TAKASHI AND TYRELL SAT AT THE BAR doing their own thing. Tyrell just looked at the women while Takashi sat next to him being irritated.

He was mostly irritated because he and Toryn weren't talking. He was irritated ever since he had his suspicions about Braelyn and he was irritated knowing Tyrell probably only came out for the free drinks.

As usual, Braelyn was texting him being annoying, trying to play like she was his mother and it wasn't even midnight yet.

Braelyn: Tee please come home, it's getting late and I'm worried about you. 11:27PM ☹️

Takashi rolled his eyes. Braelyn was more on the serious side having grown up with such a strict father. So he knew she was only using the animated characters on her phone to try and be fun or get him to laugh.

Takashi: Wel I guess ur gonna keep worry cuzzz I knot coming home until I want two. 11:28PM

Takashi rested his head on the bar feeling like his whole world was spinning. He had downed six shots of strong run with no chaser so he was faded.

Tyrell nudged his arm, checking out a thick Spanish girl that just walked through the door. He could tell she knew she looked good too because she was even doing this walk that had her ass bouncing. "Yo', check out the ass on that one."

Takashi picked his head up from the bar and grilled his cousin. Every blood vessel in his low eyes apparent. He didn't care about any of that.

His phone pinged on the counter and he picked it up to check it out.

Braelyn: Tee I can tell you're drunk because your misspelling and misusing words. Just tell me where you are and I will come and get you. I don't want you to drive home and hurt yourself or hurt somebody. 11:29PM

Takashi ignored the message and picked his head up. He ran his hands down his face and looked at all the pictures decorated behind the bar. He'd never been here but he could tell it was a family owned establishment. There were a lot of pictures of an older man and a younger one in his mid-thirties. Takashi was guessing it was a father and son.

Seeing those pictures made him mad. Now he had a bone to pick with Toryn. If she thought he was going to pay for her clothes and groceries and she wasn't going to talk to him, she must've been sipping lean. Looking at Tyrell, Takashi tapped the counter. "I'm ready to go."

Tyrell pulled his head back and looked at him like he was smoking. His cousin was definitely bugging. They just pulled in thirty minutes ago. All the sexy females hadn't even shown up yet. He wasn't going anywhere. "Nah I'm good, you can go."

Takashi shrugged. He didn't need to be told twice. It was one less stop for him to make anyway. He dug into his wallet and slapped sixty dollars on the table which was probably just enough to pay for all the shots they had taken. If Tyrell wanted more he was going to have to come out of his own pocket for once.

Staggering toward the door, Takashi made it outside into the cold harsh weather. His phone pinged once more.

Braelyn: Honey you're worrying me. You still haven't told me where you are. 11:36PM

Takashi: Yo', leave me the fuck ALONE!! Don't worry about where I'm at. I'm going somewhere your knot. U annoy da fuk outttaa me to the point you make me want 2 hurt you Toryn. Leave me alone!!! 11:38PM

Takashi climbed into his car and drove away. It was the last text he received from Braelyn for the night.

******

FORTY FIVE MINUTES LATER Takashi backed into his mother's driveway. He was so turnt, he hadn't even noticed his mother's car was not in the driveway.

Lance took her out for the night to a fancy dinner reservation in Atlantic city. They would get back in the afternoon or late in the evening.

Takashi staggered up to the front door, rapping loudly. He banged on the door trying to keep warm as he bounced on his toes.

He could tell he was causing a disturbance because he was looking around the block and noticed someone peek from behind their curtains from across the street. It was taking a while for someone to come to the door so Takashi knocked again.

"What the hell, come on man..." He said to himself, hoping someone would let him out the cold. After a good twenty seconds or so he sucked his teeth and lifted up his mother's fake flower pot. She always kept a spare key there.

Takashi located it and twisted the key in the lock, opening the door. He stepped inside and flicked the light on, closing the door behind himself.

