C H A P T E R
T W O

Walking around the dark room trying to figure out where the hell he was, he started to panic but had to force himself to calm down since he knew that would help none. Looking down at himself he frowned seeing he was naked and bruised up as if he got beaten up real bad.

Blood dripped from his lip as he touched it seeing that it was busted. He felt a cut on his cheek touching that area as well flinching from the stingy sensation he got when he touch it.

He was surprised he could actually feel the pain of the bruises as if they were real but he knew this was a dream. He knew this couldn't have been real.

"What tha fuck is going on?" He asked himself, looking at the scars his arms were covered in.

When the sound of heels clicking against the floor as if someone was nearing him could be heard he froze in place as he looked around trying to see what direction the noise was coming from.

But all he saw was pitch black, but the heels clicking continued to be heard all around him putting fear into his heart..causing him to wonder what was about to happen next, he wondered was this a nightmare and he was in mental aslylum in a patted room and he was just hearing things and that noise wasn't real..just all in his head.

Feeling a touch on his shoulder made him jump back turning around but he saw nothing. Breathing heavily, he looked around frantic wanting to escape this place.

He didn't feel safe, he was scared..

The clicks of the heels started getting louder and louder making him groan in annoyance and drop down to his feet covering his ears with his eyes clenched shut tightly wanting the noise to just stop.

He felt multiple hands touch his body in a carressing motion making him fight and swat the hands but still with his eyes closed. He was scared to open them and see something he didn't want to see..

"It's all a dream .. I am dreaming, this is not real." He mumbled to himself as he rocked back and forth. Wishing he could wake up, but he couldn't.

His body wouldn't let him, it was as if he was trapped in the dream.

When the noise finally stopped things went dead silent, he slowly opened his eyes only to be met with another set of eyes and that's it. No face, no body, no nothing just pretty dark brown eyes that captivated his attention instantly.

Staring back into the eyes, he saw his past, present and future. He saw all the hardships he encountered in the past from him growing up to him excelling in school and graduating and to him becoming something in life but what surprised him was when it kept showing his life even after his success, it was his future.

It showed him meet a woman but she had no face, all he saw was himself smiling and laughing but he was still the bruised up man he is now in each clip with the unknown woman, but one thing he realized was that in every memory that showed with the woman his bruises were slowly healing and fading .. but before the vision could go any further the eyes shut close leaving him in darkness and confusion.. again.

He jumped out of his sleep wiping the sweat off his face. Breathing heavily, he checked the time seeing it was only four in the morning. He had a long time til the shop opened but he knew after that dream he wasn't going back to sleep.

Flipping the covers back, he sat up sitting side ways on his bed sliding his feet into the slippers his mama brought for him last Christmas.

Stretching and yawning, he stood up going to the bathroom to leak his johnson, washed his hands and threw water on his face, before walking out going to his kitchen to fix him something to eat.

The only thing on his mind at this point was the dream and trying to figure out the reasoning behind it all.

What did that shit even mean.. he thought to himself pulling down the box of Honeynut Cheerios from the top of his fridge grabbing a bowl and spoon as well.

After he made his bowl, he took a seat on his couch propping his feet up on his coffee table. He sat in his dark living room, in deep thought.

Scratching at his beard he sat his bowl down then stood up to go get his phone from his room. Pulling it off the charger, he went straight to Marcus's contact pressing the call button.

Placing the phone to his ear, he paced his room back and forth as it rung. Each time the phone rung, he wondered if he wasn't going to pick up. Whe he answered on the last ring he sighed in relief.

"For you to be up this damn early and interrupting what I have going on .. some shit must've happen, what's wrong?" He asked followed by a loud yawn.

"I need you to bring your ass over here right now, I had another one of those damn dreams and its fucking with me mentally .. I need help figuring out what it could mean."

Marcus sighed, "You do know what time it is right? Four in the damn morning, niggas only be out this early if they getting some pussy .."

Ahmad smacked his lips. "How would you know? You don't get any."

Marcus laughed. "You real funny my dude, a true comedian ..but forreal dawg its late, and you want me to come all the way over to yo crib..I don't know."

