. "I got… jumped."
"What?!" She shrieked.
"C, I'm fine." He tried to assure her. "I just don't know if I can make it all the way home. They fucked my windshield up too."
"Who the fuck?" She demanded. "Where are you, I can come right now to get you."
"No the hell you're not." Riley shut her down immediately. "Nah, I'm already driving." He lied, putting the keys into the ignition. He had no idea who the fuck attacked him and where the fuck they were. There was not a chance in hell he was risking Cindy driving to this area.
"Reezy, I don't like this." She said, sounding more than a little worried. "You just said they messed up your windshield. Can you even see?"
"I can see enough." He slightly lied again. He would just have to concentrate. "I just don't want to drive that long and far home in the dark like this."
"Come straight here." She told him at once. "Don't you dare try to drive home."
He was thankful for that, but had to ask. "…Is your boy cool with that?"
"Landon's out of town, it's fine." She brushed off. "You can sleep in the guestroom and we'll figure out a plan tomorrow to get you home."
"Alright. I'll be there in a few minutes."
"Please drive careful, Riley."
"I'll be fine, Cindy. Just… don't freak out when you see me. It probably looks worse than it actually is."
"I just need you to get here safe, Riley." She repeated to him seriously. "Please."
Cindy's POV
It definitely was not how she expected her Monday night/Tuesday early morning to go.
For one thing, she should've been sleeping. But after a stupid decision to have a cup of coffee so late in the evening, she had been wide awake. Relaxing in some comfy lounge clothes while binging on a new guilty pleasure chick-flick show, she was thankful to have the house to herself for once.
Until she got Riley's phone call. Then all she wanted was for him to be there with her. She couldn't stop pacing around the house after that. He said he was jumped? By who? And for what? She was going to ring his neck if he was back into some shit that wasn't worth it. She needed him to be alright.
It wasn't too much longer that she got a text from him that he just pulled into her parking garage. And though she was initially thankful that he made it there okay, her heart fell to her stomach at the sight of him once she opened her door.
"Oh my God, Riley!" She exclaimed, pulling the door open wider for him to limp in.
"I'm fine, I told you it looks worse than what it is." He mumbled, looking completely out of it as he staggered to lean against the wall.
"You are not fine, Riley!" She hissed, closing the door shut and locking it. "You are covered in blood and you're not even putting weight on your leg!"
"Cindy listen, I just need to lie down. Just help me get to your bed." He told her, beginning to take a few steps before faltering again, leaning against the wall for support. "Fuck."
"You're not about to just get in bed like this." Cindy came to his side right away, helping steady him back onto his feet. "Let's go." She said, beginning to guide him down the hall.
"Where?" He asked, shifting a good majority of his weight onto her shoulder.
"The bathroom, obviously." She led him down past her bedroom and into her master bathroom. When they got there, she moved him to lean against the sink as she let him go.
"Strip." She told him, turning to go into her linen closet.
"What?" He asked, even managing to raise an eyebrow at her in his muddled state.
"Not all the way naked, but take off your shirt. Do you have basketball shorts under those jeans?" She asked him, barely turning around.
"Well, yeah."
"Okay then, come on." Cindy already had loaded a handful of towels and washcloths in her arms as she turned back. She passed by him as he took off his reddened shirt followed by his black beater. She leaned down to turn the water on for her square marble tub, making the temperature nice and warm before adding a big helping of soap. When she turned back around, she made a face at the scratches and bruises all over his bare torso.
"Shit, Riley." She frowned deeply, setting his towels down on the corner of the tub before she stepped closer. She could barely keep her eyes off his scars, they looked so painful. While his face looked pretty rough too, it seemed that it was mostly just dried blood that would wash off. His body had definitely taken the brunt of it.
"Why you runnin' a bath? Can't I just take a shower?" He ignored her fussing as he kept his weary eyes on the tub.
"Because one, you can hardly stand. And two, this will feel a lot better."
"Did you put girly-smellin' soap in there?"
"I only put in an oatmeal bubble bath."
"Bubbles are gay."
"Do you wanna feel better or not?" She rolled her eyes, picking up his pile of soiled clothes before going to the closet hamper. She remained facing the closet after she dropped the clothes in before clearing her throat.
"Alright. Finish undressing and then get in."
"The tub?"
"No Reez, the bathroom sink. Yes, the tub." She rolled her eyes.
"While you're in here?"
Why did he have to ask dumb questions? It had to be the loss of blood. "Reez, just take off your clothes and get in the tub so I can get this stuff in the hamper." She told him with her back turned. She heard shuffling after a moment followed by his footsteps to the other side of the room. Then finally, the sound of him stepping into the water as he groaned and hissed.
"Shit, you made this hot."
"Not even, it's a warm enough temperature for you."
"Too warm."
"You're fine." She rolled her eyes. "Are you decent yet?" She asked after a moment, hearing him turn off the water.
"Yeah, I guess." He said, making her turn around and glance at him. He had his eyes shut and his body completely submerged while he rested his head against the edge. Cindy grabbed his shorts and boxers before tossing them into the hamper, dragging it out of the closet after she did so.
