𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐊𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐚 [𝐁𝐱𝐁]

CHAPTER 26:Do You Remember?

Chapter 26: Do You Remember?

Lewis Kaplan 17 going 18|

Unable to withstand the silence thickened with tension I opened my mouth and asked without thinking my question through. "So, what was in Esly's bedroom that you just had to see?"

His brows lifted, "What?"

"Mhm, last week," I secured his wound in a bandage. "After the locker room you left with Esly. He said he had something to show you in his room?"

"Is that what he told you?" he quirked a brow.

I finished up with his hand and sat down beside him as I handed him a pain tablet "Are you saying he lied to me?"

"No. I'm just wondering why you care." He tilted his face to the side to face me, "I mean, hadn't you just come onto my friend, in the Keffa lockers?"

I groaned for two reasons. I hated that word and "I came onto someone in the lockers that day. But it was definitely not Crocodile." I faced him, nervous.

We sat in silence.

I sighed as I let my head fall back against the wall, facing the same ceiling he was facing and said "You know last week in the lockers I was so sure you were going to kiss me."

No reply.

I turned my head to face him, waiting for an answer, prompting an answer.

He licked his pale pink lips, "Esly interrupted."

"Well Esly is not here now. It's just us?" I told him.

He looked at me and chuckled "No. But I have a coming cold Mafia."

"What does that word mean?" I asked. "Mafia."

"Where did you hear it? Ah let me guess, Tanaka or his sister?"

"Why does it matter?" I asked.

"It's a Keffa word," he shrugged and chuckled "..it has no direct meaning. I mean a few years ago mixed bloods used the word wangu to refer to friends, right now we say Mafia to address them or just a group of people." He explained.

"So it has the same meaning with squad, gang, fam and clique?"

He hummed, and faced me directly "What did you think it meant?"

I laughed "Nothing."

He smiled and turned away from my gaze.

Then silence fell over us again until I decided to break its shell. "Do you remember that night we slept together?" I asked.

His eyes opened amusement reflecting in their tired dullness, "I don't know who you slept with Lewis but you sure didn't sleep with me."

I laughed, my embarrassment travelling up my neck and cheeks, "Yes it was you, when I was twelve."

"Oh my God!" he exclaimed laughing and feigning horrified shock "What were you doing at twelve? I mean Oh my God Lewis." He swiped a tongue over his lips. The movement meant to moisture his dry lips.

I laughed along with him "Stop! You have to know what I'm talking about, it's the night you..."

He cut me off, "It's the night I what? What did I do to you? Did we at least use protection because if we didn't what will I tell my mother?" He joked.

I laughed, and pointed an injection at his bandaged hand "Cut me off again and I will dose you to sleep!" I threatened playfully.

He waved his good hand in the air surrendering to me "Ok, ok I'm serious now. So, it's the night I what?" he muffled a laugh.

And I couldn't muffle mine, so I let it out and then cleared my throat carrying on "As I was saying. It's the night you had your.... issues with your brother and the night my sister ran to elope with her boyfriend."

His wildly contagious smile seized and he cleared his throat. "I remember."

I hesitated "Do you remember when we became friends in the car?"

He took a long pause and then nodded.

"I asked for us to be friends and you said once we left the car we weren't to even talk anymore."

I crossed gazes with him and carried on "We became friends but looks like you meant what you said because you never talked to me after that day. Not even once." I wanted to know if after this he would go to regarding me with absolutely no acknowledgment like before.

Apology crossed his gaze, he shied from my eyes and I shied away from his. We both faced the ceiling in silence until he replied "I'm Keffa." He said it, as if to remind me or scare me off.

I couldn't help the frown that settled on my forehead "I know you're multi blooded and even though I don't have a relationship with them I know my sister's husband and baby are mixed too."

He stared at me with slightly parted dry cold lips and a confused frown on his face.

So, I continued "So yea, I know you're mixed. I knew that too when you were graduating from Primary school and still. I left you a letter in your locker. I've always wondered, if you got it?"

"You're Keffa yet that fact doesn't deter the roar of my blood whenever my eyes land on you. Harmony flows in my veins whenever my imagination..."

I waved my hands in the air halting him from finishing the rest of that letter. "Please don't recite it. It's bad enough that I used that word, or said that. Or even wrote it. But.." I met his gaze from under my lashes, fidgeting with Elaine's pearl necklace that I'd hung around my neck. "...but, I had a crush on you and I wanted to write you a love letter."

"That was you?" he quirked a loop sided grin.

I ran a hand through my hair, not quiet able to meet his gaze. For someone who wrote that was the single most embarrassing thing I'd ever written and to have gifted it to him and told him about it defeated the whole anonymity sector of it. I laughed, the sound falling like a melange of a malpracticed symphony even to my own ears.

"Here" he said, gesturing for my hand.

I gave it to him and he started to rub gentle soothing circles on my inner wrist. "You busy this Saturday?"

"Ah ah." I shook my head lying- I was meant to be browsing through my closet with my mother and her team dramatic stylists for the events that lined our month's calendar that Saturday. But God! I wanted him to ask me out for anything. A date, a hangout .... anything. That's why I lied.

"Come to the bonfire?"

"I don't think your friend will want me there, every time he sees me he either wants to beat me up or take me to some cam..." I bit the inside of my mouth. I knew better than to finish that sentence, so instead I started another sentence. "What time?"

"I show up around five thirty." He gripped my hand tighter in his then rasped "And Crocky will not do anything to you. Anymore ok?"

Butterflies took off in the pit of my stomach. "Ok."

"Don't stress about wearing something complicated. A hoodie and a beanie will do just fine."