Youngin' Blues: The Story of Reed and RaKeem

by Mercy B

  Danity didn’t answer, she nodded instead. Feeling a bit foolish, she swallowed the lump in her throat. RaKeem was a once in a lifetime, and she simply wanted to be in his presence. Even if they became the coolest of friends, she wanted to be there somewhere. Everyone did, niggas and bitches. They all loved Keem and Reed. Too bad, Reed was out of the question. She barely even associated with anyone that attended the university. All high, mighty, and about her shit, Reed didn’t have much time to spare. Besides her family, best friend, and man, there wasn’t much more that she needed –in terms of communication with others.

  “Aight.” Keem turned his volume back up and continued.

  They were at the dorm in no time at all. Before Danity could remove herself from Keem’s whip, he grabbed her. “I’m going to go ahead and get out. Once I hit the door, you can go ahead and make your way to your dorm. It was nice meeting you Ms. Danity. I’ll be seeing you around.” He smiled.

  Danity immediately felt offended, but as soon as Keem reached over and hugged her, all was forgiven. She melted in his muscular arms and allowed his manly fragrance to take control of her body. The hug lasted for only a second or two, but it felt like a lifetime. Danity couldn’t wait to tell her friend, Gia, about who she’d encountered. Gia didn’t attend the university, but she knew exactly who RaKeem was. The entire Philly knew who the young bull was. Just was much as he was, his name was popping.

  RaKeem ended the hug and got out of his car. Danity watched from the driver side window –admiring his physique. The minute he touched the door, she was out like light. Speeding, she tried catching up to him. She wasn’t ready to rid his presence. An elevator ride would suffice, anything to see those pretty eyes and smile just once more. In a matter of minutes, she’d become completely smitten by the likes of an occupied man. Just as Danity made it to the elevator, the door was closing and Keem winked.

  With a smile, Danity hugged her notebook, and began to hum. She was on cloud nine as she pushed the elevator’s button to get to her floor. The smile that was on her face remained as she got on and road all the way to her floor. It hadn’t even left by the time she changed into something more comfortable and laid down to call Gia. Just before she dialed her number, a text came through.

  Meet me around back, let’s go for a spin. -Keem

  That was the start of it all.

  Slamming down the top to the washer, Danity turned to find Reed staring at her. She figured she was, because she could feel the eye penetrating. All of a sudden she remembered that she had on Keem’s t shirt. He’d left it over at her place just the day prior, and she’d thrown it on because she didn’t have many clean tees. Biting the inside of her jaw, she hoped that Reed didn’t dig much into the situation.

  Her luck was short lived as she heard Reed clear her throat. She stood from her seat and mellowed over to where Danity was standing. Nervousness floored through Danity as she tried to come up with the perfect way to respond to the million-dollar question that was sure to be asked.

  “Danity, is it?” Reed asked.

  She was so beautiful. RaKeem had himself a winner, and you’d have to be blind not to see it. Reed’s caramel skin, pretty pink lips, thin waistline, significant body ratio, and especially beautiful round eyes were all just too perfect. She seemed gentle to the touch. Her voice was even angelic.

  “Yes.”

  “I’m Reed.” Reed smiled. “I see our men must have similar taste. My boyfriend Keem has the exact same shirt.”

  Instead of answering, Danity looked down at the shirt as if she hadn’t seen it before. She was near a response when Reed continued. “I couldn’t help but to notice that you’re a natural –like myself. Your bantu knots are perfect, and I can’t seem to get mine to stay put for the life of me.” Reed hissed.

  Danity sighed, hoping that the relief wasn’t written all over her face. She thought that Reed had figured something out that she wasn’t meant to. Danity was wondering how she’d explain it to Keem if they’d had words –or worse fought.

  “Is your hair usually wet or dry when you attempt them?” Danity asked, slightly still uptight.

  “Damped. Right in between. I usually spritz it with water. I have too much hair to twist it while completely wet.”

  “Well, there you have it. That’s the problem. To get them to stay, you must saturate your hair in water. It doesn’t have to be completely wet, but that’s best.” Danity informed Reed.

