Try A Little Tenderness

Love is their whole happiness

The rain thumped loudly on the floor to ceiling windows and the thunder and lightning played a game of tag as a storm took over the city.

I laid there in the large, empty, cold bed, hugging Dave's pillow tightly. I buried my face into it deeply inhaling its scent and smiled.

I miss my baby.

He hadn't even been gone for a day and I missed him already. I dropped him to the airport this morning for his meeting in Syracuse after he made me breakfast. Then I went out with Kairi and Maya for a bit. He told me that it was a spontaneous trip and he'd be back tomorrow night, he just had to handle some business.

I never thought that I'd be this clingy, or that I'd crave his presence this much. For someone who was so used to being alone, I now hated when he wasn't with me.

Dave knew almost everything about me. He listened to my wild stories, entertained my dumb shenanigans and tried to understand my feelings before I could. It would be unfair to say that he was best friend, because in the short amount of time that I knew him, it was almost like he became another part of me - a better extension of me.

Like this morning...

Flashback

I woke up sore and hungover from all of last night's festivities and surprisingly, I remembered everything. Drinking with the girls, Millie and her goons, car head, good sex and sleep.

What a way to live.

I rolled out of bed and after doing my skincare routine and brushing my teeth, I moped in the kitchen in search of a hangover combo - excedrin and Fruit Loops.

But when I got there, Dave was already making breakfast. I snuck behind him, into the pantry to grab my cereal. He always complained about me eating "that sugary shit". But I couldn't care less because eating it with almond milk made it healthier...at least that's what I think.

Picking the red box off the shelf, I immediately noticed that it was no longer in its usual hiding spot and that it was empty.

"Freaky did it!", Dave yelled behind me causing me to jump. I glared at him.

"How could you let him eat my cereal David?", I whined. I was looking forward to eating this all morning.

Dave laughed at me, then wrapped his arms around my waist to leave small kisses on my neck.

"I warned him, but he still ate it then complained about yo almond milk."

"He drank my stuff too?!" He laughed into my neck. I knew that he just wanted to see me angry for his own comedic benefit.

"No its fine though. Because I have his credit card number and baby mamas' addresses. After I order me some new cereal, both of them gonna get flowers with notes from their favorite baby daddy." I grinned menacingly.

He shook his head at me then lifted me onto the counter.

"You want some help?" I asked after seeing him struggle with cutting a tomato.

"No." He sucked his teeth. "I got it."

"Okay Rachel Ray...do your thing." I joked.

He placed a cup of orange juice in my hand and a tiny white pill. I watched him pour pancake batter in the pan before sprinkling chocolate chips on top.

It was then that I realized that I didn't know nearly as much about him, as he did about me. It was not intentional, just that every time I brought up his past, he redirected the conversation to be about me.

"Can I ask you a question?...like a business one?"

"Yeah, wassup?"

"Ok so, let's say that you came into this large piece of real estate...would you sell it or do something else with it...like development?"

He flipped the food over and thought for a while.

"I'd say it depends on the location and the type. Like is it residential or commercial? How much is it worth? Would development be greater than selling? You gotta think 'bout all that.", he stated. "Why you ask?"

"My mom left me her house and I'm trying to figure out what do with it."

"That's dope baby", he exclaimed grabbing his phone. "Imma send you the contacts of some real estate niggas I know and they can help you out."

"I just wanna do the right thing with it you know?...How do you know so much about this stuff? I know you're a business mogul and all...but tell me how it all happen?" I asked him.

"I learned from my pops and gran pops. Come on you need to eat, my mom said she's coming over with Kairi to take y'all out." He put a plate with pancakes, eggs and turkey bacon in front of me.

I really wanted more information but decided to drop it in lieu of what he just said.

"Oh my God, your mom is coming here and I'm still in my underwear. Why didn't you tell me sooner? Where you going?"

"I got a lil meeting upstate."