"I'm going to go do this quick load of laundry so you can take your stuff home tomorrow." She told him as she pulled it. "I'll leave the door cracked so just give me a call if you need me. I'll be back in a bit."
"Okay." He hummed, eyes still closed while he rested. Cindy glanced back at him cautiously as she pulled the door slightly. She definitely didn't want to leave him long and have him pass out and drown in there.
It only took her a few minutes to go to her washer to throw in the clothes and get them started. After she did, she remembered something and ran into her room to grab a few things. Once she found what she was looking for, she slid one item into her sweatpants pocket and carried the other two in her hand. When she headed back into the bathroom, he was exactly as she left him, not even trying to clean himself off as he was damn-near falling asleep.
"Reezy, come on." She told him, kneeling beside the tub as she tossed the items to the side. She picked up one of the washcloths she had left for him and tossed it into the bubbly water. He didn't even move. She sighed, grabbing the spare she left before lightly dipping it into the water. His closed eyes flickered when she placed her hand on the crown of his head. But they finally opened once she lightly pressed the cloth to his cheek with the other.
"Ow," He let out, looking up at her in confusion. "Whatchu doin'?"
"Helping." Cindy gave him a look. "And I barely touched you." She said, wiping at his cheek again.
"Oww." He said again, his wet hand now on her wrist, still staring up at her while he crinkled his brow.
"Reez, I'm being gentle. Does that seriously hurt?"
"What part of 'oww' don't you get, girl?" He told her. "Yeah, it hurts!"
She blew out a sigh, putting the cloth on the edge of the tub as she flicked the water from her arm. She leaned up slightly as she reached into her pocket to pull out her small container.
"I was going to wait until you laid down, but I'll give it to you now I guess." She told him, opening her pill bottle.
"What's that?" Riley asked her, his eyes on the orange tube.
"Vicodin. From when I got my wisdom teeth taken out in April."
"You still have some?"
"I had to get a refill when they almost got infected. And I saved some in case I had a gym injury or something." She shrugged. "This shit works."
"Hell yeah, I know they work." He said, still eyeing the bottle. "How many you got left?"
"Why does that matter?" She rolled her eyes, knowing he'd ask. Which is why she made sure that her hand was fully covering the remaining contents of the bottle.
"I'll take two." He told her. "Maybe three just in case."
"You good." Cindy deadpanned, using her finger to slide out one pill. "This'll do just fine."
"That's cold, I'm dying." He said dramatically.
"You definitely aren't." Cindy shook her head, handing him the pill. "You need water?"
"Nah." He said before popping the pill in his mouth, tilting his head back all the way to swallow it dry.
"Alright." Cindy said before sliding the bottle back into her pocket. "I know that it's gonna be uncomfortable Reez, but we've gotta do this. I'll help you with your face, but start cleaning off your arms and chest. Let's go." She told him, lifting the washcloth she was using again.
He grumbled under his breath, but nodded anyway as he fished around for his own washcloth. Cindy placed her hand on his head again before she pressed her cloth to his cheek to wash the blood off. She could tell he was clenching his jaw in pain while he focused on his arm, starting to rub at the dark bruises. It was silent for the most part for awhile, other than the noise of the splashing water that was gradually beginning to stain pink. Cindy just couldn't believe that it had happened as she continued to clean his face. Thankfully, it seemed like the medicine was starting to work a bit. He wasn't grimacing in pain that much anymore. And better yet, most of the blood on his face had washed off. The only marks left in place were a few light scratches and bruises along with one swollen eye, which would probably taper down by morning.
"They didn't get your face too bad." She told him quietly, gently brushing her cloth against the bottom of his scraped jaw and lightly down his neck. "You still a pretty boy." She smirked, setting down her washcloth.
"You still got pretty eyes." Riley replied with a casual glance in her direction. She rolled said eyes with a grin, looking away from him briefly. When she turned back, he had a slight look on his face as he was leaning forward. He shook his head, leaning back again.
"Shit, I can't clean my leg. It still hurts too much."
"It's fine. I'll help you clean it when you're out and dressed."
"In what?" He gave her a look. "My clothes ain't done."
"I have stuff for you." She said, giving him a look back as she picked up the pair of boxers and basketball shorts she brought in. "Now listen—"
"NO." Riley's voice was firm as he glared at the items in her hand.
"You are doing the opposite of listening."
"I don't care! I'm not about to wear your man's shit! That's gay!"
"And if you'd shut your damn mouth for a second, I'm tryna tell your ass that these are yours!"
"Prove it!"
"Nigga, how the hell I'mma prove it?" Cindy asked him in annoyance. "Why would I lie about that? These are the boxers I wore home months ago and you've been left these shorts here, fool! I used to sleep in 'em!"
"PROMISE." He demanded loudly.
"Boy, YES!" She rolled her eyes hard. He was so dumb with it. "Can we move on?"
He eyed her seriously for several moments before he let out a mild grunt. "Fine."
"Great." Cindy rolled her eyes again. "Now take your towel and get out. Once you're dry, I'll help bandage your leg." She told him, starting to stand from her spot by the tub. She was confused when Riley stared up blankly at her. "What?"