  “Thanks a lot. I’ll keep that in mind next time.” She tried to store the advice into a mental pocket in her head as she went back to her seat.

  As she walked off, her knees nearly gave out. The entire room began to spin as her world seemingly came crashing down. It was as if she’d just been told that her life was near the ending. Soreness arose in her chest area, making way for unwanted and uninvited emotions. Reed felt torn, immediately.

  She tried to place a time that she’d felt so helpless, other than the rape and her brother’s supposed death. Her heart hurt, and her feelings were crushed. Without a doubt, she knew now what heartbreak felt like. Never, had she ever even considered the turmoil, until it was knocking at her door.

  Reed was the least bit interested in holding a conversation with Danity. It was simply a ploy to get close to her. She had the right mind to believe that Danity was sporting her boyfriend’s shirt, and there was only one way to tell. Keem wore a very significant amount of cologne on any given day. You could still smell it on his clothes even days after they’d been removed. To Reed’s dismay, there were traces of her man.

  As she made her way back to where she’d been prior, she tried her best to weed away the thoughts of Keem ever consenting in such foul play. There had to be a logical explanation as to why the young lady’s shirt looked and smelled as if it was his. Maybe her boyfriend had a keen sense of sophistication much like Keem. Yeah, that had to be he case. Chalking it up to the fact that she could still very much be freaking out, Reed tried calming herself.

  “You okay?” KinZu asked, aware of the sudden deflation that Reed had undergone.

  “Yeah. I’m fine.” Reed nodded, seemingly trying to convince herself.

  “I’m just about finished here.” KinZu turned to see how much longer her washing machine load had. The drying only took 45 minutes. “If you want to head back upstairs, then it’s fine.”

  “I’m good.” Reed smiled. “Tell me. Have you given any thought to your plans after the baby?” Just like that, they fell into conversation.

  Danity continued to try and reach Keem. From the dejection that could be heard in Reed’s voice, she knew that she had snagged something. If Keem knew what was best, he’d answer. Danity was simply trying to give him the heads up. After realizing he’d powered down his cell, she shot him a text. Danity advised him of retrieving his shirt as soon as possible, because of her encounter with Reed. She knew him well, and felt as if he’d be upset. However, it was what it was. She had no clue that she’d run into Reed while doing laundry. She’d never seen her in the laundry room before. Besides, Keem himself had told her that it was forbidden on his end. He made sure that her needs were taken care of.

  7

  Reed’s smug expression couldn’t be mistaken as she stalked to RaKeem. He’d been nice enough to invite her to his home for a spa night. RaKeem had scheduled for entire team to come over and cater to her every need. As the weekdays passed, she found herself stretched thinner and thinner. RaKeem was completely aware of the case, so he was always sure to add a few moments of peace and tranquility to her time.

  “Beautiful,” Keem called out, taken aback by Reed’s expression.

  His heart beat rapidly as he wondered what she would say to him –more so what she was feeling towards him. be it hurt, anger, sadness, or resentment he was afraid to find out. She’d powered her cell off the entire day, and just responded to his demands an hour prior to his arrival. He knew that she had to have been upset with him.

  Reed had never gone to such lengths. She was always th
ere when he needed her. All day long, he’d needed her. He needed to hear her voice, see her smile, and know that she was okay. Danity had warned him of the laundry room incident, and the news left him desperate to speak with Reed.

  “Why the frown?” he asked, grabbing Reed’s face and bringing it closer to his. Had he been mistaken, he’d sworn that tears pooled in her beautiful eyes. However, that couldn’t have been the case, because he was Keem. And Keem would never have his precious Reed crying, or would he?

  “Hey RaKeem.” Reed shifted from one foot to the other, pulling away from Keem’s grasp. As she turned her head, she wiped the lone tear from each eye. His scent, the once intoxicating one, was making her sick to the stomach.

  “Come here.” Keem pleaded, softening even more. He pulled her back in, wrapped his arms around her neck, and kissed her forehead. “I missed you all fucking night.” He admitted. It was the truth; he had.

  “I missed you, too.” Reed countered, expressing her truths.

