Page 32 of Intercept My Heart

He ended up driving her home, with promises to stop by here in the morning. I wouldn’t hold my breath on it, but I thanked him for coming tonight. As soon as I shut the door, I took my girl upstairs so I could enjoy my second dessert.

“Did you have a good day?” Rae asked as we lay in bed together. Her head rested on my chest, and she ran her fingers over my tattoos.

“Better than expected. I still can’t believe you called my uncle to come here.”

“You deserved to have family there for you. I wanted to make sure you felt supported.”

“Thank you. I’m not used to this, so forgive me if I don’t express myself the way I should.”

“No need to thank me. You’re always showing up for me, and I want to be able to do the same for you. I don’t have money or anything to offer someone like you, but?—”

“Don’t do that. Don’t put us in separate categories as if I’m better than you. I’m a regular person like you. Money doesn’t erase my trauma or problems. I’m fucked up like everybody else. I just hide mine better. What you bring to my life is worth more than money can buy.” She shifted so that we were face to face.

“How?”

“Bitches see me, and they see money and status. I live in this nice ass house and have more clothes and jewelry than anyone could ever want, but that’s where it stops. You’re the first girl to ever ask me how I’m feeling and actually care enough to listen. Even when you were going through your own shit, you made sure to check on my mental. My homies don’t even do that.

“Everybody assumes that money solves every problem, but it doesn’t. Money can’t bring my parents back. Yeah, I live in this nice house, but the shit isn’t all it’s cracked up to be when you’re in this mothafucka alone every day. I don’t celebrate holidays, not because I don’t want to. I don’t have anyone to celebrate them with. Tootie includes me in her stuff, but it’s not the same because she isn’t family. You make me feel loved and wanted, things I never realized I needed until you came along. I’ve been alone in this world for almost a decade, and now I’m not alone anymore. You can’t put a price on that.” Her tears had a nigga choked up, but I refused to show it. I meant what I said, though, and she needed to understand just how irreplaceable she was to me.

“Stop crying, baby. You don’t need to feel sad for me. I’m only telling you this because I don’t want you to think this shit is one-sided. You make my life better by being in it.”

“I wanted to kill myself so many times in that house,” she whispered. Her words caused me to sit up in my bed. I pulled herinto my lap so I could see her face. Emotionally, she may have been scarred, but in my eyes, she was perfect.

“Talk to me.”

“Sometimes it feels like I was put on this Earth to feel pain. It’s the only thing I’ve ever known. Every day in that house, I thought about ways I could end it all so I wouldn’t have to suffer anymore. After Ciera left—” Rae paused, and I could feel my blood boiling as she struggled to say the words.

“She warned me that I needed to protect myself from him, but I messed up. The first night he took advantage of me, it broke another piece of me. I felt so defeated, and I couldn’t imagine going through years of that kind of torture. There was a jump rope under Ciera’s bed that she left behind. In my mind, dying would be easier than the hell waiting for me. After he finished that night, I took a shower to try to scrub him off my skin. My plan was to wait until everyone went to bed, and then I would use the rope to hang myself. It’s not like they would have cared, and I was so… tired. Tired of the beatings and going to bed hungry. Tired of wearing dirty clothes and having to endure bullying every single day. I couldn’t take it anymore.

“Then I walked into my room and saw the sandwich on my bed. I wondered if maybe it was a sign from God, telling me not to give up. I didn’t know who left it until I read the wrapper and saw the name Sutton written on it. You gave me a reason to keep fighting. A reason to hope. That’s the reason I go so hard for you. I wouldn’t be here if you didn’t have the heart that you have. I’m not sure if I believe in God, but if he is real, I owe him for sending you to me. Because of you, I know what love feels like—something I’ve been desperately seeking since the day I came into this world. So, thank you. I don’t have to be alone anymore, and neither do you.” Sunny used her hands to wipe the tears from my face.

She managed to break down the last wall I had on my heart. My love for her ran deep. Sometimes, it scared me because I never knew an emotion could be so powerful. This was deeper than words and declarations. There were no limits to what I would do for her.

I hugged her as she sobbed. We had more in common than she even understood. We were two lost souls who had been left behind by the people who created us, looking for love in a coldhearted world. My girl had been broken for a long time, but I planned to repair the damage life had caused.

“I love you, Sunny. I don’t give a fuck if I’m the only one in this world who does. I promise I’ll make sure that you never go a day without feeling it.” I rained kisses all over her face until her sadness turned into laughter.

“I love you too. You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me. I’m really sad you’re leaving, but you’re going to go out into the world and do great things. Just make sure you tell them girls on campus that you have a girl who doesn’t mind beating ass behind you.” I chuckled, observing the frown lines on her face.

“Man, gone somewhere. You don’t have to worry about those broads. Our relationship means too much for me to take that kind of risk. The idea of losing you makes my trigger finger itch, and nobody wants those problems. Besides, I got the hottest chick in the game wearing my chain.” I recited a line from a Jay-Z’s song, pointing to the “Money” chain on her neck.

We stared at one another, and I saw the exact moment her gaze shifted from love to desire. Heat radiated from her center, and her wetness caused my dick to brick up. Neither of us wore any clothes, so there were no barriers between us. She ground her pussy on me, as my hands gravitated toward her waist. No words were spoken as she lifted up and then slid down my shaft.

“Mmmm.” My eyes closed as I savored the feeling of her tight walls hugging me. Holding onto her waist, I guided her while she rode me slowly. I swear I could never get enough of her. If I could live inside of her, I would. Sunny was my everything, and I would spend the rest of my life proving that there was no other woman out there for me.

Two Yearslater

Dinero was going to have a fit when he saw all the gifts I had gotten him. His birthday wasn’t something he enjoyed celebrating, but that never stopped me from getting him a gift. My man went above and beyond to take care of me, so the least I could do was make sure he had a cake and presents for his special day.

Things had changed so much for us in the last two years, but there were no complaints on my end. Life had finally begun to turn around for me, and I was excited about what the future had in store for Dinero and me.

He was in his sophomore year of college, and the NFL recruiters had been watching him like sharks. Originally, he planned to wait until he finished school, but we all knew they would make him an offer soon enough.

There were people all over the apartment complex, and it looked like one big old party. I hadn’t considered the fact that Dinero may have gone out, because he normally told me about his plans for the weekend. When I talked to him this morning, he told me he was going to take a nap and then chill for the night. They were training harder than normal, so between that and his testing, he’d been more tired than usual.

One thing I loved about Dinero was the fact that he put just as much effort into his schoolwork as he did into his game. He made sure that he studied almost every night and got up for his classes on time. Most student athletes didn’t care about the academic portion when they’d already decided they wanted to go to the NFL or NBA. I respected his dedication to higher learning.

“Ahh!” My whole body almost jumped out of the car when I heard the banging sounds at the rear of my car. When I turned to see what was going on, I saw two men fighting. One of them had the other pressed against the trunk of my car as he delivered hit after hit. They were yelling, but most of it was unintelligible. Reaching for my phone, I thought about calling Dinero to help me. Since I still wanted to surprise him, I decided to wait out the fight. The delicious aroma from the food in the back seat caused my stomach to growl.

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