"I can't get outta here by myself."
Oh. Cindy made a face, scratching at the back of her head. She hadn't considered this part. "Okayy, umm…." She stalled, trying to think. Her eyes flickered to the right end of the tub briefly. Thankfully, all of the suds in the water still covered his privacy, so she didn't have to worry about that just yet, but still.
There was going to be no easy way to do this. And now she definitely wished she had let him have the shower.
"Okay," She repeated, taking a step closer. "I'm going to try to pull you up by your shoulders. But you've got to work with me and not drag me in."
"Cuz that's clearly my plan." Riley rolled his eyes at her. Cindy rolled her eyes back as she tried to get into a good position she thought would be manageable.
It wasn't. And it seemed to take a lot longer than necessary to get his ass up. By the time he finally was, Cindy's entire right leg was soaked as she had to stand halfway straddled in the water to get him to his feet. She glared slightly at his face with a blush as she reached to grab the towel on the ledge, holding it out for him widely as she kept her eyes on his.
"That wasn't my fault." He told her, snatching the towel to secure it around his waist. His face surprisingly looked slightly reddened too, but she couldn't tell if it was from the scrubbing or not.
"It was, but whatever." She rolled her eyes, draining the water as she stepped her leg out of the tub. She held his arms as he stepped out behind her onto the mat, both of them dripping everywhere. "Stay here for a minute and dry off. I'll be right back." She told him, walking out and shutting the door behind her. She went to her bedroom first, grabbing a pair of shorts before she put her pills back in their hiding spot. Then she headed to the spare bathroom to quickly rinse her leg off in the shower. Once she felt clean again, she slid on her pair of shorts and headed back to her room, rolling her desk chair out along with her to go back to the master bathroom. She was almost surprised to find Riley dry and dressed in his shorts while he sat along the edge of the tub.
"Feel better?" She asked him, rolling the chair near her sink counter.
"A little." He admitted, watching her. "What's the chair for?"
"Your ass." Cindy snorted, opening her cabinets for her first aid kit. "We gotta put medicine on that shit. Come on."
He walked over mutely as he sat down, spinning in the chair to look at her. Once Cindy had what she needed, she sat the items on the counter, lifting the antibiotic ointment first. "I'll put medicine on everything for you, but I think only your leg and your side need bandaged." She told him, already stepping forward. He seemed surprised when she put her hand on the back of his neck gently to hold him in place while she rubbed medicine on the scars on his face.
"What about my eye?" He murmured, watching her.
"You want an eye patch?" She smirked.
"No." He gave her a look. "I mean, does it need one or somethin'? Still look bad?"
"It's just swollen, Reez. That'll come down." She told him, rubbing at his cheek. "And I know you must be feeling better. This practically felt like a 10 out of 10 on the pain scale a half hour ago."
"Yeah-yeah." He rolled his eyes, letting out a smirk of his own. Cindy continued along quickly, dabbing amounts of medicine on all of his cuts and bruises. She slowed her pace a bit when she came to the side of his abdomen, glancing up at him in concern as he let out a slight groan.
"I'm going to put an adhesive gauze pad on this one so it'll hold better." She told him, sorting through the items on the counter to find the size she needed. She eyed him as she removed the sticky part carefully. "It may sting a little bit, but I've got to press down on it to keep it in place. Okay?"
"Just do it." He told her, gripping the counter with one hand while he looked away. Cindy could tell he was holding in his breath when she pressed the bandage on, and she rubbed his good side while she looked up at him.
"Baby, breathe. I'm done." She told him, causing him to release a shuddering breath. Then he turned to her with a raised eyebrow.
"Baby?" He repeated with interest, and Cindy felt her face flush.
Fuck. Did she really say that out loud?
"Oh hush." Cindy rolled her eyes, reaching for the ointment again. "Maybe if you weren't acting like one."
"You know I think that's the first time you've ever referred to me as 'baby' now that I think about it." Of course he continued on, a big smirk now on his face. "And here I thought we were done with the pet names."
"And here I thought niggas were done getting themselves into trouble for no reason." She shot back, not looking at him anymore as she tended to more of his injuries.
"Yeah, go 'head and change the subject, boo."
"Seriously though, Reez." Cindy ignored him, staring at the big gash that seemed to go all the way from his knee to down and around his left shin. No wonder he wasn't putting any pressure on it. "Who the fuck have you been dealing with?"
He finally got serious as he stared down at his leg as well. "No one."
"Riley..."
"Cindy, I mean it, no one. I haven't been into any shit for a while." He told her adamantly, and she believed him. "I have no idea what the fuck this is about."
"Do you think it was just a random group of thugs?" She asked him, trying to keep him talking while she very gingerly started to put medicine on his leg.
He bit back a groan as he continued. "Nah." He shook his head, letting out a breath. "The one dude said my name. Said they were waiting on me."
"The fuck?" Cindy shook her head, so confused.
"They stole my rims too." He continued. "The ones you got me."
"Damn." Cindy shook her head. That sucked.
"I'm sorry." He apologized, making her glance up to him with a furrowed brow.
