Night Like That (gxg)

9. not the first heartbreak but one of many

Seven Years Ago

The first time Ivy had gotten that nonsense that was romantic love, she had dialled her sister, tears brimming, eyes stinging and her voice hoarse from... probably that nonsense affliction.

"What?" her sister answered after two rings.

Much like Ivy, Pendo had no phone manners. Or, maybe she just never had any phone manners with Ivy. Not that it mattered. What business did they have starting their conversation with hello? Pure waste of time the word.

"We need to pray to Osun tonight," Ivy had said, sniffling into her sweater, too lazy to reach out for a clean handkerchief.

Pendo had been quiet for a moment. Ivy couldn't have blamed her. The both of them never cried in front of one another. It demeaned something.

"What's wrong?"

It was such a loaded question because everything had been wrong. Everything that mattered anyways. She hadn't known where to start. But then, she would think about what was wrong and feel downright childish about it. Ivy toyed with the idea of saying she was pregnant because that sounded way more stressful than realizing she was in love with a person who would never be in love with her.

She didn't. "I think I'm still in love with Chastity," she whispered into her phone, careful to not let the hostel ghost hear her.

"How is this news?" Pendo asked, as nonchalant as ever. So fucking uncaring.

The tears that were preparing for the forth wave stopped as Ivy gasped in aghast. "I am having a crisis here. You are supposed to help me."

"Help you with what? Realizing you have been in love with your little friend since the first day you brought her home?"

That hadn't been it though. The first time Ivy had invited Chastity to their home had been a purely selfish move. She'd had the Matilda DVD and Ivy had not been keen on sharing she'd never watched the movie to the other children. She too wanted to understand why everyone was pretending to have a headache while playing during break time.

"I just needed a shoulder and yours seems to have a chip then."

"Okay then."

"Okay." She'd hung up on her sister and dramatically threw herself on her bed.

What had brought the sudden wave of tears had been primarily because she was in love with her best friend, her best friend would never like her back like that and also that something sort of like jealousy was eating its way through her insides. It was painful in the sense that made her want to go to Nakumatt Lifestyle and people watch. For some reason, the place gathered miserable people.

The thing that had been even more ridiculous was how she had clapped and smiled up at Chastity as she helped her get ready for her date. She had even loaned her her favourite gloss just in case things got steamy and she had to make her way home looking semi-decent.

She had been happy, at first. Maybe not jubilant because she'd wanted to also go on a date with someone so that the two of them could be on the same page and maybe kiss about it. Ivy always loved how they would kiss because of very mundane things.

Then the nameless fucker texted that he was waiting down at the reception area. Her heart had plummeted. It got worse when Chastity had Ivy do her a one over, promising her that she looked scrumptious and no one could resist her. Then she had to wave her away. Only the bye did not stick the moment she noticed she'd left the loaned gloss.

Being the fantastic friend that she was, she'd rushed after her, holding the gloss, ready to have one crisis averted and that was when she saw something she hadn't really accounted for.

The nameless fucker was kissing Chastity and her heart dropped even further. Everything about her dropped. She could even feel the air around her scatter, her legs shaking way too much and her hand prickling with pins and needles.

Then they stopped and the guy looked at her. He had the audacity in the world to smile at her like they knew each other. Ivy had wanted to punch him. They didn't know each other and he had no right to suck face with Chastity.

Noticing this, Chastity had turned to look at what her 'lover' was staring at and much like him, she smiled. Only her smile was bright and calming. It was the kind of smile one wrote poems to and the entirely creepy stalked about. She was sure, in another world, a war or two would have been fought for it. Hell, she was debating a war at that exact moment.

"Ivy?"

Her lip gloss was all but wiped out. Her eyes twinkled and her hand rested on nameless' shoulder. They were standing way too close. No one should have been allowed to stand that close to anyone in public – especially one that they were kissing.

She held out her hand. "You forgot this," she said, somehow cheer had wiggled its way into her voice. "It would have been a ruined day without it."

Chastity pulled away from the man and walked over to Ivy. It took herculean efforts not to grab her and rush her back to her dorm room, hiding her from whatever was being planned. Chastity took the gloss and there was the brilliant smile once again.

"You are a life saver," she said as she played with the tube. "What would I do without you?"

Ivy wanted to say nothing but Chastity was such a capable person she could do everything and more. She had never really needed anyone.

"Go then," Ivy said, waving her off, hoping against all hope that the false cheer in her voice reflect on her face. "We don't want to keep that Pascal waiting, eh?"

Chastity laughed. "You have the weirdest references. Fine. I'll be home usual time."

"If you're not," Ivy took care to increase the volume of her tone, "the police are one call away."

Nameless laughed. "She'll be fine."

Ivy had wanted to shout fuck you but she was a lady and a friend first. Those two things allowed for zero hysterics.

Then they were gone and Ivy was standing there feeling foolish because she'd started to cry and then quickly lamented that she was that best friend who in love with their best friend.