An Unexpected Love (Women's Fiction/BWWM Romance) (16 page)

“Damn.” Aliyah followed A.C. back inside the party.
“It’s more people than when we left.”

“Shit a brotha can’t even walk through.” A.C. squeezed
through people. “You sure you don’t wanna hang a while longer?” He looked back
at her. “Dance a little bit?”

“Haven’t you had enough of me for one night?” Aliyah
put her arms around his shoulders.

 
“Nope. I could
never get enough.” He kissed her. “I don’t wanna sound like no punk or nothing,
but I think you getting to me, girl.”

She smiled.

“Seriously, I’m really into you,
Liyah
.
I hope you feel the same way.”

“Why you think I wouldn’t?”

Some dudes bumped into them.

He shrugged. “I’m just saying, you’ve had a lot of
guys and—”

 
“No more,” she
said as she kissed him.

 
“What?”

“I only wanna be with you. I…I think I love you, A.C.”
She moved her hand down his shirt. “I wanna be with you and you only.”

“Come on and let’s dance.”

“No.” She let him go. “I gotta get Shanti and get
home.”

“All right, but the night’s still young.”

“Believe me, I’m gonna be in enough trouble when my
mom finds out we went to this party.” She checked her watch. “Shit, it’s almost
eleven-thirty.” She rushed through the crowd, saying, “I don’t see Shanti.”

A.C. glanced around. “Me either.”

Aliyah thought of shouting her name. But with all the
music, she doubted Shanti would hear her. “She’s gotta be here somewhere.”

 
“Hey, dude.”
A.C. pulled on one of his friends. “Have you seen her sister?”

“Yeah, I saw her.” He smirked. “She’s fine.”

“No, I mean do you know where she is?”

“I think she’s upstairs.” He pointed up. “She was up
there with Khalil in that back room.”

Aliyah glanced at A.C., and then tore through the
crowd on the stairs. “Shanti?!” She hurried down the hall and ended up at the
last door. “Shanti?!” Aliyah opened the door.

Shanti lay on the bed, with her knees to her chest.
She was barefoot and shivering.

“Shanti?!” Aliyah ran to her. “Oh my God!”

Shanti’s blouse hung open. Her skirt was pulled over
her knees, and she wasn’t wearing underwear. Her hair lay over the pillow in
disarray. Her face suggested she’d been crying but had stopped long ago. She
kept her eyes straight ahead, as if she were in a trance.

“My God.” Aliyah dropped to her knees. “Shanti
what…what happened?”

A.C. walked in and shouted. “What the hell?!” He ran
to the bed, asking, “
Yo
’, what happened to her?”

“I don’t know.” Aliyah tried to raise Shanti’s head.
“Shanti, what happened? Did someone hurt you?”

She pulled Shanti’s skirt down.

“Damn.” A.C. knelt down and pulled a pair of torn,
white panties from under the bed.

“Oh no!” Aliyah jumped up. “Oh hell, fuckin’ no!”

“Calm down.” A.C. laid the panties on the bed.

“Calm down?!” She bucked up to him. “Calm
down
?! Look what happened to her!” She
burst into tears. “Oh God, please don’t tell me she was raped.” She leaned over
Shanti. “Shanti, what happened? Please honey, tell me. Who did this to you?”

“K...Khalil,” she whispered.

Aliyah balled fists. “That son of a bitch.”

 
“Jesus.” A.C.
put his hand over his mouth.

Aliyah stomped around. “That motherfucker!”

A.C. held her back. “Hold on, all right?”

“I don’t believe this shit! I thought he was cool!”
She waved her arms. “He’s supposed to be your fuckin’ homeboy!”

“I didn’t know he was fucked up like this! I swear,
Liyah
. I don’t know him like that. We just hang out
sometimes.”

“You said he’d look after her!” She pushed him. “Look
at her!”

“Fuck.” A.C. held his head. “I can’t believe this
shit. I can’t believe he’d do this.”

“What did he do to you, Shanti?” Aliyah sat beside
her. “Tell me what that motherfucker did.”

Shanti looked at Aliyah for the first time. “Every…everything.”

****

Layla lay flat on Cross’ couch while he snatched her
shoes off and threw them on the floor.

He unbuttoned her belt buckle, unsnapped her pants,
and slid them off.

Yes.
Layla panted.
God
yes.

“I want you so much.” Cross spread her legs and ran
his warm tongue up and down her thigh.

“Oh.” She leaned up. “Umm.” He slipped off her panties
and pushed his head between her legs.

“Jesus.” She lay back with her arms spread wide. Her
heavy breathing drowned out the low music. Cross gently spread her wide with
two fingers and lapped his tongue over her opening, sending deep chills through
her body.

“Ah.” She writhed against his gyrating face.
“Oh…Cross.”