"With who? I mean it's not in your schedule, so I dont have any notes or shit to give you. Was it something I overlooked?" I got up preparing to get me computer.

"Nah eat yo food. This a personal meeting, I'll be back tomorrow morning." He picked a piece of turkey bacon from my plate and kissed my temple before leaving the kitchen.

I turned to ask him more but the elevator door opened followed by little footsteps and a small shout,

"Lala!!"

End of Flashback

I reached across my nightstand and pulled out the leather bound black notebook. At a young age my grandmother taught me to always keep one with me to write down my dreams, goals and any random feelings. I flipped over to the page they I was previously writing on, my plans for what I was going to do with my child hood home.

With the rain still pouring and the small stream of light from the moon illuminating my face. I wanted to call him, only to hear his voice and ask him about his day.

I quickly looked in the mirror to pick out my hair and slid onto the bed and unplugged my phone from the charger.

It was only on 5%, hopefully it would last until I got him on the line.

I opened FaceTime and right at the top was his initial with the red heart emoji next to it. I pressed it and watched it ring. I looked at the camera, trying to adjust my position and find the right angle until the ringing stopped and the words "D❤️ is unavailable to FaceTime" flashed across the screen.

I pouted, it was twelve in the morning, why wasn't he answering me? He wouldn't be sleeping because we both usually stayed up pretty late, and regardless of if he was, Dave is a light sleeper so he would have heard it.

He probably left it in the bathroom or something. So, I tried calling him again and again and again. Until I finally decided to give up. My psyche was saying that something wasn't right, that he might be hurt or...

"Maybe he doesn't want to talk to you because he's with someone else."

That fear struck me and I focused on that wicked possibility. What Millie said re-entered my mind and started to contaminate the trust Dave and I built.

"No he wouldn't do that. Dave isn't that type of man." I thought to myself.

"You keep swearing for people and you're gonna learn the hard way. Who can't hear haffi feel.", my inner self snarked. I could envision her laying across a chaste lounge eating grapes from a vine, while looking at me in disappointment.

"This is ridiculous." I rolled over about to go to sleep.

Then my phone rang in the bed and I answered  it with giddy excitement because my inner self was a wrong bitter bitch. The excitement wore off  though, when I saw that it was actually Nene calling me instead.

"Hey Ne. It's two in-"

"Lay I need help" she said quickly.

I instantly sat up in the bed, worry taking over me.

"W-what happened? You alright?" I leapt into the closet to grab some biker shorts and a hoodie. I skillfully held my phone between my ear and shoulder while Nene's voice cracked into a fit of sobs on the other end.

"I-I can't do this anymore Laya. He h-hit me and I-I can't do it. I was so stupid, so fuckin' stupid. I'm scared that he's gonna kill me." she said between wails.

I stopped for a moment, just to listen.

"Nobody answering they phone. I didn't know who else to call. I been locked up here for almost t-three days. A-and you said I could call you. Laya please, please don't leave me here." she pleaded.

I stood in the closet with my hand over my mouth to prevent her from hearing me cry. Kyle's bitch ass just broke one of the strongest women I knew, and there was no way in hell that he wouldn't pay for it.

"You ain't gotta worry bout that Ne cause I'm coming. I'll be there in twenty."

She sniffed loudly, I heard rustling through the phone and she responded with a hesitant "ok".

After slipping on some slides and Dave's Moncler rain coat, I searched for my trusty taser. Then, I paced the foyer trying to figure out how I would get to her.

"Nene I need you to stay on the line with me till I get there ok? You need to call the pol-"

Then I realized that we got disconnected because of the storm.

"Fuck!" I held my forehead trying to think. Dave, Shoota and Jay are all upstate, so can't call them. Bri is in Turks with Devon, so I can't call her.  And to top it off James asked for the night off.

I needed a car. Dave's got several in the parking garage but where are the keys? Probably in his office.

"I'm pretty sure I could manage to get to BedStuy safely, I've had enough practice...yeah I could do this." I said trying to reassure myself.