  “I have special plans for you.” He whispered in her ear. “You’re going to love them.”

  RaKeem lead Reed to the passenger seat of his car. he hadn’t known what to expect, so the driver was left at his home. Keem didn’t know if Reed would require special attention, or if she’d be straight. Again, she’d never disengaged from him. The shit had literally freaked him out.

  Quite some time later, the couple was pulling into the driveway of RaKeem’s home. A huge black van was parked out front, and Reed knew what time it was. A faint smile appeared on her face as she thought of the famous massage that she was about to order. The idea of being pampered but her body at ease. However, that would all have to wait, because she had some business to handle before she could completely relax and allow the effects of everything to take place.

  “Spa day?” Reed questioned, getting out of the car. She didn’t wait for Keem to walk around and open her door. Reed was on a mission, and not even a polite gentleman could deter her.

  Just as expected, Rosa swung the door open to RaKeem’s mansion, inviting Reed inside. After allowing Rosa to kiss each side of her cheeks, Reed continued into the house. Rosa was spewing something behind her, but she didn’t bother turning around. Heading upstairs to the master suite, Reed heard RaKeem’s sized 11 shoes behind her. She paid him no mind as she opened his bedroom door and threw her purse onto the bed.

  Going into his bathroom, she headed for the laundry closet. Keem would leave his clothes out to sit for days before allowing Rosa to do her job and get them to the dry cleaners. Half of the time, she had to sneak in to get them. Keem didn’t see the big deal, mainly because he rarely wore the same thing twice. Before Rosa could wash things, they’d be thrown away.

  Reed reached the closet and pulled back the thin door that separated it from the rest of the bathroom. His smell smacked her across the face, again. She pulled the huge white wicker basket from it’s home, bringing it out into the middle of the floor.

  “Reed!” Keem yelled, trying to get her attention. “What are you doing?” he asked.

  Rushing to her side, he picked the basket up and tried putting it back where it belonged. She was not about to take it there, and he wouldn’t allow her to. Knowing just where she was going with his, Keem tried to spare her the trouble.

  “Put the basket back down. I’m looking for something.” Reed yelled, demanding that he place the basket back where she’d put it. She’d never used such tone with him. He was alarmed, yet he wouldn’t lower the basket. Reed wanted to push him down; she was so upset.

  “Na, man. Gone downstairs.” He instructed, still trying to get the basket back into the closet.

  Jumping up, midair, Reed smacked the basket from Keem’s hand, causing him to drop it. She was not here to play games. Whether he wanted her to or not, she was going to look through the clothes. She needed to be sure that his shirt was where it needed to be. There was no way in hell she was going to believe that someone was prancing around campus in the tee that she’d purchased for him. That would be a deal breaker in her opinion. Some things just reeked of disrespect, and that was one.

  The basket tumbled and clothes fell to the floor –exactly as Reed had planned. She heard Keem hiss behind her, but she didn’t give a damn. She had dropped to her knees immediately, and began to hunt. Over and over, she threw clothes back into the upright basket, removing the articles that were definitely not what she was searching for from the pile that still needed to be looked through.

  “I have an entire team downstairs waiting for you and you’re up here trying to sift through dirty clothes.” Keem shook his head.

  “It was yours wasn’t it?”

  Reed finally made it through the entire basket, not once had she graced the shirt in question. Immediately, strife filled her heart and mind. She hated RaKeem in an instant. He’d gone from high and mighty to low and unfit in her book. “Wasn’t it?” she wanted to know, desperately.

  “What are you talking about?” Keem acted as if he didn’t know what she was referring to. Forged confusion written all over his handsome face.

  Before Reed could explain, the tears began. RaKeem’s immediate reaction was to drop to his knees and console her. “What are you crying for, baby?” Deeply saddened, he tried to grab ahold to her.

  “Was it your shirt that she had on?” Reed asked again.

  “What shirt? What are you talking about?”

  “It’s not here. Your shirt. The one that I got you. You wore it the other day.” she better informed.