He licked up, down, and sideways.

“
Whoo
.” Layla held his head
to her. “Yes.” She rocked against his masterful tongue. “Don’t stop.”

He moved his tongue faster, licking, probing, and
sucking.

“Yes.” Layla threw her legs over his shoulder.
“Ooh…right there. Ah.”

“
Mmm
hmm,” Cross mumbled. “
Mmm
.”

“Uh-huh…” Layla flung her arms around. “Yes…oh…Cross.”

He placed his finger on her clit and rubbed as he
sucked. Layla flung her arms left and right with Cross’ head planted firmly
between her legs.

“That’s it…” She held on to the couch. “Yes, Cross.
Yeah. I’m…”

He sucked harder.

“Shit!” She kicked out her legs. “I’m coming. I’m
coming!”

He licked harder.

“Ah fuck!” Layla fell against the couch like a
deflated balloon. “Shit.” She huffed and puffed.

Cross sat up with his lips glistening and his hair
sticking up over his head. Seeing him gratified from satisfying
her
almost made her want to come again. He
slid on top of her and unbuttoned his pants.

“Yes.” She spread her legs wider to accept him.

He slid his pants and underwear to his knees and
lifted her leg just as Layla’s phone rang.

Cross sighed. “Shit.”

“God.” She slapped her hand over her face. “It’s times
like this I wanna kill whoever invented the cell phone.”

Cross began kissing her, saying, “Just ignore it.”

 
“No.” She sat
up. “I gotta answer it. It could be my girls.” She got the phone from her purse
and checked the ID. She answered, “
Liyah
?”

“Momma,” she said in a muffled voice, like she’d been
crying. “Momma…”

“
Liyah
, what’s wrong?”

“It’s Shanti.” Aliyah sobbed into the phone. “Momma,
I’m so sorry. I should’ve protected her.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Layla straightened
up. “Is Shanti all right? Girl, you better answer me.”

“You gotta come down to Herman Hospital.”

Layla’s heart did flip-flops. “What is she doing in
the hospital?!”

“She’s…she’s in pretty bad shape.”

“What the hell happened?!” Layla yelled. “Is she
okay?”

             
“You
need to just come down here. I already called Dad. Just hurry.” Then Aliyah
hung up.

“Jesus!” Layla jumped up and grabbed her panties.
“Something happened to Shanti! She’s in Herman Hospital.”

Cross stood. “Is she okay?”

 
“I don’t know.”
She burst into tears. “I don’t
know
.”

“
Shh
.” He hugged her. “It’s
gonna be all right. I’ll come with you.”

Aliyah paced outside of the exam room. “What’s taking
them so damn long?”

“It takes time to do an exam, babe.”

A.C. sat on the chair by the room, holding his
baseball cap.

“Did you see how she looked?” Aliyah sobbed. “She
looked like all the life had been drained out of her. She wouldn’t even look at
me, A.C. She blames me.”

“I’m sure she doesn’t.”

“Bullshit. I know she does.” She tried to see into the
little window of the door, but paper covered it. “It
is
my fault.” She plopped in the chair beside him. “This happened
because of me.”

“Neither of us knew Khalil would do something like
this.” He patted her back. “I wouldn’t have been hanging around his trifling
ass if I knew it.”

“He still hasn’t called you back?”

“I doubt he will.” He leaned forward. “He knows his
ass was wrong for doing this shit. I called his momma’s house too, and no one
answered.”

“You think he’s there?”

 
“I don’t know.”
A.C. exhaled. “I don’t know nothing anymore.”

Then
Liyah
could hear her
mother’s frightened voice. “
Liyah
!”

Layla and Cross rushed toward them.

“Momma.” Aliyah ran to Layla and hugged her. “I’m so
sorry, Momma. Please don’t hate me. I never would’ve thought this would
happen.”

“What are you talking about? Where is Shanti?”

“She’s in there.” Aliyah pointed to the exam room.
“Momma, she was raped.”

Layla held her stomach. “What?”

Aliyah wiped tears. “At the party.”

“What party?” Layla shook her. “The one I told you not
to go to?”

“I’m sorry.” Aliyah cried into her hands. “I’m so
sorry.”

“I need to see her.” Layla rushed to the door and
knocked on it. “Hello? This is Shanti’s mother. Open up the door, please!”

The short, Asian female doctor came out. “Are you
Shanti’s mother?”

“Yes.” Layla rocked, rubbing her hands.

“I’m Dr. Chin.”

“Is she okay?” She peeked into the room. “Can I see
her?”

Dr. Chin pointed to the forensics nurse. “We’re examining
her now.”

“She’s a minor,” Layla said. “I have every right to
come in.”

“Please, wait outside, Momma!” Shanti sobbed on the
bed. “Please.”

