Love Me Through The Rain 3

by A'zayler

  The drive to his house wasn’t a long one, but it was long enough to give her time to think. She was tired of being in the dark about the issues with him and Fallon. He was going to tell her what was going on tonight. Silence encompassed them as they walked into the house. Rain had eaten all of her food in the car, so she went straight for the tub.

  Love’s bathroom was big and very nice, but it wasn’t hers. She missed the feeling of being outside while she bathed. Her rocks and plants had done that for her, and now it was all gone. Before she allowed herself to get too far into her feelings, she undressed and submerged herself into the water. She’d pulled her hair up into a ponytail before undressing, so she was able to lay her head back against the tile without getting it wet.

  “Dakota!” She yelled from the tub.

  She heard movement before the bathroom door opened and he walked in. He was still fully dressed when he leaned against the sink and looked down into the tub at her.

  “Get in with me,”

  “I’m straight.”

  Rain raised one of her eyebrows at him. “That wasn’t up for debate.”

  A lazy smile curved across his face as he began to unbutton his jersey. He undressed slowly, not really paying attention to the fact that he was turning her on. His sexy, chocolate skin ripped with cuts from his weekly gym routine. When he was in nothing but his briefs, Rain had to cross her legs and close her eyes.

  “This baby is making me crazy,” Rain said, more to herself than him.

  Love’s laughter caused her eyes to pop open. “I’m serious. The way I want you is getting ridiculous. It’s almost like I can’t control myself, and that’s just plain ole embarrassing.”

  “No, it ain’t. I’m your nigga. You supposed to want me.” Love stepped behind her in the tub and slid down, before pulling her back to him. “I want you.”

  “I’m sure it’s not like I want you.”

  “That’s a fucking lie. Hell, I should be the one embarrassed. I ain’t even pregnant, and I be with the shit any time you come around.”

  The laughter from the two of them resonated throughout the bathroom.

  “Tell me what happened with you and Fallon, Dakota.”

  He sighed. “I really don’t feel like getting into all of that.”

  “So?”

  “Rain.”

  “Dakota.”

  He sighed again, but still didn’t say anything.

  “I don’t have time to beg. It’s either you tell me or you don’t, the choice is yours. But I’m going to find out. Even if I have to get the information from Fallon.”

  “Don’t do that.”

  “Well, tell me then.”

  “I don’t like talking about it because it’s little, but it turned into something bigger over time.”

  “I don’t care. I still want to know.”

  Love was quiet and so was Rain. Neither one of them said anything. Rain wanted to give him space to talk, and he needed to see where he wanted to start. Ten minutes had passed before he said something, even though it wasn’t anything that Rain had wanted to hear.

  “I don’t want to do this. It’s the past. Let’s leave it there.”

  Fed up with trying, Rain scooted away from him and began to clean her body. She was in such a rush to get away from him that she hadn’t even washed twice like she normally did. She washed one time and hopped out. Covering her body with the large pink towel he’d bought for her, she made her exit. Rain slammed the door behind her. She wanted to make sure he knew that she was mad.

  She was on her knees fumbling through the bags of clothes on the floor. She and Summer had gone shopping the other day for a few things that she needed. Everything was lost in the fire, including every stitch of clothing she’d ever owned, and it was very frustrating.

  “Dakota! I need some fucking clothes,” she yelled.

  “We’ll get you some.”

  Rain nearly jumped out of her skin. She’d thought he was still in the bathroom. She had no idea he was standing directly behind her. Rain’s hand went to her chest as she took a deep calming breath.

  “Why you in here yelling like you’re crazy.”

  “Leave me alone.”

  Rain pulled the long, pink gown over her head and slid her panties up her body and walked around him before getting her scarf off of the dresser. Once her hair was tied up, she slid beneath the covers with her back to him and hit the lamp to turn the light off.

  Love stood at the bottom of the bed watching her throw a tantrum. He wanted to laugh, but he already knew that was going to make her madder, and he didn’t need that. The little attitude she had right then was good enough. Naked as the day he’d come into the world, Love slid behind her in the bed and tried to snuggle as close as he could to her.

  He thought she was going to push him off of her, but surprisingly she didn’t. She didn’t say or do anything. She kept her back turned to him and pretended to be asleep. She might have thought she was getting somewhere with her attitude, but in reality she wasn’t. He was in no mood to talk, anyway. Especially about the stuff she wanted to talk about. That was years ago, and he’d done everything he could to move past it.

  It had taken him a long time to get to where he was. To the point where not speaking to or seeing the only family he had left on earth, no longer bothered him. In the beginning it would hurt so bad that he wished he had died that night with his parents, but he’d grown past that a long time ago and made it his business to never get to that spot again, not for anyone. Love rolled over on his back and closed his eyes. It felt like yesterday, when in reality it had been years.

  Love’s breathing was ragged as he stooped down beside the gas station. The gun he’d been given by Jude, the biggest drug dealer in the city, was secured tightly in his little fist. The weight of it had his hand sagging out of his jacket a little. He had been trying his hardest to keep it hidden so that he could do what he had to do, with no interruptions.

