PART 1: THE BEGINNING

GR GR GR GREETINGS! IT IS I........DRICKIBOT. I WAS CREATED MY MY ASSEMBLER, COCO/KOKO TO KEEP ALL HUMANS INFORMED ON DRICKI NEWS. MY FIRST TASK IS TO UPLOAD HER NEW STORY TO THIS BLOG. SHE HOPES YOU ALL WILL LIKE IT.

[STANDBY MODE]

It was almost 5 p.m. on this rainy Saturday. Nicki sat in front of the big bay window, watching as it poured. Thunder struck & she clenched the pink suede blanket tighter around her. She hadn’t lived in Atlanta long but she was already starting to regret her decision. She was thinking she’d rather withstand a Queens blizzard than this torrential downpour. What was worse was that she was all alone. She wanted to call someone from back home but she knew they would be out enjoying themselves seeing as it was a warm summer day in New York. She only had 1 friend in Atlanta but was hesitant to call him. She didn’t know yet if they were on a level fit for spontaneous conversation & she felt kind of foolish for wanting to call him simply because she was scared of the rain.

She checked her MySpace account for a while, tweaking things, adding a few photos. But after a while that wasn’t enough to keep her interest. She grabbed her iPod & turned on “Orinoco Flow” as she tried to write. Her ear buds were in & on full blast but they still weren’t enough to drown out Mother Nature’s wrath. She huffed in frustration as she fell back on her bed. She looked over at her nightstand & without overthinking, grabbed her phone.

“Praise the lord. You’ve reached Carol. I can’t come to the phone right now so please leave your name, number & a brief message, & I will return your call as soon as possible. Thank you & have a blessed day.”

*beep*

“Hey mommy. Just checkin in. I know you're probably at church right now. I’ll call back later. Love you guys. Bye.”

She hung up. She knew if her mother wasn’t home, no one was. She turned her phone over  again & again in her hands, contemplating. She didn’t know who else to call so she dialed his number.

“Hello?” he said, his voice deep.

“Hi.” She said shyly.

“Nicki?” he said surprised.

“Yeah.”

“Oh, whats up?”

“Nothing. Did I wake you?”

“Kinda.”

“I am so sorry I can-“

“No, it’s ok. I needed to get up.”

“How can you even sleep with all this thunder?”

“it’s the drugs.”

“Oh yeah I forgot.” There was a long pause.

“Sooooo, what are you doin on this lovely Saturday?”

“nothing. Sitting here, watching the rain.”

“That sounds excitiong.”

“Oh yes. The highlight of my day.” She said, rolling her eyes.

“I don’t know how you can do it. All this rain freaks me out. It’s like some Noah’s ark shit. This is too much rain.”

“Yeah it is a lot.”

“You're not scared?”

“No.” Just then, lightning struck, causing her to gasp.

“Mmmhhmmmmm, I see. Not scared at all.”

“ANYWAY.”

“Yeah, anyway. At least were not in Miami right now. Wayne said this hurricane is no joke.”

“Oh no! I hope he’s ok.”

“I’m sure he’s fine.” Thunder boomed from the heavens.

“Oh my god.”

“You ok?”

“Yeah. That was so loud.” He voice was soft, fearful. She sat, arms wrapped around her knees on the floor of her closet. Just from her tone, he could tell she was scared.

“Hey, do want me to, you know, come over? I think we could both use the company.”

“No I'm fine. I don’t want you drivin in this mess just because I'm a big baby.”

“Hey, hey now. I'm a lil scared too. We don’t have shit like this in Toronto. Snow, we have. Ice, we have. Not sheets of rain pourin down so hard you’re soaked as soon as you open the front door.” He was only half lying. He had lived in Atlanta for some time now so he was kind of used to the rain but he knew when she called, it had to be serious. They talked all the time but he was usually the one to initiate conversation. So for her to make the first move, it had to be something.

“I'm fine really. Don’t worry about me.”

“Alright.” he said, unconvinced.

“So, how’s the album coming?”

“It’s comin along great. 40 is putting together some shit for this. I sent you a few of the tracks. Did you listen to them?”

“I listened to 1…ummmm, its um..the Kanye 1. You know, the ‘I’m something, something, something, hey, hey, hey. ”

“Find Your Love’ yeah.”

“Yeah that’s it. I really like that 1.”

“Well that’s great. A great sign if you like it. I got a feeling this thing is gonna be huge. Like really big.”

“I think so too. I mean just look at how “Best I Ever Had” is doing. And that’s just from the MIXTAPE!  It’s gonna be amazing.”

“I think it would be even better if, you know, a certain female rapper would come & bless us. I think if we get that, it would really set us over the top.” She rolled her eyes.

