Hiram groaned opening his eyes when his alarm went off. 6:30AM. His eyes felt heavy, having had only 4 hours of shut eye. He needed to be in school in the next hour and a half for his morning lectures. Forcing his eyes open, he turned the alarm off, leaving his bed. He felt more awake after the shower he took, having opted for cold water.
Back in his room, he went for the first thing he saw in the wardrobe, a pair of dark jeans, a white t-shirt and a black jacket with matching black sneakers.
"Good morning Hiram," his mom asked from the kitchen as he walked in. "You look exhausted."
"Good morning mom, I had a late night." He replied filling coffee on a to-go cup.
"Join me for breakfast." Carol requested him pointing to the chair next to hers.
"I wish I could but I'll run late, some other time." He told her walking to where she was. "Have a good day mom." He said giving her a kiss on her forehead.
On his way out, he ran into Callie in gym wear, walking in from her morning jog. "You're up early."
"Good morning to you too dear sister. I have an early class, starts in the next thirty minutes." He confirmed the time on his watch. "What plans do you have for today?"
"Nothing much, just a lunch with Victoria." There was a smile playing on her lips.
"Victoria as in Victoria Lane?" He questioned.
"Why do you look so surprised?"
"You two are besties now?"
"Is that jealousy I hear?' Callie teased, eying him.
"Not at all. I'm happy for you actually, pass my greetings to her, will you?" And with that, he walked down the stairs at the entrance.
Inside the car, he dumped whatever he was carrying on the co-driver's seat and secured the coffee in the cup holder.
UCLA was a few minutes from their house, in 30 minutes, he was at the university's parking lot. He got his Mac, notebook and coffee then stepped out of the car, taking quick strides towards the main building.
"Hey, everything okay?" One of his friends in class asked from behind him.
"Yeah, why?" Hiram responded in the same whisper.
"You seem distracted." The classmate pointed out.
"No, everything is fine."
Everything wasn't fine. The classmate was correct, he was distracted. Ammika was on his mind and had been all morning. He couldn't help but stress on what the matter with her had been. He could tell something was up with her despite her promising all was well. On top of his suspicions, Klara had told him she had lots going on. He had a pressing urge of wanting to solve whatever problem that she might be having. He didn't admit it out loud but it pained him that she was going through something and would not share with him.
"I hope these reports are in order." The lecturer said to the class after collecting them. "Keep in mind that they are what you will use for the project. The report accounts for twenty percent of your final score, the project is double that, so if you know yours isn't in order, re-do it and submit it before close of business tomorrow." And with that, the class was dismissed.
(Nine hours earlier)
"So umm, I should go. Thank you again, and have a goodnight."
"Goodnight to you too Ammie." He relied and waited patiently for her to alight.
She stood on the curb and gave a tiny wave which he replied with a nod before turning the car , and driving away. She turned and walked home, a smile stupid spread across her face.
When she turned at the corner, she raised her head, looking at the balcony of their house on the fourth floor of the building. Leo wasn't there but the lights inside the house were still on.
Outside her door, she knocked and half a minute later, a shirtless Leo opened.
"Hey babe," he greeted with a smirk as she stepped in.
"Hi," she replied as he closed the door behind her.
She felt his arm slide under hers from behind and a kiss on her neck. "I've missed you." He told her making her turn to face him, then leaned in and pressed his lips against hers.
"I'm really exhausted, I'll hit the shower." She informed him after pulling away from the kiss and walked to their bedroom for her shower then headed for the kitchen after.
"I have something for you." Leo said behind her.
She pressed the 'start' button on the microwave and turned to him. "What's that?" She asked looking at the bundle of cash in his hand.
"A little something for you, I know how things are right now and I know you need a lot of extra cash."
"Where did you get it?"
He was silent for a minute, caught off-guard by that question. "Why do you suddenly care about that? It's going to help you with-" She cut in.
"Where did you get the money Leo?" Her voice was firmer, her stare fiercer.
"What's up with you today? Did something happen at work?"
"Nothing Happened. I just wanna know where you got all that money from."
He exhaled sharply before speaking. "I sold a car."
She knew what he meant by that, she knew what Leo did for a living, the shady nature of his car business. A few months back she would have been totally okay taking the cash but something had change in her recently. She couldn't quite point it out, but something had definitely changed.
"I won't take it. I took extra shifts at the bar-"
He lost it. "Damn it Ammika!" He cursed throwing the cash on their small dining table at the center the kitchen.
"Am I missing something? Look, I know things aren't so great with Teyana and all but I'm sure she's not the reason you're acting like this." The beeping sound of the microwave made him pause. "Ammika you know you need the money; no number of extra shifts is going to raise the amount of money needed."
"I'll find another way." She told him, crossing her arms.
"You know what Ammika? Your loss. Sooner or later, you are going to get back to your senses and realize you need that." He pointed at the cash spread across the table. "You need to figure out what is wrong with you!" He walked out of the kitchen into the living room, leaving the cash on the table.
She stood there motionless, wondering what really had changed in her, why was she acting this way. In the past she would have gladly taken the money, especially with the current situation with Teyana but she hadn't.
By the time she went to bed, Leo was already asleep. She slowly slid into the sheets, leaving space between them. She turned and turned in bed, thoughts racing in her mind, endless questions popping up. She closed her eyes to try and block it all out, as she did so, she saw herself with Hiram in his car. Their faces so close to each other, feeling the heat of his face against hers as they moved closer to each other. She quickly opened her eyes before she could think of what could happen. Why was she thinking of that? Why when her boyfriend is right next to her?
In their bed, she thought about a lot, right before sleep took over her, she agreed with Leo, something was wrong with her. She had changed a lot over the past months, she traced the change back to around the time Hiram Michaelson came into her life. Yes! Hiram Michaelson was the cause of the change.