For as long as I can remember, my family has always been on the move. My mom comes from a family of educationists, whereas my dad comes from a long line of diplomats. Due to the demands and nature of their jobs, we often had to relocate to different cities, countries or even a different continent on a short notice.
My earliest memories of when we had a change of environment date back 11 years- to when I was 8. At the time it was my mom alone who was gainfully employed as a director of education for the government. I remember one evening in August, while the three of us were at dinner, my dad unceremoniously announced that we'd be moving permanently from our beach home in
Coleville to Purple city, 420 miles north. I didn't know much about Purple City except that it was the capital of Savanah state and had the coolest aquariums and roller coasters in the world!
I still remember the tantrums I'd throw at home anytime my parents would hint of us relocating, and how they'd always take me out to get ice cream at a mall nearby or the zoo, which was my favorite place to visit anywhere in the world as a child. Now at age 19, I've long since outgrown my love for zoos but my ice cream cravings still persist, albeit more under control now.
"Hey Saby! What a wonderful surprise to see you! Would you like to come inside?"
Dr Felix Oswald Dutton finally answers the door after I've been ringing it for a good 5 minutes. This cheery welcome of his isn't going to change my annoyance at having to wait behind the door for so long, but the sight of him in a white satin t-shirt and a towel around his waist is the more wonderful surprise for me.
"I'm here for my gift. Have I caught you at a bad time?"
He gives a high-pitched chuckle as he pulls me into a big hug. I catch a whiff of jasmine and coconut oil before he releases me, so I can tell he is just had a shower. I'm always reminded of my dad's home office when I smell jasmine oil because he always had bottles of the stuff in his desk drawer that weren't well sealed, so his offices were always heavily scented. It was after my mum passed away, that I really started to notice the fragrance and this was because my mom while she was alive, was always replacing the essential oil containers my father brought home with more odor-proof ones. My dad never seems to have the time to do that.
The scent coupled with the sight of Felix in his hallmark satin shirt awakens a fluttery feeling in my tummy that makes me feel light-headed.
"Ah yes, your requested souvenir from the trip. I have it ready for you inside.
Would you like something to drink?"
His smile at the end of the offer is so cute, I end up smiling back despite my earlier resolve to stay mad at him. His crime, I should mention, is that he promised to call me as soon as he arrived today from the trip yet he didn't. I'm however very much aware of the exact time he got back into town from a reliable source. I waited for an hour to see if he'd call, before I decided to surprise him at home and get an explanation. Also, I'm here for my gift. It's a thing with me--dating back to when my dad put me in a boarding house when I was starting high school and he'd embarked on his first diplomatic assignment after his appointment as a state consul. Every vacation was spent with my aunt in Ambervale, and my dad would visit every other year bearing gifts of my choosing.
"FizzyDew, if you have any please."
I finally decide, all the while raking him over with my eyes.
"Oh I just happen to have a couple of cans in the fridge. I'll go get it for you. I'll bring the gift along too, just so I don't end up forgetting to hand it over to you when you're about leaving" His chatty demeanor amuses me to no end. It's in these moments that I'm more aware of our age gap and the fact that he's a lecturer at my college. Dr Dutton, as he's popularly called, is one half of a popular duo on campus. He's almost never seen walking around without Dr Vinny Miles in his stride. Both of them being handsome, rich and cultured served to make them the most desired men by every single heterosexual female on campus, in my opinion. I personally have eyes for Felix alone, and through some deliciously pleasant twist of fate, we've managed to form a relationship that is now starting to get blurred around the edges.
"It's in the kitchen already packaged and chilling in the freezer for you, honey. Wait for me on the sofa while I get it," he tells me as he begins to walk away from me and I'm reminded of the last time we'd seen each other before he'd travelled--how we'd shared our first kiss, which I'd initiated and how toned the muscles of his back had felt as my hands roamed over him in the privacy of my room. We didn't go any further though, as he'd excused himself saying he still had a lot of packing to do and promised to make it up to me when he got back from the trip. It has been one the happiest nights of my life, as I interpreted it as him also having feelings for me.
I was rather upset when I was informed by my sources that he'd been spotted at a popular cafeteria out of town with Dr Vinny Miles that same night, and it didn't look like they were in much of a hurry.
I sulk at the memory, suddenly aware of how long it's been since Felix left to the kitchen and hasn't returned.
Not being one to follow instructions, I end up walking out of the sitting room and find myself in the corridors. I really don't know what direction the kitchen is at, but I hear the sound of muted voices from down the corridor and so keep moving in that direction. I'm now at the end of the passage with two doors on either side of it, and I'm guessing the one on the left leads into his bedroom because I can see the light's on inside the room from the under edge of the door. Just out of curiosity, I try the door handle and find it unlocked--
I enter the bedroom, and I can hear the sound of steaming water, flowing into a bathtub. I turn around to face Felix as he locks the door, about to ask if he was alone in the room but I never get the chance as he crushes his lips onto mine. My mind promptly proceeds to dwell on other pressing matters that require addressing. Or undressing; whichever way relief is gonna come is okay by me... I moan, as things really start to get heated in here.
No really, the room literally just got 10° hotter.
I open my eyes impulsively and glance towards the bathroom, and I almost let out a scream as I push my eager lecturer/lover off of me. There in the doorway of the bathroom stands Dr Vinny Miles, completely naked except for a towel around his waist. His hair is damp, implying that he'd just had a shower, and I can see the steam diffusing around him into the bedroom.
Silence.
I keep glancing from Felix to Vinny, waiting for someone to explain to me what's going on. Seeing the looks of intrigue on both their faces, brings to mind all the suspicions I have had about the kind of relationship between the two of them.
"Eeerrmm, you remember my guy, Vinny..."
He starts to drop that much needed hint to explain this whole scene to me, though it's really too little too late for that, I think to myself...
