Notice the difference between James and Kareem.
_________________________________

"Fuck it I admit it. I did it to get it."

FLASHBACK
*
*
*
Omniscient

"Where the fuck were you?"

Victoria scrunched her face up in confusion at the way that James greeted her as soon as she walked through the door.

After a long day at work, the beauty shop, Victoria just wanted to come home, have a shower, and relax.

"Where am I always at, James?" She answered his question with a question and proceeded to their bedroom that was towards the back of their apartment.

James had moved the two damn near out of Houston. He said that their location was closer to his job. Victoria didn't mind because she was still a reasonable distance from her job, and she knew that compromise was apart of being in a relationship.

Although he was being honest, James wasn't gonna admit that he also moved them so that Victoria would be isolated from her family.

At the dinner, he was more than the least bit aware that her family didn't like him. Victor even told him straight up.

"Don't play with me right now, Victoria," James spoke, venom lacing his tone.

"I'm not playing. I'm dead ass serious. I don't ask you where you been when ya duck ass strolls in here whenever you want to."

"Well I'm out trying to make some money to provide for us-"

Victoria admired James work ethic. However, she didn't like what he did in addition to working at the tech company.

James pushed weight.

The main reason for this was his father that lived in Kingston, Jamaica with the rest of his family.

Johnari Jones was a well known kingpin in Jamaica. He was a powerful man who demanded respect no matter where he was. He was a disrespectful man, who felt that women were beneath him.

Johnari Jones was a man who taught his son that a woman is required to be submissive and dependent.

And if she doesn't fit those characteristics, make her.

However, while in the midst of trying to change Victoria, he made a mistake.

James fell in love.

James didn't expect for Victoria to be so hardworking, intelligent, strong-willed and loving; something that intrigued him since he wasn't used to it.

Everyday he was battling his love for Victoria and the morals that his father instilled in him.

"I appreciate the efforts, I really do. But stop using that tired ass excuse for everything. I'm constantly trying to help pay bills but you want me to be dependent on you. There can be two breadwinners, but you don't want that. What you don't want to understand is that I don't need you, James. I want you."

The two stood in the middle of their bedroom having an intense stare down, James breathing like a raging bull.

He was extremely insecure, as well. James hated knowing that people didn't need him because that took away his sense of purpose.

Growing more and more irritated and tired, Victoria turned around to go towards the bathroom for a shower.

Suddenly, James reached up, punched Victoria in the back of her head, and watched as she began to moan and groan in pain.

James wasn't expecting Victoria to retaliate so he was surprised when she turned around and started to beat his face in.

Victor and Sarai constantly told their children that if somebody hits them, whoop that ass.

The two went at it until the both got tired.

She stood in the mirror analyzing her face and trying her hardest to ignore the pain that she felt. Letting her head drop, Victoria began to play with her fingers.

"Never would've thought," she mumbled under her breath.

Victoria never expected James to put his hands on her. From the amount of persistence that he had while trying to get her, she thought he was gonna be a dream come true.

Victoria jumped when she saw felt James' arms wrap around her waist and his chin on her shoulder. Looking up and into the slightly steamy mirror, she saw tears in his eyes.

I should be the one crying. She thought.

"James get off of me so I can pack my shit."

"W-why?" James' grip on her waist got tighter and he buried his face in her neck.

Shrugging him off of her, Victoria turned around with tears in her eyes and pushed his chest as hard as she could, "Why not James?! You fuckin hit me-"

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I just... I just don't want you to leave me for another man. You can't leave me like this."

Victoria stood frozen in place as James sank to the floor and began to sob against her stomach, begging and pleading for her to stay with him.

Being too caring was a deadly characteristic to possess. James had informed Victoria of his past, making her feel sorry for him.

Hesitatingly, Victoria relaxed against his body and began to run his head, assuring him that she wouldn't leave.

James used the fact that Victoria was naive and a little too caring to his advantage, constantly promising that he wouldn't put his hands on her again.

Victoria believed James' repetitive lies and that was how he began to break her down.

She should've left him right then.
*
*
*

Kareem

"...Don't."

I bobbed my head to Don't by Bryson Tiller, lowkey happy that I finally caught that beat drop.

Even though they played it way too much on the radio, it was a nice ass song.

I was coming from Kai's school, dropping her off some Chic fil'A.

Although I had a bunch more shit to do and I was stressed out, as long as she was doing what I asked her to do, Kai could get almost anything that she wanted from me.

I didn't believe in spoiling an undeserving child.

The song was almost over when my phone started ringing in the cup holder. I picked up the space gray iPhone 6s Plus, sliding the answer button, and putting it up to my ear.

"Kareem, please come get Victoria," Vanessa spoke in a soft tone.

"Why? What's goin on," I questioned her, hurriedly switching lanes and making a u-turn, causing people to blow their horns at me.

It ain't like I gave a damn, though.

"She's beyond stressed out and she's in her office crying. I told her to go home, but she's stubborn and on a paper chase," Vanessa replied with a light laugh, but I could still hear the urgency in her voice.

"Aight, I'm almost there."

*

Walking into the packed shop, I was greeted by Victoria's workers and their clients, as well as Vanessa who was sitting behind the receptionist desk drawing.

That reminded me to check on the watercolor paints, canvases, and other art stuff that I ordered for her.

