A First Encounter: Part Ten

“Oh my gosh, Kaya – how long have you been standing there?”

“Oh, about five minutes or so.” We all descended into an eerie silence. Crickets chirping kind of stillness. She was wearing the cutest canary yellow pinafore with snow-coloured tights and a jet black pashmina. Sauntering over to Shay, she pulled him in and gave him a massive snog right on the lips.. She was determined to prove he was hers; deepening the kiss for what seemed like an eternity.

Averting my gaze, I focused on drying a spoon. The spoon was already spick and span but I didn’t want to look up as I heard lips smacking against one another and tongues dancing a seductive dance. Finally, their amorous embrace broke up. She put her right hand on the nape of his neck; playing with the little curly strands of hair. “So, what brings you here today Kaya?” I asked with as much feigned interest as I could muster.

“Just came to surprise my man. It’s his birthday today and I wanted to give his colleagues the three dozen cupcakes I had baked tirelessly last night,” she said smugly “That’s mighty kind of you. Well done”, my nails sank into my palm, creating crescent shaped impressions, as I struggled to keep it as calm and composed as possible. “Happy birthday Shay, you should have told me,” I said in the most platonic way possible.

Shay shifted his weight from side to side, looking at me helplessly while turning to Kaya with an interested, nay grateful expression on his face. Wishing I was anywhere else but here, I was trying to figure out a realistic escape route from the awkward scene in the Millie kitchen. How could I excuse myself from the situation without coming across as rude? To be discourteous or not to be discourteous – that was indeed the question.

She pecked him on the cheek and said, “when you’re done here, come join me on the fifth floor. I will be handing out cupcakes at the nurses desk okay?” She walked away, adding a little sway to her hips then doubled back and kissed him deeply. Again, I had to focus on anything else aside from the manipulated public display of affection in front of me.

Shay cleared his throat and said, “See ya later.”

As soon as we knew we were alone, I stared up at him with a scowl; determined not to speak until I had heard what he had to say. He opened his mouth, then closed it again as if entirely unsure what words to string together to get him out of the mess of the last five minutes. Again, he opened his mouth but quickly shut it again as if he changed his mind about speaking.

“Fine, I’ll go first. Why didn’t you tell me she was coming? Why?” I said abandoning all rational thought about Kaya had surprised him. At that point I didn’t care. “Don’t you put tabs on your girl at all? Do you have any idea how I felt whilst she was kissing you?”

The tears were streaming down my face but I didn’t care. I was too hurt to. After a while, Shay spoke “first of all, she’s my girlfriend, secondly, it was a surprise and thirdly, I’m sorry you were uncomfortable but she has every right to be here and to kiss me as much as she wants”

Taken aback from the matter-of-fact tone of his reply, I balked. Technically if I was being brutally honest with myself, he was right. However, the irrational vixen in me was not having it. She was going to make a fuss if it was the last thing she did.

“Really! Really! You seemed to fail to mention her whilst your lips were pressed upon mine or did you just conveniently forget? Did thoughts of  her escape your conscience ?”

“Yeah, well I got lost in the moment,” he said, mansplaining the situation which further irritated me.

“You got lost in the moment?” I said incredulously. “You got lost in the moment. That’s a very opportune excuse isn’t it? I don’t have to sit here and listen to this humbug and bullshit. I’m outta here. The lasagna isn’t done yet but you can dish it out by yourself when it’s ready or is that too complicated for your little brain to handle?”

Even I knew I had gone a step too far. However, I knew the time to leave was now or never. Rolling away in a huff, I sped out of the kitchen. The screech of the wheels could be heard from far away; indicative of the level of anger that had engulfed my entire being. In other words, I was not having it. Banging on the elevator button repeatedly, tears of frustration and rage endlessly rolling down my cheeks. How could everything be so messed up? He was being an obnoxious jerk and bonehead. Yeah, that’s what I should have called him; regretting my decision to leave before getting a few more jabs in. Nothing could quell the fury rising within . Nothing could take the sting away.

Surprisingly, the nurses station was dead quiet; a pin drop could echo and leave an imprint. Speeding past with resolute determination, I approached the door. Somehow, it was closed which I found quite odd.  Knocks landed in a succession of threes. My mother opened the door slowly.

“What’s going on here? Enquiring minds want to know.” I snapped at my mother.

“Your dad and I are having a discussion,” she said, with a serious look on her face.

“Really? About what – pray tell,” pushing past for I was willing to go another round.

The room smelt faintly of lavender. The cool breeze from the window felt like heaven on my heated skin. The bed was unmade, the duvet strewn carelessly. My father was seated on the sofa which transformed into a bed for my mother to lay her head at night. To me, the couch was the colour of puke but somehow the decorator thought it added to the décor. An old episode of Skins was soundlessly playing on the telly. The knotted ball of anger in the pit of my stomach tired me out. All I wanted to do was crawl underneath the covers, sink into a bottomless hole, never to face the outside world anytime soon. 

“Can you all excuse me? I’m really, really tired. It’s been a long day”. My mum took one look at the expression etched upon my facial features and got up, quickly leaving the room. My father, on the other hand was much more obstinate. He wanted to find out exactly why I wanted to be alone. Daggers in my eyes, mouth pursed with defiance and annoyance; eyebrows furrowed in worry and anxiety – I mustered whatever strength I had left and shot my father a look. He cowered ever so slightly, threw his hands helplessly in the air and finally took his leave. Shutting the door behind him, I let out a heavy sigh. My shoulders were tense, my entire being was wound up; tied in anxious knots. What’s going to happen to us now? Are we even an us? Why do I feel so blech?

Drumming up the different ways I could insult, murder, maim and kill Shay, I sailed off to dreamland still with the worry of tomorrow fresh in my forethought. The next day was certainly going to be an interesting one. Did I even have a right to be that furious with him? Only the sunrise would reveal the truths of the time and restore my faith in our budding friendship.