Zane.
That name reminded me of New York. Fast-moving cars, skyscrapers, subways, Luzzo's... everything reminds me of him. He was the first guy who I really cared for deeply; the guy who wasn't just a fling for me. I loved him.
Zane and I had known each other for three summers. Initially, he didn't mean anything to me. He was my friend's brother. I used to talk to him just for Lara's sake. I was 12 when I first met him and 15 by the time I realised that I liked him.
It all started like this - Zane and I had nothing in common except for his sister, Lara. She was our common thread. He and I used to fight almost daily and let me tell you, it wasn't always verbal. We've thrown sticks and stones at each other. Nobody thought we could ever become friends, forget about falling in love with each other.
It was after I turned 14 that we stopped behaving like enemies and finally started treating each other like casual friends. After Marc had left the school bus which took us all home. Marc was like an obstacle for Zane. An obstacle which kept us apart. After his departure, Zane started spending all his time with me. He used to entertain me on our ride home. I used to have a lot of fun with him.
Over time, we both started understanding each other and soon we became good friends. By the time I was 15, we were sharing inside jokes. People around us had now started shipping us. His sister could see the signs. She asked me if I liked him and I denied it. Why? Because I couldn't tell her that I liked him, not as a friend or brother but as a crush. Because she couldn't know that I dreamt about him. Because it would have disgusted her if she knew that I wanted to date him, touch his hair and kiss his cheeks. Because our love was forbidden.
***
"Kimora! Kim, come here!" Zane shouted from across the street. Zane had left the school bus two weeks ago and now travelled by bike. I wanted to run over to him and listen to whatever he had to say but my bus was about to leave. "Get on the bus or we're leaving without you!" the conductor shouted at me. So I got onto the bus and left him standing on the street without ever knowing what he wanted to say.
What was it that he wanted to say? Why was he smiling at me like that? He definitely had something important to say. And that smile... ooh, it was so enchanting! My thoughts were running wild. Something about his smile made me feel that he wanted to... no, it can't be, you're imagining this... I felt like he was going to confess that... stop dreaming, it can't be... he has a crush on me!
I'm not so dumb! He used to spend all his time on the bus with me. He used to wipe my tears when I cried and took it on himself to make me smile. He used to take me to the nurse whenever I hurt myself. He took it on himself to defend me and keep me safe when my classmate, who everyone had nicknamed 'Moonrunner', had a crush on me and tried to advance on me.
When I was in 8th, 'Moonrunner' joined our class and sat behind me. He and I seldom talked. He would occasionally ask for stationery and I would lend it to him. He never showed any signs that he liked me until our annual day programme.
I had taken part in the group dance, so I had dressed elaborately and done makeup carefully to look my best. Everyone said that I looked beautiful. After the programme, we all assembled in the class and congratulated ourselves. Since our class teacher was really happy, she allowed us to sit wherever we liked. I sat with Clarisse and 'Moonrunner' sat right behind me. I remember that when I turned my face towards him to lend him an eraser, he looked as if he was smitten by my beauty.
After this, he kept on looking towards me throughout the year. It used to make me feel uncomfortable but I didn't complain.
***
I was in 10th now. Everyone in my class knew that 'Moonrunner' had a crush on me. He would jump at any chance to talk to me. I started avoiding him because the way he gazed at me made me really uncomfortable. It was unsettling. He would try to take my stuff without my permission so that I would go chasing behind him. Initially, I fell for this trick of his because I'm very possessive of my stuff but then I let it go.
It was a month before the summer break when 'Moonrunner' took things to the next level. I was the library monitor, so naturally, I had to make sure that everyone had left the class before I could lock it from outside. 'Moonrunner' was the last one in the class. I told him to empty the classroom so I could lock it. He asked me to help me with his English classwork if I wanted him to leave the class quickly. He had been punished to complete the classwork by the end of the day.
I went to his desk and started helping him with his work. All of a sudden, he looked at me and said, "You drive me a little crazy, you know that?"
"Stop! I'll go now. I - "
"I love everything about you. Your eyes, your smile, your hair, your words, your voice... you mesmerise me, you know?" He got up and stood by his desk.
"Stop this right now or I will - "
"I daydream about you. I love you so much. Don't you want to know how it feels to be loved so deeply?"
I didn't know what to do now. I turned and started moving towards the door, my heart pounding in the chest. He grabbed me by my wrist and pulled me closer to him. "I love you. I've been quiet for too long. But not today. I want to feel your kiss against my lips now." "WHAT?"
With that, he tried to kiss me forcibly. I tried to push him away but he was more powerful. He struggled for a while but finally managed to back me up against the wall. Oh no, what will I do? How do I free myself? His face was inching closer to mine. That's when my instincts kicked in and I kicked his balls really hard. He collapsed on the floor in pain. I dashed for the door and got out of the classroom and went straight to the girls' washroom. I cried there for long. When I had finally wiped my tears off and was calm again, I went to the empty classroom and locked it before heading to the library.
I kept quiet about it for 3 days. He kept on staring at me with that hungry look on his face for 3 days. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore and told Lara about it. "Why didn't you tell me before? Why did you keep quiet about it? We'll fix this, okay? That boy's dead now." "What are you going to do, Lara?"
"Not me, you. You'll tell all this to my brother in detail and he'll fight that perv for you." "But why would he get involved in my fight?" "Because, in case you never realised, my brother cares for you. Now go and tell him about this."
Zane was standing in a queue to buy food from the school canteen. I walked up to him and whispered that I wanted to talk to him. "Wait a minute, I'll just buy those Dorritos first." "It's urgent!" My tone must have startled him, for he immediately left the queue and led me to the tree where we usually talked before the buses started leaving.
He looked straight into my eyes and asked me if I was okay. I wanted to say that I was fine but I couldn't lie to him, not while I was looking in those brown eyes full of concern. "No, I'm not. Something... something happened in class and I - " With that, silent tears started rolling down my cheeks. He wiped them off and cupped my face in his hands before saying, "No one can hurt you while I'm still here, okay? Tell me what happened. I want every little detail, you get it?" I nodded and told him about what happened between me and 'Moonrunner'. "I'll make sure he pays for this. He'll not look at you like that again, I promise!"
***
2 days later, a senior walked up to 'Moonrunner' and told him that if he dared to touch another girl without her permission, he will personally dig a grave for him and bury him there alive. 'Moonrunner' got so scared that he never dared to look at me again. I asked Zane how he managed to do this and he said, "I have my contacts. Now you'll never have to worry about him. If he dares to do anything, tell me and I will personally fix his face myself."
That was the first time it hit me that he really cared for me not because I was his sister's friend but because I meant something to him. And it was on the last day of my stay in New York that I came to know exactly what I meant to him.
QOTD: Have you ever met someone somewhat similar to the 'Moonrunner' in this story?
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Love Escape ✔️
Teen Fiction"Were you scared?" she asked as our foreheads collided together. I shook my head no. I have to act brave and masculine, right? "No. You're lying," she said as she wiped tears off my cheeks and showed me her wet fingers. Wait, I was crying? "I didn'...
