Page 8 of Follow Me to Your Heart

After our fifth shot, I’d lost count of how much we’d been drinking.

All I could say was that I’d reached my limit.

The room was beginning to spin, and I was slowly beginning to black out every so often.

While I was having the time of my life, I had to be mindful and not get to the point I couldn’t remember anything.

“Where is Sienna?” I yelled over the music to Taylor, who was just as faded as I was. We were sitting in a corner, chugging down water bottles and swaying to the music.

“I’m not that girl’s babysitter and neither are you, Korren. She’s grown. She knows she came here with us, so I don’t know why she keeps leaving us. I’m too fucked up to be worried about anyone else other than you.”

“I can’t do her like that, Tay. She’s here with me, so I need to go look for her.” I stood up only to sit right back down from the way my legs wobbled. I glanced over at Taylor, and we fell over one another, laughing. “I’m too fucked up. We need to call a Journey so we can leave.”

“I agree. I’ll order one while you go find your friend.”

I kissed my teeth and playfully rolled my eyes. “Come on. You know I can’t go out in this crowd by myself. I need you to come with me.”

“Wait.” Taylor held her finger up while she tapped away on her phone with her free hand.

I pulled mine out to see if Cage had reached out.

He hadn’t which only made me want to drink more, but I knew better.

One more shot or drink would have me completely blacked out.

It was the last thing I needed with Jody watching me.

Jody was the star quarterback for the school, and he’d been at me all night.

I gave in and danced with him one time. While it was fun in the moment, I immediately regretted it after.

He wouldn’t leave me alone, as if he didn’t have all the girls in attendance wanting his attention.

I wasn’t sure why he’d chosen me for the night, but I was over it.

I’d been hiding in the cut with Taylor, praying I was a distant memory in his mind, and someone else had occupied the space I once filled.

“Okay, I’m ready,” Taylor announced.

Hand in hand, Taylor and I maneuvered through the crowded house.

The frat houses on campus were large, but it was filled.

People were body to body, sweat pouring from everyone with how hot and humid it was.

My shorts clung to my thighs, rising with each step I took. I couldn’t wait to get home and shower.

Taylor and I searched all around, but Sienna was nowhere in sight.

My gut twisted. I prayed she wasn’t crazy enough to go home with someone or be upstairs giving herself to someone she didn’t know, but not being able to find her had my mind going a mile a minute.

I pulled my phone out to call her when I felt a large hand on the lower part of my back.

“Are you looking for me?” Jody whispered in my ear, sending a chill down my spine. The mixture of his overbearing cologne and alcohol almost made me gag. It was obvious we both had too much to drink.

I stepped closer to Taylor and turned around with a fake smile. “No, I’m looking for my friend. Have you seen her?”

Jody massaged his chiseled jaw and nodded. “Yeah. She left with my boy about ten minutes ago. I’ve been trying to find you to see if you wanted to leave too.”

My ears couldn’t believe what they’d just heard.

I got my phone and went on my app to see that Sienna had surely left the party.

I was too faded to think about doing that first. She was in one of the dorms not too far away, so I tugged Taylor toward the door.

Jody gripped my arm and pulled me into him.

I tried to jerk it away, but his hold was too strong.

“Let me go!”

“Yeah, let her go before I go upside your head, Jody. I don’t care who you think you are. You need to learn some respect.” Taylor defended me, attempting to jerk me back.

My heart thumped in my chest when Jody firmly grabbed my ass.

He tried slipping his fingers between my shorts, but I kept wiggling.

In the blink of an eye, he had completely released me from the hold Taylor had on me and pinned me against the wall.

My flight or fight kicked in, and I slapped him.

Of course, he ate it. Slowly, he trailed his tongue over his bottom-heavy lip and smirked.

“Ah!” I screamed as his hand went around my neck.

