He took a sip of his coffee and I watched his whole face change. He almost blushed. His jaw got tight and his eyes went soft for just a second before he caught himself.
"I slept good as hell," he said, and then he smiled. A real smile. Not the cold calculated shit he did most of the time. An actual genuine smile that made his whole face look different. And for once, I saw his perfect, pearly white teeth.
Then he realized what he was doing. I watched him catch himself mid-smile and kill it. Just shut it down like he flipped a switch. His face went back to that blank expression and he looked awayfrom me. Damn, this man couldn’t even allow himself to feel whatever that just was. He had to be hard and cold. I rolled my eyes an his sudden shift.
He started eating again and the energy at the table changed.
"Your clothes are laid out in your room," he said, and his voice had gone back to that short, direct tone. The mean Kaseem. Not the one who almost blushed a few minutes ago. "After breakfast you need to get dressed. We're going to the courthouse."
I felt the wall go back up between us. After last night, after this morning, he was pulling back. Fighting whatever he was feeling.
"Your wallet is in my office," he continued, not looking at me. "I didn't go through it. You can grab your own documents. If you're missing your ID or social, we can grab them on the way."
I looked at him talking to me like we were business associates discussing logistics. Like his heartbeat hadn't been underneath me just a few hours ago.
I matched his energy. Cold. Short and straight to the point. "Okay," I said.
We finished eating in silence.
---
I went upstairs and the dress was laid out on my bed. Black fitted dress, expensive, but simple. The kind of thing a woman would wears to sign marriage documents. He'd picked it himself. That detail hit different now that I understood he was paying attention to me in ways he wasn't supposed to be. I loved dark colors and very minimal things. Not basic, just kit flashy.
I got dressed, did my hair and makeup basic. I only had a few things to work with so I put pink blush on my nose and cheeks. Then, I did my signature lip combo. Brown liner with glossy pink fillers. Simple yes, but when I looked at myself in the mirror, I was bad as hell. I almost didn’t look like I was headed to sign my damn life away to a mean ass, crazy ass killer.
When I came back downstairs, he was waiting by the front door like he'd been counting down the minutes.
He looked at me. Just took me in for a long moment. I watched his jaw clench and something flash across his face before he locked it back down. He matched my style. He was wearing a black, fitter but casual shirt that looked expensive as hell. Black slacks, and some Dior sneakers to match his Dior belt. He’d put on his Cartier frame glasses and the nigga was looking and smelling like generational wealth. For real.
"You ready?" he asked. Cold. Professional. Like last night was a dream. Like this morning when he almost smiled didn't happen.
I wanted to tell him no. I wanted to tell him that I wasn't ready for any of this. But what I said was, "Yeah. Let's go. It's not like I have a choice anyway."
The words came out sharp. A dig. A reminder that this was still forced, still something being done to me rather than with me. I knew that last line was gone piss him off. If he wanted to play hard, then I would do the same.
He went completely still. I watched his whole body tense up. He looked at me and something in his expression shifted. Like my words landed somewhere they weren't supposed to. Like I'd just reminded him that at the end of the day, I was here against my will.
He didn't say anything. Just turned and walked toward the truck.
I followed behind him, already regretting the dig. Because that was the thing — I did have a choice now. In some things anyway. Last night proved that. Although he did force me to stay in his room. He didn't force me to put my head on his chest. I did that. I chose that. But admitting that meant admitting something I wasn't ready to admit out loud. Again, this man had kidnapped me and was forcing a whole new life on me. I shouldn’t be having any feelings for him other than hate.
So I kept my mouth shut and got in the truck.
---
The courthouse was busy with regular people handling regular legal shit. Kaseem had his hand on the small of my back when we walked through the doors, guiding me through the crowd.
I was trying to focus on where we were going when I heard her voice.
"Kaseem! Oh my God, what are you doing here? And why haven’t I heard from you?”
I turned and saw her at the same time he did. She was pretty. The kind of pretty that came from money and time invested in herself. Designer everything. The kind of girl who looked like she belonged exactly where she was. She had to work here or was handing important business here.
She walked straight toward us, completely ignoring me like I wasn't even there. Like I was furniture or part of the building. Her whole face lit up like she'd just seen the best thing happen to her all week.
"It’s been forever," she said, and she reached out and touched his arm like she had the right to. Like her hands belonged on him. "What's going on? Why are you at the courthouse?"
Kaseem's face didn't change but his entire energy shifted. It was immediate. He pulled his arm away from her touch and stepped closer to me instead. Close enough that our shoulders were almost touching.