"So I guess everyone in here just fucking deaf right?" Takashi shouted. He stood and listened but as he did, he did notice it actually was very quiet. Only the humming from the refrigerator gave the place life.

Takashi walked up the steps carefully. With each step he took it felt like he would fall back and crack his skull open. He probably did have too much to drink because now he was starting to feel nauseous.

Once he made it to the top he braced himself against a door and closed his eyes to collect himself. A door suddenly opened. Barely opening his eyes, he saw Toryn come walking out of her room.

When she saw him she gasped and froze, thinking it was an intruder. She had to stare for a few seconds for her to see that it was Takashi. The only reason she noticed was because his gold heart pendant was shining on his chest.

Swallowing hard, Toryn quickly walked past him. She didn't know how he got in here but she didn't want to ask. She still remembered they had got into an argument weeks before. She knew this because she talked to Samir daily and he often brought it up because they had a court case pending against each other.

Takashi watched her back as she travelled down the stairs. Her hair was in a ponytail and she had on her glasses. The glasses that made her the little dork he missed so much. A loud rumbling started which sounded like the ice machine built into the freezer.

Takashi clenched his jaws, angry she had walked past him without saying anything. He then went a little down the hall and stood in front of another door.

Toryn came walking up the steps and stood directly at the top when she saw Takashi was blocking her room door. "Excuse me." She said.

Takashi studied her in her gray tank top, the left side strap hanging off and falling around her shoulder. She had on these shorts that were decorated with bunnies. She was still like a little kid.

"You don't know how to talk?" Takashi questioned.

"I said excuse me." Toryn repeated.

Takashi smirked. "I do everything for you and all you wanna do is act like a bitch to me. Does that make you feel good Tee Tee?"

Toryn put her hand out, "Takashi, we're not going to do this right now. This is exactly why we're not speaking right now. Stop calling me a bitch. If you want Laura she isn't here, she went out with her boyfriend. So please leave."

"I-I-I said you a bitch or I said you acting like one? You can't hear? And you let my mom go out when she has a brain tumor? What if something happens to her you dumb ass. T-then it'll be your fault."

Toryn came forward and stuck her hand under the loop in his arm and turned the doorknob walking in the room. "Laura is a grown woman, she can do what she wants." Toryn reminded him, resting her cup of ice on the dresser.

Before she could even turn around, Takashi had her trapped between the dresser with both his hands on either side of her. At this point his behavior was alarming Toryn, but she didn't want to show that he was scaring her, so she folded her arms and looked up at him. "If you don't back up in three seconds I'm going to call the police. Because now your harassing me." She would never, but she just needed to get a little distance between them.

Takashi suddenly hugged her resting his face in the crock of her neck as he inhaled her scent. Toryn just stood there not knowing how to react. Her hands were down at her sides and she stood stiffly in his embrace.

"Why can't you just remember me Toryn...I would give anything for you to remember me."

The place was so quiet you could hear air move.

"I want to sleep here with you tonight," He whispered in her ear.

"Takashi," Toryn's voice cracked.

"Let me run my fingers through your hair till' you fall asleep...I wanna hold you...I wanna tell you how pretty you are and how much I love you over and over again...can we do that best friend? We use to sleep like that all the time."

Nothing he said was sexual, but Toryn somehow felt every point on her body being lit on fire. She placed her hands against his chest and gently pushed him away. "Takashi stop and please go home. I think you told me your dating somebody or you have a girlfriend, right? Please go to her, she's probably worried about you."

"I don't wanna be with her right now, I wanna be with you."

"I'm sorry Tee, no."

"No," Takashi repeated. He banged the counter making Toryn jump. "Why the fuck do you keep doing this to me Toryn? I'm just trying to tell you I care about you! You act like our friendship doesn't mean anything! Fuck you!" He yelled in her face. He angrily walked toward the door and slammed it behind him, shaking the whole bedroom.