I rifled around Dave's messy desk looking for keys to one of his many cars. I nearly knocked over a half empty glass of Henny when I came across a striking blue file folder. My curiosity got the best of me, and I took a second to flip through its contents. It was mostly black and white surveillance photos of some guy with a beard and a familiar blue droplet tattoo on the side of his face.

I quickly closed it and continued my search to no avail before settling on ordering an Uber. I was certain that a driver would be available at this time of night. 

Right after I received the notification that he was downstairs my phone died.

Exactly twenty minutes later the driver pulled up to brownstone that Nene shared with Kyle. I made him haul ass on the empty highway with the promise of a cash tip. I thanked him and hastily dug in my pocket and gave him the wad of crumpled twenties I left in there, then ran up the stairs to the wrought iron doors.

It was slighlty ajar, so carefully I pushed it open and closed it behind me. Glass crunched under my feet and the entire house was silent except for the faint sound of Otis Redding playing from the Alexa console.

I peeked into the entryway off the foyer, no one was there. The room looked like it had been turned upside down. Pictures ripped off the wall, an armchair over thrown, and what looked like plates smashed to smithereens all over the antique hard wood floors.

My eyes travelled to the stairs, which seemed to go on into a patch of darkness. I took the taser out my pants and held it in my hand with my finger on the button as I went to the second floor.

I pushed each door open searching for my best friend in them. My hands sweated profusely and the feeling of fear reintroduced itself to me. The mission was to get Nene and leave in her car before Kyle came home.

"Nene!", I whisper shouted in the hallway, about to turn the knob to the door that I assumed was her guest bathroom.

I opened it to see Nene kneeling in front of the sink with a stained white towel in her hand. My eyes met hers in the mirror and I gasped at her bruised face.

Her left eye was swollen shut and her lip was busted open. She had a huge bruise on her cheek that rendered her caramel skin shades of purple and black.

We spent a moment staring at each other until she broke down,

"I'm sorry Laya. I-I'm so sorry" she heaved on the floor.

I immediately put the taser down on the sink and lowered myself to her position to engulf her in a hug. I held her head against my shoulder as the pain she faced during her relationship presented itself in the form of fallen tears.

I looked up to try and prevent my own tears from escaping. She didn't need to see me break down with her.

"You don't have anything to apologize for." I reassured her while examining her face.

I could barely recognize her. There was no way he did this with just his fists.

"Imma fuckin kill him" slipped from my mouth before I could catch it.

"No no no please Laya I don't want no trouble.",  Nene pleaded.

"It's too late. Kyle already caused trouble. You cannot let him get away with this shit. I'm gonna call the police." I helped her off of the floor and gave her my jacket to cover the minuscule silk pajama shorts and camisole she wore.

"Please Laya I don't want them involved. Everything ain't worth fighting. I just wanna go before he gets home. Please.", her eyes begged for me to drop the situation. But something like this could never be forgotten and believe me it would be handled.

"Ok Ne, we'll deal with it another time. Where's your stuff? When did Kyle leave?"

As much as I wanted to fuck Kyle up myself, I knew a stand-off with him wouldn't be good.

She led me to her bedroom where two Louis Vuitton duffle bags were on the bed. I helped her scoop clothes from her closet and some other precious belongings into the bags.

"We have to hurry up. He went to the store an hour ago and he's coming back soon."

"Where's your car?" I asked

"He took it. How did you get here?"

"Shit! I took an Uber and my phone is dead. Gimme your phone I need to call another one."

She stopped packing and swallowed hard, "Mines dead too. But the charger is in my office."

So we grabbed the two bags and ran downstairs
to Ne's home office. I found the charger by her desk and plugged my phone in.

I rocked back and forth on my feet, anxiously waiting for the bright white Apple logo to pop up. In the meantime, Nene hastily packed her laptop and was on her tippy toes to reach some files on the top of her bookshelf.

"Ne where the hell are your shoes? You can't walk out here barefoot. There's glass by the front door."