  Tonight was the night he had been planning for months now. Never telling anyone of his plans. Not even Jude knew what he was about to do. As far as he knew, his gun was still tucked safely away in the bottom drawer of his desk. It was the day after Love’s sixteenth birthday, and the day he’d promised to avenge his parents’ death.

  He had been doing his best to maintain the name his father had built, and today would solidify all of his hard work. In the back of his mind, he knew what he was about to do was wrong, but he didn’t give a fuck. The images of his father and mother’s dead bodies were still fresh in his mind and he had been waiting on this day for years.

  Every morning when he woke up, every day he or his sister went without something, any time he needed to ask his father for something and couldn’t, their faces would pop into his mind. Now was the time. His mind was made up, and the moment the two men exited the gas station it was over for them. It had been circulating around the hood who the robbers were that night.

  Love kept a pretty low profile, playing it cool until he had to act out. He’d seen both men on too many occasions to count, and neither of them ever said anything. He didn’t know if they thought he didn’t remember them or what the case was, but nothing was ever done about it, until today. Today they would be forced to acknowledge his presence. Today would be the turning point for their family members.

  He and Fallon’s day had come long ago, and theirs was overdue. Love steadied his breathing before pulling the gun out and making sure the silencer was twisted on. The gold Camry was still parked near the dumpsters, so he was good. They couldn’t stay in the store all night. With murder on his mind, Love crept over to the car, making sure no one saw him, and climbed into the backseat.

  He’d followed them enough times to know their routines. They never locked any of the doors. It was dark and they were both pretty drunk due to their Friday night festivities, so he was sure they wouldn’t see him. Love crouched down and pulled his hood over his head. Just as he was getting comfortable, he heard voices.


  There was no need for him to look and see if it was them, because he already knew. Their voices were embedded into his memory. The gun slid out of his pocket slowly, still gripped tightly in his right hand. His heart was beating fast and his breathing was rapid, but it was show time. He couldn’t waste any unnecessary time trying to get himself together.

  When the car doors opened, they hopped in and started their drunken banter. The music was so loud he couldn’t understand how they even heard anything the other was saying. Eight years had passed since the murder of his parents, and those two niggas looked every bit of it. Cleary, life had been beating the shit out of them. They looked bad as fuck. With no other thought in mind, Love sat up from the floor and raised his gun.

  His movement caught their attention, but it was too late. The moment the first one turned around, he shot him in the face. The other one didn’t stand a chance because before he could open the door and get out, the back of his head was splattered across the dashboard. Satisfied with his vengeance, Love crept out of the car as quietly as he’d gotten in, and ran back down the block.

  He ducked into trees, running until he reached Jude’s house. It was easy for him to sneak back inside without being noticed because of the party that was still going on. Jude’s house was always jumping, which is why the perfect opportunity was presented that night. Love had wanted to wait until he was alone to get the men, but once he saw them at Jude’s house, he couldn’t. The moment they said they were heading to the store, he followed them out and handled his business.

  Once the gun and silencer was clean and back where it needed to be, Love joined the party again. He moved around the room, silently nodding his head at the people he knew from around the way. The night went by in a blur after that. All he remembered from that night was getting sleepy and going back to their foster parent’s house.

  Mr. Steve and his wife, Coretta, had been their neighbors for as far back as they could remember, and had taken them in after their parent’s deaths. They had tried all they could to keep him out of the streets, but Love had a mind of his own. He didn’t do much, but he did enough to worry the old couple. He was nothing like Fallon. She was good, and did exactly what she was told.

  Love was fresh out of the shower and lying down in his twin bed when he heard someone beating on the front door. They were beating so loud he knew without even seeing who it was that it had to be the police. He hadn’t thought he would have gotten caught that fast, but so be it.

  He was ready to do whatever time he had coming to him. His parents were worth it. Instead of trying to run or even go to the front door, Love stood up and got dressed in a pair of gray sweatpants and a white t-shirt. His white socks and Nike flip flops got him ready for his ride to jail.

  “What did you do, Kota?” Fallon was sitting up in her bed looking at him.

  “What I had to do. I love you.” He walked over to Fallon and hugged her.

  Although Fallon was three years older than him, he was much bigger than her. She got out of bed so that she could hug him better.

  “I love you, too.” Fallon’s head was tucked into his arm when the door to their room opened.

  Mr. Steve was standing there with a look of sadness on his face. “What did you do, boy?”

  Still holding Fallon in his arms, Love looked at Mr. Steve and shook his head. “What I had to do. I love you and Mrs. Coretta, and I appreciate everything you’ve done for my sister and I. Don’t worry about me and don’t spend any money on lawyers. I’ll be fine.”

  Love kissed Fallon’s forehead before releasing her and walking to Mr. Steve and Mrs. Coretta. He hugged them both before walking to the door. When he opened it he placed his hands in the air and walked out onto the porch. Other neighbors stood around watching him get arrested.

  He made eye contact with a few people, but nobody that mattered. He thought about his parents as he was being read his rights and pushed into the car. Love could see the tears in the eyes of Mrs. Coretta and Fallon as the car drove him away. He was in such a daze, he didn’t even remember the ride to the station, only the interrogation room.

