Wallflower Kleo

Back to sender - Part 1

Kim clumsily grabbed the huge box and delicately placed the dress on top then bolted down the corridor clutching it. I was still holding the card in my hand intrigued by Raphael's motives behind such a random generous act. Pacing behind Kim, we went back inside her apartment to a giggling Femi and Ayesha. Kim was a loudmouth and an excitable one too so I knew it was only a matter of seconds before she broadcasted our encounter. She dropped the box on the floor and pressed the dress on to her body carefully, the others looked up at her and then at me with faces of confusion.

"Guys, LOOK at this!" she smoothened the dress out on to herself.

"Wow," Ayesha heaved herself up from the floor to get a closer look, marvelling at the dress she traced her fingers over it. "It's beautiful"

"Fuck, it's Givenchy!" Femi proclaimed as she inspected the box, I had missed the gold print on the side of the box. Wow, from what I knew due to Tumblr, Givenchy was an expensive and tasteful designer brand. This made me even more puzzled, why would Raphael, a guy I had just met, spend so much money on such a trivial thing? I wanted to kid myself that this was an attempt to woo me, but really, it was too strange.

"It's Kleos!" Kim exclaimed before whirling the dress around in front of her as she stood gazing at herself in the mirror. She was acting like some 5 year old who'd just got her first princess dress.

"Givenchy, Kleo, what the fuck?" Ayeshas wide eyed expression gave away her amazement as to how I could afford such thing. She really thought I had such money to be blowing on one dress? I chuckled in response awkwardly, I didn't want to tell them who it was from because I knew chaos would ensue knowing them but we all knew this was way out of my usual spending habits.

"No, someone sent it to her," Kim gushed. Femi and Ayesha both looked at each other again baffled before staring at me for answers.

"I don't know. It must have been the wrong address," I mumbled catching Kim's gaze. I frowned at her discreetly shaking my head so she didn't say anything else. Just when I thought she got the message she flashed me a devilish smile and opened her mouth.

"It's not the wrong address," she announced grinning like a schoolgirl. "Someone sent it to her and she has a card too," Kim screeched as she ran around the room with me in hot pursuit, God, what's wrong with her?

"Let's see the card," Ayesha shouted excitedly. I could either pretend I lost the card (yeah, right) or hand it over over hoping she doesn't realise it's from Raphael. She doesn't know who he is so what are the chances, right? I flung the card over to her. Her and Femi eagerly leant it and read the writing aloud but stopped after the initials. They looked at each other puzzled with their eyebrows furrowed, clearly attempting to decipher the identity of the sender. Phew, I was safe, I could make it up, maybe say it was from a family member, oh, a late birthday present? That would work.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Kim stepped out of the spot she sought refuge and slowly walked towards the girls clearly in deep thought. "Did you guys say R.D?"

Ayesha slowly nodded looking even more confused and then handed the card to Kim. Where was she going with this? Her eyes scanned over the note before a wry grin stretched over her face which she then directed at me. My face was mirroring Ayesha and Femi's stumped expressions now.

"Kleo, you fucking sav, Raphael fucking Delgado?" She jumped on top of me pinning me down on to the sofa. Great.

"Oh shit, I didn't think of him!" Femi exclaimed. So she knew of him too I assume, no surprise.

"And don't lie to us, K. This is definitely from him," Kim's shifted her weight so she now sat upright as she reread the card muttering along. "Start from the beginning."