Belonging to Lust

Heath drove Zaiyia over to Chasity’s place to help her get a school project done that he wasn’t aware didn’t exist in the first place. As they drove in silence with only the radio on blabbering only about the crazy violence that swarmed their country currently, Zaiyia couldn’t keep her eyes from stealing glimpses of the piece of sexy hunk sitting next to her with his green eyes on the road, and one hand on the steering wheel. She was filled with guilt because he took the time out of his night to drive her almost across town on a lie. There was no school project. Hell, there was no Chasity in the gate community they were headed to, she was gone for the weekend with her dad on a trip. Of course, Heath didn’t know that. He was going off of the crap that was coming out of her mouth and believing it to be true when it wasn’t. God, he deserves better than that, Zaiyia couldn’t help but think to herself.

Of course, that doesn’t mean he was better off with someone like her mother, Yovela, either!

If Zaiyia was being a complete and utter bitch for what she has done to Heath thus far in their relationship, there was no way her mother could be considered any better than her! That woman abandoned him with the burden of her only child! Zaiyia was only lying to him to go to a party she wouldn’t be allowed to go to if she’d taken the time to ask him in the first place anyway. There was no way she was like her mother!

Zaiyia closed her eyes to the tears that formed in her eyes and took a deep breath. Sometimes she hated Yovela beyond anything on the planet, and at other times she cared about her like no other ever did. Yovela is all she knows even now. She’s the only constant in her life. How could she maintain a hatred for her own mother?

“Zaiyia?” Heath’s worried tone echoed in her mind before she felt the back of his fingers reach out across his truck to caress over her cheek in a soothing sweep. “Hey, you okay?”

“Shit.” Zaiyia mumbled to herself, quickly letting out a breath she hadn’t realized shed been holding this entire time as her eyes snap back open again. She immediately turned her face away from his touch to stare out the window, so he wouldn’t see that she had been on the verge of tears. She had almost thought she envisioned his concern at first, but now could clearly see that she hadn’t. He’d notice her tears. “Y-Yeah? What’s up?”

Heath ignored her nonchalant tone that wasn’t genuine in the slightest and placed his rejected hand down over hers that was resting on her lap. His green eyes returned to the road again though he couldn’t bring himself to forget the tears that were in her eyes a few seconds ago. His thumb stroked along the back of her dainty hand in comfort, her soft skin starting a desperate fire in his body as a result of it. “What’s wrong, Zaiyia? Why are you crying?”

“I’m not crying.” Zaiyia objected with a playful laugh, trying to erase the seriousness of the situation. That wouldn’t change anything though, and she knew it because Heath would start probing for answers anyway whether she laughed it off or not. The point was he saw her cry and he wouldn’t give in until he made her feel better again.

With a heavy sigh, she glared at the window, thinking of another lie to feed him that he’d believe because the truth would only compel him to rant off about how they weren’t legally right together because of her age. “I’m just thinking about...my mother.”

“I know, baby.” Heath whispered to her sadly, thinking he had an idea as to what about her mother was making her cry. He lifted her hand to his lips and kissing the back of it before lowering to one of his powerful thighs to rest there instead so she’d be in some ways closer to him. His eyes were still on the road, occasionally taking short breaks to check up on her as he admitted to her as well. “I miss her too.”

Did he? She wanted to ask him just how much he thought about her mother and in what inappropriate way he meant, but she knew her heart wouldn’t be able to take it. The thought that he could care for Yovela more than her even after she abandoned him so selfishly made her heart ache to the point where she broke out in a cold sweat out of paranoia that she might suffer a massive heart attack if she kept thinking on it any further. Zaiyia shook her head, more painful tears coming to her eyes as she mentally fought to run away from any thoughts that pertained to Heath and her mother together. She kept her eyes on the scenery passing from her window as she whispered to herself. “Y-Yeah…I bet you do.”

The couple fell into silence. Heath felt like she wanted to be left alone, and so he kept quiet and continued to run his thumb over the back of her head to console her sadness away…and to satisfy his hunger to touch her. Zaiyia sat staring out of the window until they reached Chasity’s place. The moment the truck stopped she hopped out of the car with her backpack on, needing to put distance between her and Heath. She was becoming convinced that he still loved her mother the longer she sat in the truck with him, and it was killing her with every breath she took.

Little did she know, Heath stepped out of his truck and walked up to her, his hands stuffed in the front pockets of his jeans. He strolled up behind her from where she stood in front of the gate code box as she tapped away on her phone to whom he assumed was Chasity. With one hand, he lightly nudged it against her side. “Come here and give me a hug before I go.”

Zaiyia tensed up when he touched her. She felt sick to her stomach thinking he was still in love with her mother as she turned around to face him, her brown eyes on the ground as she gave him a lame half-hug. Heath didn’t settle for that and pulled her small form against his much powerful one, holding her tightly to him. Zaiyia squeezed her eyes shut to keep the tears from falling at the feeling of his body pressed up against hers. Her hands grabbed fistful of his shirt in her hands with a need she didn’t think he’d ever understand. She felt him press a kiss to the top of her head that felt too lingering, as if he wanted to cherish being this close to her as much as her. It damn well almost made her knees buckle with the weakness he casted upon her with just his presence alone.

Pulling out of the hug, she smiled quickly while avoiding his green eyes. She lifted her phone for him to see. “Gotta text Chasity for the code to this place so I can get in. She told me her dad will drop me off, so you won’t have to come pick me up later.”

Heath reluctantly nodded, stuffing his hands back into his pockets again as he began to stall just a little longer. “Alright...I’ll see you later when you get home then.” With that said, he gave her another reluctant nod before heading back to his truck and driving away.