“I was a little worried because of your leg & everything.”

“Yeah this perc be havin me gone. It’s kind of a hindrance to my creative process so I don’t take it often.”

“But I know it’s gotta hurt. Don’t make yourself suffer.”

“Well, surgety’s comin soo so I think I’ll be alright.”

“I'm so scared for you. You have no idea.”

As they talked more about his surgery, she could feel it happening. The same thing that always happened when she talked to him. Her mind was going to another place. Whatever was bothering her at the beginning of the conversation, now wasn’t. Even her posture changed. She was lying flat on her back now, feet up on the wall, no longer in a guarded position. This was never a simple task but he always did this effortlessly. This was 1 of the many things she loved about him.

“So I was thinking about offering you a job.”

“What job?” she asked.

“Being my nurse.”

“What’s wrong with the nurse you have?”

“She’s so annoying.”

“Annoying how?”

“She just doesn’t understand. She never lets me just do me you know? She always makes me sit & do nothing. ‘You have to take it easy Aubrey” he mimicked in a nasally tone.

“Well I think that’s what you need. You always work so hard. You need somebody to tell you to sit yo ass down sometimes.”

“Man, I'm good. I don’t need no break. Besides, who to sit around & do nothing when you got Mrs. Doubtfire as your caretaker? I need someone more visually captivating.”

“So you offer me the job?”

“Well, yeah.”

“I don’t know shit about nursing.”

“That’s ok.”

“Because I'm visually captivating.”

“Exactly.”

“You aint shit.”

“WHAT!?”

“First off, you a damn fool cuz you’d rather have a stripper in a nurse outfit than someone who can actually make you better. And second, all I am is visually captivating? Really?”

“Now Nicki, you know that’s not true.”

“Sure it is. All you want me to do is strut around in my bra & panties & tell you when to take your medicine.”

“Ok hold up, you got it all wrong. First, why would I want you to walk around in your underwear without heels on? it would only be teasing if you can’t reach my bed munchkin. And second, sponge baths are an essential part of nursing.”

“Ya know what?”

“What?”

“Goodbye Drake.”

“Nicki I was just playin!” he said laughing. “You know I love you. And you wouldn’t be able to hold more than a 5 minute conversation with me if I didn’t find you interesting in some way other than visually. And we talk almost every day anyway. Why not get paid for something so easy?”

“No. I don’t mind doing it for free. And I'm not obligated to take my clothes off. Sorry.”

“Awwww, I tried.”

“Yes you did.” She giggled. Her light laughter was interrupted by the storm. A burst of lightening illuminated the sky, making the lights flicker.

“Oh shit.” He whispered. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” She said softly, but she really wasn’t. She was terrified. She didn’t mind being in the dark usually but being alone in this foreign place made her uneasy. Her cell wasn’t getting reception due to the storm so her landline was her only connection to the outside world.

“Drake.” She whispered. “I think my lights are gonna go out.”

“I'm coming over.”

“No don’t. I’ll be fine. I just wanted you to know in case I hang up on you.”

“Nicki-“

“It’s ok.” The thunder boomed, rattling her widows, shaking the floor. Her heart was pounding. She was afraid know that the looming darkness could come down on her at any moment. She couldn’t control her breathing.

“Hey,” he said softly. “It’s gonna be alright. Just listen to my voice, focus on me.”

“Okay.” She breathed. She tried her hardest to block out the rain.

“You know I was just playing about the whole nurse thing. You know I respect you too much to think of you as just a pretty face. I know you're far beyond that.”

“I know Drake.”

“And underwear is completely optional.” She laughed softly but he knew it wasn’t whole hearted. She was still distracted by the weather. “Nicki, I don’t want you to be there by yourself if you're scared. You're positive you'll be alright?”

“Yes, I’ll be fine.” Just then, the brightest flash of lightening came shining through her window. It was like a fireworks display. But once it was over, it took all the light with it. it was pitch black. She pressed the phone hard to her ear. Silence. She was all alone. This was the time that she dreaded. Her mind was wandering off to scenarios she had seen in so many horror movies. She got off her back & walked slowly downstairs to the kitchen. She grabbed a steak knife from the butcher block before searching for a lighter. She couldn’t find 1 but she did find a small flashlight. She took that, her knife & her flashlight to the living room & sat in the middle of the floor, away from the windows. She put on her headphones & flicked through her songs. She stumbled across 1 of the songs Drake sent her earlier that week. She let it play.

“Spending every moment in the studio. I never said it’d be fair. But when you're all alone I hope you truly know how bad I wanna be there.”