"Bitch, you live next door nigga bring yo ass."

"Fine damn, stop crying ..I'll be over in five have the door unlocked ugly ass boy."

Hanging up the phone he tossed it on his bed then walked unlocking the door for him then went into his kitchen to fix Marcus a bowl of cereal.

As he was pouring the milk into the bowl Marcus made his way inside wiping his eyes ready to hear what his friend had going on.

Passing him his bowl, Marcus snatched it from him as they both took a seat on the couch. "So you mad?"

"Very, I was in the middle of having a threesome nigga .. like damn you fuckin' shit up."

"You could've continued and just called me later.. I wasn't going back to bed anyways."

"Nigga, I was dreaming .. if I was really having a threesome I damn sho' wouldn't have picked up the phone .. I had Regina hall riding me and Meagan Good riding my face, nigga I was getting it on in that dream.." Marcus sighed.

"Just like a lame to only dream about getting pussy, since he can't get shit in real life."

"And who are you to talk? I don't be seeing bitches leave out yo front door either nigga."

Ahmad smirked. "Cause I'm not a dumb nigga .. no bitch gon' come back to my spot, we live nice as hell .. I don't need them tryna steal, plot, trap my ass nothing cause they see I got money. Plus don't worry about me .. I gets mine in."

Even though you might think with how Ahmad is that he probably never gets close to a woman, well you're wrong.

He's human, he has needs .. he doesn't just go around fucking everything that has a pussy but he does dib and dab here and there when he's in the mood.

But no girl has ever went back to his spot, he didn't trust them enough to see where he laid his head at. Quickest way to get caught up, he was either at their house or motels.

Women have tried but of ourse he shut that shit down. Only women allowed in his house was his mama and little sister ..other than that you weren't welcomed.

"You gets yours in? .. yeah whatever nigga, but anyways back to why I'm here.. tell daddy what's wrong."

Ahmad mugged him. "Don't ever say that gay shit again, I might accidently on purpose punch yo ass."

"I'd love to see you try fam."

"Don't temp me, you know my hands deadly nigga."

Marcus waved him off, he knew Ahmad could fight very well. Hell they both could, people knew to never fuck with either one of them, cause if you did, yo ass was getting tagged team no questions asked.

"Yeah whatever, but fuck allat you stalling .. tell me about the dream."

Ahmad sighed sitting his empty bowl down not saying anything right away they just sat in silence.

Ahmad was trying to summarize the dream in his head the best he could so he could tell him in a way he could understand.

Since Marcus can be very slow at times ..

"So like you gon' speak or what? Don' woke me up out my sleep to have me sitting here in silence , what's going on bro? It was that bad of a dream?" He asked growing concerned.

Ahmad has been coming to Marcus about these weird dreams alot lately but none of em had him this quiet so Marcus was truly concerned and wondering what this dream don' did to his boy.

Ahmad sighed. "The dream was just crazy man but I know the shit had to mean something and you good at interputing these type of things thats why I needed you over here.."

He nodded, scooping him a spoon full of his cheerios. "Explain ya dream."

"The dream was similar to the others me naked in darkness and hearing shit but this time I was all bruised up as if I got my ass beat bad but it was even more crazier because I felt the pain from the marks and scars, then I heard the sound of a woman heels clicking against the floor and the sound of it got louder and louder to where I couldn't stand it. I dropped down to the ground covering my ears to shut out the noise out with my closed shut .. when the sound of the heels stopped I opened my eyes only to be faced with another set of eyes. It wasn't a human figure or anything just eyes staring back at me."

"Shit sounds scary as fuck ..but continue."

"It was to be honest but um as I was staring into the eyes like I was in a trance it started showing me my life, from my past, to the present and to the future. The future is what confused me .. it showed me meet a woman but I couldn't see her face and by the looks of it we had to be dating or something but get this when it started showing my future I was the same bruised naked man but as they showed memory after memory those bruises and scars started to heal .. it was like I was changing, I was smiling and shit then I woke up so it didn't get to continue."