Toryn ran behind him and locked the door in case he decided to come back in. But luckily he left. Toryn shook her head and grabbed her phone, getting into bed. She found Samir's contact as they stayed up, doing late night texting.

********

TAKASHI WALKED THROUGH the door minutes past one o' clock. The only reason he was able to make it home without getting jailed was because at such an early hour in the morning not a lot of cars or people were on the road to witness his reckless swerving and speeding.

The lights in the house were on letting Takashi know Braelyn was still awake and ready to start her bullshit. He was surprised when he walked into the kitchen and she was eating dinner. It looked and smelled really good though. She cooked vegetable rice and grilled chicken breast.

Takashi had sobered up just a little bit. From the time he was at the bar until now had made some of that energy fade off, but his tipsiness was still apparent. He walked into the kitchen and stood at the other end of the table. "Dinner looks nice Braelyn."

Braelyn cut her meat up into nice squares, placing a small piece into her mouth as she stared at the wall straight ahead.

"Braelyn. I said dinner looks nice."

She continued to stare at the wall.

Takashi closed his eyes and took a deep inhale. He had just did this shit with Toryn. If it was one thing he hated it was to be ignored. She knew that. Toryn knew that. His friends and coworkers knew that. He didn't know why, but it was just like Braelyn to piss him off. She knew how to get him riled up and she had just done a great job of it.

Takashi walked closer and stood a couple of inches away from her. "Braelyn."

She said nothing, instead she picked up her glass of water and took a sip. Takashi nodded his head like she had said something and continued to stare at her intensely for a few more seconds. After a moment he even bent down like that would make her hear him better.

"Braelyn I said dinner looks nice."

Again he was ignored making him stand straight up. Within a split second Takashi slapped the ceramic dish and it went flying. It crashed against the wall making Braelyn gasp and jump up. She watched as their pastel wall was now stained with smushed rice. Her half eaten chicken breast was in the sink along with pieces of the dish that was broken and scattered everywhere over the sink top. Slowly, she broke her eyes away from the mess and looked into Takashi's cold eyes.

"Can you hear me now?"

Braelyn quickly nodded her head.

"How was work today?" He smiled.

"Good."

Takashi nodded his head and began fixing her nightwear like it was a suit and she had a job interview in a couple of minutes. "That's good," when he was done he gently turned her chin toward him so he could look directly into her eyes. "Now why was opening your mouth so hard for you to do three seconds ago when I first spoke to you?"

Braelyn just stared feeling like she was in a surreal moment.

"See, if there's one thing a man hates—a hardworking man at that? It would be a disrespectful woman. I work a nine to five and bust my ass for you. I have to deal with rude clients, money deductions out of my paycheck for not selling houses and doing a whole lot of shit I don't want to do. To come home and compliment my wife on dinner only to be ignored is the most disrespectful thing you can do. Don't disrespect me Braelyn. When I say something to you, just answer. It's not that hard. Okay?"

"Yes."

He smiled. "Good girl," he kissed her lips and took both her hands in his. "I'm sorry for what I just did. Are you still hungry?"

"N-no, it's okay."

"It's not. I threw your food away and you weren't finished eating. I'm sure there's more in the pot. I can take it out for you if you want."

"Takashi's it's okay."

He shrugged, he couldn't force her if she didn't want too. "Do you know what I want you to do for me? Turn the shower on. Did you shower yet?"

"No."

"Perfect. So go turn the water on and we can shower together. I'll meet you up there in a minute. I'll just clean the mess I made down here and I'll be right behind you."

Braelyn swallowed hard, she wondered if he was going through some sort of crisis. It was hard to tell when he was like this on a daily basis but when alcohol was in the mix it was truly scary.

Braelyn didn't move off right away, causing Takashi to look at her with that slight dark look in his eyes. Braelyn quickly spoke up to keep another flip out at bay. "Takashi...you called me Toryn in your text message."