I nodded at the women before going behind the desk to give Vanessa a hug before walking to Victoria's office.

Putting my ear to the door, I could hear her sniffling.

"Baby," I spoke, knocking on the door since it was locked.

"Mhm," I heard after a few seconds of silence.

"Open the door."

When she did, Victoria didn't even look me in my face. She simply walked back to her desk and took a seat in her chair.

I leaned against the door, analyzing her body language and the look on her face.

"I know your ass is stubborn, but you done met your match, Victoria. We ain't leaving this room until I know why you been brushing me off like I'm some nigga on the street."

Plopping down in the seat in front of her desk, I glared at Victoria as she mugged me. I mugged her ass back.

It's obvious that she wasn't used to a man who could read her like I could and wouldn't stop prying until she was well again.

I didn't care about how annoying I seemed, as long as my lady wasn't walking around depressed and I haven't done anything to try to cease the issue.

Once her stubborn ass realized that I wasn't leaving, because I'm the boss and everybody is on my time, she sighed and sat back in her chair before speaking.

"The first time I got pregnant, about a year into our relationship, James beat me so bad I had a miscarriage," she spoke, shaking her head, and making my right eyebrow raise.

I'd met his people a few times and I noticed how his dad treated his mother. She was very dependent on him and she did whatever he told her to.

Without even hearing the rest of the story, I knew exactly why James treated Victoria the way he did.

She was very independent, stubborn, and she could be outspoken at times. He was insecure and he wanted a woman to be completely dependent on him. Despite her being the opposite of what he wanted in a woman, that didn't give him the right to put his hands on her at all.

"I wasn't raised to be a woman who allows a man to treat me wrong, but it was something about James. He was so manipulative and I was so naive. He led me to believe that he wouldn't do it again."

"That was a lie, right?"

"Unfortunately. James was on my ass every chance he got. The fact that I didn't need him was his issue with me, but somehow in the midst of this big plan, he fell in love with me and vice versa. Eventually I got pregnant with my daughter, Jasmine Kai."

She paused and sighed as my chest got tight before she broke out into full blows sobs.

Getting up from the chair, I walked around to her side of the desk, pulled her body up, and then sat while pulling her down in my lap.

Victoria buried her face into my chest and I wrapped my arms around her body, feeling her pain.

What a coincidence.

"She would've been two years old today. But she died from SIDS when she was four months. She was the love of my life and I couldn't imagine losing her, especially in the situation that I was in. I miss her so much."

The two of us stayed silent for a few minutes, minus Victoria's sniffing that was slowly beginning to stop.

When I knew that she was calm, I collected my thoughts before speaking.

"Look at it like this; you were not ready for a baby. Especially with that nigga. I'm sure you blame yourself for that, but you gotta stop. Everything happens for a reason, even if it makes no sense."

I lifted up a little so that I could reach down and her her a water out of the refrigerator under her desk.

"That's what my family said," Victoria spoke, nodding and opening the water.

"You need to believe it. I know it's not gonna be easy for you to get over the loss of your first baby, but I want you to know that I'm here for you. And when we get married and you're ready to try again, you can carry the rest of my kids," I spoke, imagining what our beautiful ass children would look like.

They would most likely have her skin tone that I adored, or a mix between the both of ours, the hazel eyes that Kai had inherited from my grandmother, my height, both of our intelligence... And the list goes on.

Victoria nodded again and then raised her head up to peck my lips.

"You need that egg thing you talk about all the time. Lips dry as hell."

"Shut up, Kareem." Victoria punched my stomach and started laughing before opening a drawer and getting out a red EOS.

When she finished, Victoria turned back around to me and reached up, her lips covering mine. We kissed each other for a little bit, before I got carried away like I always do and squeezed her ass, making her smile and pull away.

"Thank you," she spoke, gazing into my eyes.

"You don't have to thank me, but you're welcome, beautiful."

I watched as she got up from my lap, adjusted her clothes. Victoria wore some of those black Jandals that Kai had just begged me to by for her last week, a pair of dark grey sweat shorts that were hugging her ass a little too tight, and a black and white baseball tee.

Her curly hair was pulled up into a high ponytail with a PINK headband, making her head look like a big ass pineapple.

I love her big headed ass though.

She threw the used tissue that sat on top of her desk in the trash can underneath it and then put on her smock.

"You wanna go home right now?"

"I have money to make," she replied, pulling a wad of cash out of the pocket of her smock, counting it, and then putting it in her cash drawer.

"Oh I see, you on a paper chase."

She grinned and brushed imaginary dirt off of her nodding her head, "of course."

"I wanna take you out to dinner tonight to ease your mind."

Victoria shook her head, "I don't wanna go to dinner.  Can we get some food and chill at your house?"

"Yeah, that's fine. I'm about to go get Seem so he can drive your car to your crib, we gonna go handle some stuff, and then I'll be back up here to chill with you until you get off."

"Okay."

She walked over and stood in front of me as I rose from her chair, stretching my long limbs, "You love me, Kareem?"

"Yes, I love you, Victoria," I spoke without hesitation.

"I love you too."

She says I'm where her hurt meets healing. And I'm gonna be that and more.
____________________________________

I didn't edit.

SIDS is Sudden Infant Death Syndrome that affects babies from the ages of 1 month to 1 year old.

R.i.p to my god brother who died of SIDS last year.

Leave feedback.