Marrying Her Husband

Twenty

“You’re glowing!” Banele exclaims as Lisa gets through the door, making her snicker. It almost came out as a whine.
“Did you have to shout?” Lisa asks, all happy to see her brother. She and Ethan parted at the airport, the wives having been too excited to fetch their husband and Lisa not wanting to bare witness to said excitement.
“I missed you child,” he says, giving his little sister a squeeze.
“I guess I might have missed you too but a little,” Lisa teases and the man snorts, rolling his eyes.
“How was it though? Did you get time to do anything other than work?”
The questions brings memories of her with Ethan and she can’t help the warm smile that spreads through her face. she had a good time with him, lovely and something she wishes to relive again.
“It was good,” she finally answers.
“And you’re smiling, must have been good. Did Bonnie really go there? Your love must be on another level now, huh. I mean he followed you all the way,” Banele says with a shrug.
“Mm. I’m going to take a nap,” Lisa says, again wondering why she’s not feeling any guilty about what she’s doing to Bonnie. The man might have once broke her heart but even she knows he doesn’t deserve it. Her heart is completely with Ethan, even though the feeling isn’t mutual and so why is she still with Bonnie? Banele lets her go, a bit surprised he’s not spilling about her endeavours with Bonnie like she usually does. He wonders if something might have happened with the man that could have pissed her off but how, when she looked so happy when she came in? He brushes the thought off, shaking his head before grabbing the keys. It’s just around 8pm and the man feels like being a Thuso bother. He knocks on the light skinned girl’s door once, then lets himself in like the ill-mannered person he tends to be.
“So, you thought you’ll just ignore my calls huh? I love you dammit, why can’t you see that? I listened to you crying about her and still waited. How long?” he hears her scream to whoever. He finds himself curious, not wanting to be the cause of the conversation ceasing. Who could it be?
“Thuso, stop OK. I don’t see you like that, never have. What happened that one night was a mistake. Now stop luring me here using her name.”
Banele’s ears screech when they hear that voice. It’s none other than Bonnie’s, his sister’s boyfriend. He’s too curious though so he ignores the need to barge in and bust the guy’s balls.
“Oh, a mistake?”
“It was just a kiss dammit! Nothing more happened and we acted normally after that. Heck, you even helped me get her back so what the hell’s wrong with you? I’d never leave her for you nor would I betray her like you are. Your obsession with me is starting to be problematic.”
“I’m not obsessed with you! I saw you first so why I didn’t get to have you?!”
At that moment, he goes through, searching for the location of their voices. He finds them in the bedroom, Thuso sprawled out on the bed semi naked. The sight has him gagging.
“I must admit I wasn’t expecting this,” Banele says, failing to mask his emotions like his sister usually does. “You… love him?” he asks Thuso who’s voice has suddenly caught up in her throat.
“Banele, this isn’t what you think,” Bonnie pleads and the man snickers.
“And what am I thinking Mr Prophet?” he snaps and Bonnie sighs.
“I had to sort her out” he says and he snickers again.
“Sort her out? So, we’ve been a myth Thuso? Were you thinking of him when you were bouncing on my dick?” Banele bristly asks and the short-haired woman gulps.
“I…I mean what we… it’s not like that,” Thuso stutters, unable to think on edge.
“I’ll… leave you to it. Is your sister home?” Bonnie asks and Banele nods in answer. The man leaves after. With Banele knowing, he’d rather tell her than have her hear it from him. He knows how she feels about Thuso and didn’t want to see her without a friend, knowing how antisocial she is but his relationship is priority. The thought of Lisa leaving him after Banele tells him almost gives his heart an attack and he knows he cannot risk it. If she’s asleep, he’ll wake her even though she hates that and tell her. he should have never kept quiet about the kind of friend she has and feels bad for it. How dare he?
“Now it makes sense why you’ve been giving me the run-around all along. You had your eyes on him, even on all those nights we’d go out and have to watch them being lovey-dovey.” Banele says, his voice low that she wouldn’t have heard him if she wasn’t paying attention. Their relationship had mostly been about sex, only having given him a chance recently and having forced him to keep it away from his sister. He didn’t mind because long as he got to have her. “Six years. It’s been six years since I told you I am in love with you and he’s the reason? Hasn’t he been with Lisa for three?” Banele questions and the twenty-two-year-old gulps.