With her back to him, Zaiyia pretended she was already punching the code into the gate box to give him assurance that she was going where she said she was going. She stopped when his truck drove down the road and watched from the corner of her eyes as it made a turn. She finally let go of the breath she was holding back the entire time he was heading to his truck. She didn’t have time to think about his reluctancy to want to let her go, or his relationship with her mother because a car horn blared, jerking her from her thoughts. Glancing across the street, she saw Alan’s car parked along the side of the curb. Without hesitation, she hurried across the street to open the passenger side of his car and slide on in. “What’s up, homie?”

“Hello to you too.” Alan chuckled before draping his arm over the back of her seat and leaning over to deliver an unwanted kiss right smack dab on her cheek. “Ready to party?”

Biting back a rant filled with threatening promises to him if he ever kissed her again without her permission, Zaiyia forced herself to drop it. “You bet.”

_______________________________________________________________________

As always, everyone and their grandmother were at Cameron’s house letting lose all the stress of the week go at the bottom of red plastic cups and whatever drugs that were smuggled in. The moment Zaiyia walked in the place, she wanted to go straight back home. There was no one she knew there for the first ten minutes until Assata and Aishah were seen coming out of the kitchen with drinks and on the arm of two guys. Zaiyia was so happy to see them, she completely ditched Alan’s side, ignoring his calls. They were happy to see her too and each gave her a hug, seeing that she needed it. “You ladies have a mission now, and that’s to make sure this bitch right here has a good time tonight.” Zaiyia joked, pointing to herself.

The sisters laugh before handing their drinks off to their little ‘boy toys’ before leading her to then dancefloor in the living room. Zaiyia let everything go as she danced with the McCoy sisters, and soon all of the stress of her life seemed to have melted away for a brief moment. They danced together, and with others but always stayed close by. At one point, Aishah and Zaiyia took to entertaining the crowd by dancing on the table together with other girls. As soon as they got back down onto the ground again, Alan latched onto her like a leech and wouldn’t move from her side. It annoyed Zaiyia because if he didn’t keep a possessive hand on her in some way he was talking about them as if they were an actual couple, like she was HIS. That was the farthest from the truth! But she didn’t try and correct him in the least because what did it matter? She couldn’t be Heath’s woman, anyway! Who care who claims her, right?

“SHIT, COP! COPS EVERYBODY! GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE! COPS ARE HERE!” Laughter became screaming. In the blink of the eyes everyone was trying to find a way out of the house, whether it was through a door or a window, bottom line they were gonna escape. As everyone was scattering, Zaiyia gripped onto Aishah and Assata with the desire to make sure they made it out of there safely only she wasn’t exactly familiar with Cameron’s house. But Alan was, and so when he began shouting out orders, Zaiyia obediently followed and dragged both McCoy’s sisters along with her. They all shoved their way out of the back door and jumped over three fences before making it safely back to Alan’s car. Everyone was out of breath as they jumped in and were each dropped off at their homes. To make sure her girls were safe from the drunk clutches of Alan and his friends, Zaiyia stuck around until the McCoy sisters were dropped off before she was dropped off. Alan wanted a kiss but Zaiyia only allowed it to be bestowed upon her cheek. She hurried into the house without a look back and locked the front door behind her. Spinning around to make her way through the main house, she was shocked to find Heath passed out on the couch with the TV on the news. Her heart stopped in her chest not because his presence startled her, but because he looked so damn tempting to eat even when he slept. My god, she loved this man! With a sad sigh, she walked over to the armchair to shake out a blanket that was draped on it before walking over to a slumbering but still sexy Heath and draping it over him lightly. She decided to linger there selfishly to take him in now that she could freely do so without him noticing. He was everything she wanted and more. They were made for each other, she was certain of it. Biting her lower lip, she damned her age and his. Why couldn’t she have been born earlier, or him later? “Night, honey.” She whispered to him before straightening back up and shifting to walk away. She hadn’t taken her first step when she felt a hand grab her wrist and hold her in place.

“When did you get in?” Heath’s voice grumbled, his green eyes halfway open as they looked up at her curiously.

“J-Just now.” Zaiyia stuttered, her eyes staring out to space as she relishes the way a single touch from his body revved her engines.

Heath looked around curiously. “How did you get here?”

Zaiyia licked her lips before looking down at him. “Don’t you remember? Chasity’s dad offered to drive me home.”

With a nod, Heath stood up from the couch, his hold on her wrist not loosening in the slightest bit. He stood there too closely, now looking down at her with penetrating green eyes. The longer they stared at each other, the more awake he became. “It’s late…we should get to bed.”

“Yeah…we should.” Zaiyia whispered, agreeing completely only because the image she had in her head was of them in the same bed together. They both fell into silence again, their eyes not being able to tear away from each other. Their orbs seemed to convey the same message to each other of a desire for each other that went deeper than hanging out as friends or idly chit chatting, but their brains were too much in denial to believe it. It was too good to be true to believe he’d want to be with her intimately again, no matter how well their bodies fed each other and fit like they were molded to be locked together for all eternity. Knowing that she couldn’t take the first step when it came to them being intimate because it would only lead to breaking her heart again and again, Zaiyia broke her gaze from his and looked away. “Goodnight, Heath.”

“Yeah.” Heath’s hold finally loosened enough for Zaiyia to pull away from him and walk away. He listened to the back door close, signaling that she left the house for the guest house out back where she stayed. He stood alone in a silence he was beginning to realize he always hated. “Goodnight, Zaiyia.”