Dear Ayesha 1
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2023 by JayTheeAuthor All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review. For more information, address: [email protected]
Cast:
Ayesha.
Justin(King).
Warren(War).
Remy.
Chicago, Illinois:
Dear Ayesha,
I hope you find this letter and not yo dad. Dude big and scary asf but I can still do that to him if he don’t let me be wit you... anyways I saw you at the bodega again today, just talkin’ to Keke n’ nem, and you ignored me again when I asked to holla real quick. It’s all good tho, imma get you one day. Ain’t no way you gon’ act like you don’t see me.
I think you cute asf, and shit, I look good too. You already know that. 2 good lookin’ people like us, we gotta be together, don’t even make sense otherwise. I’m tellin’ you, our babies would be top tier. Like, they’d be too fine for anyone to even handle. You ever thought about that? Nah? Well, I have, and that’s all that matters. I know you feel the same way, even if you act like you don’t. I can see it in your eyes when you look at me. You can’t hide that.
Ayesha, I swear I can see a whole future with you. I picture us riding together, getting out of this crazy-ass neighborhood. I been peepin’ how you roll, girl. You different. You ain’t like the others. You smart, you tough, and you got that fire. I love that shit. If you just give me a chance, I promise you shit would go right. I’ll hold you down like no other.
I know I ain’t got everything figured out yet, but we could build something together. I’m grinding out here, and I ain’t gonna lie, I got plans. Big plans, baby. And you’re gonna be right there with me. If you ever just stop playing games and let me in, I’ll show you what a real man can do for you. I swear on everything, ain’t nobody gon’ treat you better than I will.
But I get it, I know you ain’t ready yet. You ain’t gotta say yes today, but know I’m coming for you. Keep your eyes open, ’cause I’ma keep making my moves. One day, you’ll see I’m what you need.
Anyway, I gotta go. I’m out here making moves, but trust, I’m always thinking about you. Don’t forget who I am. You know I’m coming.
Yours 4eva,
Justin
Ayesha folded the letter Justin had left out for her, the first one he’d ever written when they were just thirteen. A smile tugged at her lips as she hugged the letter to her chest, the familiar scent of the cheap Dollar Tree cologne he used to wear still lingering on the paper. She chuckled softly, the warmth of nostalgia flaring in her chest. It was funny how some things stayed the same, no matter how much time passed.
Most days, she wondered if they would survive this, if they would make it through everything that had pulled them apart. She often went through all of his letters whenever she missed him. The first guy she’d ever been with, and the only one. He had his flaws, his downfalls, but he was hers. And she had taken him, flaws and all.
She had met him when he was just a dreamer, always tough on the outside but with big goals, big plans. Plans that all seemed to crumble the moment they were forced into survival mode. She’d run away at 15 to be with him. Her dad didn’t approve of her dating, let alone dating someone like Justin. But he didn’t understand. Justin took care of her, made sure she never went without, and when things got tough, he did what he had to do to survive. And that meant turning to the streets.
Ayesha ran her fingers over the letter’s edges, her mind drifting back to the days when everything was simpler, before the weight of the world came crashing down on them. Back then, Justin was just a boy with big dreams, a quick smile, and a stubbornness that matched her own. They’d spent countless nights talking about their future, about the life they’d build together once they got out of the chaos. He promised her they’d make it, that they’d leave the streets behind and find a better life. She had believed him, with all her heart.
But somewhere along the way, that dream started to slip away. The world they’d tried to escape kept pulling them back in, and Justin was changing. The boy who once made her laugh with his goofy charm was becoming someone else. Someone harder. Someone she wasn’t sure she knew anymore.
She had followed him into that life, though. At 15, she’d run away from home, leaving behind everything her father tried to protect her from. She’d taken that leap, trusting Justin to catch her. And for a while, he did. But survival mode wasn’t just about staying alive; it was about doing whatever it took to stay ahead, even if that meant breaking promises, crossing lines they never thought they’d cross.
Now, sitting alone in her small, empty apartment, Ayesha couldn’t shake the feeling that they were both drowning. Every letter from Justin was a lifeline, pulling her in one moment and pushing her away the next. He was still out there, still running the streets, still the same reckless boy she’d fallen in love with. But he was changing, and she wasn’t sure if he was changing for the better or if he was becoming someone she couldn’t recognize.
She glanced at the clock. Another hour gone by, another night without him.
Ayesha had tried to move on, to fill the void that Justin had left behind, but it wasn’t that simple. There was always a part of her that was tethered to him, to the life they had built in the shadows. The connection they shared wasn’t something she could just walk away from. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized she couldn’t keep living in the past. She couldn’t keep waiting for him to come back every single night.