Jody was a big boy. He stood at six feet five and had to weigh every bit of 230 pounds. I was no match for him. Neither was Taylor, but we were both trying our hardest to get him off me while others stood by and watched.

“Either you give this pussy up willingly, or I take it from you. The way you were dancing on me earlier couldn’t have been just for fun, shawty. You felt this dick on you and kept dancing. That tells me you want it just as badly as I do.”

I wanted to curl up and slither away when Jody licked my neck. Once again, his hands found their way between my shorts. The harder I tried to wiggle away, the rougher he got.

Someone let out a shrill scream, and it was like a domino effect.

His scent kissed my nose before I saw him. My soul immediately relaxed, feeling safe knowing my protector was nearby. Within seconds, Cage appeared with his gun to Jody’s temple, freezing the entire party.

All the color drained from Jody’s face. Fear flashed over his copper irises as his bottom lip trembled. Cage moved in closer. The stone expression on his handsome face scared me. He was in a different element, one only I could talk him out of.

“Cage. Don’t do it,” I whispered.

“Give me one good reason I shouldn’t. Why does this nigga have his hands on you?”

“I-I’m sorry, man. I-it wasn’t even like that,” Jody lied, making the situation worse. Cage cocked his gun, sending more people out the door.

I focused on Jody and instructed, “Let me go, slowly. Take some steps back from me.”

Cage chimed in. “You have two seconds to do what she said, or I’m ending your life.”

Jody did as I said, tears streaming down his cheeks, with his arms up.

Cage still had his gun trained on Jody as he examined me, taking me in inch by inch.

His nostrils flared. He leaned in to get a closer look at my neck.

I was sure I was red and would bruise later, but it was only because of my fair skin.

Gently, I placed both hands on Cage’s face and peered into his eyes. “I’m okay, Cage. I’m fine. Let’s leave.”

“You’re not fine, Korren. Your eyes resemble the color of a brewing storm, and your neck is red.

Your hands are trembling on my face, and the stench of alcohol is coming from your pores.

How do you expect me to believe you’re okay when I know you’re not?

How do you expect me not to pull the trigger, knowing this nigga was about to take advantage of you?

You know how I feel about sending people to their maker, but you also know all that shit goes out the window when it comes to you. ”

“And you should know that I know you won’t be okay if you do. From the way your pupils are enlarged and your minimal contact with me all week, you’re not in the right headspace. This will only take you deeper down whatever hole you’re trying to dig yourself out of, Cage. Let’s leave.”

It was obvious Cage was fighting an internal battle. It felt like hours passed before he finally lowered his gun. I breathed a sigh of relief, only for Cage to turn around and shoot Jody in the foot.

“Next time, it’ll be your head. Come on, KoKo.”

Cage held my hand and escorted me out the house, with Taylor in tow.

My emotions were all over the place. I was grateful Cage showed up and saved me, but I was also still pissed I hadn’t really talked to him.

It wasn’t the time to bring it up. We all needed to process what happened, and I needed to find Sienna.

“Before you take me home, can you take me to get Sienna? I have her location,” I stated, sliding into the passenger seat.

“We can leave her where she is. She shouldn’t have left.” Taylor mumbled underneath her breath.

“She left y’all?” Cage quizzed, looking back and forth between us.

I laid my head against the head rest and nodded. “Yes, she did. I’m not in the mood for anything other than finding her and going home. I’m drunk, and it’s been one hell of a week. This night ended terribly. I don’t need any extra shit happening.”

My mouth twisted. I shut my eyes to stop the tears that were threatening to fall. While my adrenaline was still rushing, my mind was slowly beginning to process what happened with Jody. Things could’ve been much worse if Cage didn’t show up and if Cage would’ve killed Jody.

It was too much.

Sienna’s location was five minutes away. When we got there, Cage went to get her.

Taylor sat up and rubbed my shoulders. Her touch opened the floodgates. With my hands covering my face, I bawled. My emotions were all over the place, but agony was the most evident one.

