Your presence is critical,
Movin' my soul,
Yeah you spiritual,
Like everybody else invisible.
__
Chimdi stepped into the green and white blocks of the school's pavilion, looking all comfortable and classy on a black T-shirt and yellow flowered short. A crown of neatly packed bun sat on her head, making her rock the classy but cute look.
True to his words, TJ was waiting for her.
She took in his young built frame, fit into a comfortable grey sweat pants and grey vest, which accentuated his moderatly taut muscles. She stared shamelessly, eyes scanning his drool worthy features.
She'd never paid attention to his built and neither did she acknowledge moderate muscles and nicely ripped abdomen that reflected on the snug vest, dark orbs that reminded her of a dark tunnel, marauded by touches.
The smirk on his face was enough to get her back to sane land.
"Easy sunshine, there is enough of me to go around." He teased with a wink.
And when she reached where he stood observing her, she gave him a swat on the head.
He yelped, grabbing his head, "Damn woman! Must you be violent!!"
She shrugged. "You asked for this one,"Â she looked around the empty pavilion. "Why did you bring me here?"
He flashed her his gravity defying grin, one that set her heart on flutter mode. "This isn't the right place," he reached for her hand. "Come, walk with me."
Chimdi narrowed her eyes at him, before withdrawing her hand. "Is this where I start screaming for help and praying to every existing God to spare my life?"
Sighing out in mock exasperation, he glared at her, taking her hand into his. "Now don't be ridiculous, stop making me feel like the bad guy here."
"Don't expect me to go anywhere with you without knowing my destination, Kodiri. That's why the word volition was made." She argued, and again took back her hand.
TJ sighed, fingers massaging his forehead. The once playful going in her eye was suddenly missing.
He was certain she was all playful and free seconds ago. How she could change her attitude from warm to cold had him baffled. Few hours ago, he was relieved they'd really stepped into the comfort zone, they'd gone from swapping stories to sharing them, now, it felt like they were back to zero.
He dropped the backpack hoisted on his shoulder and cautiously, he rested his hands on her shoulder, fighting the urge to massage the hunched blades.
"Do you trust me?" He asked, staring pensively at her coffee brown orbs.
Chimdi snorted. "Why the hell should I?"
"Because I'm your friend, and friends trust each other." He answered, a bushy brow up.
Chimdi rolled her eyes, the perfect act to mask what she felt at the moment, he'd never actually put a tag to what they were. To her knowledge, they'd gone from frenemies to something more.
Hell, she'd never spent time chatting with Jiki the way she did with TJ and neither did conversations with Elo turn into a blush fest.
Not wanting to bother on the topic, she nodded, trying so hard to avoid his bump igniting stare and the same time, getting her pry game strong.
"So can we go?" TJ asked, once she put on a friendly smile.
He was threading on a thin line at the moment. To him, Chimdi was as unpredictable as the July rain and a faulty manual time bomb.
She shook her head furiously, getting him confused in seconds.
"What now?" He asked, silently praying she wasn't going to turn back.
"At least tell me where we are going."
He let out a sigh of relief. "That will ruin the surprise Sunshine. Come on, just let me lead the way."
"Oh," She mused, getting comfortable on the pavilion's steel railing. "I'm not a fan of surprises TJ, you'd have to tell me where we're going if not, I'd have to chill back here. Tell me," she asked, one hand holding on to the metal railings the other, gesturing towards the vast football field. "Isn't the view here therapeutic? I feel a great sense of relief and peace whenever I come here, don't you feel same?"
His thumb made to his temple, nobody informed him of how nettlesome she could be. "Have you been this annoying?"
An infuriating smile appeared on her face. "Have you been this annoying?" She imitated, getting comfortable on the metal railing.
TJ sighed for the umpteenth time, this time it was of sheer frustration. "I'd have to carry you then." He said, reaching for her.
She shrieked, jumping down from the pavilion's stairs, face flushed in embarrassment as she watched some junior students giggle at his action.
"Fine, fine!" She screamed, four feet away from him, her heart a thudding mess.
The smug smile on his face, she wished to slap off. She took another cautious step back when he made to where she stood.
"I swear, I'll rip your eyes out of it's sockets if you get any closer."
"Then I'll be hurt."
"I don't care! Don't try me!!"
