King watched Joan as she stared at him dumbly from the bed where she sat cross-legged facing him who was leaned against her desk. Her head was tilted to the side a little, her lids blinking continuously. He had just finished narrating his tale to her. He had told her everything, everything but the note he found in his pocket and the person who had been trailing him on his way to her home.
Her blinking stopped and she straightened, her features going blank.
“I…” she started, pushing her braids back. He liked it when she did that.
“I don’t know what to say.” She spoke.
“You just got yourself in big trouble.” She added, her eyes clouding with worry.
“I don’t think they’re trouble. I think they want to seem like trouble.” He said
She gave him an ‘are you serious look'.
“Okay. We’ll consider the fact that they let you go easily and that Andrew said they had not meant to knock you out and kidnap you for over two days but this people did not hesitate to hit you and they found shady from what you told me.”
He thought back to the events of that day.
“You’re right but…”
He brought out the note from his pocket, moving closer to her.
“What’s that?” she asked curiously as he handed it to her.
She opened the note.
“When you want to know, you know where to find us.” She read out loud
She turned to him with knitted brows, “What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked.
He shrugged , sitting in the bed. She looked at the note then looked back to him.
“Like they know something you don’t? Some big secret that could change your life? Or they have something against you and they have information that could destroy you?”
He gave a soft chuckle.
“Joan Michaels, I myself is as confused as you are.”
Her eyes decreased in length and width as she stared at him.
“What else are you not telling me, King?”
His eyes went wide.
“What?” he gave a short nervous laugh. Was he that bad at keeping secrets from her?
Her eyes grew even smaller, they turned to slits.
“I asked what you’re hiding from me?”
He blew out a breath, running a palm over his face. He grew serious.
“King…”
“Ok. Someone was following me…”
“Following you?”
“Just wait Joan, let me finish.”
She went quiet.
“When coming back after I discovered my phone was missing, I noticed this guy in all blue behind me, that was after I boarded a cab to Dixie’s. I remembered seeing before boarding the cab so I grew suspicious. I made a few turns, making sure to pretend I hadn’t noticed him yet. When I came back out unto the main road, he was behind me again. He had on shades and a face cap so his facial features were unknown. I got scared and I tried to lose him but he soon quickly got on that I knew and he went after me. I succeeded in losing him two streets away from yours and then I had to take off my hoodie and fold my trousers to look slightly different. I took the back streets and came in through your back door, I didn’t see him again.”
She gazed at him intently. He waited, waited for her reaction. She didn’t speak, she was eerily quiet.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I didn’t want you to worry.” He added when she still didn’t say anything.
“Joan…” he called, getting anxious.
She looked away, getting up from the bed. He followed.
“King” She called, pacing up and down the room, “You can’t hide something like this from me, something this big, ok? You have to trust me. So what if we’re in danger, we're all in danger and then you keep this to yourself and we can’t take appropriate measures to protect ourselves and something bad happens. Do you think you'd be happy with yourself?”
She didn’t look at him as she spoke, not even once.
“No.” he answered quietly.
“Then please don’t ever try that again. Something happens, you tell me, we’ll work it out together. Two heads are better than one. The only secret I’m letting you keep is that of your home address. I understand why you’re doing that though I’m not happy with it. I still think I can handle myself but I have to respect your decision because I trust you. I purposely did not call you out before now on the fact that you enter a different train anytime I accompany you to the station.”
His eyes popped out, “You know!?”
She stopped pacing and glared at him.
“Of course, I know” she said, “Does Huntsville and Southernway sound like the same place?”
He bowed his head, unable to match her stares.
“You don’t have to feel bad.” She continued. He looked back up at her. She had begun pacing again.
“I understand your reasons. I just would have preferred if you had let me in on that part of the secret. Nevertheless, we have to work out a solution now. It appears you… we're all in some kind of trouble. The blue man…”
He scoffed inwardly at the nickname. Blue man, really?
“… is probably one of those men. I mean who else would want to know your whereabouts? Or maybe your brother?...”
Jamal? It was possible.
“…apart from them, I have absolutely no idea who would stalk you since you keep a low profile. Your safety and probably ours is in question now, what if you step out the house and someone kidnaps you again? What if they hurt you? Beat you like Jamal does. What if they kill you? King, I…”
He stood up and grabbed her hands as she got close to him.
“Hey, it’s not trouble. Nobody would kill me or hurt me, you hear me? NOBODY…” he said, laying emphasis on the nobody, looking into her wide eyes.
“But…”
“Shhhh.”
He wiped her teary eyes, looking at her softly.
He almost did it. Looking into her worried eyes, he almost kissed her. It was good he stopped himself on time before she caught him. He hugged her instead.
“King, I’m worried about you!” She cried, oblivious to his torment, clenching tight to his shirt, “You make me so worried about you. Everyday, I’m praying Jamal doesn’t beat you to death and now this…”
He hugged her tighter, forcing down his want. He felt like a traitor, wanting to kiss her when she was so worried about him.
“Can I see your back?” she asked after a few moments of them just being in each other’s embrace. Her grip on his shirt loosened.
“No.” he replied quickly.
“Oh… okay.” She said after a pause.
“It’s not that I don’t want you to see it, I… I just…” he stuttered, trying to find the right words.
“Its fine, King. I understand.” She said.
He sighed, swallowing down nothing. He just wasn’t feeling in control of himself. He pulled away from her, avoiding her gaze. He sat on the bed, pulling his shirt up so his back was exposed.
“You don’t have to.” She told him.
“I told you it’s not because I don’t want you to see it.”
She stared at him for some time before moving closer to the bed and getting in it. She moved behind him. A gasp escaped her mouth and then she placed a hand on his back.
He stiffened.