"You didn't do anything."
"Exactly. I should've beat their asses." He growled.
"They jumped you, Riley. There was nothing you could've done. It was a group against one." She told him patiently. "Which is why I'm sayin'… there's gotta be something." She shook her head. He had definitely pissed somebody off.
"I'm rackin' my brain, but I honestly don't know."
"You have to be careful." Cindy looked up at him seriously, pausing her movements. "This can't happen to you again."
"You worried about me?" Riley let out a slight half-grin that Cindy matched with a glare.
"Reez."
"You don't have to do this you know." He said suddenly, staring down at her with an unreadable look. "It's not your job to clean up my mess, I know that."
"And so do I." Cindy let out a short chuckle. "Trust. It's not about that and I don't do it because of that. I do it because you're my best friend, Reezy." She told him honestly. "You know I'm always here for you."
He kept staring down at her with that look she couldn't quite place as he gently brushed his hand against her arm. "I know that." He told her quietly. "Thank you."
"You don't have to thank me." Cindy shook her head, standing to get the roll of gauze. "Just breathe with me." She changed the subject as she leaned back down again. "Cuz this will probably hurt a bit more than the last one."
She walked with him slowly down the hallway to the first guestroom, still supporting a bit of his weight as he favored his other leg. The wrapping had been intense for him, even with the Vicodin. But thankfully, aside from that he seemed to be doing and looking a lot better. She even found one of his old beaters to wear to bed. She was just hoping he would be able to sleep throughout the night.
"Okay Reezy. Climb in." She told him, once they made it beside the double bed. Cindy pulled back the covers for him while she kept a hand on his back, lightly guiding him onto the mattress. He stifled a groan a bit as his bad leg came down, leaning awkwardly on his side before rolling flat on his back.
"You okay?" She asked him, leaning over him to fluff the pillows behind his head.
"Yeah… I'm okay." He nodded, letting out another deep breath as he closed his eyes. Seeing him do that reminded Cindy, and she turned to walk into the adjacent bathroom.
"I'll be right back." She told him, and she could've sworn she heard him emit a light whine. When she came back into the room, she had a thick ice-cold cloth with her. She lightly eased onto the opposite side of the bed and sat up next to Riley's laying body, already close to falling asleep.
Lightly, she rubbed his head before gently easing the compress onto his left eye. His right eye opened, turning to look up at her and Cindy gave him a small smile, brushing over his forehead again. Riley let out a sigh as he reached for the arm that was near his cheek, turning his head slightly to the side to apply a light kiss to her wrist. Cindy's hand froze right away as she looked down at his closed eyes.
"Thank you." He murmured, still grazing his hand along Cindy's arm.
She didn't know what to think as she remained still, biting her lip and continuing to hold the compress in place for him. Maybe for just a bit longer…?
Shit. She thought to herself after a few minutes, as Riley began to shift himself to try to slide his head into her lap.
"Rub my head some more." He mumbled sleepily, already leaning against her as he nuzzled in.
"I can't stay for much longer, Reez." She told him gently.
"Just stay here." He managed, stifling through a yawn.
Cindy shook her head, forgetting his eyes weren't open. "I can't, honey." Dammit. "I've gotta go to bed."
"You already in one."
"My own." Cindy chuckled. Her heart fluttered a bit at hearing him definitely let out a light whine this time as his face pouted. "I'll check on you in the morning. But you've got to get some rest so you feel better when you wake up." She told him while she carefully began shifting her body to maneuver herself off the bed, keeping Riley in place as she did so. After she was back on the ground, she brought up the covers on one side before coming around to do it on his side as well. She gently removed the compress from his eye, noticing the way he started to blink his eyes open at that while she set it aside on the end table. Then she turned back and looked at him with a small smile.
"I'm just down the hall if you need me." She told him quietly. "Your phone is right here. Send me a text if you need me to come to you, my ringer on. Okay?"
Riley nodded as he watched her, but didn't say anything. Cindy gave him a questioning look. "Do you need anything else you can think of before I head to bed?"
He responded with another nod, pulling his arm out from the covers while he lifted it towards her in the air. Cindy chuckled and took a step closer, gently accepting his half-embrace as she rested her cheek against his.
"Thank you." He told her again in a low voice, making her smile against him.
"Anytime." She replied, rubbing his back lightly. She warmed at the feeling of his lips pressing softly against her cheek. Twice.
Cindy cleared her throat, forcing the grin on her face as she pulled all the way back, now arm's length while she looked at him. "Goodnight, Reez." She told him quietly, gently palming his cheek before removing her hand and turning out his bedside light. When she turned to glance back at him while she headed out, the light from the hallway had her catch the way his eyes followed her.
"Night, Cindy." She heard him say back. Once she pulled the bedroom door shut, she let out a breath, leaning against it lightly. Her heart was doing that flutter thing again that she didn't necessarily like, so she pushed it down instead.
He was exhausted. Looped up on drugs. Hurting. Feeling low as a whole, she was sure. That was it.
She was sure of it.
Riley's POV
She tasted like heaven to him. He felt like he could never have enough of her.