“Okay, baby.” Layla closed the door and hugged Cross.

He patted her hair. “It’s gonna be okay.”

She moved away from him. “Who are you?” she asked, pointing
to A.C. “
Liyah
, I swear to God, your ass better not
had gone to that party.” She grabbed her. “What happened?”

 
“Layla!” Patrick
stomped toward them. “What the hell’s going on?” He pulled Aliyah from Layla.
“Where’s Shanti?”

 
“About time you
showed up,” Layla said. “You could pry yourself away from your pretty new
co-worker long enough to check on your daughter?”

Patrick eyed Cross. “I could’ve asked you the same
thing.”

 
“Stop it!”
Aliyah shouted. “Shanti is hurt, and all you can do is fight?”

“What the hell happened?!” Patrick yelled.

“She was raped.” Aliyah shivered.

“Raped?” Patrick’s face dropped. “What the hell are
you talking about?”

“It happened at that party,” Aliyah said. “We went to
a party in Fifth Ward.”

“A party in Fifth Ward?” Patrick gawked. “Layla, you
knew about this?”

“I told her she couldn’t go.”

“I went with A.C.” Aliyah pointed at him. “We left the
party for a little while and…” She sobbed. “I’m so sorry, Daddy.”

Patrick held his waist. “Who did this to her?”

“My homeboy,” A.C. muttered.

Layla stood over him. “Your
homeboy
raped my daughter?”

He stood. “I didn’t know he’d do something like this.”

“What do you have to say,
Liyah
?”
Layla asked. “See why we’ve been trying to get you to straighten up and realize
what you were doing? I told you if you hung out with trash, you’d regret it.” Layla
glanced at A.C. “I told you that you were putting yourself in danger, hanging
with these thugs!”

“I’m not a thug,” A.C. said. “I feel just as bad as
you do that this happened to Shanti.”

“I doubt that very much,” Patrick said. “You can get
the hell out of here. But first I wanna know who this homeboy is and where he
stays. When I get through with him, he’s gonna wish he was never born.”

A tall, slender-faced black man with short, wavy hair
walked up. “Excuse me. I’m looking for Shanti Sham.” He took out a badge. “I’m
Detective Gunner with the Houston Police.”

“Hello,” Aliyah said. “I’m Aliyah, Shanti’s sister. I
called you. These are my parents, Layla and Patrick.”

“Nice to meet you.” Gunner put his badge up. “I just
wish it were under better circumstances. Is Shanti still with the doctor?”

“She’s having her exam,” Aliyah said.

Gunner sized up the young man beside him. “You are?”

“A.C.” He moved closer to Aliyah. “I’m her boyfriend.”

Patrick grimaced. “Like hell you are.”

“Daddy.” Aliyah grabbed Patrick’s hand. “It’s not the
right time.”

Cross held his hand out to Gunner. “I’m Cross Evers.
I’m a friend of Layla’s.”

Patrick groaned as Gunner shook his hand.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Evers.”

Just then, Dr. Chin walked out. “We’re done.” She gave
a sympathetic glance at Patrick. “Are you Shanti’s father? I’m Dr. Chin.”

“Yes, I’m her father. What’s going to happen now?”

She moved aside as the forensics nurse passed and left
the room.

“Our forensics nurse did a rape kit, and we’re going
to run STD tests to make sure everything is okay. The social worker spoke to
Shanti as well.”

Gunner held his hand out to the doctor. “I’m Detective
Gunner.”

“Dr. Chin.” She smiled and took his hand. “Mr. and
Mrs. Sham…”

“We’re divorced,” Layla said. “It’s Layla
Oates
.”

Patrick cut his gaze to her and then shook his head.

“First, I’d like to say I’m very sorry for what
happened to your daughter.” Dr. Chin held her clipboard to her side. “It’s sad
when anyone is assaulted, but to happen to someone so young…”

“I wanna talk to her,” Layla said. “I need to make
sure she’s okay.”

“I need to speak to her first, Ms. Oates,” Gunner
said. “I’d like to get all details while it’s still fresh in her mind.”

“She was raped, Detective,” Patrick said. “I doubt
those details are going anywhere any time soon.”

“The sooner I can hear Shanti’s statement, the quicker
I can get this guy.”

Layla and Patrick exchanged glances.

“She’s a minor,” Patrick said. “That means we can be
present for the questioning.”

“You do realize it could be very uncomfortable for
her,” Gunner said. “I want her to feel she can be as open as possible, which
would be more difficult with you two in the room.”

Layla fidgeted. “I gotta see my little girl.”

Cross rubbed her back to console her.

“I just need to see her and make sure she’s all
right.” Layla sobbed. “Please.”

Gunner stood aside. “Okay.”