"Calm down, I'm not carrying you." chuckling, he patted her hair, setting stray locks in place. "At least not yet-" A punch on his rib got him wailing like a banshee.
"Did you have to do that?" He managed through feigned pained expression, crouching on his knees.
Chimdi, who was totally alarmed ran to him, crouching by his side. Regret and fear gracing her freshly scrubbed face.
TJ sat up, sending her a wink and a cheeky grin. "Thought you said you didn't care?" He asked, getting up.
"That wasn't funny!" She snapped, walking to an opposite direction, a fuming mess and thoughts of possible revenge scenarios brewing in her big skull.
__
Chimdi stared in dismay at the yellow and maroon brick storey building staring back at her.
The washing walls completely attacked by thorn white papers, which have lasted for over a decade or more. Vintage greyish-green glass windows and metal doors, kept alive by maroon oil paints was enough to tell any sane person at Pacesetters to stay away.
"Why the hell did you bring me to the exam office Kodiri?" She whisper-yelled, wise enough to know the school security team guarded the old exam block like a house full of treasure.
"Shhhh." He whispered back, miming a ziplock and gesturing to her to follow him.
Without much of a choice, she followed him to the back of the building, to be greeted by another absurd sight.
"What now?" She inquired impatiently, staring at the rusting metal ladder which gave access to a metal tank stand, housing over four geepee tanks.
"We climb." He replied, like it was the normal of spoken words.
Chimdi stared at him in utter disbelief, contemplating slapping sane thoughts into his thick skull or quietly walking back to her hostel.
Suddenly, she felt a great amount of disappointment, every existing shade. She'd thought he was whisking her off to a comfortable, albeit, undiscovered part of the school, where no one has ever discovered. A place where she'd forget about everything thing and just bask in the moment. Just him, her, fresh air and happy smiles. The perfect serene package.
But no she was wrong, she thought. The bitter taste of reality slapping her in the face like an impromptu maths test.
Instead, he brought her to the infamous exam office, where tears were made and poor hearts of unprepared students, shattered to dust.
She gathered her thoughts and silly emotions together. Glaring fire and brimstone at him.
"Are you crazy? You want me to climb this- this thing?" She almost screamed, pointing at the rusting ladder. "You should have thrown me off the stairs of the school's pavilion if you wanted to get rid of me!"
"Jeez don't be dramatic," TJ continued with an easy smile. "No one said we're climbing the fucking tank stand."
She stared at the tank stand, then at him in utter confusion. "Then what the hell are we climbing."
"The roof top."
Say what now!
She stared at him like he had a few missing brain screws.
"Are you crazy? You want us to fall?"
"Come on, try not to overreact,"
"Oh yes I will. I'm sane enough to overreact to loopy suggestions like this TJ!"
TJ rolled his eyes, sighing for the gazillionth time in an hour. Then, in a swift movement that took Chimdi unawares, jacked her up, causing her to emit an ear splitting scream.
"Put me down!" She screamed, trashing and kicking against him.
"Not until you quit screaming. You'll attract those nosy school guards and they'll accuse us of hooking up."
She gagged and stopped screaming abruptly, but still kept of with her futile struggles.
"Put me down now Kodiri or I swear, I'll scratch your eyes off it's sockets and feed them to you!"
"Okay."
"I'm fucking serious! I'll cut your balls and so feed them to YOU!" She continued, her fists pounding on his back.
"Not the balls, come on!" TJ groaned, pouting. He set her down carefully, before she began her second round of assault on him.
"You," punch. "Asshole," punch. "I" punch. "asked," punch. "you to put me down!" Punch. She screamed, blinded with rage and embarrament.
"Come on Sunshine, listen,"Â he pleaded, his hands snaking around her wrists.
"I'm not going anywhere! Leave me alone!!" She screeched, forcing him to drop her hands like they were made of hot coal.
Suddenly she wasn't staring at TJ anymore, she was staring at the face that had starred in her nightmare, the wicked smirk and bloodshot eyes stared back at her, beckoning to her to follow him.
She was breathing fast, wet beads running down her forehead, her face mirroring a very scared look.
She took unsteady steps back, like she was scared of him- of someone or thing.
She shook her head when she realized it was just a figment of her imagination. Her hands made to her face immediately, as if noticing TJ for the first time in minutes. She turned, willing herself to stay calm, taking in steady breaths, she wasn't ready to have yet, another panic attack.