She was fucking perfect.
And she was his.
All his.
"Riley," She whispered his name softly, gazing down at him with those damn eyes. Fuck, she was gorgeous. "Come here." She coaxed, gently prodding at him from over top of him.
She felt so right.
"Come here." She said again, breathily this time as she tilted her head up, her wild hair tumbling down her bare back.
She was everything he wanted.
"Come," She breathed lighter.
She was everything he needed.
"Come," She gasped louder.
He reached for her almost frantically, touching every part of her he was able. All he wanted was her. She was the only fucking thing he'd ever wanted.
Her gasp went up another full octave as she all but screamed, and Riley felt himself lose it as he held her tightly against him.
Because she wanted him too.
Riley awoke at a quick pace by the uncomfortable sensation of things happening below his waist. By the time he actually realized what was going on, he let out a few quiet curses, reaching urgently for the box of tissues at the bedside table.
He felt himself sweating and panting as he sat up more in bed, struggling a bit to do that. What the fuck was that? Well, he knew what it was. But where the fuck did it come from? He hadn't had a dream like that in a long time. He borderline felt embarrassed. If he was going to do that shit, why couldn't it be in the comfort of his own home?
As for the dream, it had definitely been erotic, but he couldn't remember much about it. Other than he was… very turned on by the things that were going on and the woman in the dream… obviously.
Fuck… those pills are no joke. He thought to himself, still feeling slightly shameful as he slowly maneuvered his body around to the side of the bed. But at least he wasn't hurting nearly as bad as he was yesterday.
He eased off the bed slowly, still trying to take it easy with his sore leg. Once he was solid on his feet, he pulled the tissues held in his hand out from inside his shorts, disposing them into the garbage can beneath the end table. He glanced back at the bed after he did so, making a face as he glanced over the sheets. It looked like he managed to catch himself in time, but….
With a sigh, he began stripping the bed anyway since he wasn't completely sure. It was the least he could do.
Riley headed to Cindy's washer with the sheets in one arm. He tossed them on the lid of the dryer while he pulled down the detergent from the top shelf. He lifted the top of the washer, about to eye-ball the measurement into the basin, but was able to stop himself in time once he noticed there were still clothes inside. His clothes.
He reached inside to pull out his few items, pretty surprised that the blood stains had all come out. They would just have to be dried. Once he set them aside, he poured a good helping of detergent into the washer before tossing in the sheets. After he started the load, he tossed his own clothes into the dryer. Then he checked his watch. It wasn't even eight in the morning yet. But at least judging from the window, it was bright enough to drive.
Riley didn't work until later, but he didn't care. The first damn thing he was going to do was take his car down to the shop. He had to get his windshield taken care of, which was going to definitely hurt his pockets, but he didn't have a choice. He also had to do some investigating and find out why the fuck he had a target on his back out of nowhere.
He felt wide-awake right now. Ready to go. Already five times better than he did yesterday.
He knew he had one person to thank for that as he headed down the hallway to her room.
Riley stepped into her bedroom quietly, his eyes already on her sleeping form on the bed. She had left her door open widely, which was something she never did. It was always shut at night. She probably had done that to hear him call her during the night if he needed her, which made him grin.
She was everything he needed.
The grin fell from Riley's face instantly at the familiar thought that ran through his head. Did he dream that last night? Shit, he was tripping.
He shook off his weird thoughts while he crossed the room towards her, not able to hold back the grin that reappeared at the way she stretched in her sleep. She started to roll to face him, the covers sliding as they were now barely covering her body. She had changed into a light camisole top that rode up her stomach slightly while she moved. Her toned leg was halfway hanging off the edge of the bed. Her hair, as usual, was everywhere.
Her wild hair tumbling down her bare back.
"The fuck?" Riley actually uttered a whisper aloud to disrupt his thoughts. But seriously, what the fuck?
He tried to turn off his brain, gently sliding his hands underneath the side of her body to move her back some from the edge of the bed. She shifted against him, lifting her head up as her eyes began to blink open.
"Riley?" She said his name breathily, and he immediately removed his hands from her body, feeling… weird.
Because that voice.
"Hey." He tried to seem casual, leaning his hands down to rest onto the mattress while he drummed his fingers restlessly. "How'd you sleep?"
"How did I sleep?" She grinned, rubbing at her eye. "How did you sleep? And how are you feeling?"
"A lot better." He only addressed the second question, wanting to keep his mind off anything related to sleep and dreams. "I'm gonna head out soon."
"Right now?" She asked him, propping herself up on her elbow. "Let me get dressed and come with you so I can drive you."
"Nah, I'm good. I'm just going back down to the shop so I can get my windshield fixed early."
"Reez, you're not able to see driving though."
"I'll be fine, bay." The words rolled of his tongue and he wanted to stab himself. "It's light out now and it's only ten or so minutes away without traffic." He continued talking, glancing away from her while he looked out her window. "You just stay here and get some rest." He said, turning back towards her.
Thankfully, she wasn't giving him a weird look or anything. Just concerned. "I want you to get some more rest today too. I don't want you to be at the shop all day."