My door opened, and Taylor engulfed me in her arms. “It’s okay, Korren. Let it out.”

“I-I can’t believe that happened, Tay.”

“Me either. It was wild, but I’m glad nothing further happened. You’re going to need time to get through this mentally and emotionally.”

“I know.”

Taylor held me until Cage returned with a drunken Sienna.

He helped her into the back seat, and Taylor joined her.

The ride back to my apartment was a silent one.

My pain was slowly turning into anger. I wasn’t sure who I was more upset with between Cage and Sienna, but I needed space from them both.

That was wishful thinking.

Sienna had nowhere else to go, and Cage refused to leave me. We had dropped Taylor off at home, so I let Sienna have my room while I slept on the air mattress. After I showered, I went to the living room to see Cage sitting on the couch waiting for me with a Gatorade, water, snacks, and ibuprofen.

“Come here, KoKo,” he urged when I sat on the opposite side of the couch from him.

I rolled my eyes, and he released an exasperated sigh before scooting over and pulling me into him.

He placed me on his lap, kissed my cheek, and apologized.

“I’m sorry for not being as present this week.

Red and I had a problem that couldn’t wait. ”

“Of course, like always.” I tried climbing off his lap, but he wouldn’t let me. “I need space, Cage.”

“I want to get out the game. I do, but I need time. I need time to get my shit together. Space from one another isn’t going to help either of us. We’re both dealing with things that require us to lean on one another now more than ever. I’m not going anywhere, so deal with it.”

My insides fluttered as Cage leaned his head on me and squeezed me tighter. I could feel his emotions pouring from him without him uttering another word. Sometimes, I couldn’t stand the way I gave in to him. My hands went to his scalp and massaged it through his locs.

We sat there in silence. The air filled with our raw, unspoken emotions. Cage’s heart beat against my body, consistently thumping in sync with mine. It reminded me of when we were kids.

“Cage?”

“Hmm?”

“Remember that time when we were at the arcade, and you hugged me when you were upset, to feel my heartbeat?” I asked, smiling.

“Hell yeah. That game had me mad. I still do that. That’s why I’m leaned against you now.

You don’t understand how you heal me, KoKo.

How you always healed me. I love the fuck out of you.

Do you know how badly I wanted to off that nigga today?

And for the first time, I wouldn’t have felt an ounce of remorse. ”

I adjusted myself to where I could nuzzle my face into his neck. Slowly, I blew through the circle my lips formed before sobbing. Deep down, I prayed what happened wouldn’t take an extreme toll on me. I was used to pushing things off, but I believed this would scar me differently.

“I love you too, Cage,” I mumbled after a few minutes, reading in between his words. “I’m glad you didn’t kill him, but I am worried about you shooting him in front of everyone. What if the police come after you?”

“Don’t worry about me. I’m heavily protected. That was handled before I got there.”

“How did you even know about him?”

Cage shifted me in his lap and tapped his fingers against my thighs. I sensed his hesitation to speak, so I lifted my head to stare into his eyes. Cage avoided my gaze. Gently, I grabbed his face and forced him to look at me. He wet his lips and sighed.

“Lorie was watching stories on FameVSYou, and you popped up on one. I immediately knew something was off from the way you looked, so I came to find you.”

The sound of Lorie’s name rolling off his tongue sickened me, but I didn’t say anything. If that was who he wanted to do, that was on him. We’d had too many conversations about her. There was no need in me wasting my breath. Cage would learn one day.

I tried climbing off Cage’s lap, but he held me there. Since I knew what he was thinking, I assured him, “I’m not getting up because I’m mad. I need to take this medicine and eat before I go to sleep.”

“You want me to lay with you or on the couch?”

“With me,” I replied with no hesitation.

“I got you.”

After I ate, Cage and I climbed on the air mattress. He draped his arm around me and kissed my shoulder. Once the room finally stopped spinning, I drifted off to sleep.