The beat was deep, moody, sexy. The drums along with the melody, was mesmerizing. She closed her eyes & thought of him. Envisioned him with her. His breath on her ear. His hands on her. His words painted a picture in her mind.

“Come right in. Set your bag down. I took a night off for you. Girl I wanna turn the lights off but keep ya heels on. They're fitting for what I'm about to do.”    

The distraction was almost working when there was a loud banging on her door. She jumped up, breathless. She got up slowly, creeping her way to the door, knife in hand. Another round of rapping sounded as the lightening cracked through the dark sky. She placed her hand on the doorknob, hesitant to open it. Again there was knocking.

“Nicki, open the door!”

This is when Nicki went into panic mode. Her mind was racing, wondering who could be on the other side of that door. A rapist? A murderer? Who knew?

“ONIKA!” he yelled. Nicki gasped. She knew by the way he said her name, who it was. She flung the door open.

“Drake what are you doing here!?” she exclaimed. She hugged his damp frame, almost knocking him over. She stood there taking him in. his hair was cut, a slight 5 o’clock shadow across his face. He was clad in sweats, t-shirt & Jordans, a duffle bag over his left shoulder & cane in his right hand. She looked up at him, admiring his full lips when he cleared his throat.

“You gonna let me in?” he asked.

“Oh, I'm so sorry! Come in, come in!” she said stepping aside. He smiled, limping past her, as she closed the door. It was so dark in her apartment; she could barely find her way around. “Where are you?” she called out.

“I right here.” He said to her. She felt his hand go down her arm to find her fingers.

“You didn’t have to come here.” She said. He pulled her close.

“But I did.” All was quiet for a moment. Neither of them speaking. Only the sound of the rain could be heard. When the silence became too much, she spoke.

“What’s the bag for?” she said pulling on the strap of the duffle.

“It’s my storm survival kit. My mom used to pack these all the time when we would have snow storms.” She could hear the bag unzip & then a “click”. He raised a soft-glowing object from the bag. A flashlight. “You don’t have any candles or anything?”

“I do. But I don’t have a lighter.” She told him.

“Awww, you should NEVER be without a lighter. That’s a sin.”

“Oh, I guess that’s written in the weed head’s bible, then?” she laughed.

“You jest, but I'm not the 1 sitting in the dark. I am prepared.” He said with a smirk that she didn’t have to see to know was there.

“Shut up.” She said snatching the lighter from him. He chuckled as he pulled another from his pocket.

 He sat the bag down in the living room as they went to work lighting all the candles she had placed around her apartment. The last thing they lit was her fireplace. It was small, but the reflection off the glass it burned in the hearth emitted more than enough light. When all was lit, they got comfortable on the plush carpet, Floetry’s  “Say Yes” playing softly in the background through the portable speakers of his iPod, metal skewers in hand as they roasted marshmallows.

“Are you sure you're ok?” for the past 20 minutes she had been noticing him wince every once in a while when he repositioned his leg.

“Yeah why?” he asked.

“Just wondering.” She pulled the skewer away from the fire & blew on the gooey treat. She looked down at the flames for a while, taking in the soft flicker of blues, reds, oranges, yellows. It looked the way the flames that burned inside her felt. A big, bright, passionate flame. She looked back at Drake. His tall, slender frame spread out across the carpet. The light from the candles all around flickering, bouncing off his beautiful caramel skin. The light making his hazel eyes twinkle. He looked at her.

“What?” he said, noticing her staring.

“I just wanted to say thank you.”

“For what?”

“For…coming here. For being a good friend………….. For everything.”

“You don’t have to thank me.”

“But I do. You risked your life coming here.”

“You make it sound so dramatic. Like I'm some great hero. You were scared. I was scared, so I came over.”

“Still………that was really sweet of you.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He said waving her off. She scooted away from the fireplace, closer to him & wrapped her arms around him. She knocked him off balance, as he was knocked off guard.

“Oh my goodness, I'm sooo sorry!”

“It’s alright. That was just random, I wasn’t ready for that.” She backed away.

“I should’ve warned you. I don’t usually act on impulse.”

“Well, impulse isn’t always a bad thing.” She felt his hand on the small of her back, applying the slightest pressure.

She was too close. His breath was too sweet. Marsha Ambrosious’ delicate voice beckoning to her.

“All you gotta do is say yes. Don’t deny what you feel. Let me undress you baby. Open up your mind & just rest. I'm about to let you know, you make me so”

 She knew what he wanted to do & it was scary. She was more scared than she had been in a long time. Because he meant something. Because she wanted to do it, but was afraid of what would happen after. Did this mean the same thing to him? She just wasn’t sure& that is what frightened her the most.

It was as if he could feel her fear. He could take the hint. “I should get going.”