"I won't, C." He told her, trying to be very deliberate with his words now. "I'll be aiight."
She gave him a light grin as she reached out her arm to him. "C'mere." She told him softly, and Riley felt his mouth go dry as he blinked at her.
Come here. Come here. Come-
Riley swallowed the weird itch in his throat as he leaned in to hug her. She sat herself up more, wrapping both arms around him in a snug embrace.
"Please be careful." She told him quietly. "Don't scare me like that again."
"I won't." He replied as he rubbed her back, closing his eyes while he hesitantly allowed his thoughts to wander. She didn't have to do any of the stuff she did for him last night. And yet she did, going above and beyond for him. Willingly. He'd never had anyone do something like that for him before, and honestly had never felt that level of care before. Where someone was actually caring for him.
She was such a real one.
Riley pulled back slightly, hand at her waist now as he touched his forehead lightly against hers while he made direct eye contact with her. She gazed up at him softly, staring back at him with those eyes.
Those damn eyes.
"Thank you." He told her, his voice unintentionally husky.
She smiled up at him, having the nerve to shrug her shoulder. "You're welcome." She replied simply. As if it were nothing. Riley shook his head against hers lightly, pulling up to plant a gentle kiss on her forehead while he brought his hand up to rest at the back of her neck. When he pulled back slightly, still in close proximity, he wanted to stir at the way she blushed. Staring up at him like that, slightly biting at her lip while she did so.
Those soft, full lips.
"Really… thank you." Riley spoke again, his tone still gravelly as he fought to keep his eyes on hers. "I don't tell you often enough… but you know I love you, girl." He told her, brushing his thumb against her cheek while he stared at her expression. She blushed even more if possible, averting her eyes for a moment as she looked downwards with a tiny smile. And shit, he could admit… she was fucking pretty. And not just her eyes.
She was fucking perfect.
"I love you too, Reez." She told him quietly, glancing up towards him again. The thought was in his mind as his eyes dared to venture a few inches lower. He wanted to. Obviously. So damn bad. But they couldn't. There were boundaries now. She had a man. That would probably murder his ass if he ever found out he was here like this. Shit.
And he also had a girlfriend.
"I'll see you soon." He told her, snapping out of it as he stroked her cheek again before pulling his hand away. She seemed to watch him carefully while he pulled back, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear.
"You got everything?"
"Yeah. I put my clothes in the dryer though, we forgot to run that last night. Your sheets are in the wash now." He said, looking away from her while he checked for his phone in his pocket.
"Thanks for doing that." She grinned. "I'm off today, so just text me if you need me, okay?"
"I will."
"Promise." She smirked, putting emphasis on the word as Riley chuckled. He rolled his eyes with a warm smile on his face when he turned back towards her.
"Girl, yes."
Landon's POV
He had been so happy to see her once he got back from his trip. She was all he'd been thinking about during his time away. The only place he wanted to be lately was right near her side.
He barely was able to keep his hands off her once he saw her. Admittedly, he had startled her a bit as he got in right as she was getting out of the shower. She hadn't expected him back so early. It was a happy surprise though. He had his way with her right there, pulling her back into the shower to make love to her while he rinsed himself and his mind free of his trip.
She seemed tired though today. Slightly out of it. He had asked her about it multiple times and she insisted it was nothing. And he wanted to believe that. But he also wanted her to be okay. For them to be okay, completely.
Still, he trusted.
And later, unfortunately, he realized… his trust had been broken.
"Cynthia…?" Landon called out calmly from the hallway. He stared in front of him at the clear evidence, wanting to believe that it wasn't true. Needed to know that it wasn't.
He needed the fucking truth.
"Yeah, babe?" Her voice answered as she came around the corner. As soon as she did, Landon locked eyes with her, and she halted in her tracks. Her eyes widened a bit from his stance in front of the washing machines.
"I wanted to wash my clothes from my trip." He spoke to her quietly, still managing to keep his cool for now. "There were bedsheets in the washer that I was going to move to the dryer, but…." He gestured to the items he laid on top of the lid. "I found these clothes waiting inside. Men's clothes. Men's clothes that are not mine." He said, feeling the anger rise as he stared her down.
Cindy took a slow pace forward, slightly wringing her hands together as she approached. "I can explain."
"I think you'd better." Landon advised, turning to face her fully.
"It isn't nearly as bad as it looks, honey." She told him meekly. "They're just Riley's old clothes."
"Just Riley's." He felt himself practically smile down at her in disbelief. "Why am I not surprised?"
"He was beat up last night." She told him, as if it were breaking news. As if he'd actually care.
"So?" He shrugged.
She looked at him wildly. "So? He's my friend!"
"And you're not his girlfriend." Landon glared. "He has one of those, why didn't he go to her?"
"She's out of town."
"I don't give a fuck where she is." He hissed. "He is not your responsibility."
Cindy gave him a look as she stared up at him. "Landon, I'm aware of that—"
"I'm still talking." He cut her off, taking a step forward in her direction. "What the hell do you take me for, an idiot?"
