Page 17 of Blake University HBCU Chronicles: Nuri & Silas

Inside the cruiser, Nuri leaned her head against the window, watching the city blur by.

Every lie, every betrayal, every time Boyd made her feel like she wasn’t enough—she reflected on everything, then let it go, and she became stronger because of it.

Nuri had her mother’s good looks and strength, her father’s fight and heart, and Silas’ love and protection all around her. She was a fuckin’ warrior.

Nuri’s four-hour stay in that jail cell was hell on earth—worse than any nightmare she’d ever had.

Every minute ticked by like a slow-dripping faucet.

The walls felt too close, the air too thin, and the faces around her too empty.

She’d always known that the system wasn’t built for girls like her, but sitting in that cell, she felt inhuman.

She sat there, arms folded across her chest, staring at the cracked wall, trying to make sense of how the hell she’d ended up here.

She analyzed everything silently. The women around her moved like ghosts, their voices rough and worn like they’d been living in this darkness for too long.

The smell of cheap soap, musk, and desperation filled the stale air; and Nuri’s heart ached for every soul trapped in this hell hole.

She couldn’t help but thank God for her mother, Nova.

Nova had raised her to believe she was worthy even when the world tried to tell her otherwise.

Even when Boyd tried to break her spirit.

Her mother stood firm, pouring into her, reminding her of her strength, and who she was raising her to be.

If it hadn’t been for her unwavering love and God’s grace, Nuri knew she just might’ve crumbled.

Her mind kept circling back to that moment in the parking lot…

the look in her real father’s eyes when she saw him standing in the parking lot, arms folded, jaw tight, ready to go to war for her.

It was like something deep in her DNA recognized him, like her soul had been waiting her whole life for that connection. Ali.

Ever since finding out that Ali was her father, in her subconscious; she wondered how she'd respond to him. Nuri loathed the fact that she was in cuffs, and getting into the back of a police car. Beyond all the gory details that led to that moment, Nuri's heart leaped in her chest.

Nuri thought about how she’d let her guard down for him, giving him pieces of herself no one else had even gotten close to.

She’d trusted him with her secrets, her scars, her soul.

As she sat in that cell, cuffs biting her wrists, she felt the sting of betrayal all over again—but this time, the betrayal didn’t own her.

She was stronger now, braver. Silas had given her a space to be soft and strong at the same time, to be a woman who didn’t have to carry everything on her own.

That shit still blew her mind. One minute he was her professor, the man she’d fantasized about late at night, the next he was the man who’d made her heart his home.

Everything with him had happened so fast, but it felt right.

Like God had lined the stars up just for them.

It was wild how quickly things had shifted between them—one minute he was her professor, the next he was her lover too.

When the correctional officer finally popped her cell door open, the sound felt like freedom.

“Nuri Sinclair! You made bail. Let’s go,” the woman’s voice was flat and unkind.

Nuri moved fast, gathering her things and changing into her real clothes.

She glanced at herself in the tiny mirror—eyes puffy but determined, lips dry but set in a hard line.

She wasn’t the same girl who’d walked in here.

She stepped out into the night air and spotted him immediately.

Silas, standing by his truck, arms crossed, eyes scanning the darkness like he was waiting for someone to jump out at them.

When his gaze met hers, his face softened.

She stepped outside and the first person she saw was Silas leaning against his truck, arms folded, and his watchful gaze locked on her like he was her personal security detail.

Nuri didn’t waste a second. She ran to him, pressing herself against his chest like she’d been holding her breath for hours.

His scent—clean, expensive, dangerous, and captivating as fuck.

“I got you, baby,” he murmured, his arms pulling her in like he’d never let her go.

“Thank you for coming to get me,” she breathed against his lips.

He kissed her slow and deep, like he was reminding her of all the reasons he’d never let her fight alone. “Come on. Let’s get outta here.” Silas said, his voice low and protective.

They slid into his truck as the bass of Brent Faiyaz’s All Mine pulsed through the speakers. A reminder that even in the middle of the mess, she was his. Silas pulled off smooth, like they had all the time in the world with—one hand on the wheel, the other resting on her thigh.

“Silas,” Nuri spoke over the music. "I want to meet my real father, but before I do, I need to get a little more closure.

Silas shot her a look, eyes steady on the road but his hand gripping hers like he’d never let go. "I thought you said you spoke to your mom already."

"I did.” She sighed, her thumb tracing his skin. “But, there’s more I need to know. Stuff that only he can give me. Answers I need for me, so I can stand on my own when I meet Ali.”

Silas nodded, understanding where Nuri was coming from. "I'll make it happen with Ali," Silas assured her. “You want me to come with you?” he asked, his voice low, protective.

She shook her head, squeezing his hand. “I appreciate you, Si. More than you know. But this… I gotta do it on my own.”

Silas had plans to take her straight to Ali, to make it easier on her.

But this was Nuri’s story, her journey. He had to respect that.

He turned the wheel, taking a thirty-minute detour to drop her off to pick up her car.

He didn’t say much, just held her hand the whole way, his thumb tracing circles that made her want to cry and smile at the same time.

When he parked, he shifted in his seat, eyes locked on hers. “You sure you don’t want me to trail you? Wait around just in case?”

Nuri leaned in, pressing her lips to his. “I’m good, baby. I got this.”

He kissed her back, slow and deliberate. “Stop by the house when you done, a’ight? I got some other shit to run by you.”

She smiled. “You know I will.”

She stepped out of the car, her feet hitting the ground like a declaration. Nuri wasn’t just surviving anymore. She was about to truly live her best life on purpose. And, no matter what came next—no matter who tried to break her—she knew one thing for sure. She was built to last.