A Beautiful Mess.

32.

Walking through Senzo's house felt like I was walking through a maze. It was huge and gorgeous. The interior of the house was a fine line between contemporary and modern chic and telling from the decor and how everything was arranged you could tell a woman come up with the whole arrangement. The main colour scheme of the house was grey, black and white with a touch of greenery here and there and even though the house was huge it didn't shy away from adding that homely touch with some family pictures gracing the walls turning the house into a home.

"You want anything to drink?" He offered as we made our way to the kitchen.

"No thank you, I'll have something to drink later. Oh by the way I got us snacks" I said giving him the plastic bag that I had brought with me.

"You know you didn't have to but thank you"

"It's only good manners"

"Senzo you were supposed to pick me up from ballet today" a voice from behind me said and I turned around and found a girl standing behind me with a phone in her hands.

"Ahem, aren't you going to say 'hi' to my guest" Senzo said and she looked up from her phone right at me. she stared at for some time making me feel uncomfortable. At that moment the only thing I could do was wave and say hi because the situation was getting a bit awkward. Like is staring a family thing?

"Hi I'm Melo, Senzo's...classmate" I introduced myself not sure whether 'friend' was an appropriate thing to say.

"Uhm Melo this is my younger sister Nothando"

"I'm sorry" she said as she broke away from her daze "I'm just surprised that Senzo finally invited a girl over who isn't Nonhle"

"Okay don't speak that way about my girlfriend" Senzo defended.

"Hey, I'm just saying, Melo you look like such a breath of fresh air, to be honest I've never really liked Nonhle, she's just got this attitude that annoys me"

Glad I'm not the only one who sees it

"Okay Nothando go to your room you're going to disturb us, we have a lesson"

"Well then let me chill with you guys, what lesson is this"

"I'm teaching her how to ride a bike"

"Wait, you don't know how to ride a bike"

"No not really"

"And you're letting Senzo teach you?" she questioned and I nodded. "Ah uh hunnie, Senzo is a terrible teacher. When I was 8 my dad asked him to teach me and he literally watched me fall and scrape my knee. Or the time he tried to teach me how to ride the roller skates I got for Christmas, he let go when he wasn't supposed to and and left me rolling down the hill on my own and I crashed into the gate. Save yourself or you'll be left traumatised like me" she said and went up stairs.

Well, that just adds to my anxiety.

"Don't listen to her. Those accidents only happened because she doesn't know how to follow instructions"

"Okay" I said still sounding nervous.

"Chill I got you, I won't let you fall and I know first aid just in case"

***

"Melo relax...Melo just--okay stop...Melo stop paddling", Senzo instructed and I did what he said. This lesson was already off to a terrible start. I couldn't keep my balance and was on the verge of falling off a couple of times. I also couldn't ride the bike straight and it kept wobbling and somehow I always ended up directing the bike to the bush and almost crashing into it.

Why is riding a bike so hard? I let out a sigh of defeat and got off the bike. I couldn't do this and I was ready to call Sindi and just leave. I knew this wasn't going to work out so what was the point of trying again.

"Melo don't do that"

"Don't do what" I asked him, clearly very confused by what he was saying.

"Don't sigh like that. You're already giving up at the first try. You of all people"

"Well what's the point Senzo, you can see I'm struggling"

"Wow, okay then you can go, give up for all I care Melokuhle Kunene, go ahead, you're exactly the bore that I thought you were the day I bumped into you"

"Pardon?" I said. I needed Senzo to repeat what he said to me so I knew I wasn't imagining things.

"You're a bore. You always want to play it safe, never taking a risk and you hide behind this façade to convince people and yourself that you as hard as bricks but you not. You're just soft and lame and to think that I actually thought that you were cool."

There it is. The old Senzo creeping back in. And to think I actually thought he was actually a nice person but no I was wrong. He's exactly the person I thought he was.

"Say that one last time" I said and already had my hand clenched into a fist and felt my blood reaching its boiling point.

"You heard me. You're boring Melokuhle. You're letting a bike intimidate you? Pathetic. So it's fine, you can leave. I knew you couldn't do, I just wanted to see it for myself"

He couldn't help but have that smug look on his face and I was boiling over. My hand was shaking and I didn't shy away from showing how angry I was. I walked back to the house to get my bag. I wasn't going to stand here and let him insult me. It was either I walked away or Senzo's face was going to be met with my fist and I wasn't ready to get arrested for assault just yet.

"Ya, walk away. You're just proving my point" he yelled and I stopped in my tracks and turned around. I could detect what he was doing. Reverse Psychology. Deep down I wanted to admit that it was working because I knew my competitive nature would take over and I'd get on the bike just to prove him wrong.

I marched back to him and there it was, that smirk of his. I got on the bike and he held the bike behind me.

"Did it work?" He asked from behind.

"I'm here aren't I"

Of course it worked.

"Just relax Melo. Don't let what Nothando said to you get to your head too much. I got you. You trust me right?" he asked and I turned to face him. I really did trust Senzo. Probably as much as he trusted me. So much has already happened. Some much has been said. We know each other's secrets which meant there was trust between us so of course I trusted Senzo. I have to because he trusts me.