But she still loved him. God, she still loved him. Even after everything. And that’s what hurt the most, knowing that even if they survived this, even if they made it out alive, there was no guarantee that they’d come out whole.
She folded the letter back up carefully, sliding it onto the counter. It felt like a piece of him she could hold on to, even if everything else felt like it was slipping through her fingers.
She got up, walking to the window, looking out at the city that had shaped her, the city that had shaped them both. The lights flickered in the distance, and for a brief moment, Ayesha let herself imagine a different future. One where she wasn’t waiting for him, one where she didn’t feel the weight of the streets pressing down on her every move. But she knew better than to let herself dream too long. The streets always found a way to pull you back in.
Ayesha sat on the couch, her head resting against the backrest, her thoughts still tangled in the letter Justin had sent her. Just as she was about to lie down and lose herself in the familiar comfort of his letters again, a sudden crash shattered the quiet.
The door was kicked in with such force that it rattled the walls. Ayesha jumped up, her heart racing, adrenaline flooding her system. Before she could react, the living room was filled with armed agents, their faces obscured by dark sunglasses and serious expressions. The sound of boots stomping across the floor was deafening as they stormed in, moving quickly and decisively.
“Get on the ground!” one of them barked.
Ayesha froze, her body stiff with fear. Her legs felt like they were made of lead, but she forced herself to kneel, her breath shallow. She could barely comprehend what was happening, her thoughts swirling with confusion and panic.
Before she could say anything, most of the agents dispersed throughout the house and they began to tear it apart, one of the agents moved swiftly toward the coffee table. He lifted the glass top and reached under it, pulling out a black, shiny gun. A cold chill shot through Ayesha as she stared at the weapon in his hand. It was a 9mm, the type she’d seen Justin carry, the kind he used when things got heated. The agent held the gun up in front of her face, his eyes piercing through her.
“Is this your weapon?” he asked, his voice sharp.
Ayesha shook her head, panic rising in her chest. “No, that’s not mine.”
The agent narrowed his eyes, then asked again, “Whose is it then?”
Ayesha’s mouth went dry. She didn’t know what to say. She could feel the walls closing in on her, the weight of the situation pressing down harder with every passing second. She could say it wasn’t Justin’s, but that would make her an accomplice. She could lie, but they would find out the truth sooner or later. And she didn’t know how to protect herself, let alone Justin, when they were this far in.
“I don’t know,” she said quietly, her voice barely a whisper. “I don’t know whose gun it is.”
The agent’s face hardened. “You don’t know? You’re looking at accessory to murder charges. You better start telling us the truth.”
Ayesha felt the ground beneath her sway. Her world, the fragile life she had built with Justin, was crumbling faster than she could understand. They couldn’t pin this on her. She didn’t know what happened with that gun or how it ended up in her apartment, but she wasn’t going to take the fall for it. Not when Justin was the one out there, running the streets and getting deeper into trouble every day.
“Look, I’m telling you,” she said, her voice shaky, “I don’t know where that came from. It’s not mine.”
The agents didn’t buy it. She could see it in their eyes, the way they looked at her like she was already guilty. They didn’t care if she didn’t know whose gun it was. They didn’t care about her innocence, they were only concerned with getting someone to pay for Antoine Pierce’s death.
The agent narrowed his eyes. “If you tell us it’s Justin’s gun, we can let you go. We won’t arrest you, but if you keep lying to us—”
Ayesha’s breath caught in her throat. The pressure was suffocating, and she could feel the walls closing in. They were trying to get her to throw Justin under the bus. She couldn’t do it. She wouldn’t. But if she didn’t speak, they would take her in anyway.
“I told you,” she said, her voice steady but strained. “I don’t know whose gun it is.”
Before she knew it, she felt the cold metal cuffs around her wrists, the harsh pressure as they yanked her to her feet. Ayesha stumbled, dizzy from the shock of everything happening so fast. The agent who had spoken to her earlier looked at her with disdain.
“You’re being arrested for the murder of Antoine Pierce,” he repeated. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.”
Ayesha’s heart pounded in her chest as they escorted her out of the apartment. Her mind was racing, trying to make sense of it all. But she did know one thing: her world had just shattered. And now, she had to figure out how to survive the consequences of a life she never asked for.
As the doors to the squad car slammed shut behind her, Ayesha stared out the window, her thoughts consumed with one question: If she called Justin would he answer?