  The white detective continuously questioned him about the armed robbery that had taken place at the local bakery. He knew what they were talking about because he had done that too, but he didn’t understand what that had to do with him killing those two niggas earlier. The bakery had been something small he’d done last week for a few extra dollars and some bread.

  Mr. Steve and Mrs. Coretta were going through hard times and food was scarce, so he’d taken it upon himself to rob the bakery and get some food. That wasn’t even serious, in his opinion. He listened to the police question him and play the tape from the bakery for him. He admitted to that willingly, because he didn’t care.

  It was crazy to him how happy there were once he told them that it was him. They were high-fiving one another like they’d won something. He, on the other hand, had just begun to pull himself from the daze he was in long enough to realize he wasn’t there for murder. He spent two years in the juvenile detention center and was never brought up on charges for the murders.

  He would always laugh at the police department whenever he thought about how they just ruled him out as a suspect because they’d arrested him that night. They’d questioned him about it, but never charged him because they assumed he had been in jail at the time of the murders. How that never got past them was pure idiocy, but he would never speak on it.

  The two years he spent in the juvenile detention center were enough for him. He’d met a nigga named Jacorey and they had become like brothers. Things for him were going okay. He had gotten his GED and everything. Mrs. Coretta and Mr. Steve would visit him every free chance they got, until Mr. Steve had a stroke and died. Mrs. Coretta didn’t last too much longer after him. He assumed she had grieved herself to death.

  After their passing, he was pretty much alone. Fallon hadn’t come to see him since he’d been locked up, so he wasn’t expecting to see her. She would write sometimes or send messages by their foster parents, but that was it. That’s why the day he got called for visitation and she was waiting for him, he knew it had to be something serious. Now eighteen, and 6’4 Love strolled into the visitation room overshadowing everyone in there.

  Fallon was taller and filled out into a grown woman. Her chocolate skin was smooth like his and her hazel eyes were the exact replica of his and his father’s. She had her hair straight and hanging down around her neck and shoulders. When she looked up and finally saw him, her eyes watered.

  “Dakota. Look at you.” Her arms slid around his waist and his around her shoulders.

  She hadn’t gotten much taller, so she still came to his stomach. They hugged for a minute before she pulled away and took her seat again. Tears ran down her face as she stared at him.

  “You have dreads now?”

  Love grabbed one of the little twists he’d put in the other morning and smiled. “Something like that.”

  She nodded. “You look so handsome. Just like Daddy. Like, you look just like him.”

  “I know. The shit is crazy, right?”

  “Yes. It’s almost weird how much you look like him.” Fallon looked around the waiting room at all of the other visitors before looking back at him. “I’ve been hearing some things.”

  Love already knew what she was getting at so he didn’t say anything. Just waited to see what was coming next.

  “Did you?”

  Love knew what she asking, so he nodded his head up and down. Fallon’s mouth dropped momentarily, before she closed it again. Her eyes glossed over as she grabbed his hands across the table.

  “Dakota, I can’t do this. I don’t want to sit around and wait for someone to come and hurt you. I can’t do it again. I’m moving away. My college is out of state, so I’ve decided to stay there and not come back here.”

  Love’s chest sank in a little as he listened to her tell him that she was leaving him all alone in the world.

  “You really
doing this, Fallon?”

  “Look at what you did, Dakota.” She was full out in tears by then.

  Love couldn’t even take her anymore. Nor did he want her to bring attention to something that he’d gotten away with. With nothing but anger and disgust in his heart, he stood from the table and walked away. He could hear her yelling his name, but he refused to stop. She’d said all that she had to say, at least everything thing he cared to hear. From that day on, he hadn’t seen or heard from Fallon until the day in the hospital.

  Thinking about everything he had been through after getting out of juvenile hall still brought tears to his eyes, which was why he had no desire to talk about it with Rain. Not to mention how she might feel about him killing two people. He’d never told anyone that, except for Jacorey, and they hadn’t talked about it anymore since the day he told him. Love was giving Rain such a hard time because he already knew that to tell her why he and Fallon weren’t speaking would mean to tell her that entire story.

  That was the one thing he didn’t want to do, no matter how much she pushed. The only reason he’d even considered telling her was because he feared Fallon would tell her before he had the chance to do so. Love took a deep breath and released it before closing his eyes again with hopes of falling asleep. As much as he hated to admit it, he was probably going to tell her.

  Chapter 5: Here When it Counts

  Jacorey was stretched out on the small, leather sofa in the back of his studio listening to beats for his newest artist. His eyes were closed and he had headphones on. The black Beats that Summer had gotten him the other day had drowned everything in his background out. He wasn’t expecting anybody else until later, so he wasn’t worried about anyone disturbing him.

  He moved his fingers to every tune and beat in the song as he bobbed his head along with it. He was in such a zone he almost didn’t feel his phone vibrating. When he opened his eyes to grab it, he jumped. Almost falling from the couch. Summer was standing in front of him with her arms folded across her chest.

  Jacorey removed the Beats from his head. “You scared the shit out of me.”