“I… well. I just… I’ve uhm…liked him since high school, tried to get him to notice me but failed. I used to tell Lisa about him, and you know when he approached her
, she asked me a couple of times if I was fine with it. I could see she wanted him'. I mean he was the only guy she’d ever given attention and even he…he asked me to help him out. I wanted him to be happy and I thought I’ll get over him but I… I never did,” Thuso says, tears furiously falling down her cheeks. He nods, swallowing the lump on his throat and turns.
“Pl… please don’t leave,” Thuso begs and he snickers.
“Goodbye Thuso,” Banele says. The woman gets off the bed and runs, in need of the man’s embrace. He’s never looked that disgusted by him before and the thought of him hating her pulls at the strings of her heart. She hurt him.
“Banele, I’m sorry.” she says with a whimper.
“You’re not sorry!” he yells, the hurt switching into anger. He stops on his tracks, turning so he’s facing the tall woman. “I’ve always been a game to you, haven’t I? you’ve always used my love for you to your advantage. You’d bat those eye lashes knowing how much your eyes are my weakness and I’d curve. But I’m done now, not after this. remember when you begged me to deflower you? Stupid me thought you’d finally be mine but your arse only did it so you can fuck around. Guess what? I still wanted you after that. I wanted you even after the abortion which I didn’t want but this… I guess I consoled myself with the fact that you were never in a serious relationship so maybe you’d still give me a chance. I was happy when you finally did, six years later and remember when you moaned an I love you while bouncing on my shit? My stupid ass thought you meant it, but I know better now.”
She sinks on the floor as she cries, watching the man walk away from her and the reality of the situation sink in. how stupid has she been?
****
“So, you…woke me up for this?” Lisa enquires and he nods, heart still beating out of his chest. “Why now?” she asks, and he turns his eyes and locks them with hers.
“What do you mean why now?” Bonnie asks and she looks at him with a bored expression.
“You know what I mean. It happened months ago when we were apart, and you’ve known for longer that she wants you? Why did you decide to break the silence?” she asks.
The way she says it has him feeling like a monster. Is he? He didn’t want to break a friendship that had been there for years and he knows how much she loves Thuso so he didn’t want to ruin that. He also didn’t want to seem like he’s trying to have her all to herself, which would have seemed to be the case considering how she’s her only friend.
“I… fine. the truth is, Banele sort of walked into the confrontation.” Bonnie confesses, his eyes failing to meet hers.
“Banele? So, you were with her before coming here? It’s late at night so you expect me not to think that’s suspicious?” Lisa asks, tone lower than the rage laced in her voice.
“She was spamming my cell then threatened to lie about her and me. I went to her place then found her half-naked and trying to seduce me,” Bonnie says, and Lisa can hardly believe what she’s hearing. Her friend has always been a little promiscuous, but she’s never thought she’d go for her boyfriend. At that moment and after that thought, she remembers their high school days and what she thought had been a little crush on him.
“Oh my God, I’ve been so blind!” she exclaims as all the pieces suddenly come together and her brown orbs meet his. “No wonder her peaked interest in our relationship. She’s always loved you!”
“I love you,” Bonnie says, and she snickers.
“Right yet you knew the kind of person I called best friend and didn’t tell me, not even for the sake of looking after a loved one. You betrayed me,” Lisa says and his eyebrows furrow in confusion.
“Betrayed you? You’re talking like I fucked her or something. I thought I was looking out for you because I know how much you love her. I wouldn’t have fallen for her tricks or anything, come on,” Bonnie says.
“Right, looking out for me. If that’s all, I’d like to go back to sleep. You’ll see yourself out,” Lisa says, plopping onto her back.
“See myself out? Are you chasing me out Monalisa?” Bonnie wistfully asks.
“What do you think? I need to process all this,” Lisa says, sounding ruder than she’d intended. The man nods then leaves, bumping into a wet faced Banele. He sympathises with the man, unable to believe Lisa just chased him out like that. He doesn’t know if she’s mad at him or not. He tries to find how he might have wronged her and fails to see it. Maybe keeping quiet about Thuso’s interest in her might be it but he only thought he was protecting her. he shakes the thoughts off as he gets into his car with hopes that she’ll wake up on the right side tomorrow and maybe, just maybe they can talk about it.