  Fear launched at Keem, causing him to swallow his words. He was looking for the right explanation, but not much was coming to mind. He had to think, and quick. “Which one? Reed, you buy me so much.” Those were the only words to burst through his lips, teeth, and tongue, so he went with them.

  “The one with the red. You wore it just three days ago.”

  “Oh shit.” Keem stood. “It should be in here.”

  He removed himself from the floor and went back into the closet. He was praying that the shirt magically appeared. If his staff was as efficient as they needed to be, then he’d have nothing to worry about. However, he’d never know. The shirt was supposed to be in the basket, but it wasn’t there. His heart cried out to Reed as he listened to her sniffle on the floor. She was highly upset, and he was well aware of the facts.

  Flicking the light on in the small closet, RaKeem was visibly relieved to see the shirt laying on the floor. His bones were able to rest and his heart lit with glee. Guessing it had fallen to the floor, he bent down and picked it up. Leaving back out, he went over to Reed. Still standing, he held the shirt in the air.

  “This shirt?” he asked, looking into Reed’s tear stained eyes.

  Placing her hand on her beating heart, Reed closed her eyes and silently thanked God. Her man hadn’t gone and done the ultimate, and she was so happy about the revelation. Although Reed was relieved, Keem felt like shit. To see what the results would be had Reed not been granted what she wanted was devastating. He’d been sure to require someone to go to the mall and purchase him the same exact shirt that Reed had. Also, he had them to spray it down with his cologne, after running it through the dryer to seem worn.

  It didn’t matter what it had taken, he just needed to be sure that it was present when his dearest Reed had made it to his place. Knowing that she would look, it was the first thing on his mind when he woke. He could’ve taken Reed out to the spa, but he brought them to his home for a reason.

  RaKeem needed to clear his name immediately, and cease any thoughts that Reed had of his unfaithfulness. Now, after the game had been won, Keem was left feeling like a complete fool. Reed was pure perfection, and yet he still felt the need to do his thing.

  “Yeah.” Reed swallowed hard, nodding her head. Relief washed over her.

  Getting up from the floor, she felt foolish for having reacted in such a way. In the heart of hearts, she knew that RaKeem only had eyes for her. However, she needed to be sure. Men were unpredictabl
e, but Reed was happy to have an honest one in Keem. Tossing the shirt into the laundry basket, Keem rushed to Reed. Pulling her up, he brought her lips to his.

  “What’s with the tears?” he asked.

  “I saw someone with a shirt much like yours. It even smelled like you.” She complained.

  “You do realize they make tons of those shirt and millions of bottles of the exact same cologne that I spray every morning, right?”

  “I wasn’t thinking of that. It was just so coincidental.”

  “Is that why you ignored me all day? My feelings have been hurt since I called and got the voicemail the first time.” he played the blame game well.

  “Yes. I needed a moment. All night, I laid awake, hoping that my suspicions were just that… Suspicions.”

  “Have a little faith in your man, baby. I got you. If I can help it, I’ll never hurt you. You look too ugly when you cry.” Keem shed some light on the situation. Reed pulled back and punched RaKeem in the gut. He needed it, and he secretly felt better. He deserved the sucker punch. He was a straight coward for making her cry.

  “Shut up. I look good.” Reed smoothed down her hair. Turning to go look in the mirror, she made sure that she was back in check before turning around and giving Keem the middle finger.

  Keem looked on as Reed laid in his bed, fast asleep. The pampering had put her to sleep, and she would probably be out for the rest of the day. RaKeem grabbed his personal cell and headed outside. He needed a minute, and a bit of advice. He knew of two people that he could call. However, he dialed the first that came to mind.

  As he walked along the huge lake, that was an addition to his backyard, Keem listened as the ringing of the phone commenced. His call was answered by the third ring.

  “What’s up, young bull?” RahMeek asked.

  Although he could’ve called his father for some sound advice, he felt that Meek would better relate. As a young nigga, RahMeek was wilding in the streets. Mason, their father, was always tied to RahMeek’s mother. Even though he did his thing, he was tied down the entire time. He could feel Keem’s pain. Yet and still, Keem needed to hear the other side of the story.