“Yeah, it…..it’s getting pretty late.” She stammered, biting her lip. She stood up & extended her hand to him. He declined, pulling himself up.

“You sure you're gonna be ok?”

“I think I can manage.” She walked with him to the door. “Thank you again. Be safe out there.” She let her fingers skim down his arm, letting her fingers intertwine with his. It seemed so natural. Like they had been doing it forever. She tippy toed up, kissing the corner of his lips. Just enough to taste the marshmallow as she “accidentally” let her tongue snake out. That kiss made the fire burn brighter, hotter inside her. She wasn’t so sure she wanted to let him go.

“I will. Hopefully I can call you soon.”  He stroked the side of her face before pulling the door open & disappearing into the darkness of the night.

 She looked out into the night, hoping to spot him but the rain was coming down in buckets so he was invisible. She wanted to run after him but she needed a reason. She looked over & noticed the duffle bag in the middle of the floor. When the headlights from his car shone brightly on her, she snatched up the bag & darted after him. When he saw her running he got out of the car.

“What happened?” he said to her.

“You forgot your bag.”

“Its fine, you could’ve kept it.” she didn’t know what else to say. She was shaking & it wasn’t from the ice cold rain that poured down on her. There had to be a way to make him stay. She needed him. She took a deep breath before she pulled him down to her lips, kissing him passionately. She was breathless when she pulled away from him. She didn’t let him back away too far. She rubber her face against his softly as she whispered,

“I don’t want you to go.”

He scrunched her shirt up in his hands, exposing the bare skin of her back. He let his hands rest there, his fingers gliding across the goose bumps.

“I don’t wanna go.” He breathed. That was the only confirmation she needed. She took his free hand, leading him back to the house. As soon as the door was closed, she got to work disrobing him. His shirt hit the floor with a thwack. He pushed her tank top over her head with an urgency. Her sweats were next. She paused for a moment to bring him to the living room.

She pulled him down to the floor with her & straddled him, leaned over him, & began kissing ever so softly. She slid off to his left side & tugged at his pants. He pulled them down to just above his knees.

“Just take them off.” She whispered.

“I can’t.” He said. He reached down & knocked on his knee gently. She reached down as well & felt something hard encasing his leg. His brace. At that moment, it all became more real to her. He really did drive all the way to her house in a thunder storm when he didn’t have to with a bad knee, for HER. This made her want him even more. It was so touching to her. Especially since he felt it was only natural that he would do this for her. He didn’t expect anything in return. It was just the right thing to do.

“Drake, I just want you-“

“Don’t. I know you’re scared. But I won’t hurt you. Trust me.” She was about to say something but his lips stopped her. She let his lips massage hers as she pulled off the rest of her clothes. His hands explored her body. They felt so warm. She sat up & looked down at him & saw the fire that burned in his eyes match that of the fire inside her. She didn’t hold back any longer. Melanie Fiona’s voice echoed through her quiet house.

“But when I want, when I want it, you gotta be ready.”

And she definitely ready. She mounted him, her long hair hanging down over her shoulder. She put her hands on his chest, using him as leverage as she wined her hips on him to the rhythm of the music.

“I don’t want it all the time, but when I get It I better be satisfied, so give it to me riiiiiiight or don’t give it to me at all.”

He put her hands on her hips as she moved on him. All he could so is stare at her. He put her hands in her hair, gently kissing her as she grinded, breathing heavily. He said nothing, only admired as she had her way with him.

Drake lay on the carpet, sweating. Nicki was beside him. they kissed each other sporadically. It was just setting in what they had done only an hour before. And while in their minds they knew they should regret it, they didn’t. it didn’t feel wrong. In fact, nothing had ever felt more right.

“Nicki.” He said as he ran his finger through her hair.

“Yes?”

“I wanted to tell you something. It’s been on my mind for a while now. But I don’t want you to think I'm crazy.”

“I can’t think you're crazier than you already are.” She giggled.

“I'm serious.”

“Ok, what is it?” he took a deep breath.

“I…..I kinda……I mean really…..God this is embarrassing.”

“Stop being so nervous. I'm not gonna laugh or anything. Just say it.”

“Ok. I love you.”

 If she didn’t know any better she would have sworn her heart stopped. He loved her. She couldn’t believe it. It kept replaying over in her mind. It wasn’t scary that he said it as much as the fact that he meant it. She knew he did. And that made her realize something as well.

“I'm sorry. I mean, I'm not sorry I said it, cuz I meant it. I mean……is that too crazy?”

“Yes.”  He lifted himself up on his elbow.

“I'm sorry, I didn’t mean-“

“But is it crazy that I love you too?”

They both sat there with nothing to say but the looks on their faces said it all.