Marcus smiled to himself knowing exactly what that dream meant. "This what I got from it .. you being naked and bruised up is to symbol your pain and hardships you have dealt with over the years .. I think you actually felt the pain because in real life you are actually in pain and hurting .. the mystery woman has to be someone special, because you started healing once she came into your life. I think the dream is saying you will either meet someone or need someone to heal you of the broken heart you have, to help you love again, to trust people and take that pain away."

"But I'm fine, I don't need someone to do that for me though."

"You know .. you tell that lie so much, I almost started believing it myself but bro just admit it, you still hurting from something.. its okay we all hurt, its a human strait we all have."

Ahmad clenched his jaw, he hated feeling things. He knew he was very much still broken inside but he felt it was better for people to think he was fine.

He didn't want sympathy, he didn't want people to feel sorry for him. He wasn't a charity case, he wasn't crazy.  Even though he felt like he was some days, he just didn't like for people to know the real him because it leaves the door wide open for judgement.

Marcus only knows about his life growing up not Chanel or other situations that occured in his life.

Chanel was one of the roots of his actions today. She broke him, he never had been so in love with someone until he met her. He was happy then, he was content felt like life was finally looking up for him but he got slapped right in the face when he caught her going down on his so called bestfriend.

Shaking his head, he stood up  excusing himself walking back towards his room to clear his head.

Marcus sat on the couch knowing he must've hit a soft spot when he said he was hurting. He just wished Ahmad would stop running from the truth and let someone in to help.

The dream even had Marcus thinking and hoping his thoughts about it were true.

He felt Ahmad honestly did deserve to be happy for once. The facade he was putting up for everyone to see was slowly becoming noticeable.

On the outside he looked to have everything in order, but mentally he was a mess, he just hid it very well.

People like Ahmad were ones that suffered with depression but never spoke on it. It was a very dangerous game he was playing but luckily he has a friend like Marcus who can see right through that fake face he loves to show the world.

When Ahmad didn't return, Marcus got worried sitting his empty bowl down then got up to see what he was up too.

Walking towards the back where Ahmad room was, he heard sniffles and low sobbing.

Ahmad was never the type to cry in front of people because he felt it showed a signed of weakness. He never wanted someone to look at him as if he was soft, when that wasn't the case.

He was like most men in this world, scared to show emotion because how the world forces that men can't have feelings or that makes you a bitch.

When Marcus stepped into Ahmad's room, he saw his friend sitting on the edge of his bed with his head down and hands over his face as his shoulders shook from crying.

It hurt to see his bestfriend cry like this, since through all the years of them being friends he never once seen this side of him.

This let him know that Ahmad was indeed hurting inside but bottled those emotions up a lot.

Ahmad felt his presence in the room quickly looking up and wiping his face. "Whatchu doing back here?"

"Shit nigga to make sure you good, whatchu crying for?"

He sniffled wiping his nose. "My eyes was just sweating, I'm good." He laughed brushing it off.

Marcus smacked his lips hating when Ahmad did this. Soon as he thinks he's getting somewhere with him, he steps back.

"We really doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"This nigga, clearly something got yo ass crying up in here and you not speaking on the shit. I am your friend fuck that I'm yo brother, I tell you all my personal shit but you can't do the same. This friendship one sided as fuck, when you call needing me.. I'm there, always got your fucking back no matter what. I don't know what got you so fucked up mentally to where you can't trust nobody, but I ain't them! I been here bruh!"

Ahmad stood there for a second, then went to grab a towel for his shower. "I'm finna shower to get ready for work." He mumbled avoiding eye contact.

Marcus nodded. "Man fuck this shit, I'm out."

Ahmad watched Marcus walk out his room, sighing. When he heard his door slam he closed his eyes knowing he was probably pushing him away.

He wanted to open up to his friend but the thought of being judged stopped him. Marcus never judged him before but the shit he been through he wanted no one to know about.

He just hoped one day he could finally open up and let the demons that haunt him at night out but for now he'll just continue bottling up his issues and handling them himself.

-

thats all i got .. but what y'all think?

Thank all of you guys who showed hella love last chapter! I appreciate it all so much!

I updated for you guys, hope you all enjoy!

- Denise 💕