All the King's Men ( An Urban Love Story )

♟Pride♟

"Jae"

Desmond said lowly from the passenger seat as Jaden drove them back to his condo in silence. She hummed a response, not taking her eyes off the road.

"Baby talk to me. What's up?"

"Nothin," she replied, shortly.

"Why don't you want me to do things for you?"

Jaden stayed quiet. Tears slowly blurred her vision, and she blinked them away so she could see the road ahead of her. "Desmond, I think we should take a break." She mumbled, but he heard her.

Desmond's face turned sour, "Ion think I heard you right," He leaned closer, "you think we should what?" He asked her to repeat herself as his jaw clenched tightly.

"I just think things are movin too fast. We need to slow things down a little so we can make sure this don't go badly." She confessed.

"What's too fast, Jaden?"

"This Desmond!" She shouted, "Us. We playing house at each other's apartments, you been fuckin me all types of crazy, mind you, we haven't used no protection since the first time. Who the hell just offers someone an apartment without ..." her voice trailed off as tears fell.

She pulled the car over to the side of the freeway and tried to pull herself together, wiping her tears.

"Baby, imma be real. Ion know how all this goes, I never been in a relationship before so I just been goin wit the flow of what feels right to me, and I apologize if that ain't the way to go about it..." Desmond paused feeling like he was rambling, "If you need me to fall back, then I will."

Jaden looked over at him, feeling like an idiot. Here was a man, not asking her for anything, just appreciating her for who she was, but for how long? How long before he started demanding things of her. Before he'd get overly aggressive or just straight abusive. Or until Desmond found a new girl with less damage and kick her to the curb?

Jaden didn't want to take the risk, "Can you take me home?" She asked quietly.

"We not that far from my crib, just gon head and drop me off, and then you can go. Keep the car, as long as you want. I don't want you not havin a way to get around." Desmond told her.

Without another word, Jaden drove him home, blocking his number as she pulled away from his building.

•••

Jaden laid in bed crying hysterically. She was so disappointed in herself for the way she handled things, but even more so, she hated that she opened herself up to end up this hurt in the first place, especially so soon.

One of the issues Jaden faced was that after going through so much in her short life, she didn't believe she deserved love and happiness because she believed she was too damaged and no man would want her or her trauma.

For the next few days, she barely ate or slept, slowly slipping into a bad space. She dragged herself to school, but she was barely focused in class causing her grades to suffer.

Nearly a week had gone by when she arrived home from school to a bouquet of roses outside her door. The note attached said they were from Desmond.

She missed him a lot and she decided to call. She blocked her number before dialing his phone, just in case he wouldn't answer her call.

Don't know why that made sense to her. Girl, if he sent you flowers, he's obviously not mad.

The call rang a few times before someone picked up. "Hello," a woman answered the phone sounding like she had an attitude.

Jaden looked at the phone, making sure she dialed the right number, "Hello, who is this?" She hollered into the phone.

Before the women could say something back, Jaden could hear Desmond in the background. "Bitch who the fuck said you could pick up my phone?"

"Demon, you gon stop using that bitch word when you talkin to me." The woman said.

"Hello," Desmond's voice angrily came into the phone.

"Sorry, wrong number." Jaden lied closing the call.

Demon. Is that what he goes by? Jaden scrunched her face staring at the phone.

She didn't even bother unblocking Desmond. If he already had another bitch around, so she was sure he'd gon on with his life. She had to do the same.

Not even an hour later there was a knock on her front door. She checked the peephole seeing it was Desmond.

She rolled her eyes and opened the door for him, but walked away not even properly greeting him.

He silently walked inside examining her standing there in a gray satin robe with her hair pulled into a bun.

"You block my number?" He asked looking her in the face.

She looked exhausted, and she wouldn't make eye contact with him as she answered, "Yes Demon, I did."

He cringed hearing her call him that. "Don't... don't do that," He warned.

"Why you here?" She asked plopping down on the couch.

"Did you get the flowers?"

"Yup, as a matter of fact, I was just about to throw em out, now you can take em wit you." She stood up went towards her bedroom to grab the bouquet as he followed behind her. "Give 'em to the bitch you got answerin ya phone."

"Don't do that. I understand you want space, but don't be like this. You called me for a reason, and I knew it was you, talkin bout some fuckin wrong number."

"Desmond, why...are...you...here?" She asked dragging it out.

He rubbed his hand down his face, "Jaden, you gon stop playin wit me. You got me poppin up over here. I tried to call but you blocked me."

"I blocked you because I don't have nothin to say to you. Where's yo bitch at?"

"I ain't got no bitches, Jae." He said slowly walking closer, "you gon tell me you don't miss a nigga?"

She stared at him silently. She did but so what?

"Look, you don't gotta say nothin, but a nigga been missing you. I miss you a lot Jaden. You got me over here bein sensitive as fuck." He admitted. "I just want you to answer one question for me..."

"What's that?" Jaden asked with an uneven voice.

"What are you afraid of?"

Everything, she thought to herself but she wouldn't admit that.

"Nothin."

"And you said you were honest." He scoffed turning around and walking out of her room.

She debated for a few seconds then decided to stop him.

"Des," she said hurrying behind him, only to realize he was only taking his shoes off to leave by the door.

He smirked, seeing she wasn't going to let him leave. He took off his hoodie and threw it on her couch before backing her into her bedroom. "I'm not goin nowhere til we talk like adults."

Jaden eyed him in his tank top exposing his strong arms she missed being consumed by. Her eyes snapped to his thick lips as he licked them before speaking again.

"So put that pride aside, and I'll do the same. "

♟•••••♟