Stallion

Chapter Sixteen • Stranger in my Eyes

Lareaha Banks

Not for one second did I think it would ever come to this condition. Where our place to lay our heads at night is no longer our pillows, or the place we wash away our deadly skin is not in our shower.

"Foreclosure." I still couldn't believe my eyes. Our home isn't even a home anymore. I gazed around the darkened living room, the dying plants in the corner of the room, everything was dull. Weaving a finger through my heavy tresses I leaned over the counter and lost myself. I broke into a soft sob as the paper trembled between my fingertips.

I didn't know where Reece and I would go, where our journey would evolve from here. We needed to be far from here, a fresh start. Is this what Ella meant? She wanted the fresh start to be in North Carolina, for her benefit with our dad. "Fuck." I cursed shoving the paper away from me. I held my head up, staring at the kitchen clock. It read three thirty, the day was nowhere near over like I wished it was.

Reluctantly I hadn't heard from Stallion in a whole week, he was upset and so was I. What more was there to say? We had our fall outs and our fall-ins, It's tiring going back and forth between the two. Maybe this was a sign to stop everything all together, it's just not as easy as it should be because there's an emotional attachment. Throughout my hard time he has rocked me back into space, the comfort of his hand in mine, and even on an intimate level. He's been there, he's seen me more vulnerable than anyone has, there is an emotional attachment that is had to disregard.

Nonetheless something lured me towards him even when we weren't talking, he was on my mind, constantly. Turning to the hallway and into the foyer, I placed on my house slippers and unlocked the front door. The chilly wind carried me across the street and to his front door. Ringing the doorbell made me give up for moments until I finally walked away. As the gust whirled, I spun back around as I noticed the door trickle open and beginning to fly back. Glancing around my surroundings of dead leaves blowing and bare trees swinging, I scurry to the door and cautiously step inside.

"Stallion?" I call in blunder, I close the door firmly behind me and lock it. Standing in silence, I lurked for a moment int he foyer and longed my eyes up the staircase. There was nothing but the howling wind and shadows from the sunset. Stuffing my cardigan over my chest, I folded my arms and walked through the empty living room. The connecting kitchen was vacant also, it smelled of absolutely nothing.

Trailing down the long hallway to a closed door, I turn the knob and it almost budges to open. When it opens, I enter an office like area and a closed in closet. Checking my surroundings every second, I take a breath and sit to the desktop. Shaking the mouse and monitor awake, I peered to a password box. I typed in his name and got nothing. I even typed in mine for the hell of it but also came with nothing. What did he love, alot? His mom. After typing in her name it was a hit. Snooping wasn't much of my forte but my curiosity awakened being that I haven't heard from him in days.

Entering multiple files, there were folders listed as 'work' and 'interest'. I didn't have the slightest clue as to what either could hold, but I wanted to know. Tapping on the work folder a larger box appeared saying the zip file could not be downloaded unless a password was entered. I honestly used every name I tried before and anything he loved and the zip wouldn't open. I didn't have much of a choice but to look in the interest folder. Scanning through that, I came across a lot of porn—which was a little shocking. Every guy watches porn, but this was some hardcore stuff. Scrolling further, I noticed there was an image of me. Multiple images of me, getting dressed with my blinds open. I was naked at one point and stretching at another. Shame on me for changing with the blinds open but what possessed him to take these pictures of me?