"They're upstairs in my closet. I'll go get them after I get these down.", she strained.

"No you stay here and wait for me, I'll get them and come back. Hopefully my phone cuts on by then" I exclaimed as leaving the room to go back upstairs.

I looked through her wall of well displayed shoes for a pair of sneakers or slides amongst her collection of heels. Finally finding some, I turned to leave but froze when I heard the front door slam.

"Shaneice...SHANEICE! Where you at?!", Kyle's voice screamed from the foyer.

God please let Nene have enough sense to hide and call the police.

His heavy footsteps stomped towards the stairs while I hugged the hallway wall so that I could slip into another room. Then I'd go downstairs and Nene and I could walk down the street to
wait for the ride.

I managed to open the guest room door and hide behind it, while Kyle opened the guest bathroom door across the way.

My plan almost worked until I heard Nene's small footsteps skimper up the stairs.

"Yes Kyle" her small voice whimpered.

"Look at the fuckin' mess you made in here. You got blood everywhere! Clean this shit up and what the fuck is this??"

My ear was pressed against the door and I heard the snapping sound of an electrical current.

Shit! I left the taser on the damn sink.

"Where the fuck you get this? You got someone in my house?", his voice got increasingly violent.

There was a shuffled movement and a hard thump. Then, Nene's answer came out in a strain,

"No Kyle please..."

"Don't fuckin' lie to me bitch!"

I couldn't just stand there and let her be beaten to death. So I swung the door open and looked at Kyle's huge hand around Ne's throat.

"Get off of her!", I pushed him out of the way as Nene gasped for air.

"Why you here? You called this bitch Shaneice?"

"No I called her, then came here to see her fuckin' face like this" I screamed at him. "What did you do to her?!"

"She just had accident. Right baby? Tell Allaya how you fell down the stairs yesterday" he shrugged.

"And I guess she fell into your fists too huh?! Fuck you Kyle! How dumb do I fucking look?! You hit her, and kept hitting her until your sick ass got tired!"

His jaw was shut and I could tell he was grinding his teeth under his glower. I looked at his balled up fists and took a deep breath before moving forward.

"Let's go Nene!" I said getting her off of the floor.

I managed to get her to the top of the staircase before Kyle grabbed her roughly from my grasp.

"She ain't going nowhere unless she tell me she wanna go.", he spat.

I stood with one leg on the second floor and the other on the stair, trying to hold onto Nene's arm.

"Tell him you wanna go" I commanded her.

In the back of my head, I knew that he wouldn't let her go easily, even if she admitted it. He was a power hungry, deranged monster that would do anything to keep her with him. It had crossed my mind that if he was able to do that to her face, then he was able to kill her. The only way Ne would stay here with him, was if I was dead.

Her bottom lip trembled, and the tears rolling down her face moistened the dry blood that settled there.

Though she was in so much pain, Nene cleared her throat and spoke strongly.

"Kyle I'm going with Allaya. You've hurt me...so much and I can't keep letting you do this. You need help...help I can't give you." she started to struggle with her words again, "You slept with Michelle, my own cousin! And now she's having your kid...I wo-won't keep doing this to myself."

She snatched her arm from him and walked towards me. The next thing I knew, Kyle lunged forward pushing both of us down the stairs.

I felt every bump of the hard wood underneath me and my head bounced off the pointy corner of the banister. A sharp pain attacked the back of my skull and the cool flow of blood followed.

I coughed, nothing but dry air burning my throat.

Everything on me hurt, I think I twisted my ankle too. I groaned trying to move my body off the stairs and through my blurred vision, I saw Kyle drag Nene from where she fell to the kitchen.

Her screams rang in my ear, along with Kyle's murderous shouts that he was going to kill her. I managed to roll over to the railing and use my remaining strength to pull myself off the floor. Next to my foot we're the keys to Nene's car and the taser. 

They must've dropped from Kyle's pocket. All
I had to do