Takashi picked up rice grains and broken pieces of the dish, dumping them in the garbage. "Okay."

"No, you don't get it. You called me Toryn. Earlier when I was texting you. You said I made you want to hurt me and you called me Toryn."

Takashi rolled his eyes. "I didn't call you Toryn."

"The message is in my phone."

Takashi spun around with a quickness, his hands pressed together like he was begging. "My lovely wife that I love so much. I said I did not call you Toryn, okay? Now please just go upstairs before you piss me off."

Braelyn's eyes watered but she walked off without another word, heading upstairs. She got into the shower and washed her hair and body. A lot had been on her mind lately and there was also a very important matter she needed to speak to Takashi about.

She showered in silence, gasping minutes later when she felt his hands on her from behind. He spun her around, kissing her viscously as he pressed her back against the wall.

They spent twenty minutes in the shower in a steamy touching and kissing make out session, which consisted of Takashi doing most of it.

Once they stepped into their bedroom, Braelyn sat on the edge of her side of the bed. Her heart was heavy. She ignored her soaking wet hair and the goosebumps on her arms from the cold air.

"Tee I need to tell you something. It's about Brielle." She mumbled. Even though his behavior was on ten right now, she would excuse it because she felt this matter was much more important.

"Don't." Takashi said, appearing behind her as he sent kisses down her back. As much as he loved her he didn't want to hear her name right now. He was aroused and that was the quickest way to make him lose his erection. "Save it for later."

Braelyn wasn't really even in the mood for sex. She never was a sex person anyway, Takashi was the one with the high sex drive. But she knew one of the ways to keep him happy was to stimulate him physically.

Takashi tilted her head back and sloppily kissed her, loosening her towel and tossing it to another part of the bed.

"Get on your knees." Takashi said.

Braelyn followed his instructions but as soon as she did, she realized what she was doing and tensed up. She was so uncomfortable that tears formed in her eyes. "Tee what are we doing?"

"I want you to give me head."

"What?"

"Oral sex."

She pulled her head back, taken by surprise. She gave in and let him do his little sex positions before, but things like this were very unnatural to her and he knew that. It was disgusting honestly and she didn't have a clue he had these kind of urges anyway.

"Tee I don't do this kind of stuff. It's nasty."

"No it's not."

Braelyn looked away, sniffling. "Well still...I don't wanna do this."

Takashi stopped stroking his dick, his eyes taking on a very dark look. His face was blank as he stared at her. "We're married, I thought a good wife is suppose to take care of her husband."

Braelyn sniffled, her heart was ringing in her chest. "She is, but I'm not comfortable with doing this, Tee. Please understand."

Takashi stared at her for a long while, then sucked his teeth, "Aight then fuck it." He said, stuffing himself back in his boxers as he walked away. He began putting his clothes on, "I just thought that maybe for once you could fucking satisfy me."

Braelyn's lips quivered, she got off the floor and returned back on the bed. "I thought I did, you told me I do."

Takashi looked over his shoulder and laughed. "I lied. You think your skills in bed makes my dick hard? You're horrible in bed Braelyn, all you do is fucking lay there and let me stick my dick in you. It feels like I'm fucking a dead person. It's been three years of this shit, I'm surprised half of the time my dick never got soft fucking you. To get you to put your lips on my dick is too much for you now? Why the fuck are we even married then? I at least thought you would try that, you can't do shit else. You fuck horribly, you dress horribly and your personality is horrible. You're like a robot. Boring as hell and all you do is say yes. Yes to everything I say. So why don't you say yes to sucking my dick. It might be the only thing you know how to do other than cook."

Braelyn felt her heart wrench as she grabbed the sheet, covering herself. She couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth. He had never spoken to her like this before. Tears fell out of her eyes, his words cutting her heart apart. "Why are you saying that? What's wrong with the way I dress? What's wrong with the way we make love? My personality is horrible? I thought you loved me. I'm not like a robot, I just want to make you happy."