It's been a while since she had one. And no, she wasn't going to let him see her breakdown for the gazillionth time.
"Look at me Sunshine," she heard his voice, laced with fear and caution.
She shook her head, refusing to look at him, refusing to look weak.
"Please?" His voice pleaded again, hands turning her to face him.
She exhaled, finally ready to face him with face in a faux staunch scowl. "The fuck should I? I'm going back to my hostel to eat more cereals and sleep the day off!"
His hands made to her small delicate face, glassy brown orbs and wet long lashes came staring back at him.
"Have you been crying?" His voice, laced with pain and regrets, dread and caution.
"No!" She snapped, wiping her face furiously. "I'm hella pissed off that's why!!"
"Look at me," he begged again, while she looked away, the chocolate, kinky errant fro once in place, was every where. The fancy band holding them captive, missing. "Please..."
Her brown orbs met his, locked his in a time stilling second.
Lifeless eyes that housed so much life.
He longed to drown in them, in their timeless beauty and aeriform grace.
They held a story that longed to be unraveled, that would one day tell theirs.
All the words he was about to spit out disappeared into thin air as he felt her shake, it took a second to know she was emptying her tear ducts.
He gathered her into a comforting hug, wanting nothing more than to make whatever her problem maybe disappear. He wanted to see the childlike smile light up her face and his day once more, he wanted to see her playful glare and feel her tap-like punches. He wanted to see her, nothing but happy.
Her scent danced around his nostril, filling his lungs with it's intoxicating fragrance of honey and citrus. His all time favourite.
Chimdi sucked in a breath, soaking in the electrifying yet, calming feeling of being comforted by him.
It was like the universe was in favour of their union. Two ethereal souls aligning, meeting in a blissful bang. And no, it wasn't earthquakes and hurricanes, neither was it tornados and volcanoes. It was beyond description, words couldn't put a name tag to it. It was somewhere between the line of rapturable bliss and ecstasy at it's peak, outright heavenly.
Suddenly, the rusting tank stand and dreadful exam building became non-existent.
"Do you trust me?" He asked, breath tickling her neckline, voice reverberating through her body.
He withdrew from her a little, just to take in her expression.
She could only see TJ, his dark orbs that held so much light and life, so much happiness and goodness. Orbs that spoke to her soul, goading her to trust him.
She nodded, eyes not straying from his, even for a second.
TJ respired out in relief, bringing her in for another relieving hug. Though clueless at her ordeal, he knew there was more to her actions. Every part of her being screamed out for help.
Her eyes, the lightest shade of brown he's ever seen. Eyes, though lifeless yet, housed so much life. Her hunched shoulder blades, spoke volumes. The stiffness of her spine, the stillness of her breath... But of course, he wasn't going to push it, he was going to wait till she decides to speak up.
Disentangling his limbs from hers, he searched around for the black fancy band that held her hair minutes ago. Finding it, he beckoned her to come close and with a mastered skill, he packed into it's former neat state.
He picked up his discarded backpack, hoisting it's padded hand on his shoulder.
"Hey," he spoke softly, scared if he spoke otherwise she might flinch.
She rocked on her heels, feeling every shade of the word embarrassment. Gathering herself together, she looked at him, this time full in the face. She'd lost count of how many breakdowns she's had in his presence and countlessly, he'd never lost his cool to impatience and neither had he freaked out on her, leaving her to fix her messy life up. No, he was always there, he always knew the right way to handle the situation and the right words to utter.
Looking at him felt like taking in a breath of fresh air, calming and comfortable. And as she really took him in, his easy grin gracing his dashing face, the mischievous twinkle and light, back to his eyes, her lips morphed into a grateful smile on their own volition. A smile that spoke volumes. The words weren't there at the moment to express how grateful she was for getting blessed with a great soul like him, but she knew a day would come when she'd have to act up in thanks and gratitude.
"You still up for climbing? We can go back to the pavilion if you're not comfortable." He suggested, taking her hands.
"It's okay," she croaked out, voice fogbound. Trusting him to keep her safe.
"After you then. Don't look down okay," she nodded. "I'll be right behind you."
Soon, they began to climb the rusting ladder in silence, their only company, droplets from the tanks far above them.
__