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My thumb hovered over the letters, my heart beating so hard and so loudly I could hear its thrum in my ears. It had been so long since I last did this, I wasn't even sure what prompted me to type the Instagram handle I'd memorised years ago after some effortless stalking.
I was so close. So close to seeing who my sister had become. Where she was. What she was doing. Who was in her life. All I had to do was let my thumb touch those blue letters.
I wondered how much of Latoya I'd be able to recognise from whatever she posted on her toya.chenjela account. Would I feel like I'd been reunited with the person whose name and face occupied permanent residence in my heart without me even trying, or would she be a total stranger to me? Did she even still post herself here or would I be disappointed to find out I'd searched for nothing and no one?
Just when I was about to open the account, a message popped up on top of the screen.
Alex Hey, you busy?
Perfect timing. I was almost convinced this man had come into my life with the sole purpose of saving me from myself. Searching for Latoya was a kind of self-sabotage I'd engage in years ago. I'd watch her life from the confines of my university dorm room, my eyes blurry as my desperate longing for her deepened. Going to her page only hurt me, so why, when I was finally seeing improvements in my life, did I want to subject myself to that kind of pain again?
Redirecting my attention to Alex, I went into our chat, a small smile forming as I wondered what he wanted. I knew he didn't have Rufaro this weekend, so he probably had a great date in mind.
Chey Busy doing nothing🌚 What do you want?👀
Alex You.😏 Come down. Let me take you on a date.
Chey You're downstairs?🫣
Alex Yeah... I was driving and I found myself down here.
Chey Alex! I'm nowhere close to being ready for a date.
Alex Okay. What's your flat number? I could come up and wait for you to get ready.
Alex If you don't mind.
Alex Am I doing too much?🙈
Chey Oh, you're obsessed with me😂😂😂
Chey You're always doing too much, by the way. It's kinda cute😅
Chey I'm in unit 32. Come up.
There I went again, blushing uncontrollably at the mere thought of seeing Alex in person. The Alex effect had completely defeated me. His knock had my heart galloping in my chest as I walked over to the door and tried to look composed, but all composure left when I opened the door to a fresh bouquet of roses. Behind the huge bouquet, Alex looked like the kind of man contemporary romance books were made of, in a white linen shirt and shorts combo that made it hard not to stare.