"What? No, of course not—"
"Everything comes down to Riley." Landon continued, feeling his blood continue to boil. "All the time Cynthia, and I'm sick of it. It's Riley this, Riley that, Riley this, Riley that." He mocked as he moved closer, feeling the agitation worsen. He glared down at Cindy, looking smaller than usual as he towered in front of her.
"What, are you fucking the nigga?" He demanded, dead-serious.
"What?" She gasped in shock. "Landon, of course not! You know that I'm with you and only you! Riley's just my best friend!"
"Yeah, your best friend that wants to be more than friends." He told her, feeling it to his core. The rage bubbled inside him, just thinking about it.
He couldn't have her.
"I don't like it and I said that I'm done with it, Cynthia." Landon warned lowly, looming over her while she looked up to him incredulously.
Somehow, she had the audacity to glare up at him. Like he was the wrong one.
"Landon," Cindy's voice was quiet but firm as she stared up at him, unwaveringly. "Riley and I have been friends for years. Since we were kids. A lifetime basically."
His jaw clenched at that.
"I'm not going to do this with you." She shook her head at him. "You're acting ridiculous over this."
He felt his hands tighten into two balled fists.
"Whenever you're ready to actually be reasonable, we can talk." She told him, crossing her arms. "But until then, I'm done with this and this conversation is over. So goodnight." She said, beginning to actually turn her back on him….
"Oh really?" Landon felt unnerved as he felt the edges around his vision begin to darken. The air felt coarser. His breathing was becoming slightly ragged. The urge to lose control was there. He wanted to fight it, he really did this time, but…
She really thought they were done having this discussion? And that she would be able to essentially dismiss him?
His eyes narrowed at her turned back and his feet followed right behind her, practically moving on their own.
"Cynthia, it's not even close to being done."
Jazmine's POV
She stared at her most recent text with a frown, which was odd considering the occasion. It was finally Turkey Day! She was spending it with her love at his family's house. Her parents was invited. Her crew had plans to go out that evening to participate in early Black Friday deals, much to Huey's displeasure.
However, she just found out that one of her crew members, her main one to be exact, would be absent.
"Cindy's not coming." She said aloud, re-reading over the text at the counter. Huey cast a glance at her while he plated his homemade tofu turkey.
"Plans with Landon?" He asked casually.
"No, they were both supposed to come together anyways." She shook her head. "She says she's sick."
"Why didn't she text you earlier then?"
"She may have been sleeping, Huey." Jazmine sighed, frowning some more. She was upset and had obviously been looking forward to seeing her. The last time they talked on the phone was early Tuesday morning. But the plan had been for weeks that she'd be joining everyone for dinner. When Cindy hadn't replied to her "Happy Thanksgiving" text in the morning or even a bit later when she asked her what time she'd get there, Jazmine had thought maybe she was doing something private with Landon during the day and would get there late the way Caesar and Hiro were planning to. Now finding out that she wasn't coming at all, just as they were about to sit down for dinner, was disappointing.
"I'm sure she'll be fine." Huey told her dryly, leading them out of the kitchen and back into the dining room now that they were ready.
"Finally boy, damn." Granddad grumbled at Huey right away. "Makin' us wait for your slow behind to get your rabbit food while lettin' our real food get cold! What's wrong witchu?"
"That's real messed up." Riley smirked, but clearly had snuck a bite of something into his mouth by the way he was discreetly chewing. Jazmine was glad at least that he was in good spirits. Her and Huey both had been shocked to find out he'd gotten into a fight after work that night. Huey had acted like he'd wanted to burn the city down to find out who did it, which was alarmingly adorable, but Riley didn't seem super pressed about it yet. He seemed to be focused on re-gaining his strength first.
"Alright, are we ready?" Granddad asked once Huey and Jazmine re-joined their seats. Jazmine was about to speak up, but Riley beat her to it.
"Is Cindy still comin'?" He asked, turning from Granddad to Jazmine.
She shook her head slowly. "She just texted me that she's going to have to miss. She's sick."
"Word?" Riley raised an eyebrow.
"Oh she gotta stay home then, mm-mmm." Granddad shook his head right away as he stood to start carving the turkey. "She can't be coughin' on the food now."
"She just texted you that?" Riley ignored him, still focusing on Jazmine.
"Yeah, it was the first time I heard from her today. How bout you?"
"I ain't heard from her really since Tuesday." He said, redirecting his attention to the bowl in front of him that he lifted and scooped from. "I was gonna stop by on Wednesday, but she said that it wasn't a good day and she wasn't feeling well."
"Maybe that was the start of it." Jazmine lifted a shoulder, but still felt bummed.
"It's not like we're not going to see her this week." Huey said, not bothering to hide his eyeroll.
"We always see each other on the holidays though." Jazmine pouted.
"There's a first time for everything."
Jazmine continued to pout as she stared at the seemingly infinite spread of food on the table. Then the lightbulb went off. "It doesn't have to be."
Huey shot her a look at that. "…Meaning?"
Jazmine simply matched his slight glare with a smile of her own.
