Chapter 15

It's a weird but nice feeling to be sitting in the park, with my husband.

My husband. I smile at that.

"What's that smile for?" My smile slips off my face at Keith's question.

" Oh nothing." I quickly say, looking away.

I feel him lean close, where his breath fans my neck, giving me goosebumps.

" Akiandra." He says, close to my ear.

"Mhm." I refrain from looking at him, heart beating hard against my chest.

" I don't like you not telling me anything. Now tell me."

" It's nothing really, it's totally silly." I turn my head to look at him , only to be frozen in place when I see how close our faces are to each other.

There's like a small amount of space between us, dangerously so. " Kea...." He murmurs leaning in.

I can't move away, why can't I move away? I mean it's bad enough that he won't be mine for much longer, not that he was, he belongs to....What's her name anyway?

" I have something for you." I say out loud, jumping up to my feet. A small smile releases from me, knowing I moved away in time.

" What?" He blinks twice, taken back by surprise.

"Oh um yes. Your aunt gave me something to pass on to you." I say, sitting back down, right at the end of the bench , where the safe zone is.

I hear him sigh, shoulders sagging as his eyes droop low. Maybe this was not a good time to tell him? No, if I don't tell him now, I'll never be able to do. Keith is a very hard man to get, and I don't mean that in these circumstances but in general.

" Keith, your aunt Jill didn't mean to offend you or cross - "

" I don't want to talk about it." He mumbles, still not looking at me.

" I'm sorry to say this but you'll never want to talk about it, you can't be alone. You need someone there - "

" I'm fine." He jumps up on his feet, looking down at me." Now let this go." He walks off.

" I can't let it go. You need your family, you can't keep pushing them away, your mom - "

" Don't go there." He warns, still walking, not even looking at me..

I know I should stop now, but Keith can't keep bottling things up, he can't keep pushing away the same people who keep reaching out. They need closure as a family.

"Your mom wouldn't want this for you. She wants you - "

"What the fuck would you know about what she would have wanted?!" He shouts, spinning around to face me.

I jump at him shouting at me. He frightens me when he's angry." Keith she - "

"No, just stop talking cause you don't know shit, you know nothing. I mean how could you when you have no family. You have no one, so don't you dare stand here and preach to me about family!.....Now get out of my face, go!" He ends off, his chest moving up and down rapidly, while my heart has just sunk to my feet, my eyes watering in the process.

"Okay Keith. I will leave you alone." I murmur before turning around and walking away, my chest tight with the outmost hurt.

I'm hurt, it hurts to hear such words come out from the person you love. Being directed to you even.  I know it's probably my fault that I pushed him so far, pushing and pushing till he snapped. But I was trying to help, trying to get him to see my view and maybe have something to think about.

But he didn't have to go so far, he didn't have to throw the fact that I have no family in my face. That hurt my heart. Doesn't he know that I'm still sensitive over my mom being gone. No he doesn't. I don't think he ever will, because what he so wanted, was what he will get. I will leave him alone.

                            *******

"He hurt you, didn't he?" That's the first thing that I hear from London, the minute I show up at our complex.

"Just a simple misunderstanding." I mumble, attempting to walk past him. I don't want to be rude but I'm just not feeling up to talking.

My attempts fail when he blocks my way." Kea.." He steps forward, cupping my face, his eyes taking in my face." This is not right." He mumbles, his eyes moving over my whole face.

" I'm fine." He opens his mouth to protest but I cut him off.

" I'll be fine, I promise. I just need...ah!" I gasp when I'm picked up and held bridal style.

"W- what are you doing? - I'm married, you should put me down." I say, wiggling to get free but he tightens his hold.

" Shh..forget that, forget everything and just rest." London says, without looking at me.

" But - "

"Rest Akiandra." He demands, pausing for a minute while quirking his brow in a challenging manner.

I immediately shut up and lay my head against his chest, exhaustion already taking over. What's wrong with me, feeling tired so early?

My eyes begin to droop low as he enters through a door." Where are we?" I murmur, eyes closed.

"My apartment." I tense up at that. " I'll let you rest in Theresa's room." I relax upon that knowledge.

No matter what, I'm still a married woman.

Not long, I'm placed onto something soft and I realize that I'm on the bed. The bed dips beside me before I feel fingers going through my hair." This can't keep going on, you deserve better." I hear him say, his fingers working me to sleep.

" I love him." I murmur in response before falling into a deep slumber.

I'm a dreamer, I've always been hopeful of something better happening in my life. Like how I dream of the day I'd be happy with Keith, where the world knew of my Prince. I'd always referred to him as my prince because he was and still is the only man my heart has flipped for. The heart wants what it wants.

So as I drown into dreamland, one filled with Keith and I walking along the beach, hand in hand, love evident in each others eyes, you can imagine the deep frown on my face as I'm interrupted by the sound of whispers around me.

The dream evaporates as my ears alert at the sound of the whispers.

" You say he hurt her?" Someone whispers.

"Yeah, whatever he might have said really hurt her, you could see the pain in her eyes, hard not to miss it." That's London I hear.

" Damn it, I wish I was there for her two years ago, I would have advised her to not even marry him." Now I know, it's James.

"Yeah and we don't know each other well but I just have the sense to protect her, to wipe away all that pain she's gone through." London says.

" She's my little sweetheart. And as much as we may hate how he's been treating her, we can't ignore the fact that - "

"She loves him. Her heart belongs to him." London finishes off for James.

"Yeah but he shouldn't play with it or take it for granted, she's worth more then he's giving her."

"That's true. Maybe he needs a fist in his face to be reminded of the value of ones heart." London says, threateningly.

My eyes open and I blink a few times, getting rid of sleep and adjusting to my surroundings, finding the two guys standing not too far from me." Hurt him and I hurt you." I warn, their heads snapping in my direction so fast, I'm surprised they don't get whiplash.

I sit up, facing them." I get that you care about me and want to protect me, but I won't let you hurt him." I say.

"But he can do so to you?" James says, quirking his brow at me.

I look away, avoiding their eyes as I rise up to my feet." I should get going." I tell them, attempting to walk past but I'm blocked, by James, who places his hands on my arms.

"Oh you are not going anywhere..."

" But - "

"You've gone on to cry and be alone in a room somewhere for far too long, not this time." He says.

" Yeah, now you have someone." London adds, stepping aside James.

"You mean people. "My head picks up at the sound of Theresa's voice, as she comes over to me, pushing through the guys and forcing them to step aside.

" Look I know we don't know each other that well, but I already care about you. The guys told me everything." My eyes widen as I look up at the guys, James smiling sheepishly as London shifts uncomfortably on his heels.

Them and their big mouths.

" You can say that again." Gosh I said that out loud." Yes you did. But the fact of the matter is, they can't keep anything from me, it's impossible. I'm quite persuasive."

No doubt if even James, couldn't keep his mouth closed." Look Kea, I don't know how things are for you guys here, but from where I come from, when you care about someone, you go all in, no matter how long you've known the person. So here I am, in fact here we all are as your friends."

" Family." James coughs out, earning a playful glare from Theresa before she looks back at me." You had no one back then but you have us now. We are your family."

My lips quiver at her words, my eyes take them all in as the first tear slips down my cheek. I launch myself at her, totally surprising her. Not long , I feel other arms wrap around us and I don't need to guess who's they belong to.

" Thank you." I murmur, my heart jumping in gratitude. All events from earlier disappearing like I hadn't just gone through pain.