Three Hours Later
Jazmine snapped her head up at the feeling of it drooping again. The Itis was hitting her hard after that meal. She re-situated the totebag of filled Tupperware containers on her lap better, just in case she did start to drop off again. Then she turned to her love, driving down the road in silence with that cute little scowl on his lips.
"I love you, sweetie." She cooed at him.
"I don't appreciate being a delivery boy." He grumbled back.
"You could've let Riley come with me instead."
"Like I trust him driving you." He rolled his eyes. Initially, Jazmine had suggested that all three of them ride up to surprise Cindy with food. But Granddad had nixed that almost immediately.
"Oh I don't think so! Y'all ungrateful asses aren't about to galivant off to leave me to do the dishes alone. After this big meal? I think not. Somebody's stayin' and I know that!"
Riley hadn't been in the mood to fight with him, so he told them to go.
While Jazmine was still sad that Cindy wouldn't be able to join them for dessert or activities later, she was at least happy she would get to see her. And hopefully cheer her up. So at least she had that to look forward to.
She was just mildly confused when after knocking for a while, once the door finally opened, it was Landon they were greeted by instead.
"Hey Jazmine, hey Huey." He said casually with a light grin. "What are you two doing here?"
"Oh, hey Landon." Jazmine forced a smile onto her face, slightly caught off guard. "And happy Thanksgiving! We come baring gifts." She told him, lifting the bag of food. "Cindy told us she was sick and that you guys couldn't make it today."
"Oh yeah." Landon mumbled with a sad nod. "Yeah, she's not feeling to well. But we both definitely appreciate this, so thank you. I'll be sure to let her know you guys stopped by." He said, reaching his hand out for the bag.
"Uh, sure." Jazmine found herself hesitating as she handed him the bag slowly. "Do you mind if we come in for a minute? Just so we can see her and I can wish her a happy—"
"That's not the best idea, Jazz." Landon interrupted her gently with the shake of his head. "I'm sorry. She's just not doing well at all, I'm afraid."
"What's wrong with her?" Huey asked him, crossing his arms. "With this sickness?"
"You got me." Landon gave a shrug. "We're thinking it's food poisoning. She started not feeling well late Tuesday evening and it got worse throughout the day on Wednesday. She's been vomiting with chills, headaches, and an up-and-down fever."
"Fevers don't usually come with food poisoning." Huey arched an eyebrow. "And also don't normally last longer than a day or two."
Landon did a light chuckle through his nose. "I'm not a doctor, Huey."
"Are you going to take her to one?"
"Of course, if this isn't gone by tomorrow morning. We've been managing, thanks." He gave him a grin that didn't meet his eyes.
"And you're sure we can't see her for just a second? Just to check on her?" Jazmine asked, now slightly worried about her friend.
But Landon shook his head again. "She's not up for company, I'm sorry. She said she feels awful and doesn't want to see anyone like this."
"She said that?" Jazmine asked in confusion. She'd seen Cindy probably in every imagined state possible. Seeing her sick or vomiting was nothing new.
"Earlier she did. She's resting now. She actually just fell asleep before you guys came."
Jazmine held in her sigh, back to feeling bummed. They had tried. But at least she'd have food for later.
"Okay." Jazmine conceded with a small shrug. "Will you have her text me later tonight or tomorrow? I just wanna make sure she's okay."
"Will do, Jazmine. And thanks again for this." Landon smiled, gesturing down to the bag.
"Of course." She managed a light grin back. "I hope you enjoy the rest of your holiday. We'll be on our way." Jazmine said, slipping her hand into Huey's. They were just about to turn when Landon cleared his throat.
"While we're on it, can you guys let me know the next time you're planning on visiting? Just so we can prep ahead of time for company."
What?
Huey surprisingly was the first to open his mouth. "Why would we let you know?" He asked him, raising a brow.
Landon simply blinked back at him. "So something like this doesn't happen again, Huey."
"Maybe I'm not making myself clear." Huey continued, a bit of a tone that Jazmine recognized starting to cut through his words. "Why would we text you? When it's Cindy's house and you don't live here?"
Jazmine squeezed Huey's hand as she stared at him. He wasn't even paying attention to her, he was so focused on Landon. God, couldn't they just have a nice holiday without—
"She didn't tell you?" Landon spoke again, catching Jazmine's attention as he looked between both of them. "Either of you?"
"Told us what?" Again, Huey was the one who spoke.
Landon grinned. "I'm moving in."
Hit 'em with another cliffhangerrrrr XD don't hate me :3
Whatcha say, whatcha say now after that one? All of you were going off in the reviews about Landon, and another familiar sounding name that I can't quite put my finger on… ah well, must not be that important. Anyways, what'd you think? Is it getting wild? Too wild? Not wild enough? Cuz we can definitely turn up the heat...
Disclaimers: There be none.
Okay, I've definitely gotta update From Uncle Reezy, To Daddy Reezy next, but I will be back in the game soon with this one. I know y'all better be proud of me for this double update and the speed with which it happened. 10 days? What? You probably thought you were seeing things ;)
Let me know what you think! Also thank you SO much for the recent reviews! I'm so happy you guys are hella invested in this story. It makes it that much funner to write :)
More soon!
~Schweetie